Research
Why the West should deter a Russian attack on Ukraine
30 November 2021
Russian forces are massing near Ukraine’s border again. Putin hopes to win concessions from Kyiv without fighting, but more concessions will not bring peace. The West should focus on deterring Russia.
The cost of Brexit: September 2021
29 November 2021
In September 2021, UK goods trade was 11.2 per cent, or £8.5 billion, lower than it would have been if the UK had stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union.
Bulletin issue 141 - December 2021/January 2022
29 November 2021
- An isolated China is a more dangerous China, Pascal Lamy
- A permanent EU recovery fund can help Poland change, Elisabetta Cornago, John Springford
- Britain and France should stand together, Ian Bond
Bridging the Channel: The UK's nuclear deterrent and its role in European security
18 November 2021
The UK’s nuclear deterrent is intended to defend its NATO allies as well as itself. The UK must do a better job of persuading allies that its commitment to them is real.
The three deaths of EU-UK data adequacy
15 November 2021
European and British businesses can still freely transfer personal data between the EU and UK. This situation has spared both sides disruption – but is unlikely to last.
Lukashenka is the problem, not the migrants
12 November 2021
The crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border is artificially manufactured. Europe needs to focus on the cause of the problem – Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s desire to strike back at the EU.
Why the EU's recovery fund should be permanent
11 November 2021
The recovery fund will raise growth, and member-states’ investments and reforms are largely the right ones. But to make a big difference to climate change, the fund needs to be permanent and much larger.
Europe and the transition to a post-American Middle East
05 November 2021
The US's preoccupation with China is reducing Washington's focus on the Middle East, while Russian and Chinese influence is growing. Europeans need to step up their efforts to stabilise the region.
How to solve a problem like Poland
03 November 2021
The Polish government’s defiance over the rule of law puts the EU in a bind. To protect the Union’s integrity without alienating Polish citizens, the EU needs a mix of political pressure, legal action and better communication.
Why have Europe's energy prices spiked and what can the EU do about them?
28 October 2021
Europeans’ skyrocketing energy bills are not primarily Russia’s fault, though it is capitalising on Europe’s vulnerability.
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.
Bridging the Channel: How Europeans and the UK can work together on defence capability development
15 October 2021
Despite the UK's unwillingness to work with the EU on developing military capabilities, co-operation between London and its European partners need not stall.
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.
After Afghanistan and AUKUS: What next for European defence?
07 October 2021
The US retreat from Afghanistan and the AUKUS deal have strengthened calls for greater ‘European strategic autonomy’.
Bulletin issue 140 - October/November 2021
30 September 2021
- ‘Europe after September 11th’ revisited, Charles Grant
- Transatlantic relations after Afghanistan and AUKUS, Ian Bond
- What Europe expects of post-Merkel Germany, Christian Odendahl
What Europe expects of post-Merkel Germany
29 September 2021
Europe expects Germany’s likely new Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to keep Europe united while adding more strategic vision to fight climate change, transform the European economy and navigate global politics.
The EU's future or everything Von der Leyen did not say
24 September 2021
To gauge what the EU's next big political fights will be, look at what Ursula Von der Leyen did not say in her annual speech to the European Parliament.
Leave your phone at home: Why EU roaming charges will only increase for UK consumers
20 September 2021
Will the end of free EU roaming make the UK mobile market fairer, as some economists claim? Don’t bet on it.
You can leave Afghanistan, but will Afghanistan leave you?
19 August 2021
The Taliban’s victory is a disaster for Western policy, but it is not the end of the story. The West must now work hard to mitigate the fallout.
The Moscow coup(s) of 1991: Who won and why does it still matter?
17 August 2021
Thirty years after the coup that triggered the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russia is ruled by the heirs of the plotters, not their democratic opponents. Why?