Press

For Biden, crisis at home complicates diplomacy abroad

18 May 2023
The New York Times
“I don’t think many European governments are very concerned, presumably because these crises come round quite often but never end in disaster,” said Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform in London. “Cutting short the trip is a bad signal, but there is such good will to Biden in most capitals that they are prepared to cut him some slack.”

European Scrutiny Committee: PESCO and UK-EU defence co-operation

17 May 2023
Luigi Scazzieri gave evidence at the European Scrutiny Committee on the topic of UK-EU defence co-operation (from 14:43 mins).

Brexit: Suella Braverman speech confirms truths

17 May 2023
The Herald
Centre for European Reform deputy director John Springford’s latest report on the impact of leaving the EU on the UK economy, published in December, estimates that Brexit had, by the second quarter of 2022, reduced the country’s GDP by 5.5%.

Biden administration lacking a major foreign policy success

15 May 2023
Arab News
As Ian Bond, the director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, pointed out: “There had been serious transatlantic disagreements in the past — notably over Iraq in 2003 — but no previous president since World War II had challenged the very principle of the transatlantic alliance in the way that Trump did when he questioned whether the US should feel obliged to defend a NATO ally that was attacked.”

Could Turkey’s elections see the end of 20 years in power for president Erdoğan?

14 May 2023
The Scotsman
Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform, says there are “three fundamental reasons” why relations between the EU and Turkey have deteriorated.“The worsening state of democratic freedoms in Turkey; a plethora of bilateral disputes between Turkey and several member states, which further undermined Ankara’s EU accession process; and disagreements over foreign policy, with many member-states seeing Turkey’s positions as antagonistic,” he wrote in a briefing note published ahead of the elections.

The next day in EU-Turkey relations

13 May 2023
Ekathimerini
If Turkey's current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wins, the European Union will continue its policy of transactional cooperation with Turkey and crisis management when they break out.Erdogan's approach to the war being waged in Ukraine will be a key variable and potential source of tension, particularly if Turkey does not lift its veto on Sweden's NATO membership.

Elections en Turquie : ce que changerait une défaite d'Erdogan pour les Européens

11 May 2023
Les Echos
« Les résultats des élections influenceront la relation entre l'UE et la Turquie, qui s'est profondément détériorée au cours de la dernière décennie », écrit Luigi Scazzieri dans une note pour le Centre for European Reform.

Dette, déficit: pourquoi la France est plus mauvais élève que la Grèce et le Portugal

11 May 2023
Le Figaro
« La situation budgétaire de la France affaiblit sa position comme second pilier de stabilité dans la zone euro aux côtés de l'Allemagne, face aux grands enjeux comme la guerre en Ukraine, la défense ou le changement climatique. Il y a une vraie inquiétude », note Sander Tordoir, chercheur au Centre for European Reform, à Berlin. 

MEPs to vote on proposed ban on ‘Big Brother’ AI facial recognition on streets

10 May 2023
The Guardian
“Is it known as the Brussels effect. If the EU moves first and has sensible standards other countries will start with the EU rules when designing their own regulation,” said Zach Meyers, research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.Meyers added: “Even if they don’t, companies may voluntarily adopt the EU rules globally because it makes the cost of doing business cheaper.”

So versuchen Paris und Berlin, sich einander wieder anzunähern

10 May 2023
Handelsblatt
„Man merkt, dass die Dinge schlecht sind, wenn Paris und Berlin die Symbolik betonen“, sagt Charles Grant, Direktor der Denkfabrik „Centre for European Reform“.

CER podcast: What's at stake in Turkey's historic election?

Luigi Scazzieri, Senem Aydin Düzgit
10 May 2023
In this week's episode of the CER podcast Senem Aydin Düzgit and Luigi Scazzieri discuss the potential outcomes of Turkey's elections.

Erdoğan battles to retain power in Turkey

06 May 2023
Financial Times
It is difficult to imagine any circumstances in which Erdoğan’s re-election would result in political liberalisation at home. A tightening of the screws would add to the frictions between Turkey and its western allies that have steadily grown, the longer he has been in power.In this policy brief for the Centre for European Reform think-tank, Luigi Scazzieri outlines the possible consequences of an Erdoğan victory:

Telecoms stakeholders look to sector reset amid declining profits

05 May 2023
EurActiv
Two key factors have stood in the way of the development of a single market for telecoms, Zach Meyers, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform told EURACTIV.“One of those things is the spectrum markets, which are still national, which means that it’s very difficult for companies to kind of coordinate a rollout of a mobile network across different countries at the same time”, he said, adding that “different land access regimes are also a real problem, but obviously politically extremely difficult to fix.”

Europe will need to fundamentally reset its fiscal policies

04 May 2023
The Economist
“The risk of the current discussion on fiscal rules is that we lose sight of the bigger picture,” says Sander Tordoir of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. The EU is heading for a spending squeeze that requires not rule-tweaking, but a new fiscal settlement.

EU fiscal rule reform has become a defensive fight

03 May 2023
EurActiv
The new EU fiscal rules proposed by the Commission will not slam public investment or exacerbate recessions in the immediate future, but they might haunt the eurozone in the long-term,

Is the UK a good destination for innovation?

02 May 2023
Business Leader
The Centre for European Reform says the introduction of the points-based immigration system post-Brexit has led to a net gain of workers in healthcare, education and ICT, which they consider more-skilled sectors. This suggests Brexit could have contributed to innovation where skilled migration is concerned. However, the study also said Brexit has contributed to an overall worker shortfall of 333,000, meaning total economic output has been reduced.

Game on as UK steals a march on Brussels over Activision merger

02 May 2023
The Times
“The UK is getting way ahead of the European Commission on mergers,” Zach Meyers, research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, says. Influential member-states such as France talk tough on tech companies but Brussels’ powerful competition authority remains gripped by old orthodoxies when deciding on multinational mergers in the digital sector.

Pacte de stabilité : la rigidité de Berlin crispe ses partenaires européens

30 April 2023
L'Agefi
La cohésion et les dynamiques internes de ce «clan» ont été altérés par les différentes élections nationales, et par la guerre en Ukraine, explique Sander Tordoir, du Centre for European Reform : «Jusqu’à la pandémie, la ligue des frugaux, menée par les Pays-Bas, était le camp du ‘non’ rigide sur les questions budgétaires, avec l’Allemagne qui faisait office de force modératrice.

Revealed: The great Brexit pubs and clubs shutdown

30 April 2023
The Independent
Brexit has led to less trade and lower growth, with the UK economy 5.5 per cent poorer than it would have been if Britain had stayed in the EU, according to a study by the Centre for European Reform. ...And research carried out by think tanks the Centre for European Reform and UK in a Changing Europe suggests that Brexit has led to a shortfall of 330,000 people in the UK labour force, mostly in the low-skilled economy, compared to how things would have been if we had stayed in the EU.

CER podcast: What is the EU's China policy?

Ian Bond, Camino Mortera-Martinez
26 April 2023
In this week's episode of the CER podcast Ian Bond and Camino Mortera-Martinez discuss the EU's elusive China policy.