Research
Welcome to Doppelgänger Britain – a world without Brexit
16 September 2023
The New Statesman
The economist John Springford on how he modelled what the UK would look like had it voted Remain.
How Europe can make the most of AI
14 September 2023
AI may raise productivity – potentially substantially. European policy-makers should do more to ensure businesses use it, by regulating to clarify liability and ensuring vigorous competition between AI companies.
The EU still needs to build its de-risking toolkit
14 September 2023
Encompass
‘De-risking’ the EU’s economic ties with China took centre stage in this week’s state of the union speech by European Commission President von der Leyen.
Georgia's foreign policy and its alignment with the EU CSFP
07 September 2023
The Georgian Institute of Politics
The risks of strengthening ties with Russia in the midst of its war of aggression against Ukraine should be obvious.
What approach should Labour take to the 2026 TCA review?
06 September 2023
A Labour government will want to reshape relations with the EU. The 2026 review of the trade deal offers only limited scope for change – but that should not constrain Labour’s ambitions.
Meloni's balancing act
25 August 2023
EurActiv
Her first year in office has confounded expectations, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blended Atlanticism and pragmatism towards the EU with right-wing populism on immigration, cultural issues and green policy.
The CMA's hardball approach to the Microsoft deal paid off - but EU gamers will be left out
24 August 2023
City AM
A deal with the UK competition watchdog could mean British gamers have more choice than their European counterparts.
Can Meloni's balancing act continue?
21 August 2023
Giorgia Meloni has blended Atlanticism and pragmatism towards the EU with right-wing populism on immigration, cultural issues and green policy.
Para ser relevante en la UE, España debe reconstruir su centro político
08 August 2023
El Pais
Las elecciones generales del pasado 23 de julio han metido en un aprieto a la España que ya se veía en el chiringuito.
Alemania necesita un nuevo modelo de crecimiento
02 August 2023
ES Global
Berlín debe modificar a fondo su estrategia de crecimiento, en lugar de aferrarse a un modelo fracasado de corporativismo industrial exportador.
To be influential in the EU, Spain must rebuild its political centre
31 July 2023
Spain’s inconclusive electoral results will diminish Madrid’s influence in Europe. As holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, Spain will be diligent but distracted.
The European reverberations of the Netherlands’ political implosion
28 July 2023
El Pais
As Spain digests the results from a ballot box that may leave it in political deadlock, the Netherlands gears up for an election campaign of its own.
On digital competition, Britain could learn from its regulatory mistakes
20 July 2023
The traditional British model of economic regulation has not always supported investment and innovation. The UK’s digital competition bill could learn from these mistakes.
What would UK-EU defence industrial co-operation look like?
12 July 2023
Encompass
Defence, security and foreign policy co-operation were not part of the 2020 Trade and Co-operation Agreement that underpins the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship.
Stop treating Ukraine like a chemistry experiment
11 July 2023
Encompass
It strikes me that Western countries are still approaching Ukraine like careful chemists, trying to provide just enough military help to neutralise Russia's invasion without overdoing it.
Building UK-EU bridges: Convergent China policies?
10 July 2023
The EU and the UK have almost identical objectives vis-à-vis China, and are pursuing very similar policies. After Brexit, can they still work together closely?
Press
Britain's pitch to investors: We're boring now—and that's good
20 September 2023
The Wall Street Journal
“The UK had a bit of bad luck after Brexit in a series of crises,” said John Springford, director of the Centre for European Reform in London. The country’s economy has suffered permanent damage from Brexit, which increased trade friction with the nation’s biggest trade partner, and the ensuing turmoil, but renewed business investment in recent quarters also shows the UK is often underestimated, he said.
Can Keir Starmer reset Britain’s Brexit deal?
19 September 2023
Financial Times
Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, warned that the EU side had “many other priorities” and any initiative from a Labour government would require careful framing and a clear “offer”. “Before he takes office Starmer needs to work out what he wants to change in the Brexit settlement, and then forewarn EU leaders of what they should expect from Labour,” he added.
The newfound influence of the UK’s competition watchdog
19 September 2023
Financial Times
Zach Meyers, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, says there is “global uncertainty” now in the merger space. “I’m not sure the CMA is really more unpredictable than others, but [due to the appeals system] it has bigger teeth,” he says. “It throws up the question as to whether the current system is viable, given the geopolitical blocs that are forming,” says a seasoned Brussels lobbyist, referring to the outsized influence of US, EU, UK and Chinese regulators.
