Research

Iran deal

After a deal: How to keep Iran honest?

Rem Korteweg
22 May 2015
If a nuclear agreement with Iran is reached, the hard work begins: Europe should help contain Tehran’s regional influence while working with it too.

The Riga Summit: Enter, pursued by a bear

18 May 2015
The future of the EU’s Eastern Partnership is uncertain. Though it is under pressure from Russian hostility and EU apathy,  it can and should be saved.
Cameron's EU negotiation: Five compromises and a climb-down

Cameron's EU reforms: You can't always get what you want

14 May 2015
David Cameron has outlined five areas for EU reform where compromise is possible. But trouble lies ahead on EU migrants’ access to welfare. 
A five-point plan for Cameron to win an EU referendum

A five-point plan for Cameron to win an EU referendum

08 May 2015
Cameron can win an EU referendum – but he will have to fight Tory eurosceptics, moderate demands for EU reform and forge alliances with other governments.
The evil of two lessers

UK elections: The evil of two lessers

John Springford, Simon Tilford
06 May 2015
Britain faces serious economic and political challenges. But neither major party has a coherent strategy for overcoming them.
Two cheers for Ukraine

Two cheers for Ukraine

30 April 2015
Ukraine’s reforms are advancing, but the Minsk peace deal is hard to implement; the military situation is threatening; and the economy is tottering. The EU should help more.
Do the UK's European ties damage its prosperity?

Do the UK's European ties damage its prosperity?

Philip Whyte
30 April 2015
Eurosceptic claims that EU regulation and the protectionism of other member-states are holding back Britain's economy – and that withdrawal would be a liberation – are nonsense.
EU migrants

Dead in the water: Fixing the EU’s failed approach to Mediterranean migrants

Camino Mortera-Martinez, Rem Korteweg
23 April 2015
The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean forces the EU to act. It should reform its asylum policy and take action in Libya, not resort to half measures.
Cleaning the neighbourhood: How the EU can scrub out bad energy policy

Cleaning the neighbourhood: How the EU can scrub out bad energy policy

Stephen Tindale, Suzanna Hinson
22 April 2015
The EU should not buy electricity from countries with highly-polluting coal power stations, and should instead support efficiency and clean energy in neighbouring countries.
Vorsprung durch Grexit?

Vorsprung durch Grexit?

Charles Grant, Christian Odendahl
17 April 2015
German officials are sanguine about the consequences of Grexit, and view it as increasingly likely. Merkel would be well-advised to prevent it from happening.
Not in front of the MPs: Why can’t Parliament have a frank discussion about the

Not in front of the MPs: Why can’t Parliament have a frank discussion about the EU?

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
15 April 2015
David Cameron wants to increase the role of national parliaments in the EU. His pledge will hold more weight if British parliamentary scrutiny of EU affairs was improved.
The slow dance between Minsk and Brussels thumbnail

The slow dance between Minsk and Brussels

10 April 2015
Buffeted by events in Ukraine, Belarus’s leaders are trying to balance their dependency on Moscow by enhancing ties with the EU. Brussels is responding.
Security in the age of austerity: You get what you pay for

Security in the age of austerity: You get what you pay for

08 April 2015
Europe’s neighbourhood is too dangerous for decisions on defence budgets to be left to austerity-minded finance ministers. The UK should set a good example.
The low-hanging fruit of European capital markets

The low-hanging fruit of European capital markets

Christian Odendahl
08 April 2015
The planned capital markets union in Europe faces many obstacles. Commissioner Hill was right to start with the lower-hanging fruit.
A Marxist take on the 'Brexit' general election

A Marxist take on the 'Brexit' general election

08 April 2015
The ideas of Karl Marx suggest that Britain’s general election will not define the country's relationship with the EU.
Disunited Kingdom: Why ‘Brexit’ endangers Britain’s poorer regions

Disunited Kingdom: Why ‘Brexit’ endangers Britain’s poorer regions

07 April 2015
A British exit from the EU most imperils the UK's poorest regions, and could make the country's regional inequality worse.
It’s the geopolitics, stupid: Why TTIP matters

It’s the geopolitics, stupid: Why TTIP matters

Rem Korteweg
02 April 2015
TTIP’s benefits for Europe’s foreign policy should play a larger role in Europe’s debate about the trade talks.
Frozen: The politics and economics of sanctions against Russia

Frozen: The politics and economics of sanctions against Russia

Christian Odendahl, Ian Bond, Jennifer Rankin
16 March 2015
Western sanctions are hurting Russia more than Europe. They will remain an essential tool to prevent a strong and aggressive Russia dominating its neighbours.
German rebalancing: Waiting for Godot?

German rebalancing: Waiting for Godot?

Simon Tilford
09 March 2015
Far from rebalancing, Germany’s trade surplus continues to grow. This is in nobody’s interests. The German government could and should take steps to reduce it.