Research
David Cameron scrambles to beef up puny EU deal
08 February 2016
The Telegraph
"Getting treaty change on the in-work benefits brake is crucial for Cameron because he will almost certainly be challenged before the European Court of Justice on this, given that some will claim it is discriminatory. He needs treaty change and the Poles are pivotal on this," Charles Grant said.
Everything you need to know about Cameron's EU deal in five minutes
05 February 2016
Politics.co.uk
The Centre for European Reform argued this week that Europe actually is pretty efficient, or at least many of its member-states are. You can agree with that or not – but whatever your view, there's nothing in that agreement which would shake up the status quo. Love it or loathe it, things look like they'll carry on mostly as before.
David Cameron wins Poland over to welfare benefit curbs
05 February 2016
Financial Times
"As the text currently stands, the safeguard mechanism on benefits may be challenged in the courts," said Charles Grant, of the Centre for European Reform. "Cameron needs to secure a promise that this mechanism will be included in the treaties when they are next changed. It is crucial that he finds a way of persuading the Poles to agree."
More buyers wanted - Exports continue to disappoint, even in sectors where Britain should do well
05 February 2016
The Economist
Although Britain's services trade with emerging economies rose fast in 1998-2012, as the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, points out, only in the case of Brazil did Britain’s exports "grow significantly faster than the economy concerned".
David Cameron fights for his place in history with European Union vote
05 February 2016
The Economic Times
A draft deal for changes to Britain's relationship with the EU has been published and it could be finalised at a Brussels summit later this month. "I think he is in a quite difficult political situation, and that is because he made the most specific demands in the area that's most difficult to convince the other member states to agree and that's benefits for migrants," said John Springford of think-tank the Centre for European Reform.
Why ripping up EU red tape may not help the British economy
04 February 2016
The Telegraph
Captains of industry tend to think that what is bad for them is bad for the rest of us.
Why the Commission is treating Poland more harshly than Hungary in its rule of law review
04 February 2016
European Institute - LSE
In January, the European Commission announced an inquiry into whether recent Polish reforms affecting the country’s constitutional tribunal and media are consistent with the rule of law. Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska writes that the Commission’s review has been noticeably different from its previous approach in relation to Hungary, where there have been similar concerns raised over reforms carried out by Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz government.
Judy Asks: Will the next US president care about Europe?
03 February 2016
Carnegie Europe
A selection of experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
BBC 2: World War Three: Inside the war room
03 February 2016
Following the crisis in Ukraine and Russia's involvement in Syria, the world is closer to superpower confrontation than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Now, a war room of senior former British military and diplomatic figures [including Ian Bond of the CER] come together to war-game a hypothetical 'hot war' in eastern Europe, including the unthinkable - nuclear confrontation.
ABC News: Russia's looming role in Syrian peace talks
03 February 2016
Syrian peace talks aimed at ending the country's five year war are struggling to get off the ground amid continued air strikes from Russia. Ian Bond, the director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, discusses Russia's role in the UN-brokered talks.
'More work' needed in Brexit talks as polls hint UK to stay in EU
02 February 2016
Deutsche Welle
"I'm a bit hesitant to give the renegotiation too much weight, the reason being that the changes Cameron can secure are relatively minor," Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the CER told DW."I think the results of the renegotiation matter only insofar as they can be portrayed as a success. Cameron and his advisers will of course claim that he has secured a good result, while the die-hard euroskeptics will say the opposite."
EU referendum: How PM's 'red card' deal will work
02 February 2016
The Week
Charles Grant, the director of the CER, said "given the current state of negotiations", the British side "would probably be happy" with the proposal.
"But the devil will be in the detail – the question is, who will have control over the brake, under what conditions can it be activated and how quickly could it come in to force?" he added.
"But the devil will be in the detail – the question is, who will have control over the brake, under what conditions can it be activated and how quickly could it come in to force?" he added.
David Cameron seeks to win round central Europe to EU deal
02 February 2016
Financial Times
Agata Gostyńska, EU affairs analyst at the Centre for European Reform, said Poland had to show resistance because being seen as too accommodating risked backfiring with domestic opinion. "For the moment it seems there is enough flexibility in the text for both to claim some victories. But the devil is in the details, and what Cameron and Szydlo will be discussing."
UK's draft EU deal: What do red and yellow cards mean?
02 February 2016
BBC News
An orange-card procedure also exists, but has not been used yet. If a majority of national parliaments jointly oppose a draft law, the commission has to review it. The failure to use the orange card shows that national MPs are focused on national interests, and "struggle to find a common stance on European issues", Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska of the CER told the BBC.
Opening shots fired in UK for EU referendum debate
02 February 2016
Deutsche Welle
"The proposed reforms still need to be adopted by the Council – and they are humble," says Rem Korteweg, senior researcher at the Centre for European Reform. Most will not dramatically change the way in which the EU operates. There are some cosmetic changes which are very important to British politics – such as the proposal to exclude the UK from 'ever closer union.'
Eksperci ostrożnie o projekcie porozumienia ws. reformy UE
02 February 2016
Wyborcza
"Sposób, w jaki zaprojektowane zostały proponowane rozwiązania, pozostawia sporo przestrzeni na ewentualne zmiany w toku konsultacji z pozostałymi 27 państwami członkowskimi" - tłumaczyła PAP Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska z Center for European Reform (CER) w Londynie.
Schengen: Europe's free-travel zone faces possible demise, with heavy cost to European businesses
02 February 2016
International Business Times
"The two questions of freedom of movement for people and freedom of movement for commerce are not necessarily related," said Camino Mortera-Martinez, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "But the closing of the border would create enormous obstacles to trains and trucks."
UK 'Holding a gun' to EU as Cameron aims for early referendum
31 January 2016
Bloomberg
"If Britain votes to leave it will be a seismic event," said John Springford, senior research fellow at London's Centre for European Reform. "Cameron's strategy of having a renegotiation and then a referendum has been felt by the other leaders as essentially holding a gun to their heads; there's been resistance to allowing Britain to set the terms of the future direction of the EU."
Deal or no deal? Cameron bid to reform EU hits fresh obstacles
30 January 2016
The Guardian
Charles Grant, director of the CER, says the emergency brake is fraught with difficulties. "British officials want to be able to use the brake immediately. Yet the mechanism could well require EU legislation, which often takes more than a year. Second, according to what criteria would use of the brake be permissible? The British will want the criteria to be vague enough for them to be able to pull it easily; the commission and other member states will try to make the criteria objective and hard to satisfy."
Radio 5 Live Daily: David Cameron's benefit proposals
29 January 2016
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform discusses David Cameron's proposals on benefits (listen from 10.37).