Press
Gazprom uses gas to tighten noose on Ukraine
01 April 2014
The Telegraph
Ian Bond, from the CER said Mr Putin aims to reduce Ukraine to a "vassal state" by pushing for a loose federation in Ukraine under his control. He has upped the ante with a new strain of ethno-nationalism, laying a claim to all areas abroad deemed to be "historic Russia".
Cinq européens débattent
31 March 2014
Confrontations Europe
Quel serait le sens d’un nouveau contrat pour reconstruire notre Europe ? Claude Fischer ouvre le débat avec quatre Européens « insoupçonnables » : Charles Grant, directeur du CER(1), Thomas Hanke, journaliste au quotidien Handelsblatt, Andrea Ricci, directeur d’ISIS(2), et Maciej Witucki, président de la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie...
David Cameron eyes Danish premier to solve Brussels dilemma
31 March 2014
Financial Times
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform think-tank said if the left does get the first crack at the top job in Brussels "at least three moderate Socialists would be viable alternatives" to Mr Schulz.
Nowy szef NATO na nowe czasy
31 March 2014
Rzeczpospolita
W obecnej sytuacji Norweg jest właściwym wyborem dla obu stron. Traktuje zagrożenie rosyjskie poważnie, ale w sposób bardziej zniuansowany niż w Europie Wschodniej – mówi „Rz" Rem Korteweg, ekspert Centre for European Reform w Londynie.
Dashed Ikea dreams show decades lost to bribery in Ukraine
31 March 2014
Bloomberg
"Yanukovych won the 2010 election more or less fairly because his allegedly more Western-leaning opponents, first of all, spent so much time fighting between themselves, and secondly, presided themselves over so much poor governance and corruption," said Ian Bond of the CER.
Ukraine crisis: OSCE unarmed on the front line
27 March 2014
BBC News
"Anything that requires a decision by the OSCE's permanent council is vulnerable to a veto by a single state… but if you can reach consensus, then that gives a decision extra strength," said Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER.
Farage's TV debate has lit the European touchpaper
27 March 2014
The Guardian
It's high time all those who fear Britain heading for the exit stood up and rallied to the cause – the CBI, chambers of commerce, every individual and every interest or campaigning group which would lose out. Where is the money flowing into pro-EU supporters, such as the well-informed Centre for European Reform?
The EU debate: How should Labour respond?
27 March 2014
Progress online
Well done Nick Clegg. Not for winning – it is hard to debate with someone who regards the truth as just one option – but for taking part. And for the radical strategy of making the European elections about Europe.
How should Labour’s leaders respond? Ed Miliband is firmly pro-European. He...
How should Labour’s leaders respond? Ed Miliband is firmly pro-European. He...
How the international sanctions game is played
24 March 2014
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
"They [sanctions] won't automatically extend to relatives, but they will, for example, extend to shell companies where the EU or the US can identify that the controlling interest is held by a person who is subject to sanctions," says Ian Bond of the CER.
Weaning Europe from Russian gas
24 March 2014
The New York Times
[Building gas 'interconnecters'] is relevant in what some analysts, like Rem Korteweg of the CER, consider a possible escalation scenario: that Russia cuts supplies of gas through Ukraine but continues pumping it through its other two pipelines to the West — one through the Baltic and the other through Poland.
Obama and allies seek firm, united response as Russia grips Crimea
24 March 2014
The New York Times
A special role in the crisis has fallen to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, and to Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Russian speaker who is familiar with Mr Putin and in a stronger position at home than other leaders. "Merkel certainly gets it," said Charles Grant, director of the CER.
German AfD tries to shake off 'Tea Party' tag
24 March 2014
Deutsche Welle
Simon Tilford is [also] wary of making easy parallels. "I think it's a little unfair," he told DW. "I think there are Tea Party echoes in economic policy, but I think those echoes are actually much stronger in the CSU [Bavarian sister-party to Merkel's CDU]."
Menysprear el gas rus
23 March 2014
El Periodico Internacional
"La UE no podrà canviar la seva dependència del gas rus de la nit al dia. Tampoc és realista esperar que la UE reemplaci completament les seves importacions de gas rus, entre altres coses perquè la producció interna (sobretot al mar del Nord) s'està reduint", afirma Rem Korteweg, del CER.
Avrupa ekonomisi crizi atlatamaya çalışıyor
23 March 2014
EU Turkey News Network
"Ekonomik büyümenin yeniden başlaması ve mali pazarların durulması nedeniyle gevşeme havasına girme riski var. Avrupalı siyasetçiler euro bölgesinde ciddi kurumsal reformlar yapmadan, örneğin risk havuzu oluşturmadan da kriz batağından kurtulabileceklerini düşünebilir." [Simon Tilford].
Europe looks to US, Qatar gas to reduce reliance on Russia
21 March 2014
Voice of America
"Russia depends very heavily on the revenues from the gas that it sells to Europe. At least half of the national state budget comes from sales of hydrocarbons to Europe," said Ian Bond of the CER.
Sanctions start to hit Russia's oligarchs
21 March 2014
The Telegraph
Ian Bond said the military tie-in was mostly low-key co-operation on tactical issues. ''This is not NATO by the back door, and we are not going to see EU divisions lining up on the Russian border."
Russians stand strong against sanctions
20 March 2014
Independent European Daily Express
"The EU may be forced into a position where it has to apply broader sanctions, for example, to shut Russian banks out," said Ian Bond of the CER.
Tougher financial action could sway Putin, expert says
18 March 2014
CBS News
Ignoring sanctions against a few individuals in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin moved Tuesday to formally annex Crimea. Now Vice President Joe Biden is promising more sanctions to come.
What kind of additional financial pressure would it take to get Putin to back off? CBS...
What kind of additional financial pressure would it take to get Putin to back off? CBS...
Russia's aggression in Crimea brings NATO into renewed focus
18 March 2014
The New York Times
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER, said that "Putin has just given NATO something to do, but the question is whether NATO is up to it."
Everybody says Europe is too soft on Russia, which is why it might be about to get tough
17 March 2014
Quartz
"This completely phony referendum is just so absurd that it makes it more difficult for the Russians to make their case to the rest of Europe," says Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER.