Research
Belarus sets new EU agenda, calms neighbours, executes a murderer - western press digest
30 April 2014
Belarus Digest
Can the EU help Belarus to guard its independence? – Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, notes that Minsk is keen not to become too dependent on Russia, and have therefore renewed their on-and-off flirtation with the EU. The analyst notes that there are clear limits to how far any rapprochement can go.
Belarus is now at risk of losing its independence to Russia
30 April 2014
New Statesman
Most Belarusians have a somewhat weaker sense of identity than Ukrainians but they feel Belarusian rather than Russian.
Returning to Belarus, a flat land of nearly ten million people, after an interval of five years, I found that very little had changed: Alexander Lukashenko remains president (as he has been since...
Returning to Belarus, a flat land of nearly ten million people, after an interval of five years, I found that very little had changed: Alexander Lukashenko remains president (as he has been since...
ECB urged to ward off deflation threat
30 April 2014
European Voice
Christian Odendahl of the CER said: "In the past, the ECB could point to inflation being close to target or expected to return to target in a reasonable amount of time. Now that the ECB predicts inflation at just 1.5 per cent in 2016, it will be harder to fend off political pressure for more easing."
US slaps Russia with sanctions: does Moscow deserve it?
28 April 2014
RT
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, talks to RT's senior political correspondent, Anissa Naouai, about the US's sanctions on Russia (from 0:08).
EU Parliament flexes muscles despite sceptics’ rise
27 April 2014
Business Recorder
Charles Grant, director of the London-based Centre for European Reform, sees Parliament as a power-hungry, spendthrift cheerleader for a federal Europe, which he argues has too much influence over the Commission, driving unnecessary regulation.
Gran Bretagna fuori dall’Ue? Non è inevitabile
26 April 2014
l'Unità
«L’uscita della Gran Bretagna dall’Ue non è inevitabile», sostiene Charles Grant, fondatore e direttore del think tank britannico Cer (Centre for European Reform) ed ex inviato a Bruxelles dell’Economist. Gli europeisti nel Regno Unito ci sono e nell’eventualità di un referendum si faranno sentire. Ora però è il momento degli...
BBC Radio 4 PM
23 April 2014
BBC Radio 4
CER's Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, discusses why Tony Blair is wrong on Russia, Ukraine and Syria (from 14.40).
Eurozone deficit hits target for first time since 2008
23 April 2014
The New York Times
Simon Tilford, deputy director of the CER said, "The only way to be optimistic about eurozone debt would be to see a period of strong growth and a pickup in inflation. There’s no prospect of that at the moment."
Good Morning Wales
21 April 2014
BBC Radio Wales
CER's Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, comments on the shooting in Ukraine and the Geneva deal (see 1.36.53).
BHP Billiton boss warns Brexit will lead to a "decade" of trade negotiations
17 April 2014
The Telegraph
Andrew Mackenzie, the chief executive of struggling mining giant BHP Billiton, has joined the chorus of FTSE 100 bosses pleading with voters to opt to remain in the EU, claiming a Brexit could result in a “decade of disruption” to trade agreements". ...In the EU, Britain helps to write rules taken up across the world that promote free trade and social good, like environmental protection. By leaving, the UK would stop being rule makers and become rule takers", Mr Mackenzie is due to say during a panel for the Centre for European Reform.
The crisis in Ukraine
16 April 2014
CNN
CER's Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, talks to Rosemary Church about the Ukraine crisis (see 00:05).
Judy Asks: Can NATO help end the Ukraine crisis?
16 April 2014
Carnegie Europe
Every week a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
Daybreak
15 April 2014
ITV1
CER's Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, talks to John Stapleton and Ranvir Singh about Ukraine and the EU Sanctions on Russia (see 13:45).
Western stance on Ukraine: emotional and out of touch
15 April 2014
The Voice of Russia (Radio)
CER's Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, talks to Ekaterina Kudashkina about the Ukraine Crisis (from 02:06).
Record unemployment with nearly half of EU’s jobless out of work for over a year
15 April 2014
Euronews
Christian Odendahl at the CER said "The big danger of this long-term unemployment is that it is likely to turn into persistent, structural unemployment as the recovery in the eurozone in particular will be slow."
Video interview on the EU, Russia and Ukraine
14 April 2014
Ian Bond discusses Russian moves in Ukraine, and how the EU and NATO should respond.
Taking a risk, investors snap up once-shunned Greek debt
10 April 2014
The New York Times
"Investors don’t look to the long-term health of economies," said Simon Tilford, the deputy director of the CER. They are looking at whether they can extract gains "without losing their shirts."
Britain must move closer to the EU to flourish, new parliamentary report claims
10 April 2014
The Express
"Britain within the EU but not in the euro is not a problem - if we stay in the EU but resist getting involved in further integration with the eurozone, that is fine - but if we were to leave, the City would over time be vulnerable to regulatory attacks et cetera" said Mr Tilford.
Why we should support nuclear power
08 April 2014
Ecologist
The UK should continue to use nuclear power, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, writes Stephen Tindale. It should also test new nuclear technologies that can burn plutonium, such as the PRISM reactor, and develop molten salt reactors.
Hungary is becoming the biggest reason why we may have to leave the EU
07 April 2014
The Telegraph
"It is quite alarming that Fidesz and Jobbik have won so much of the vote. Jobbik is a fascistic party that is scary in a way that Ukip, Le Pen, and Geert Wilders are not scary" said Charles Grant.