Sam Lowe
Sam Lowe
Senior research fellow
Areas of expertise
International trade, European trade policy, rules of origin, the single market, Brexit, environmental co-operation, investor-state dispute settlement.
Twitter
EU-UK relations: There is no steady state
26 October 2021
The current crisis over the Northern Ireland protocol will pass, but tensions between the EU and the UK are not going away.
Opening Pandora's Box: What the EU-UK trade deal means for trade and conditionality
13 October 2021
The EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement includes world-leading sustainability commitments.
Medical devices and the limits of UK regulatory autonomy
05 August 2021
Medical devices illustrate the limited scope for post-Brexit UK divergence from EU rules, and the trade-offs the UK must face.
Avoiding the pitfalls of an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
05 July 2021
A leaked draft of the EU’s CBAM regulation provides fresh insights into what the Commission plans to do. But it also raises a number of tricky questions.
The US and the Northern Ireland Protocol: Time to walk the walk
07 May 2021
The US wants the UK to diverge from EU food hygiene rules and to prioritise political and economic stability in Northern Ireland. But what if the UK can’t do both?
The EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism: How to make it work for developing countries
22 April 2021
The EU should exempt developing country exports from its CBAM to avoid unfairly penalising countries that have contributed a much smaller share of cumulative global carbon emissions.
Post-Brexit data transfers are not a done deal
29 March 2021
Data transfers are essential for both trade and security co-operation. The EU and the UK should not let minor differences obscure the fact that they have more in common than divides them.
Keeping up appearances: What now for UK services trade?
22 February 2021
Rather than obsessing about services exports, UK policy-makers should focus on investment and ensuring the UK remains an attractive destination for multinational services firms to operate out of.
It takes two to tango: The EU and the UK need to work together to make the Northern Ireland protocol work
02 February 2021
The European Commission’s aborted attempt to restrict vaccines moving from the EU to Northern Ireland risked undermining years of hard work.
The EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement: A platform on which to build?
12 January 2021
The new trade deal between the EU and the UK could be improved upon over time, but that is not a given. It could also crumble away.
Navigating accidental illegality
30 November 2020
Next year many companies selling goods or services between the UK and EU will inadvertently break some rule or other. But the immediate consequences of their inevitable infractions remain uncertain.
What would a Biden presidency mean for US-EU trade relations?
28 October 2020
Joe Biden in the White House would remove the threat of a US-EU trade war from the table, and open up new areas for co-operation.
A tale of batteries, Brexit and EU strategic autonomy
23 October 2020
Recently leaked proposals suggest the EU wants to use the EU-UK trade deal to help on-shore an electric vehicle supply chain.
Five reasons why even a basic EU-UK trade deal is better than nothing
18 August 2020
A deal would avoid tariffs, unlock supplementary benefits, allow for EU and UK customs co-operation, ensure the Northern Ireland protocol is implemented sustainably
Turkey and the UK: New best friends?
24 July 2020
Turkey and the UK want to maintain a close relationship after the Brexit transition ends. But concluding a trade deal will not be easy, and relations could sour if tensions increase between Turkey and the EU or US.
EU efforts to level the playing field are not risk-free
16 July 2020
The EU believes other countries are taking advantage of its relative economic openness. However, unilateral action to level the playing field risks provoking retaliation and the EU will need to tread carefully.
EU-UK negotiations: No need to panic (yet)
12 June 2020
A deal between the EU and UK remains possible. But neither side is likely to compromise on its current negotiating position until later in the year, when the cost of failure will become significantly more tangible.
How to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol
14 May 2020
The UK must face up to its responsibilities and work with the EU to ensure goods can move as freely as possible between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Why the UK should extend the transition period
20 April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic means the UK should request a transition extension as a matter of urgency. To do otherwise would be unnecessarily reckless.
The future EU-UK relationship and the (relative) case for optimism
02 March 2020
Beyond the headline disagreements, both the EU and UK have similar expectations as to what a future free trade agreement can and cannot deliver.
Priorities for 'Global Britain'
27 January 2020
While the British government talks a good game on free trade and openness, it has failed to articulate what it actually wants and why. This will need to change.
Flexibility does not come for free
16 January 2020
An EU-UK free trade agreement will result in new barriers to trade and border friction even if the UK chooses to unilaterally align itself with EU rules and regulations.
