In the Press - WTO's uncertain future: Invasion of the appellate body snatchers
12 December 2019
The Finacial Times
As the redoubtable Sam “Big Sam” Lowe of the Centre for European Reform points out, an EU-UK bilateral negotiated by end-2020 won’t look much different for most companies than a no-deal Brexit. Trade Secrets is 1-0 up, and the game’s into self-inflicted injury time.
In the Press - Bullets have been flying in world trade, but as of today there’s no sheriff in town
10 December 2019
Financial Post
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, adds: “The U.S. is no longer the benevolent hegemon of the rules-based system, it is now actively trying to disrupt it and return to a period when all that mattered was size.”
In the Press - 'Low-hanging fruit' and the politics of perception: Five takeaways from the Paris summit on the war in Ukraine
10 December 2019
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
These agreements are "largely low-hanging fruits strategically," Khrystyna Parandii, a fellow at the London-based Centre for European Reform, said in a tweet. ...But she added that they have "important humanitarian implications" - something Zelenskiy had stressed in comments before the talks on a war that has killed more than 13,000 people, displaced millions, and left many remaining residents of the war-torn areas living in dire conditions.
In the Press - Johnson vow to implement Brexit deal by December 2020 in doubt
09 December 2019
The Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said: “We are talking about a big bureaucratic exercise here.” He said something similar to the transition period would have to continue while new systems were put in place.“While it may be possible to have inked a free trade agreement by the end of the year, you would still have to implement it,” he said. “That would require an extension of the status quo, otherwise there would be chaos.”
In the Press - What the death of WTO's 'Supreme Court for global trade' means for the UK and beyond
08 December 2019
The Telegraph
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, adds: “The US is no longer the benevolent hegemon of the rules-based system – it's now actively trying to disrupt it and return to a period when all that mattered was size.”
In the Press - Face of the next phase
07 December 2019
The Week
Her [von der Leyen] green deal for making the continent carbon neutral by 2050 is contested, her aim to fast-track foreign policy decisions by dropping consensus is unrealistic and her desire for more capital-markets integration is controversial. Predicts EU expert Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska: “Her biggest challenge will be to show she can be assertive vis-a-vis the member-states.”
In the Press - Der lange Weg zum Frieden in der Ostukraine
07 December 2019
Wiener Zeitung
Sie sollten allerdings darauf bestehen, dass die Wiederherstellung der "Souveränität und territorialen Integrität der Ukraine" ein Ziel bleibe, schreibt Khrystyna Parandii in einer Analyse für die Denkfabrik CER (Centre for European Reform), die ihren Hauptsitz in London hat. Sie argumentiert, dass das beste Ergebnis der Zusammenkunft in Paris wäre, wenn sich die Parteien auf einen umfassenden Vertrag einigen könnten, der auf dem Minsker Abkommen basiert und zentrale Fragen wie die Entwaffnung paramilitärischer Gruppen regeln würde.
In the Press - Can a comprehensive Brexit deal be done by the end of 2020?
06 December 2019
The Guardian
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, is one who believes it is possible. “The single biggest underpriced thing in this whole debate about Brexit is that Johnson and the EU might actually get a trade deal done by 31 December 2020,” he said. “It’s not that I am pushing this as a likelihood, I just think it’s possible and it could catch people off-guard.”
In the Press - “Get Brexit done”? It’s not as simple as Boris Johnson claims
05 December 2019
The Economist
Yet Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, another think-tank, says the sole practical option in such a short time would be a bare-bones deal that covered goods trade alone. Such a deal might avoid the need for parliamentary ratification. But it would do nothing for services, which make up 80% of Britain’s economy and half its trade. It would not cover security, data and much else.
In the Press - It's Trump time
03 December 2019
Financial Times
With Emmanuel Macron’s caustic comments likely to dominate the Nato gathering, Ian Bond at the Centre for European Reform argues that reports of the Nato’s “brain death” are still exaggerated: “Even if Nato can get through the London meeting unscathed, its leaders should not just breathe a sigh of relief and hope that Trump will be out of office by the time of the next summit (expected in 2021). In reality, Trump, Erdogan and Macron all have some valid criticisms of Nato. The solutions they pursue are likely to do more harm than good to security in Europe; but the correct course is to look for better solutions, not to ignore the problems.”