Press quotes

  • NATO to begin cyber security drive
    Financial Times, 28 February 2012

    Tomas Valasek, of the CER said: "This shows that countries outside the US are now taking cyber seriously."  He added that NATO had suffered security breaches in the past and that it needed to protect itself.

  • ECB to launch second wave of euro 'quantitative easing'
    The Guardian, 28 February 2012

    "The ECB's December move to provide massively greater liquidity to the banking system was the single most important thing to happen in the eurozone last year," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER.

  • Germany backs Greece aid, but at a cost to Merkel
    New York Times, 27 February 2012

    "I still don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel," said Philip Whyte, of the CER. "It's not clear to me when Greece returns to growth under this policy mix. The fiscal policy is excessively tight, and Greece is being pushed down a totally self-defeating path."

  • Five tests that saved Britain from the fate of economic oblivion
    The Daily Telegraph, 27 February 2012

    As Philip Whyte of the CER points out, "to propose such reforms as an answer to Europe's immediate growth problem is to miss the point: it is to provide a long-term [supply-side] answer to a short-term [demand-side] problem.

  • Pressure on Germany to boost eurozone firewall
    Public Service Europe, 27 February 2012

    As Philip Whyte of the CER points out, "to propose such reforms as an answer to Europe's immediate growth problem is to miss the point: it is to provide a long-term [supply-side] answer to a short-term [demand-side] problem.

  • It's no longer taboo to talk about Greece leaving the euro
    Cyprus Mail, 26 February 2012

    Getting the EU economy back on track is not all about bailouts and quick fixes. It's about leadership and direction said Simon Tilford of the CER. In his opinion, the problem is made far worse because of differences of opinion within the EU leadership about how the crisis started and more importantly how to fix it.

  • Questions in Europe as outlook falls
    The Wall Street Journal, 24 February 2012

    "I think there needs to be a recalibration of targets for Spain and Italy," said Simon Tilford, chief economist of the CER, adding it was crucial they "avoid making the same mistakes we've seen in Greece, Portugal and Ireland," in reference to the three eurozone countries that have required international bailouts.

  • Eurozone ministers approve $170 billion bailout for Greece
    Los Angeles Times, 20 February 2012

    "What the Greek economy is going through basically is a massive demand shock," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER. "Unless they help the Greek economy back to growth, then I don't think there's any chance of the Greeks being able to abide by the terms of this bailout."

  • Europe's growth woes worsen
    The Wall Street Journal, 15 February 2012

    "If everyone is deleveraging and fiscal policy is tightened against that backdrop, then no one spends," said Philip Whyte of the CER. "There has been a sea change in emphasis" from austerity to growth in much of Europe, Mr Whyte said, "but I don't detect much of a change in German thinking."

  • Doubts grow over austerity for Greece
    Voice of America, 15 February 2012

    Philip Whyte, senior research fellow at the CER, describes the standoff between Greece and its creditors - which also includes the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank - as a bluffing game. "The social strains in Greece are increasing by the day. ...