Research
Rethinking the EU's approach towards its southern neighbours
10 July 2020
COVID-19 will exacerbate the failures of EU policy towards its southern neighbours. Europe needs to rethink its approach, taking on more responsibility for security and making its neighbours a more ambitious offer.
Something is stirring in Belarus
07 July 2020
As Belarus’s presidential election approaches on August 9th, opposition to Alyaksandr Lukashenka is growing. The EU needs a strategy for the country.
Trump sounds the retreat: Can European defence advance?
26 June 2020
Donald Trump may not succeed in withdrawing US troops from Germany this year, but Europeans cannot assume that the Americans will stay forever.
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.
Hand-wringing for Hong Kong: What else can the EU do?
11 June 2020
The EU should not be indifferent to what is happening in Hong Kong. China’s willingness to violate Hong Kong’s autonomy is part of a pattern of increasingly confrontational behaviour.
Trump's COVID-19 response is deepening the transatlantic rift
29 May 2020
Relations between Europe and the US were already in a poor condition before the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s response will make tensions worse.
Securing Europe's medical supply chains against future shocks
29 May 2020
European policy-makers should not give in to the temptation to use the COVID-19 pandemic to justify the forced onshoring of medical supply chains. Better options are available.
Bulletin issue 132 - June/July 2020
29 May 2020
- Securing Europe's medical supply chains against future shocks, Sam Lowe
- The recovery fund faces a tricky passage, Christian Odendahl, John Springford
- Trump's COVID-19 response is deepening the transatlantic rift, Luigi Scazzieri
The recovery fund faces a tricky passage
29 May 2020
The Commission's proposed recovery fund is macroeconomically meaningful. The 'frugals' should focus less on negotiating away the transfers to harder-hit countries, and more on how the money is spent.
Three ways COVID-19 will cause economic divergence in Europe
21 May 2020
Europe's economies will diverge further as a result of COVID-19, as the economic impact will be larger in Southern Europe. Fiscal transfers would help to restart the EU's 'convergence machine'.
Coronavirus is pushing the EU in new and undesirable directions
15 May 2020
COVID-19 is transforming the EU works in several ways, accelerating trends that were visible before the virus struck. These changes are good news for anti-EU populists.
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.
Putin hits a bad patch
07 May 2020
Putin may have thought 2020 was going to be an excellent year for him. Instead, he has to deal with the oil price crash and COVID-19.
Gas heats up the eastern Mediterranean
23 April 2020
Disagreements over who gets to exploit gas in the eastern Mediterranean have raised tensions in the region, led to EU sanctions on Turkey, and made resolving the Libyan conflict more difficult. Much is now riding on Ankara’s next moves.
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.
How the EU should co-ordinate an end to the COVID-19 lockdown
14 April 2020
European governments hope that contact tracing apps can allow them to ease lockdowns. But much work must be done at both national and EU level before restrictions can be eased.
COVID-19: Can the EU avoid an epidemic of authoritarianism?
09 April 2020
Most EU governments have restricted fundamental rights in order to tackle COVID-19. The EU should check that measures are justifiable, proportionate and respect its norms, which is not the case in Hungary.
The EU's new Libya operation is flawed
08 April 2020
The EU’s new Libya operation follows years of criticism that the Union has not done enough to end the conflict.
A proposal for a coronabond: The Pandemic Solidarity Instrument
06 April 2020
The economic hit is so severe, and the demands on fiscal policy so high, that the EU needs to share the burden between stronger and weaker countries.
Trouble for the EU is brewing in coronavirus-hit Italy
02 April 2020
The COVID-19 crisis facing Italy may be new and unprecedented, but for many Italians the European Union’s reaction has been no surprise.