Research

Legal options

Thomas Cromwell or the executioner's axe? Options for a Grexit

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Camino Mortera-Martinez
10 July 2015
EU lawyers are working to find a creative way to accommodate a Grexit if it becomes inevitable. None of the options are legally watertight or desirable.
Britain’s EU referendum: Cameron cannot please two audiences

Britain’s EU referendum: Cameron cannot please two audiences any longer

26 June 2015
As Cameron kicks off the renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership, his strategy will inevitably lead to a breach with Tory eurosceptics.
EU summit

The four horsemen circling the European Council summit

Rem Korteweg
24 June 2015
Grexit, the Mediterranean crisis, Russia's aggression and the British question will continue to sow discord in Europe. Unless leaders can think European, not national.
5 presidents' report

The eurozone's 'five presidents' report': An assessment

Christian Odendahl
22 June 2015
The long-awaited report rightly aims to complete a financial union in the eurozone, but over-emphasises structural reforms and underplays the need for stronger counter-cyclical policies.
Grexit

Greece: After a deal, work on a solution

Christian Odendahl
11 June 2015
A deal between Greece and its creditors is still likely but what the country really needs is a Greece-led, cross-party plan to transform its institutions. 
EU security measures

Know your enemy: How to break the EU’s gridlock on security measures

Camino Mortera-Martinez
03 June 2015
If the EU wants to tackle the threat of terrorism effectively, MEPs should be given adequate access to confidential information.
A ten-point plan to strengthen Westminster's oversight of EU policy

A ten-point plan to strengthen Westminster's oversight of EU policy

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
27 May 2015
Reforms at EU level could help to narrow the EU’s democratic deficit. But there are many things Westminster could do to improve its own scrutiny of EU policy.
Five ways to win a referendum, and five potential pitfalls

Five ways to win a referendum, and five potential pitfalls

27 May 2015
Cameron's plans for winning an EU referendum could fall victim to the euro crisis, rows on migration and the reluctance of other governments to help him.
Don't mention Beijing: The EU and Asia's maritime security

Don't mention Beijing: The EU and Asia's maritime security

Rem Korteweg
27 May 2015
With tensions rising in the South China Sea, Europe should intensify its dialogue with south-east Asia about maritime security.
How will the eurozone cope with the next downturn?

How will the eurozone cope with the next downturn?

Simon Tilford
27 May 2015
Eurozone policy-makers will have little ammunition to combat the next downturn: interest rates will still be close to zero, public debt and unemployment high.
Iran deal

After a deal: How to keep Iran honest?

Rem Korteweg
22 May 2015
If a nuclear agreement with Iran is reached, the hard work begins: Europe should help contain Tehran’s regional influence while working with it too.

The Riga Summit: Enter, pursued by a bear

18 May 2015
The future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership is uncertain. Though it is under pressure from Russian hostility and EU apathy,  it can and should be saved.
Cameron's EU negotiation: Five compromises and a climb-down

Cameron's EU reforms: You can't always get what you want

14 May 2015
David Cameron has outlined five areas for EU reform where compromise is possible. But trouble lies ahead on EU migrants’ access to welfare. 
A five-point plan for Cameron to win an EU referendum

A five-point plan for Cameron to win an EU referendum

08 May 2015
Cameron can win an EU referendum – but he will have to fight Tory eurosceptics, moderate demands for EU reform and forge alliances with other governments.
The evil of two lessers

UK elections: The evil of two lessers

John Springford, Simon Tilford
06 May 2015
Britain faces serious economic and political challenges. But neither major party has a coherent strategy for overcoming them.
Do the UK's European ties damage its prosperity?

Do the UK's European ties damage its prosperity?

Philip Whyte
30 April 2015
Eurosceptic claims that EU regulation and the protectionism of other member-states are holding back Britain's economy – and that withdrawal would be a liberation – are nonsense.
Two cheers for Ukraine

Two cheers for Ukraine

30 April 2015
Ukraine’s reforms are advancing, but the Minsk peace deal is hard to implement; the military situation is threatening; and the economy is tottering. The EU should help more.
EU migrants

Dead in the water: Fixing the EU’s failed approach to Mediterranean migrants

Camino Mortera-Martinez, Rem Korteweg
23 April 2015
The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean forces the EU to act. It should reform its asylum policy and take action in Libya, not resort to half measures.
Cleaning the neighbourhood: How the EU can scrub out bad energy policy

Cleaning the neighbourhood: How the EU can scrub out bad energy policy

Stephen Tindale, Suzanna Hinson
22 April 2015
The EU should not buy electricity from countries with highly-polluting coal power stations, and should instead support efficiency and clean energy in neighbouring countries.