In the Press - Britain's climate dilemma as it navigates post-Brexit trade
28 February 2021
Politico
“How do you get political buy-in for these measures if it just leads to carbon leakage?” said Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
In the Press - Foster accuses European Commission of being tone deaf on impact of NI protocol
24 February 2021
The Irish Times
Earlier on Wednesday, one of Britain’s leading trade experts told MPs at Westminster that there was reason to be concerned about the sustainability of the protocol. Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the protocol could only endure if it enjoyed broad consent.“It is in the EU’s interest to be as accommodating as possible so as to ensure that it endures and to ensure that it doesn’t have to keep returning to this question constantly, over and over again,” he told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
In the Press - Flood of services trade heading to the EU after Brexit
22 February 2021
Politico
Britain should scrap visa costs for foreign workers and offer a stable regulatory climate for investment if it’s to stem a “flood” of services trade heading to the European Union after Brexit, according to a new report. Fresh analysis by Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, urges the UK government to shift its policy focus away from securing free trade agreements (FTAs) and instead take steps to encourage immigration.
In the Press - Boris Johnson's government is 'gaslighting' Britain about the realities of Brexit, critics say
20 February 2021
CNN
"Politically, the government made a decision to prioritize regulatory autonomy over economic integration with the EU and the trade deal reflects that - it does little to facilitate trade," says Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
In the Press - After Brexit: The UK and EU risk a state of ‘permanent alert’
18 February 2021
Financial Times
There is frustration in Brussels that the UK has so far been reluctant to engage more deeply on broader issues such as security and defence policy, but Charles Grant, director of the pro-EU think-tank Centre for European Reform, argues that mutual interests on issues such as the Middle East and climate change will ultimately bring the two sides together.
In the Press - Is Russia trying to fuel or fool Europe?
18 February 2021
The New European
Is it really possible that Russian could impact the continent's energy security by simply turning off the gas tap? In theory, yes, says Ian Bond, director of foreign policy and a Russia expert at the Centre for European Reform. "But that goes in both directions. The question is whether the EU will freeze before the Russians run out of money," he adds. After all, the Russian economy – around the same size as Spain's – is highly dependent on selling gas and oil to Europe.
In the Press - The equivalence tussle is giving UK a lesson in Brexit power politics
17 February 2021
Financial Times
“The EU is on a land-grab,” says Sam Lowe, of the Centre for European Reform. “It is pursuing a strategy designed to try to lever over as much economic activity as possible and being quite blatant about it.” Some equivalence may still come “but it is now down to what is in the EU’s interests”.
In the Press - Mario Draghi: What will a new technocrat-led government mean for Italy and the wider EU?
16 February 2021
Euronews
"Draghi's emphasis will be on firefighting," Dr Luigi Scazzieri, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER), told Euronews. "First is making sure that the vaccination campaign picks up speed. Second is ensuring that Italy's economy recovers quickly, by spending the money from the EU's recovery fund in ways that maximise potential growth."
In the Press - Brexit: Can the Northern Ireland Protocol be tweaked?
13 February 2021
BBC News
Sam Lowe a trade policy expert at the Centre for European Reform, a broadly pro-EU think tank, also suggests a veterinary agreement.He acknowledges it would restrict the UK's ability to accept American food standards as part of a future UK-US trade deal, but says it "would significantly reduce trade friction both within the UK, and with the EU, to the benefit of UK farmers."
In the Press - Mario Draghi takes helm of crisis-hit Italy and unveils new cabinet
13 February 2021
The Telegraph
But "it is difficult to overstate the scale of the challenges that Draghi and Italy face", said Luigi Scazzieri, of the Centre for European Reform.