Press

Why Britain is such a noisy neighbour

Sam Lowe
06 November 2021
The Economist
Perpetual arguments beckon, says Samuel Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. When the row over fish passes, attention will turn to Northern Ireland, a more serious problem. 

Fishing row: What happens if UK takes legal action against France over post-Brexit dispute?

Sam Lowe
02 November 2021
Sky News
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said of the process: "In terms of the legal mechanisms we are very much talking about a process here that could drag on for a while."

Expectations for COP26 are low but here's what would make it a success

30 October 2021
Euronews
Elisabetta Cornago, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER) think-thank, said that "experts are hoping for a leap forward with final climate actions plans" at the summit to keep the 1.5°C target "within reach.""Currently, that seems hard, as most plans fall far short of that goal," she deplored.

Business bottleneck in the 'age of optimism'

30 October 2021
BBC News
The Centre for European Reform sought to model an imaginary, non-Brexit Britain alongside these actual figures, and concluded that the effect of Brexit - isolated from the pandemic - accounted for a drop of 15.8% in goods trade, as of August.

Polonia y el ataque iliberal a los cimientos de la UE

Camino Mortera-Martinez
30 October 2021
Expansion
“Para la UE, este desafío de Polonia y el de otros Estados Miembros que se declaran abiertamente iliberales como Hungría es casi una cuestión existencial. Está en juego la esencia de la UE y qué tipo de comunidad de valores quiere ser”, señala Camino Mortera, investigadora del Centre for European Reform (CER). 

France - Royaume-Uni : les multiples raisons d’une brouille profonde

29 October 2021
Le Monde
« Elle pensait, à tort, que le Royaume-Uni allait devenir une sorte de Singapour-sur-Tamise dérégulé. Elle voulait aussi capter des parts de marché à la City ou au secteur automobile », juge Charles Grant, directeur du Center for European Reform. « Paris a aussi tenu cette ligne très dure pour priver les partis extrêmes d’arguments en faveur du Brexit », ajoute l’expert.

Think-Tank: Impact of Brexit on UK economy 'will be greater than Covid'

29 October 2021
The Independent
John Springford, deputy director at the Centre for European Reform, told The Independent he is "pretty confident that the impact of Brexit in the long run will be greater than Covid". Mr Springford's modelling of the impact of Brexit on the UK's trade with the EU was used to help inform the OBR's analysis.

Not all Moscow's fault

29 October 2021
Financial Times
The Centre for European Reform has analysed the functioning of the European energy markets and came to the conclusion that the recent spikes in gas and electricity prices are “not primarily Russia’s fault, though it is capitalising on Europe’s vulnerability”.

CER podcast: What's the state of UK-EU relations?

Charles Grant, Sam Lowe
29 October 2021
Charles Grant speaks to Sam Lowe about the state of UK-EU relations.

Judy Asks: Is Europe's Energy crisis self-inflicted?

28 October 2021
Carnegie Europe
Europe is facing soaring gas prices. To avoid further crises, the EU should speed up its transition to renewables, reduce dependence on Russia, and formulate a coherent energy policy.

Inflation could soon hit highest level in three decades, government spending watchdog warns

27 October 2021
The Independent
“I’m pretty confident that the impact of Brexit in the long run will be greater than Covid,” said John Springford, deputy director at the Centre for European Reform told The Independent.
Mr Springford’s modelling of the impact of Brexit on the UK’s trade with the EU was used to help inform the OBR’s analysis.

The cost-of-Brexit chart that Rishi Sunak didn’t mention in the Budget

27 October 2021
The New Statesman
The Centre for European Reform estimated that, based on recent trends for other countries, Brexit had reduced the UK’s goods trade by 13.5 per cent between January and May 2021.

Brexit: EU turns screw as Article 16 row explodes - bloc to impose tariffs on exports

Sam Lowe
26 October 2021
The Express
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, said a further deterioration in EU-UK political relations following strains over Northern Ireland could trigger some governments in the bloc to take a tougher approach. “In practical terms, if the EU steps up enforcement, it becomes a way of imposing tariffs on UK exports,” he added.

UK exporters falling foul of post-Brexit trade rules

Sam Lowe
25 October 2021
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, said that a further deterioration in EU-UK political relations following strains over Northern Ireland could trigger some governments in the bloc to take a tougher approach. “In practical terms, if the EU steps up enforcement, it becomes a way of imposing tariffs on UK exports,” he added.

RTVE Radio: Desafío polaco: la gota que colma el vaso

Camino Mortera-Martinez
23 October 2021
Uno de los grandes asuntos abordados por la reciente cumbre europea ha sido el desafío de Polonia al Estado de derecho, asunto del que hablamos con Camino Mortera Martínez, investigadora principal del Centro para la Reforma Europea.

A new German economic era dawns as the Bundesbank changes guard

Christian Odendahl
22 October 2021
Financial Times
Global tensions have convinced politicians that an economically strong and united Europe is more important than a balanced budget.

New Zealand trade deal 'another nail in the coffin' of UK mussels industry

Sam Lowe
22 October 2021
The Telegraph
Trade expert Sam Lowe, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said, “The real problem isn’t so much the additional competition from some islands on the other side of the world, rather that it is happening at the same time as them being closed out of selling to their biggest export market.”

Jens Weidmann steps down from the Bundesbank

Christian Odendahl
20 October 2021
The Economist
“A new head of the Bundesbank willing to take on Germany’s conservative consensus would help give the ECB cover in the critical months ahead,” says Christian Odendahl of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank in Berlin.

UK reaches agreement on New Zealand trade deal

Sam Lowe
20 October 2021
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the deal should be judged on its strategic aims. “The benefits of this deal are less about the economics, which are negligible and more about the signal it sends about the UK’s intentions in the region, and as a stepping stone towards a big push for CPTPP accession next year.”

New Zealand agrees post-Brexit free trade deal with UK to cut export tariffs

Sam Lowe
20 October 2021
iNews
Trade expert Sam Lowe, of the Centre for European Reform, said the small size of New Zealand meant that the overall benefit to the UK’s economy would be small. He told i: “It’s a politically significant agreement but not an economically significant one, although of course there will be some firms that benefit from it.”