What a Boris Johnson EU-UK free trade agreement means for business
05 November 2019
Johnson's EU-UK free trade agreement would increase friction and costs of trading with the EU. Many businesses would find adapting to a new FTA just as troublesome as if the UK had crashed out without a deal.
The EU should reconsider its approach to trade and sustainable development
31 October 2019
In specific circumstances, the EU should make trade concessions contingent on partner countries meeting international environmental and labour standards.
Choppy waters ahead for EU trade policy
30 September 2019
The strategic case for new EU free trade agreements is strong. But delivering them requires accommodating the European Parliament and winning over an inwardly focused agriculture lobby.
Should the EU tax imported CO2?
24 September 2019
An EU carbon border tax would be tricky to design, costly to implement and sure to provoke legal challenges. But if done properly there are reasons to think it could succeed.
Now is the worst time for 'global Britain'
27 June 2019
Global trade integration has stalled since the financial crisis, and is unlikely to pick up steam any time soon. In that context, plans for ‘global Britain’ will do little to offset the costs of Brexit.
Northern Ireland and the backstop: Why 'alternative arrangements' aren't an alternative
29 May 2019
Technical fixes for the Irish border will only work if created in conjunction with affected communities and businesses.
Restricting immigration means constricting trade in services
21 May 2019
The fortune of the UK’s all-important services sector after Brexit is inextricably linked to how open the country is to foreign workers and consumers.
Dreaming of life after Brexit
22 March 2019
The British public is growing tired of Brexit. But assuming something that looks like the withdrawal agreement is signed off, what comes next?
Europe without the UK: Liberated or diminished?
13 March 2019
In 2016 the CER made ten predictions about the effect of Brexit on future EU policy. How do they stand up now, on the eve of the UK’s departure?
After the meaningful vote: What are Theresa May's options?
16 January 2019
Theresa May can only win a parliamentary majority for her withdrawal agreement by agreeing to negotiate a softer relationship with the EU.
An effective UK trade policy and a customs union are compatible
29 November 2018
If the UK enters into a customs union with the European Union it will be able to operate an effective trade policy, but the political focus would need to shift away from headline-grabbing, comprehensive free trade agreements.
Why a woolly political declaration might help Theresa May get her Brexit deal through Parliament
05 November 2018
The political declaration on the post-Brexit relationship between the EU and UK will probably be vague and lack legal authority. This could work to Theresa May's advantage.
After Salzburg: How to salvage the Brexit negotiations
24 September 2018
Although EU leaders delivered the coup de grace to Theresa May’s Chequers plan in Salzburg avoiding no deal is still possible, but it will require some tough choices on the Irish backstop.
Inching our way towards Jersey
11 July 2018
The EU will probably reject Theresa May’s Chequers compromise. Rather than confronting the EU on its fundamental principles, the UK should build upon the foundations of a customs union.
On Brexit, TTIP and the City of London
30 May 2018
The EU was keen to include financial services in TTIP, the proposed trade agreement with the US. Is its reluctance to do so with the UK mere hypocrisy?
UK must swallow the unpalatable Irish backstop
15 May 2018
Theresa May and the Brexiters should have the courage of their convictions and agree to a backstop that grants a special status to Northern Ireland.
Is Labour selling the UK a Turkey?
12 April 2018
A future UK-EU customs union should not be ruled out. While it would place some constraints on a future UK independent trade policy, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Will the unity of the 27 crack?
15 March 2018
Some British politicians believe that the 27 will divide during the Brexit trade negotiations, because of their differing economic interests. But disagreements between the 27 are minor, thanks to Theresa May's red lines.
Brexit and rules of origin: Why free trade agreements ≠ free trade
13 March 2018
Without an EU-UK customs union British exporters will face a new barrier to trade: rules of origin. No amount of positive thinking and innovative solutions can eliminate this problem.
Britain's services firms can't defy gravity, alas
05 February 2018
Britain's specialism in traded services, some of which can be delivered electronically, has led Brexiters to claim that the country's trade will inevitably unmoor itself from Europe. In fact, Britain is not about to enter a "post-geography trading world".
Holding out hope for a half-way Brexit house
22 January 2018
The UK is considering 'managed divergence' from EU rules, which the 27 will reject. A better strategy would be to remain in the customs union and single market for goods.
Of transition and trade deals
16 January 2018
The UK will not be able to replicate the EU’s free trade agreements ready for March 30th 2019. The only solution is to ask the EU for help.