Press
Nudging Britain towards the exit: The rise of Tory euroscepticism
11 October 2012
RTE News
Hugo Brady of the CER has conducted a major study of the block opt-out. He argues that while exercising the block opt-out en masse will boost Cameron's eurosceptic credentials, it could leave Britain badly exposed in terms of security, while further alienating key allies. "His claims to British legal exceptionalism are unlikely to convince other EU countries that the block opt-out is anything other than a shallow political manoeuvre," says Brady.
EADS-BAE failure shows road to united EU ends in Berlin
11 October 2012
Bloomberg
"The German government, compared to the French and the British governments, is always unco-ordinated," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.
Merger's demise perpetuates Europe's defence bloat
11 October 2012
The Wall Street Journal
"Consolidation is good for European value amid defence cuts," said Charles Grant, director of the CER in London. ..."Ninety-nine per cent of European politicians only see things in terms of their national interests," said Mr. Grant.
Leaders’ lack of enthusiasm hits BAE-EADS
10 October 2012
Financial Times
"Pushing this deal to a successful conclusion required strategy and vision and none of the three leaders is a strategic thinker," says Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. "BAE and EADS came along at a moment when there was too much else preoccupying them."
Death of BAE-EADS merger kills hope of unified European defence sector
10 October 2012
The Globe and Mail
"This highlights the real challenges for Europeans in their attempt to create an integrated defence industry and market," said Clara Marina O’Donnell, a research fellow with the CER think tank. "We had three countries with three different approaches to defence that were impossible to reconcile."
Britain rethinks its opposition to a two-tier Europe
08 October 2012
International Herald Tribune
"Ever since it joined, British policy has been based on the imperative of being in the room when important matters are discussed, so that Britain could either stop things happening or shape outcomes that suit Britain," said Charles Grant of the CER.
Eurozone finance ministers launch bailout fund
08 October 2012
Voice of America
"It is hard to be optimistic about a region as heavily indebted as Europe, or Western Europe, when the region's economy is [heading] into a very deep slump," said Simon Tilford, of the CER. "So any sort of optimism we see at the moment is likely to prove very short lived."
PM to review freedom of migrant movement
07 October 2012
Financial Times
"Cameron could try to renegotiate the freedom of movement principle but this is a cul-de-sac he should be careful not to go down," said Hugo Brady of the CER. "It would use up all the UK's political capital and this would impinge on the fundamental basis of the single market, which Cameron has said he's in favour of."
Opting out of the EU - The guns of war
05 October 2012
The Economist
Hugo Brady of the CER, believes Mr Cameron underestimates the risk to national security and influence. But Britain has recognised expertise in criminal justice; it is full of people from other EU countries; and it has an enormous DNA database, as well as the best links with America.
My state of the Union
05 October 2012
E!Sharp
President Barroso's team recently asked me to contribute to September's State of the EU speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. I thought the final product was rather good. Sadly, its main message – a purposely confrontational call for a 'federation of nation states' – was obscured on the...
Après Merkozy
03 October 2012
The International Herald Tribune
Before becoming president of France, François Hollande did not appear to take much interest in the European Union.
Enders seeks to overcome Berlin wall of resistance to reach BAE
02 October 2012
Bloomberg Business Week
"Hopefully Merkel can see the wider European interest in this," said Charles Grant, director of the London-based CER. "I don't see why the Germans are so reticent, because they’ve always been upset about the French domination or the French leadership at EADS."
EU justice opt-out seen as security risk
30 September 2012
Financial Times
A report by the CER, which will be published this week, suggests that Conservative attempts to repatriate powers from Brussels and then opt back into a select number may backfire if it means the UK loses sway over immigration, crime and policing issues – the fastest-growing area of EU law.
Catalans see pain in Spain as chance for independence
29 September 2012
The Times
"The Spanish Government can do very little to address this crisis," said Simon Tilford of the CER. "It cannot pump liquidity into the markets as the UK has done. It has to attempt to meet very high levels of fiscal austerity and its economic reforms are very unpopular. The Government is most definitely not going to be in a position to satisfy the Catalans. It is a highly combustible situation."
EU anti-trust review of BAE-EADS deal may face legal limit
26 September 2012
Bloomberg Business Week
EU regulators, usually responsible for approving Europe-wide takeovers and enforcing the right to do business across the bloc, have been careful about any involvement in the defence industry because of the legal exemption, said Clara Marina O’Donnell, an analyst at the London-based CER.
Clegg tells of tough choices over Europe
25 September 2012
Financial Times
Charles Grant, director of the CER, says a fourth source of potential conflict within the coalition will arise when Britain has to decide, before 2014, whether to take its one-off chance to withdraw from 130 EU crime and policing rules. "It’s certain Britain will exercise its block opt-out," he says.
European pensions targeted
23 September 2012
USA Today
"Certainly, if you have people retiring in their 50s - and you're not looking like you're going to get the tax revenues you thought you would in the future - then it is difficult to be able to fill in some of the gaps in your public pension systems," said John Springford of the CER. "You do need to get public-sector workers to work longer."
Ideas for future EU hit instant headwind
20 September 2012
European Voice
Charles Grant of the CER, was sceptical about the prospect of changes. He said that there was "no enthusiasm for treaty change or institutional reform" in France.
Germany's Wolfgang Schäuble at 70 – still at heart of efforts to save eurozone
20 September 2012
The Guardian
Schäuble's mantra has consistently been that what's good for Europe is good for Germany... "He's an old-fashioned, very serious European federalist," said Katinka Barysch, a German economist at the CER in London.
Merkel turns to ex-mentor Kohl to sell Europe to Germans
20 September 2012
Reuters
"There was an initial desire (in Europe) to punish Greece rather than help it," said Philip Whyte of the CER. "Germany played a big role in that and the benefits of Germany's euro zone membership weren't highlighted much."