Research
Europe's right-wing populists unite, but face rivalry on the street
29 January 2019
The Voice of America
The minister, Matteo Salvini, is trying to form alliances with governments in Hungary and Poland. Their common foe is immigration — but there are major contradictions, says analyst Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform. "With Italy wanting other countries to take migrants but Hungary, for example, having absolutely no intention of doing so. So the real question is, will they be able to work together to form an effective group?'"
Why the EU will reject the 'Malthouse Compromise'
29 January 2019
The Telegraph
Or as Sam Lowe at the Centre for European Reform summarises, “we already know that this will be rejected by the EU, because there is little to distinguish it from the myriad ERG proposals we have seen over the past year.”
“While the EU is - and always has been - prepared to discuss technical solutions to the Irish border as part of the future relationship, they are not prepared to rely on something that does not yet exist as an insurance policy. The backstop actually needs to be a backstop.”
“While the EU is - and always has been - prepared to discuss technical solutions to the Irish border as part of the future relationship, they are not prepared to rely on something that does not yet exist as an insurance policy. The backstop actually needs to be a backstop.”
The Tory 'Malthouse Compromise' and what it means for Brexit
29 January 2019
Bloomberg
There is little new in this proposal,” said Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, adding that the plan’s alternative backstop is really just a more detailed version of the so-called max fac proposal already ruled out many times by the EU. “As with much of Brexit, it seems too much time has been spent working out what is palatable to the ERG, and too little spent understanding the EU’s positions and why it holds them,” Lowe said.
As it happened – MPs vote for Brady's Brexit amendment to renegotiate backstop
29 January 2019
The Guardian
Charles Grant, a long-term Brussels hand who heads the Centre for European Reform, has a sobering message for Brexiters tonight. He warns that the EU will indeed refuse to reopen talks on the backstop and highlights the gulf between what is on offer in Brussels and the kind of concessions the Brexiters now think they can win. "Having spent much of this week in Brussels, I have no doubt that the EU will refuse to reopen the withdrawal agreement/Irish backstop. EU leaders are alarmed that UK pols remain so ignorant of the EU position and the realities of Brexit."
No-deal Brexit puts UK food security at risk, warn Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose and M&S
28 January 2019
The Independent
Brexit is already costing the UK’s public finances £17bn a year, according to a detailed study released ahead of critical votes in parliament this week. The amount would be sufficient to pay 10,000 more police to patrol the streets and train nurses to fill every vacancy in England, and still leave enough to cover the UK’s current contribution to the EU’s budget.
El 'brexit' y las reglas de la improvisación
28 January 2019
El Periodico Internacional
La falta de guion, o de Constitución escrita, ha desembocado en una lucha encarnizada entre el Gobierno de May y la Cámara de los Comunes por hacerse con el control del proceso.
Brexit Bulletin: Changing direction?
28 January 2019
Bloomberg
The UK economy was 2.3 per cent smaller in the third quarter of last year than it would have been if the country had voted in 2016 to remain in the EU, according to the Centre for European Reform. The pro-EU think tank trimmed its estimate for the cost of Brexit from 2.5 per cent at the end of the second quarter, after the UK outperformed the hypothetical model economy. The new estimate means a weekly hit of £320 million ($422 million) to public finances, or £17 billion a year, the group said.
Brexit fears drag UK consumer confidence to 18-month low, survey finds
28 January 2019
The Independent
Brexit is already costing the UK’s public finances £17bn a year, according to a separate study released ahead of critical votes in parliament this week. The amount would be sufficient to pay 10,000 more police to patrol the streets and train nurses to fill every vacancy in England, and still leave enough to cover the UK’s current contribution to the EU’s budget. The research from the Centre for European Reform estimates the UK economy is 2.3 per cent smaller than it would have been had Britain voted to remain in the EU back in 2016.
Banks step up Brexit advice to small firms
28 January 2019
The Times
According to the Centre for European Reform, a pro-EU think tank , the UK economy is already 2.3 per cent smaller than it would have been if Britain had voted to “remain” in 2016.
