Press

The Robin Hood tax

Simon Tilford
06 December 2011
The New York Times
"There is some momentum behind this," said Simon Tilford at the CER. "If they keep the show on the road, they probably will attempt to run with this."

The euro crisis: some dos and don’ts for Cameron

05 December 2011
Financial Times
As Charles Grant notes in the CER’s latest bulletin, Germany and France have a Plan B if Mr Cameron climbs on to his soap box: they can bypass him with a deal among the 17 eurozone states.

Single currency doomed in current form

Simon Tilford
05 December 2011
Channel 4 News
As Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel discuss the eurozone debt crisis in Paris, economist  Simon Tilford tells Channel 4 News the single currency cannot survive in its present form.

The French president and German chancellor are at odds over how to resolve the crisis, with Berlin pushing for tougher sanctions...

Believe it or not, Angela Merkel has a plan to tackle the euro crisis

Katinka Barysch
05 December 2011
The Guardian
While Merkel's vision for a fiscal union may not be the answer to all the eurozone's problems it could be a vital part of any solution.
A new "fiscal union" to underpin the euro is the main topic that Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy will discuss at their Paris meeting. Merkel...

Fiddling as the euro burns

Philip Whyte
03 December 2011
The Telegraph
The Germans believe that "the structure of the eurozone is fine, all you need to do is cure errant behaviour within it," says Philip Whyte, senior research fellow at the CER.

Eurozone's rescue plan needs a quick fix

Simon Tilford
03 December 2011
NPR
Simon Tilford of the CER says the expanded credit lines, in fact, will have little impact on the larger crisis. "It's a positive step, don't get me wrong. It's a welcome step, but it's not going to be a game changer."

El euro elige entre el salto al futuro o el descalabro

Simon Tilford
03 December 2011
Cinco Dias
"La mutualización de la deuda por sí sola no salvará al euro, pero sin ella es improbable que la zona sobreviva intacta", señala un reciente informe de Simon Tilford, economista jefe del CER, un instituto de estudios con sede en Londres.

Fiscal union is only way we'll fix this longterm, declares Angela Merkel

02 December 2011
The Guardian
"For the first time in the history of the EU," wrote Charles Grant, director of the CER, this week, "Germany is the unquestioned leader, and France is number two. Since the financial crisis struck in 2008, the economic inequality between France and Germany has grown."

Resentment towards Germany

30 November 2011
BBC News
Charles Grant from the CER draws a similar conclusion: "Germany is emerging," he said, "for the first time in the EU's history as the unquestioned leader. France is having to adjust to a subordinate role".

Resentment towards Germany

Katinka Barysch
30 November 2011
BBC News
Katinka Barysch, from the CER, says that "many in the German government say that leadership consists of spreading Germany's 'stability culture' throughout Europe. They point to the fact that Greece is implementing reforms that were unthinkable until recently, that Italy is now run by a man who praises the strength of the German model." She goes on to argue that the Germans do not want to be the ones who impose austerity and reforms on their neighbours. "They clearly do not enjoy being unpopular."

EU promotes "pooling and sharing" to cut defence costs

Tomas Valasek
30 November 2011
Reuters
"There's a fear of abandonment," said Tomas Valasek, director of foreign policy and defence at the CER. "And a fear of entrenchment, which is the mirror image."

At long last, Belgium nearing a government

Simon Tilford
30 November 2011
The Washington Post
"Belgium hasn't had a government for so long, and in a county as decentralised as Belgium, there's a need to form a federal government," said Simon Tilford of the CER.

Is Austerity George saving the UK economy?

Simon Tilford
30 November 2011
The Times
Britain’s unlikely status as a safe haven is more to do with Europe’s problems than our cuts.George Osborne likes to point at Britain’s record low borrowing costs — the Government can issue ten-year debt at just over 2 per cent — as proof of confidence in his stewardship of the economy.

"Lenders of last resort": Sino-Russian rivalry in Belarus?

Katinka Barysch
30 November 2011
Belarus Digest
A report [Russia, China and the geopolitics of energy in Central Asia] released by the CER last week illustrates how rapidly China has entered the post-Soviet "backyard" in search of oil and gas resources, particularly in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Germany at odds with euro partners over crisis resolution

Simon Tilford
29 November 2011
Monsters and Critics
That stance cannot continue, argues Simon Tilford of the CER. 'Germany faces a choice. It can stick to its guns and preside over the currency union, in the process sacrificing much of its post-war investment in an increasingly integrated Europe.

Europa busca contrarreloj la herramienta para desarmar la crisis

Simon Tilford
29 November 2011
El Pais
"Alemania se enfrenta a una disyuntiva. Puede seguir usando sus armas y dominar totalmente el terreno en la eurozona, o puede trabajar para qué exista una relación equilibrada entre los socios europeos que permita salvar la moneda única", afirma Simon Tilford, analista del CER.

Euro finance ministers try to avert crisis

Simon Tilford
29 November 2011
USA Today
Simon Tilford of the CER, says he is "skeptical" over eurobonds. "While some shift on the issue of eurobonds is expected, (it is unlikely) that they will deliver enough," ... He said a failure to find a solution could lead to a series of "worsening bank runs which might prove impossible to get on top of."

Eurozone crisis threatens global economy

Simon Tilford
28 November 2011
The Huffington Post
If European leaders don't agree to take bold economic measures for more fiscal integration, including allowing the European Central Bank to become the lender of last resort, the eurozone could start to unravel, said Simon Tilford of the CER.

Time runs short for Europe to resolve debt crisis

Simon Tilford
27 November 2011
The New York Times
In a recent paper [Why stricter rules threaten the eurozone], Simon Tilford argues that imposing additional rules rather than creating a federal framework to allow the eurozone to commonly transfer or borrow money, as can be done in the USA, will end in disaster.

The eurozone crisis - an opportunity for Britain? Don’t bet on it

24 November 2011
The Telegraph
According to Charles Grant, director of the CER, these measures combined would provide the basis for a workable deal. Regrettably, they don’t add up to more than a hill of beans.