Research
Euranet Plus: Migration pact: EU lawmakers ask for greater clarity
07 October 2020
Camino Mortera-Martinez, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, shares the view that the Commission’s proposal does not address the issue of the countries of first arrival. But reinforced cooperation is not appropriate in this case, the researcher says.
Gove says UK has '66% chance' of Brexit deal amid breakthrough
07 October 2020
The Guardian
“This is a big shift,” said Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. ...“I think what Frost was saying was that the UK has accepted that state aid is going to be subject to dispute resolution. This is the opening we were looking for to pave the way for an agreement on enforceability,” he said.
Schengen will survive the pandemic - the single market may not
06 October 2020
Encompass
Ever since the EU’s members began closing their borders to contain transmission of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, many have heralded Schengen’s demise.
Critics demand stronger European response to poisoning of Russian dissidents
06 October 2020
Voice of America
Ian Bond, a former British diplomat in Russia and ambassador to Latvia, and now a foreign policy analyst at the London-based Center for European Reform, says there have been numerous suspicious deaths of Russian political exiles across Europe – and all too often the response has fallen short.
The EU and the Eastern Mediterranean flashpoint
05 October 2020
Aspenia Online
Tensions are running high in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey disputes Greek and Cypriot maritime boundaries, and argues that Cyprus has no right to exploit its natural gas resources until it reaches a deal to share them with Turkish Cypriots in the divided island’s north.
EU's carbon clock starts ticking for Australian companies
05 October 2020
The Australian Financial Review
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London has argued that Brussels should probably "take on board much of the financial and administrative burden, particularly for small and medium-sized companies". That might mean creating and funding a few carbon certification bodies out of the CBAM revenue.
Brexit: Der innerirische Grenze bleibt eine Knacknuss
04 October 2020
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Bricht Grossbritannien den Brexit-Vertrag, könnte dies dazu führen, dass Irland den EU-Binnenmarkt mit Grenzkontrollen schützen muss.
Chill winds of Brexit sweep the Square Mile
04 October 2020
The Sunday Times
As John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, pointed out last week, equivalence does not cover every aspect of financial services, especially when firms deal with ordinary consumers. However, he argued that it would still be helpful.“Once the pandemic is over there will still be benefits in being able to dip into a big pool of skilled financiers in London rather than having workers distributed across Europe,” wrote Springford.
The revenge of strategic yogurt: How the EU started speaking French when it comes to the economy
03 October 2020
The Economist
Given how dependent the EU is on exports, which are worth about half its GDP compared with 12% in America and 18% in China, the bloc will probably come off worse from any protectionist fight. It is possible that merely developing the tools will ensure the EU never has to use them, argues Sam Lowe from the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. But if the EU does end up using these tools as a stick, it may turn out to be a boomerang that comes hurtling back at them.
BBC Business Daily: Final countdown for a Brexit trade deal
02 October 2020
"From the EU's point of view they undoubtedly fear, post-Brexit, a very hyper-competitive UK that is slashing rules and regulations, subsidising high-tech industries and pulling investment in that would have otherwise gone to the EU, it fears the UK running a very different economic model" Charles Grant, director of the...
The EU's Turkey challenge
01 October 2020
LSE blog
EU leaders will discuss relations with Turkey at a special European Council meeting that begins today.
European Union struggles to manage Turkey spat as leaders meet
01 October 2020
Ahval
Member states broadly agree on the aim of the EU's Turkey policy, but disagree on the best way to achieve this, Luigi Scazzieri, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said ahead of the meetings.
The Warcast: No-Deal Brexit: Implications for Ireland and European Security
01 October 2020
Daniel Keohane, an associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform and the author of the recent report, “A terrible border is reborn? Ireland and a no-deal Brexit”, joins the Warcast to discuss the implications of the Internal Market Bill for security in Ireland and UK-EU security ties.
Brexit and external differentiation in foreign, security and defence policy
29 September 2020
EUIDEA
This paper examines the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy relations with third countries, and their relevance to the EU’s future co-operation with the UK in these areas.
CER/OSEPI podcast: The new migration pact: A "fresh start" or more of the same?
28 September 2020
The European Commission has unveiled its much-awaited ‘new migration pact’. But just how much of it is new? Will the EU finally agree on a common migration policy?
For UK's Boris Johnson, hardball tactics seem the only way to a Brexit deal
26 September 2020
The New York Times
The blockage seems to come from Mr. Johnson’s powerful adviser, Dominic Cummings, who sees no need for Britain to tie itself to any European rules and wants the freedom to subsidize the high-tech industries of the future, said Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, a research institute. ...“Ultimately I think Boris Johnson wants a deal,” Mr. Grant said.
Good Morning Scotland: Kent lorry checks
26 September 2020
John Springford, deputy director of the CER spoke to Good Morning Scotland about the likelihood of a UK-EU trade deal, as well as how trade might be impacted by the plan around Kent and potential hold-ups for freight (from 32:06).
Trade experts raise fresh doubts over UK-US trade deal due to tax row
24 September 2020
City A.M
Sam Lowe, a trade policy adviser at the Centre for European Reform, said the Donald Trump administration sees the tax “as a discriminatory attack on US tech companies”.
“It has already threatened retaliatory tariffs on British exports if it comes into effect,” he said.
“The US is unlikely to back down on the issue even if there is a Biden presidency, and is unlikely to strike a trade deal with the UK if it is in place.”
“It has already threatened retaliatory tariffs on British exports if it comes into effect,” he said.
“The US is unlikely to back down on the issue even if there is a Biden presidency, and is unlikely to strike a trade deal with the UK if it is in place.”
Die EU bleibt hart
23 September 2020
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Unabhängige Fachleute wie Charles Grant vom Londoner Centre for European Reform bleiben vorsichtig optimistisch. Er sieht Johnson unter „enormem Druck“, einen Deal möglich zu machen. Grant macht nicht nur „große Nervosität“ unter britischen Wirtschaftsführern aus. Viele Konservative, unter ihnen Minister, sorge vor allem die Lage in Schottland. Dort könnte der Drang zur Unabhängigkeit weiter wachsen, sollten die Verhandlungen mit Brüssel scheitern.
CER submission to the British government's integratered view of security, defence, development and foreign policy
21 September 2020
The CER's submission to the British government's security, defence, development and foreign policy review argues that to tackle diverse threats successfully, the UK must build strong partnerships with other democracies.