Press
Germany’s military power is growing. That makes some Europeans uneasy
20 September 2026
The iPaper
No other country in Europe can bring such economic power to bear, said Armida van Rij, a European security specialist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank. “There is a recognition that we need Germany, in particular, because they have the fiscal headroom and they have the money,” she said, noting that France, Italy and the UK are “more constrained”.
Britain’s rush to net zero fuelled China’s energy dominance
20 September 2026
The Telegraph
The lesson here is that once an industrial ecosystem has been lost to China it is extremely difficult to rebuild, argues Sander Tordoir, the chief economist at the Centre for European Reform.
“European governments have to think very carefully about ecosystem effects,” he adds.
...China has been able to build “massive industrial capabilities in the lower rungs of clean tech”, he says, before moving into the “higher rungs of the value chain”.
“European governments have to think very carefully about ecosystem effects,” he adds.
...China has been able to build “massive industrial capabilities in the lower rungs of clean tech”, he says, before moving into the “higher rungs of the value chain”.
Why Europe really, really needs a mild winter
18 September 2026
The New York Times
In general, Europe has resisted being drawn into an expensive repetition of the 2022 energy crisis. Then, “governments were willing to pay any price to refill gas storage,” said Sander Tordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform.
Ekspert: koalicja antybalistyczna pomoże trwale zmniejszyć zależność od USA
18 September 2026
Polska Agencja Prasowa
Koalicja antybalistyczna, do której przystąpienie ogłosiła Polska, dowodzi, że Europa uniezależnia się od USA i nie zmieni tego koniec kadencji prezydenta Donalda Trumpa - uważa Ian Bond, wiceszef think tanku Centre for European Reform.
America’s AI slowdown brings little comfort to Europe’s markets
15 September 2026
The Times
A joint new report from three think-tanks, the Centre for European Reform, the Jacques Delors Centre, and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, lays out the parlous state of Europe’s stock markets, which are failing to provide the continent’s most innovative, promising companies with the capital to grow and compete with their US counterparts.
Bond market fears thwart EU energy crisis plan
15 September 2026
EurActiv
Sander Tordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, noted that many EU countries might seek to “roll out some fiscal cushions” for citizens and firms if energy prices remain elevated this winter.
“My general sense is that, other than Greece and Italy, the bond market rather than the EU fiscal rules are the first concern,” Tordoir said, adding that many countries are already “flying close to the sun” in fiscal terms.
“My general sense is that, other than Greece and Italy, the bond market rather than the EU fiscal rules are the first concern,” Tordoir said, adding that many countries are already “flying close to the sun” in fiscal terms.
LATO: The Rīga Conference 2026 - Ukraine's future as a pillar of European security
10 September 2026
Ian Bond deputy director of the CER spoke alongside the Lithuanian Vice Foreign Minister Lina Rukštelienė in a discussion with Yaroslav Trofimov on Ukraine's future as a pillar of European security (from 4:35:40 mins).
Unpacking Europe: Ceuta and Schengen
09 September 2026
Ian Bond spoke with Camino Mortera-Martinez on the impact that 80,000 migrants entering the Spanish exclave of Ceuta has had on the EU’s borderless Schengen area.
VRT Max: Radio 1: Europese kwaliteit boven Chinese prijzen: Europese Commissie presenteert nieuwe regels rond openbare aanbestedingen
09 September 2026
De Europese Commissie heeft nieuwe regels voorgesteld rond openbare aanbestedingen. De focus ligt daarbij meer op Europese productie en de mogelijkheid om China uit de markt te weren. Sander Tordoir, hoofdeconoom van de Europese denktank Centre for European Reform: "In feite trekt Europa hiermee het speelveld gelijk."
Germany once cosied up to Putin. Now they are Russia’s public enemy number one in Europe
03 September 2026
The Independent
Ian Bond, the deputy director of The Centre for European Reform (CER), said the signing of the 2015 Minsk II Agreement was another indicator of the strength of Russian-German relations at the time.Brokered under Merkel, the deal was widely criticised as effectively signalling Western acceptance of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
China threat bolsters support for EU industrial policy
02 September 2026
Politico
“The level of ambition is justified. If it’s Europe’s main tool to respond to the second China shock, it’s essential to make it count,” Sander Tordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think tank, told MEPs. “Do it right or don’t do it at all.”
Esperti Ue, 'Industrial Accelerator Act può essere principale strumento contro Cina'
02 September 2026
ANSA
"L'Industrial Accelerator Act potrebbe essere il principale strumento politico che l'Ue può effettivamente mettere in atto" contro la sovraccapacità produttiva cinese. Lo afferma il capo economista del think tank Centro per la riforma europea (CER), Sander Tordoir, in audizione alle commissioni congiunte Inta, Itre e Imco del Parlamento europeo.
Péter Magyar’s awkward Brussels inheritance
01 September 2026
The Parliament Magazine
He’s particularly attentive to Fidesz or undecided voters who may hold more conservative views on migration, agriculture or Ukraine, according to Zselyke Csaky, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
Eláraszthatják Európát a helyben gyártott kínai autók
01 September 2026
NRG Report
Sander Tordoir közgazdász szerint enélkül fennállna annak a veszélye, hogy Kína az unióban olyan összeszerelő üzemeket nyit, amelyek szinte kizárólag kínai alkatrészekből építenek autókat, miközben kevés gazdasági értéket teremtenek Európában.
Why MAGA's far-right European ties will endure
27 August 2026
Carnegie Europe
In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.
Unpacking Europe: Pedro Serrano reflects on two decades of EU diplomacy
26 August 2026
Ian Bond speaks to Pedro Serrano about his 23 years in EU diplomacy.
Las siete crisis del verano europeo
24 August 2026
El Pais
“Las medidas comerciales que prepara la Unión están bien diseñadas, pero solo servirán de algo si Bruselas tiene credibilidad en su amenaza”, añade Sander Tordoir, del Centre for European Reform.
Why Iran is threatening Europe’s ‘strategically important’ southeast
21 August 2026
Aljazeera
According to Armida van Rij, a senior fellow at the Centre for European Reform, southeastern Europe could be seen as an attractive target.“[The region] is the soft underbelly of Europe as it is strategically important, hosting a number of NATO bases and key supplies to Ukraine and being on the Black Sea”.
Brexit 10 years on: From referendum to reality
18 August 2026
The Manufacturer
According to the Centre for European Reform’s John Springford and Anton Spisak, goods exports to the EU are about 16% lower than if the UK had chosen not to leave and goods imports are 14% lower.
Les actualités à suivre : Robotique chinoise, raffinage, nucléaire et climat…
17 August 2026
Techniques de L'Ingenieur
Le Centre for European Reform parle ainsi d’un « China shock 2.0 », susceptible de toucher les régions industrielles spécialisées dans l’automobile, les machines-outils et les équipements complexes. Le débat allemand évolue donc vers une approche plus ferme, alors que les signes s’accumulent en faveur d’un durcissement européen vis-à-vis de la Chine.