'Doppelgänger UK' shows Britain's economy is 2.3% smaller because of Brexit
28 January 2019
Yahoo Finance
Britain voted to leave the European Union over two years ago and on 29 March this year, it will sever ties for good. While Brexit hasn’t technically happened, it has caused the economy to be 2.3% smaller than if Brits had voted to remain in the EU.
The cost of Brexit to September 2018
28 January 2019
The Financial Times
“Britain’s decision to leave the EU damaged growth, largely thanks to higher inflation and lower business investment. The UK missed out on a broad-based upturn in growth among advanced economies in 2017 and early 2018. And the economic cost of the decision so far is sizeable, if not disastrous.” (John Springford, Centre for European Reform)
Brexit: £17bn already ripped out of UK public purse due to decision to quit EU, research shows
27 January 2019
The Independent
Exclusive: The think-tank study indicates GDP would be 2.3 per cent higher had the UK voted to remain in the EU.
Ireland dashes May’s hopes of breaking Brexit stalemate
27 January 2019
The Financial Times
Meanwhile, a new report published by the Centre for European Reform on Sunday highlighted the damage the UK economy has already sustained as a result of the vote to leave.The CER said the economy was now 2.3 per cent smaller than it would have been if Britain had voted Remain, even after a recalculation that took account of the recent slowdown in Germany.
Pro-EU think-tank trims cost of Brexit vote for UK's economy
27 January 2019
Bloomberg
The UK’s better-than-expected economic growth last year prompted a pro-European think-tank to trim its cost estimate for voting for Brexit.The UK economy was 2.3 percent smaller in the third quarter than had the country voted in 2016 to remain in the European Union, according to the Centre for European Reform, a 0.2 percentage point cut from the prior three months. The estimate means a weekly hit of 320 million pounds ($422 million) to public finances, or 17 billion pounds a year, the group said.
REVEALED: What President Macron REALLY means when he says he wants an EU ARMY
24 January 2019
The Express
European army expert and researcher for the Centre for European Reform Sophia Besch says the 'European army' was initially coined as an umbrella term for progress on EU defence co-operation. However she has noted that the misuse of the term has been causing considerable problems.
Divided Britain will be weaker, poorer after looming Brexit
23 January 2019
The Asahi Shimbun
With the March 29 deadline for Britain's leaving the European Union fast approaching, it is still uncertain whether the exit will be a hard or a soft one. The Asahi Shimbun interviewed Charles Grant, the head of a British think-tank, to ascertain what can be expected from the Brexit as well as the possible economic impact and other effects.
Italy accuses France of 'Impoverishing Africa' as migration tensions erupt
23 January 2019
Voice of America
Analyst Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre For European Reform says while there is opposition to the CFA franc in some African countries, Di Maio’s accusations are misleading. “Now there’s two reasons for that. One of them being that at the moment the latest data suggests they (migrants) are not from countries using the CFA franc. And the second point is that in any case, if countries remain poor, migration is actually lower,” Scazzieri told VOA.
Theresa May offered plan B for Brexit. It looks a lot like the defeated plan A
21 January 2019
The New York Times
“I think her strategy has always been to postpone the vote until the very last minute, so that even those members of Parliament who are skeptical about her deal, but don’t want there to be no deal, would think twice about voting against it,” said Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow in Brussels for the Centre for European Reform, a London-based research institute.
After that defeat, even more reason to hug the EU close
20 January 2019
The Sunday Times
The influential Centre for European Reform argues that the only option for the prime minister in getting a withdrawal agreement through the Commons will be to further blur her red lines, so pushing Britain towards a softer Brexit.
Zu viel versprochen
19 January 2019
Die Welt
„Es war klar, dass es hart werden würde, über 40 Handelsverträge bis März fertig zu haben“, twitterte Sam Lowe vom Centre for European Reform.