Press
Can Brexit be stopped? The answer is in our hands
23 June 2017
The Guardian
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform imagines the reaction once, say, Airbus leaves the UK, along with various car companies. “If in that period, the macroeconomic truth dawns, that the trade lost is far greater than any trade gained by new agreements around the world, people might begin to think again.” Grant reckons the democratic catharsis of exit might be a necessary first step: “We have to get out before we can get closer.”
Brexit: Do we stand a chance?
22 June 2017
London Business School
“The EU is very self-confident now,” said Charles Grant, Director, Centre for European Reform. “The eurozone is growing fast, (Emmanuel) Macron is a powerful new figure who will revitalise the Franco-German relationship and (Donald) Trump and Brexit are creating solidarity amongst European governments. They (the EU) feel they’re not going to have to make any concessions at all. They laugh at the idea that anything could destabilise the eurozone.”
Macron og Merkel skaber gennembrud for fælles forsvar i EU – men uden Danmark
22 June 2017
Politiken
Eksperter i europæisk sikkerhedspolitik som Luigi Scazzieri fra Centre for European Reform (CER) i London er enige i, at beslutningen om permanent forstærket samarbejde er et gennembrud. »Det er klart et vigtigt skridt. Men det er svært at sige præcis, hvad det vil blive brugt til. Lige nu betragter jeg egentlig skabelsen af en forsvarsfond som den vigtigste beslutning«, siger han.
The EU should spell out options for Britain
20 June 2017
The Evening Standard
Writing for the Centre for European Reform, Simon Tilford suggested last week that once we have agreement on citizens’ rights and the £60 billion-plus exit fee, which presumably Boris Johnson will suggest should be paid with funds sucked out of the NHS, then the EU should spell out publicly for British consumption the remaining options to fuel an informed debate.
EU has negotiating team of all talents
19 June 2017
The Times
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a British think tank, has stated that Brexit will not be a single event but a process. This process commenced with the triggering of Article 50, the formal notification to leave. Negotiations must be completed within two years from the date of commencement, unless a time extension is allowed.
The 10 Brexit compromises Theresa May won't talk about
19 June 2017
The Guardian
Neither Theresa May nor Jeremy Corbyn said much about the substance of the Brexit negotiations during the election campaign.
Negotiations begin over British split from European Union
19 June 2017
The Washington Post
“They can be more relaxed about Britain crashing out without a deal that could destabilize the EU economy and destabilize the euro zone,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.
Macron wins majority in French parliament, pollsters project
18 June 2017
Bloomberg
“Though Emmanuel Macron and Tony Blair have much in common, Blair never sought to smash the UK’s party system, which EM has done in France,” Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said in a Twitter posting, referring to the British prime minister who won three straight elections from 1997.
Seizing the initiative
16 June 2017
Financial Times
The question is whether in 10-15 years the EU side will regret not taking a more proactive approach based on how close a relationship the bloc actually wants with Britain. Here Simon Tilford and John Springford of the Centre for European Reform have some ideas. If Britain makes some progress on the divorce issues, they want the EU to respond “by laying out in public, and in some detail, the four options facing Britain”.
European support for EU surges in wake of Brexit vote
15 June 2017
Financial Times
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said a growing economy and ebbing of the worst of the refugee crisis had created a more positive backdrop for the EU in the past year, even as specific doubts remained. “In terms of image, which is hugely influential, things are looking up,” he said. “With countries doing better, you would expect a bit more optimism.”
Brexit talks start Monday: The UK still lacks a plan
15 June 2017
CNN Money
"The EU can only negotiate once the UK has come to a consensus on how to proceed -- which will only happen once British politicians openly debate Brexit's dilemmas," said Simon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform. ...Tilford said that if May sticks to her uncompromising approach, the EU will have "no option but to respond in kind."
Brexit briefing: Honest options
15 June 2017
Financial Times
British politicians are still avoiding the hard truths about leaving the EU, say Simon Tilford and John Springford of the Centre for European Reform. To force an honest debate, they suggest that the EU-27 present Britain with four options for Brexit.
Now May should say sorry to our EU friends
15 June 2017
The Times
It’s no poker game because, as Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform points out, in poker the power of a hand is that it’s secret. Europe knows exactly how few cards we have to play. And if May’s position was weak a month ago, it is infinitely weaker now.
EU opens door for Brexit retreat, but at a price
14 June 2017
The Independent
It is worth showing a generosity of spirit according to Ian Bond, the director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform. “If you see your friend about to jump off a cliff, would you try to persuade them things aren’t so bad? Or shrug, say ‘Your choice’ and walk off?” he said.
Ruth Davidson tells Theresa May to set new course for a softer Brexit
13 June 2017
The Times
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said the new political reality meant there was simply no parliamentary majority for the kind of Brexit put forward by Mrs May during the election campaign. “My view is that if Mrs May is to have any future as prime minister she has to change the substance of her line on Brexit,” he said.
Britain's Theresa May comes under pressure to soften her stance on Brexit
13 June 2017
The Washington Post
“We now have a Parliament that’s gridlocked,” said John Springford, research director at the CER. “It doesn’t appear that there’s a majority for hard Brexit, a majority for soft Brexit, or certainly not a majority for remain. It’s a very confused picture.”
EU migration showdown: Divide deepens after Brussels launches legal action against Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic
13 June 2017
The Telegraph
"There are no winners in this spat over the re-location policy," said Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, eastern EU expect at the Centre for European Reform, predicting that case could ultimately reach the European Court of Justice. ..."The public will almost certainly see its actions as an attack on the countries’ sovereignty. Governments will probably reinforce this perception by their domestic narrative," she added.
European defence spending question casts long shadow
13 June 2017
Shephard
This is a crucial aspect of defence spending, said Sophia Besch, research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. "The real issue is that if countries raise defence spending on a national level, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it goes towards research and development or towards procurement. It could just mean that they’re investing in jobs at home," she said.
Hard or soft: How will the UK take its Brexit?
13 June 2017
Deutsche Welle
"The mandate for the government to negotiate whatever kind of Brexit it wants - and which was shaping up to be very hard - has now gone," Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform told DW. "It's very, very hard to see - or impossible to see, really - how the government could walk away with no deal, and it's very hard to see how the government could push that kind of hard Brexit."
In Britain's post-election disarray, can a Brexit consensus be found?
13 June 2017
The Christian Science Monitor
“With her party divided and no majority in Parliament, May will run the constant risk of one side or another rebelling,” predicts Simon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform. “It is difficult to see how she can pursue any Brexit in these circumstances.”