"What are the reasons for British euroscepticism? History (World War II), geography (Britain is an island nation) and newspaper groups that want Britain to leave the EU," said Charles Grant of the CER. "And, for the past year or so, Michel Barnier."
Edward Burke with the CER says "the French decision today reflects a deep frustration amongst many coalition partners that they don't feel that they're making the progress that perhaps has been widely reported in Brussels by NATO and in Washington."
"In Hungary's case, it's a conversation that's been waiting to happen for quite some time," says Hugo Brady of the CER. But he said it was highly unlikely that member-states would follow up the European parliament's request to punish Budapest.
"There’s no doubt that some of the reforms we’re now seeing of labour markets in some (European Union) states are long overdue," said Simon Tilford, of the CER.
The downgrade "certainly reinforces the relative weakness of France to Germany in the current context," said Simon Tilford of the CER. "However, what it also does is isolate Germany."
"It will make it harder to erect firewalls around struggling euro zone economies and convince investors that things are more sustainable," said Simon Tilford, the chief economist for the CER in London.
Hugo Brady of the CER think-tank and a former Irish government official, said the SNP's assumption of automatic membership "would be a very difficult ask because it would set a precedent for other new members that might join."
Charles Grant, director of the London-based Centre for European Reform, told the meeting "it is quite likely Britain will leave the EU within 10 years."
"Contributing troops to these conflicts has been very financially and politically expensive for European countries," says Tomas Valasek of the CER. "There will be some who will rejoice that the US has in effect said that it plans to do fewer 'nationbuilding' wars."
"C’est bien là la cause de toutes les difficultés qu’auront ensuite la Grande-Bretagne et l’Europe à accorder leurs violons", estime Simon Tilford, chef économiste du CER, basé à Londres.
"The impact on growth from changes in the minimum wage comes down to the level at which it is set," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER in London
Simon Tilford of the CER claims the two sides will struggle to open their markets fully to each other’s farm produce. "When they get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s possible that the negotiations will founder on some of the cultural differences between the EU and the US over things such as genetically modified food," says Tilford.
"A referendum looks almost inevitable now but the timeframe is uncertain," says Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the CER in London. She says the debate is already having a negative economic impact: Investors are getting nervous.
“Politics is one of the black swans of the eurozone this year. In Italy we could have political uncertainty, perhaps the return of Silvio Berlusconi. In Spain, we don’t know where the current scandal surrounding the prime minister will go", said Philip Whyte, of the CER
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