Research

The EU will become less monolithic

The EU will become less monolithic

19 September 2017
The EU is becoming less monolithic and will develop tiers of membership. This could re-energise the enlargement process and neighbourhood policy – and may allow the UK to re-engage one day.

Can the world live with North Korea's bomb?

19 September 2017
The world should stop pretending that North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons, and focus on minimising the risks of further proliferation and of accidental or deliberate conflict.
How the West can contain – and end – the conflict in Ukraine

How the West can contain - and end - the conflict in Ukraine

15 September 2017
New US sanctions on Russia prevent a backroom Trump-Putin deal on Ukraine, but they also threaten Western unity. They should prompt the EU to re-invigorate the Minsk agreement. 
European policy in Asia: Getting past mercatorism and mercantilism

European policy in Asia: Getting past mercatorism and mercantilism

07 September 2017
Asia is a dangerous place, and closer to Europe than most Europeans think. They cannot leave Trump's America to tackle all Asia's security problems.
Could Germany end up with a minority government?

Could Germany end up with a minority government?

Christian Odendahl
04 September 2017
The SPD has probably bottomed out and a centre-right coalition might not have the numbers. But neither the SPD nor the Greens are keen on the junior role under Merkel.
What the German elections mean for Brexit

What the German elections mean for Brexit

Christian Odendahl, Sophia Besch
30 August 2017
The German elections will not affect the outcome of Brexit, whatever coalition partner Angela Merkel may choose.
Make German politics interesting again

Make German politics interesting again

Christian Odendahl, Sophia Besch
18 August 2017
Merkel is disarming the SPD, which is too cautious to promise real change, while Die Linke’s radicalism is poisoning the SPD’s only possible route to power.
Why Brexiters should get behind Philip Hammond's transition

Why Brexiters should get behind Philip Hammond's transition

01 August 2017
A comprehensive transition that includes continued membership of the single market and customs union is ultimately in the interest of hardliners in the British government.
Liberalism under attack: Is the EU a fortress or a sandcastle?

Liberalism under attack: Is the EU a fortress or a sandcastle?

27 July 2017
The EU cannot rely on partnership with Trump’s America to defend the international liberal order. It must do more to protect its values and interests.
Brexit and the threat to Northern Ireland

Brexit and the threat to Northern Ireland

Edward Burke
20 July 2017
A hard Brexit risks many of the gains of twenty years of peace and cross-border co-operation in Northern Ireland. Only a special EU status can stop the rot.
The Hartz myth: Drawing lessons from Germany

The Hartz myth: Drawing lessons from Germany

Christian Odendahl
20 July 2017
Germany's Hartz labour market reforms were no miracle cure. Rather than copying them, the rest of Europe should learn more nuanced lessons from the German experience.
What the German elections mean for Europe

What the German elections mean for Europe

Sophia Besch
20 July 2017
Germany's next chancellor won't be able to govern alone. A coalition of parties with differing views on Eurozone reform and German military power will shape Berlin's Europe policy after the election.
Arrested development: Why Brexit Britain cannot keep the European Arrest Warrant

Arrested development: Why Brexit Britain cannot keep the European Arrest Warrant

Camino Mortera-Martinez
10 July 2017
The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) has made it easier for the UK to extradite criminals. But once it leaves the EU, Britain will find it almost impossible to negotiate as good an arrangement as the EAW.
The Hartz myth: A closer look at Germany's labour market reforms

The Hartz myth: A closer look at Germany's labour market reforms

Christian Odendahl
10 July 2017
Germany's labour market reforms of the early 2000s had a modest effect on the economy. Europe should learn nuanced lessons from the German experience.

Ulster's fight, Ulster's rights? Brexit, Northern Ireland and the threat to British-Irish relations

Edward Burke
07 July 2017
Brexit risks destabilising the peace process in Northern Ireland. The EU and UK may need to agree on a special status for the Province.

The limits to Labour's 'constructive ambiguity' over Brexit

Simon Tilford
06 July 2017
Labour proposes a "jobs-first" and hard Brexit at the same time. This means the party can't capitalise on the Tories' stewardship of the economy.
Brexit maze

Brexit maze: The role of EU institutions in the negotiations

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
05 July 2017
Theresa May will be reluctant to openly discuss the difficult choices ahead of the UK. Citizens and business should look to the EU institutions for information about their future post-Brexit.

What future for the European defence fund?

Sophia Besch
28 June 2017
For the European defence fund to succeed, member-states have to agree how to distribute the money, how to finance joint projects, and which capabilities to develop.