Press

Ihr selbstgerechten Deutschen!

Simon Tilford
30 April 2012
Die Zeit
Wenn es um die Krise in der Euro-Zone geht, lautet die herrschende Erzählung in Deutschland wie folgt: Es gibt keine Krise des Euro, denn dieser war ein Erfolg. Wenn einige Staaten im Moment in Schwierigkeiten stecken, dann nur deshalb, weil sie an Wettbewerbsfähigkeit verloren und die Maastricht-Kriterien verletzt haben. Die...

France's presidential frontrunner gives markets the jitters

Philip Whyte
27 April 2012
Voice of America
Analyst Philip Whyte, of the CER, says he understands why markets are jittery about an Hollande presidency. "But of course, once he's in office, he will very quickly be confronted by some of the constraints of office and some of those constraints might be imposed by the bond markets" ... Whyte credits Sarkozy for pushing through a few key reforms - like raising the retirement age - and for his initial leadership in the eurozone crisis. But Whyte faults the French president for letting German Chancellor Angela Merkel dictate eurozone policies today.

UK recession will hit Irish exports

26 April 2012
The Irish Independent
Charles Grant, of the CER, said that the creation of a more integrated eurozone to save the single currency would increase the differences between Britain and the euro area...

Charles Grant on the Stability Treaty

26 April 2012
IIEA
Charles Grant, of the CER, addressed the IIEA on 25 April 2012. He also took the time to answer a number of questions on the Stability Treaty.

Politics force growth back on to Europe's agenda

Philip Whyte
25 April 2012
Reuters
But Philip Whyte, a senior research fellow at the CER, is skeptical that the eurozone can regain the path of growth unless it corrects what he sees as fatal flaws in the design of the single currency. In the absence of a fiscal union similar to that in the United States, heavily indebted eurozone members such as Spain and Italy are vulnerable to sudden stops in private-sector capital flows, robbing them of policy autonomy, Whyte argued.

Angry EU voters, citizens rebel against austerity

Simon Tilford
24 April 2012
The Huffington Post
"What is happening in Europe is the austerity drive is actually slowing down the necessary rebalancing of European economies," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER. ... "I don't think there are any examples of countries accepting endless austerity and downward standards of living ...

Why closing the Irish embassy in Tehran is a mistake

Edward Burke
24 April 2012
Politico
The recent furore over the closure of closure of the Irish Embassy to the Vatican drowned out any discussion over the withdrawal of other embassies, including that in Tehran last month. Almost unnoticed, Iran has been lumped in with Timor Leste as one of two other Irish diplomatic missions that...

Divided Europeans caught in vise of austerity

Simon Tilford
24 April 2012
The New York Times
Simon Tilford, the chief economist at the CER, said countries were being forced to impose fiscal austerity at precisely the wrong point in the economic cycle. "If they attempt to meet fiscal targets, investors punish them because they worry about growth;

Economic gloom deepens Europe's political crisis

23 April 2012
The Wall Street Journal
"The eurozone is a sick patient on a bed, and the doctors gathered round can't agree on the diagnosis, so it's hard to heal the malaise," said Charles Grant, director of the CER.

What would a Hollande presidency mean for France and Europe?

Simon Tilford
23 April 2012
Channel 4 News
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Simon Tilford said that while Mr Hollande's policies on labour market reform and the retirement age were "antediluvian", some of his other ideas were reasonable. "He is right to allude to the risks of excessive fiscal austerity ... When he argues that fiscal austerity will do nothing on its own to address the eurozone crisis, he is on very strong ground. I don't think it would be wise for France to raise tax rates on the wealthy to that extent.

Is Britain on the way out of Europe?

20 April 2012
Social Europe Journal
Ever since they joined the EU in 1973, the British have been sceptical about political integration in Europe. They have valued the economic benefits of membership, notably the single market, but opposed the concept of ‘political union’. The eurozone crisis is now increasing the gap between Britain and much of...

NATO ministers to grapple with Afghan troubles

18 April 2012
Reuters
Edward Burke of the CER said insurgents had received funding siphoned off from international aid sent to help Karzai. "For many European governments, they feel the Karzai administration is too corrupt and too indifferent to the requests of its allies," said Burke.

European rescue fund may face biggest test yet

Simon Tilford
18 April 2012
The New York Times
"They are going to have to do something in Spain's case," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER, a research institute. "This is a big economy and the banks are holed below the water line." ...

Debate grows as Europe fears return of a crisis

Philip Whyte
17 April 2012
The New York Times
The recent shift has underscored that there have been no substantive fixes beyond promises by countries to reduce their budget deficits. "It looks like it's coming back with a vengeance, largely because none of the underlying problems have been solved," said Philip Whyte of the CER.

Multilateralism à la Carte

16 April 2012
The International Herald Tribune
Many problems cannot be solved without international co-operation, yet "multilateralism" — the system of international institutions and rules intended to promote the common good — appears to be weakening.

Pressure on Spain builds as bonds face key auction

Simon Tilford
16 April 2012
The Wall Street Journal
"There is a risk that, in the absence of offsetting stimulus through macro policy…structural reforms will make things worse in the short-term, however beneficial in the long-term," said Simon Tilford, of the CER.

The commission conundrum

14 April 2012
The Economist
Charles Grant, director of the CER, a London-based think-tank, highlights another paradox. "The commission has gained more and more legal powers, but it has less and less moral authority."

What Germany offers the world

Simon Tilford
14 April 2012
The Economist
"The underlying issue is raising productivity in services and increasing wages in line with that," says Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform.
 

Eurozone Chutzpah and the IMF

Simon Tilford
13 April 2012
Handelsblatt
Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER argues against IMF help for the eurozone - a wealthy creditor region that refuses to address its institutional contradictions is not a deserving case. Eurozone governments should either assemble a big enough rescue fund themselves, or accept that the single currency is unworkable in its current form.
 

Is the world's biggest economy in danger of disintegrating?

Stephen Tindale
13 April 2012
CNBC
"Clearly I am very worried because the movement towards European co-operation or integration seems to have stalled at the moment and the aftermath of the euro crisis is going to make the movement towards disintegration more powerful," Stephen Tindale of the CER in London told CNBC.