Italy toughens asylum laws amid surge in migrant arrivals
18 September 2023
Voice of America
The plan is unlikely to have a big effect, said Camino Mortera-Martinez of the Centre for European Reform. “When it comes to substantive points and content of things that the Commission can do — or the European Union even can do — about this problem, there is absolutely nothing new. We see von der Leyen’s 10-point plan that she offered Italy, and we see the same things that we've been seeing for the past 10 years,” Mortera-Martinez told VOA.
Keir Starmer warned of tough choice over revisiting Brexit
18 September 2023
The Evening Standard
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, added: “‘Some bolt-ons to the EU-UK trade deal would help some sectors, like agriculture. “But they wouldn’t change the problem: a free trade agreement is much less effective than a single market and customs union. Starmer says he wants a closer EU relationship to improve growth, but his red lines on the EU make it very hard to achieve that.”
Keir Starmer wants to rewrite the Brexit deal? Good – and he shouldn’t hold back
18 September 2023
The Guardian
According to one estimate from the Centre for European Reform, the British economy is more than 5% smaller than it would have been if Brexit hadn’t happened.
Mario Draghi’s back — With a lot of work to do
18 September 2023
Bloomberg
A paper co-authored by Sander Tordoir, economist at the Centre for European Reform, set out earlier this year why Germany needs a new growth model — including more infrastructure spending, higher wages and filling digitalization gaps.
Italy mulls quitting China's 'Belt and Road' but fears offending Beijing
14 September 2023
Voice of America
There are also geopolitical reasons for Italy rethinking its membership in China's BRI, said Luigi Scazzieri, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform."There's come to be a certain diplomatic stigma attached to it, partly because the whole of the West is rethinking its relationship with China," Scazzieri told VOA.
Has the European Central Bank become too powerful?
13 September 2023
The Economist
Officials must combine a monetary-policy justification with adherence to the eu’s fiscal rules and the need for sustainable debt. As such, “ECB lawyers have to be among the most innovative in the world,” says Sander Tordoir of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank.
La «dame de fer» de Bruxelles entre deux destins
13 September 2023
Le Temps
«Son principal atout est son engagement en faveur des principes du marché libre, qui l’a parfois amenée à s’opposer à des intérêts particuliers. Elle a également réussi à convaincre de nombreuses personnes que la Direction générale de la concurrence n’avait pas pour seul objectif d’attaquer les entreprises américaines, mais qu’elle appliquerait la politique de concurrence sans crainte ni faveur, y compris lorsque des entreprises européennes sont visées», analyse Zach Meyers, chercheur en politique de la concurrence au Centre for European Reform.
Podcasts
CER Podcast: Ukraine's road to EU membership
13 September 2023
Ian Bond and Hennadiy Maksak discuss Ukraine's road to EU membership.
CER Podcast: Will political turmoil in Spain and the Netherlands leave the EU in a tough spot?
09 August 2023
Camino Mortera-Martinez and Sander Tordoir discuss Dutch and Spanish politics in the context of the EU.
CER podcast: Is the EU ready for enlargement?
26 July 2023
Camino Mortera-Martinez, Charles Grant and Heather Grabbe discuss EU enlargement.
CER podcast: NATO in Vilnius: What's next for Ukraine?
11 July 2023
Ian Bond and Luigi Scazzieri discuss the NATO summit in Vilnius.
CER podcast: The politics of China-US-EU trade: Pulling up the drawbridge?
29 June 2023
In this week's episode of the CER podcast Sander Tordoir, John Springford and Brad Setser discuss green tech industrial policy and ‘de-risking’ trade with China.
Events
Conference on 'Can Europe lead the world in product cyber security?'
06 July 2023
Brussels
With Alberto Di Felice, Maika Föhrenbach, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Thorwald-Eirik Kaljo, Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Cinzia Missiroli and Cláudio Teixeira
Dinner on 'How can Britain engage robustly and constructively with China?'
13 June 2023
London
With Caroline Wilson, British Ambassador to China
CER/Kreab breakfast on 'Green, secure and affordable energy: How can Europe get there?'
13 June 2023
Hybrid Brussels/Zoom
With Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy, European Commission
CER/Clifford Chance hybrid discussion on 'Can the 'Brussels effect' survive in today's geopolitical context?'
07 June 2023
Hybrid Brussels/Zoom
With Ignacio García Bercero, Adriana Herrera Moreno and Sam Lowe
Discussion on 'What industrial strategy for a Labour government?'
06 June 2023
London
With Bill Esterson, Shadow Minister for Business and Industrial Strategy, UK