Britain & EU member-states
How to fix the Northern Ireland Protocol
08 September 2022
Hilary Benn MP considers the stalemate between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol and highlights key areas where both sides can achieve a compromise.
Italy after Draghi
19 July 2022
Mario Draghi’s tenure as Italian prime minister could be ending. Draghi would leave Italy stronger than he found it, but it will be up to his successors not to squander his legacy.
Four reasons why the UK’s Northern Ireland Protocol bill is a mistake
27 June 2022
The UK promises to “fix” the Northern Ireland protocol with unilateral legislation. This will be a major step backwards in trying to resolve genuine practical problems under the protocol.
What can we know about the cost of Brexit so far?
09 June 2022
The UK's GDP is 5.2 per cent smaller than a modelled ‘doppelgänger’ UK that did not leave the EU; investment is 13.7 per cent lower, and goods trade, 13.6 per cent lower. Most of those costs are down to Brexit.
A very French Europe?
26 April 2022
Emmanuel Macron’s decisive victory in the presidential election will reinforce France’s pre-eminent position in the EU. But Macron won’t have everything his own way: some Central and Eastern European member-states will oppose French policies, the British will remain a headache and the Germans may thwart some French ideas.
The cost of Brexit: December 2021
10 March 2022
By December 2021, leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK goods trade by 14.9 per cent. And new analysis shows that UK exports have taken a larger hit than imports.
As Frost departs, will the ice melt across the Channel?
20 December 2021
David Frost’s resignation as Brexit minister matters: he greatly influenced Boris Johnson’s Brexit policy. With Liz Truss replacing him, UK policy towards the EU may become less confrontational.
The cost of Brexit: October 2021
13 December 2021
In October 2021, UK goods trade was 15.7 per cent, or £12.6 billion, lower than it would have been if the UK had stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union.
The three deaths of EU-UK data adequacy
15 November 2021
European and British businesses can still freely transfer personal data between the EU and UK. This situation has spared both sides disruption – but is unlikely to last.
Medical devices and the limits of UK regulatory autonomy
05 August 2021
Medical devices illustrate the limited scope for post-Brexit UK divergence from EU rules, and the trade-offs the UK must face.
Three questions on the German election
27 July 2021
As the floods in Germany change the dynamics of the race, the CDU could win the most votes yet end up in opposition. In that case, the chancellor could be the SPD’s Olaf Scholz.
The cost of Brexit: May 2021
21 July 2021
The Centre for European Reform estimates that leaving the single market and customs union has reduced UK trade in goods by £10 billion or 13.5 per cent in May 2021.
Five years since the referendum: A short reflection, and some highlights of the CER's Brexit coverage
23 June 2021
Five years have passed since the British voted to leave the EU. Since then the CER has published 174 papers on Brexit.
The cost of Brexit: April 2021
14 June 2021
We estimate that leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK trade by 11 per cent in April 2021. That is on top of our previous finding of a 10 per cent hit to trade between the referendum and leaving the single market.
The cost of Brexit: March 2021
12 May 2021
We estimate that leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK trade by 11 per cent in March 2021. That is on top of a 10 per cent hit to trade between the referendum and leaving the single market.
The US and the Northern Ireland Protocol: Time to walk the walk
07 May 2021
The US wants the UK to diverge from EU food hygiene rules and to prioritise political and economic stability in Northern Ireland. But what if the UK can’t do both?