Press

Germany expects up to 1 million asylum seekers this year alone. The upfront costs of housing, education and social care are considerable — but it could stimulate the economy, argues Christian Odendahl of the Centre for European Reform.

As Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform, says: "The British government has not convinced many of its partners that its concerns about the relationship between the euro and the single market are justified."

Ian Bond from the CER, called the current policy a "mess of inconsistency and wishful thinking". The last review in 2010-11 had urged a focus on promoting "deep and sustainable democracy", he noted. Yet since then two countries - Libya and Syria - had fallen into near anarchy, one - Egypt - had had a military coup, and repression of civil society and the media had worsened in several, including Azerbaijan, Bond said.

As Simon Tilford of the CER, recently argued, there is no way the eurozone will be able to shrug off the global downturn because its post-crisis recovery strategy rests on net exports. The eurozone is headed for a current account surplus of 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product this year.

"Sprawna prezydencja przewodząca Radzie szuka kompromisu i po głosowanie sięga dopiero wtedy, gdy nie da się go osiągnąć. I wydaje się, że prezydencja luksemburska starała się o kompromis do ostatniej chwili" - mówi Agata Gostyńska, analityk londyńskiego CER.

Chief economist for the London-based Centre for European Reform Christian Odendahl says many observers aren’t surprised by the results. Now, he adds, comes the hard part.“The biggest issue that Tsipras will now [face] will be debt relief. He put it at the top of his agenda. But the problem is that the Europeans are not going to comprise much unless he tackles some of the tough reforms and austerity measures that have been agreed in the last deal,” Odendahl says.

“There’s been this assumption in the eurozone that Americans would raise rates and the European economy would be able to rely on a strong US economy and a strong dollar,” said Simon Tilford of the CER.