Research
How did US President Donald Trump impact Europe during his four years in office?
19 January 2021
Euronews
For Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform (CER) think tank, "the biggest impact" of Trump's presidency for Europe, was "the loss of trust in America's reliability as an ally."
Europe welcomes Biden, but won't wait for him
18 January 2021
The New York Times
Sophia Besch and Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform argue in a new paper that “many Europeans will want to forget Trump’s presidency ever happened.” But they add, “Europe cannot continue to look to the U.S. to answer key questions on what its interests are and how it should pursue them.”
Les débuts chaotiques du commerce post-Brexit
16 January 2021
Le Monde
« Une partie de ces problèmes relève de l’adaptation à court terme aux nouvelles règles. Cela devrait se calmer une fois que les entreprises comprendront les démarches à effectuer, estime Sam Lowe, du groupe de réflexion Centre for European Reform. Mais c’est aussi l’amorce d’une relation commerciale fondamentalement différente entre l’Union européenne et le RoyaumeUni. Chaque échange va entraîner un coût supplémentaire et, pour certaines entreprises, ça ne sera plus rentable. »
Faltering threesome fight to follow Angela Merkel
16 January 2021
The Times
“The CDU is not the party of ideas,” Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think tank, said. “It’s the party of maintaining the status quo.”
It’s over for Angela Merkel and her winning coalition
16 January 2021
The Telegraph
As the Centre for European Reform points out, the chancellor has simultaneously managed to draw outsized support from conservatives, centrists, greens, women and descendants of migrants. But her successor will not be given the benefit of the doubt by most of these groups and will have to prioritise.
The battle for Germany's ruling party that will change Europe
15 January 2021
EU Observer
"Any future CDU chancellor will thus start from a position of managing the status quo, preserving what has been achieved, maintaining the crucial relationship with the US, and not risking Germans' support for European integration," Sophia Besch and Christian Odendahl at the Centre for European Reform write in their analysis.
The messy race to replace Germany's 'remarkable' Angela Merkel
15 January 2021
The Sydney Morning Herald
Sophia Besch, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, says CDU delegates are not just picking a new leader but also casting a vote on the future of conservatism in Germany.
La eleccion del sucesor de Merkel: ¿Ninguno de los de arriba?
15 January 2021
Agenda Publica
La competencia por los votantes de Angela Merkel ha comenzado, y la CDU necesita un líder capaz de mantener unida a su amplia red de partidarios. Éste bien puede ser el ministro de Salud, Jens Spahn.
BBC Radio 4 - The World at one: Brexit problems with new trading arrangements
14 January 2021
Sam Lowe a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to Sarah Montague about the teething problems and costs of the new trading arrangements (from 28.30 mins).
Britain’s immediate economic prospects are grim
14 January 2021
The Economist
But Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, says Brussels will weaken its rules only to help EU members such as Ireland; it has no interest in softening the impact of Brexit on Britain.
Italien: Renzis ruchlose Ränkespiele
14 January 2021
Deutsche Welle
Eine lange Periode der Instabilität wäre die Folge". Nicht nur aus diesem Grund hält der Politikwissenschaftler Luigi Scazzieri vom Londoner Thinktank "Centre for European Reform" (CER) für ziemlich ausgeschlossen: "Keine der größeren Parteien will Neuwahlen. Sogar Matteo Salvini würde sich überlegen, ob er in der Pandemie an die Regierung will oder nicht vielleicht lieber bis 2023 auf die regulären Wahlen wartet."
CER podcast: The future UK-EU relationship
13 January 2021
Katherine Pye spoke to Charles Grant, David Lidington and Sam Lowe about what we can expect from the future UK-EU relationship.
This ISN'T what we fought for! Brexiteer fury at deal as FIVE issues exposed
13 January 2021
Express
Commenting on the Brexit deal, Charles Grant, director of think tank the Centre for European Reform, warned there were still uncertainties surrounding the UK-EU relationship going forward.Like Sir John, he also pointed to the sustainability of checks of goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland. Due to Northern Ireland remaining partly under EU single market and customs union, he warned some may be "tempted to tear up the NI protocol".
UK eyes adding climate provisions in US trade talks to woo Joe Biden
13 January 2021
City A.M
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform think tank, said: “It remains unlikely that the Biden administration will prioritise new trade agreements with anyone in his first year, including the UK. However, were it to engage in trade talks the Biden administration would certainly be more receptive to including provisions on climate change in the text.”
With Germany’s political future in the balance, centrist “Merkel voters” will be crucial
13 January 2021
New Statesman
Christian Odendahl of the Centre for European Reform says these “Merkel voters” include many women, people with migrant roots and centrists reassured by the chancellor’s incremental progressivism.
Italy's government plunged into crisis after junior coalition partner quits
13 January 2021
Euronews
According to Luigi Scazzieri, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER) think-tank, wrangling over money is not the only reason behind the coalition woes."The real reason is that Renzi has been sidelined in the past years, his party is polling poorly and wants to gain greater prominence and strengthen his electoral appeal," he told Euronews.
EU plot to destroy City of London: Brussels looking to force firms out of Brexit Britain
12 January 2021
Express
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform who was previously also a member of the Government's Strategic Trade Advisory Group, has warned negotiations on financial services "could create political tension in the EU-UK relationship".He said Brussels is yet to decide on the issue of so-called "equivalence" - determining if the UK's rules and regulations are suitably compatible with its own that firms in London can have access to the EU market.
The post-Brexit trials and tribulations of the touring musical troupe
12 January 2021
Encompass
The newly signed EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement (TCA) conditionally removes tariffs and quotas, but otherwise does little to minimise regulatory barriers to trade or facilitate trade in services.
Baffling Brexit rules threaten export chaos, Gove is warned
10 January 2021
The Observer
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said there were problems that could grow over coming weeks and months.“The new import/export formalities are proving problematic for many companies. The lack of obvious queues at the border disguises the fact that many trucks are stuck in depots, unable to head to the ports due to their clients failing to provide the necessary documentation and information.”
La UE blinda su mercado interior frente al Brexit y la crisis económica de la pandemia
09 January 2021
El Pais
Camino Martínez-Mortera, analista del Centre for European Reform, cree que el denominador común de las últimas crisis de la UE no ha sido tanto el mercado único como la erosión de la confianza mutua. Pero la analista añade que “sin confianza mutua no puede haber mercado interior”. Y recuerda que esa confianza “es también la base del desarrollo del área común de justicia e interior, de la zona Schengen o del euro”.