Press quotes

  • New military doctrine draws NATO criticism
    The Moscow Times, 08 February 2010

    Tomas Valasek, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said NATO would continue to try to forge greater co-operation on shared security concerns, even though progress had been limited.

  • Greece's financial crisis puts the future of the euro in question
    The Observer, 07 February 2010

    But according to Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, the commission wants to keep the fund at arm's length because it would give the Americans a say in single currency affairs, a blow to European pride. Grant says this is regrettable: "The IMF is very experienced in these matters; it is professional and is not subject to political pressure. There is a political point as well. If the commission sets conditions that lead to hospitals being closed, there will be demos against Brussels.

  • US, Germany say Iran not ready for nuclear deal
    Reuters, 06 February 2010

    Tomas Valasek, director of foreign policy and defence, Centre for European Reform, said if the needs of Iran's research reactor were to dictate the process there would be no agreement.

  • Europe's debt crisis intensifies
    Business Week, 05 February 2010

    "The risk of contagion now is very very serious. By the end of next week, if things haven't calmed down or if they have actually intensified further, then it will be a matter of a short while before some steps are being taken," Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, said. ...But Tilford said those worries are now swamped by worries of contagion within the euro zone. "We could get into the position where we have a serious crisis in Spain which might not be containable because Spain's a bigger economy," he said.

  • Disunity, economic woes dog EU image drive
    Reuters, 05 February 2010

    "There has been a lot of rhetoric about the 'European project' (to strengthen the EU) but to a large extent governments have had their heads in the sand and not addressed the tough underlying problems," Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank in London, said. "There is an insularity and provincialism which is very worrying."

  • Euro debt crisis is political test for bloc
    New York Times, 05 February 2010

    "The challenges facing the euro zone are very serious," said Simon Tilford, chief economist for the Centre for European Reform in London. "For countries that have become pretty uncompetitive in the euro zone and have weak public finances, the current environment is very dangerous." ..."The southerners can do their best to cut costs and be competitive," Mr Tilford said. "But they need the others to create more domestic demand and be less export dependent."

  • Why Obama won't bother to attend the EU summit
    The Wall Street Journal, 04 February 2010

    Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a London based think-tank, said this president does not have the attachment to the old continent of many of his predecessors. "Obama is very unemotional about the EU," he said. The key to getting him to attend E.U. summits is to provide practical solutions to problems. "He's not going to take the EU seriously unless the EU delivers," he said.

  • Collaborations take a jolt
    Financial Times, 03 February 2010

    "There is very little in recent years that has gone well," says Clara O'Donnell of the Centre for European Reform. "The difficulties of the A400 M transport programme have been especially serious and have undermined the enthusiasm of the UK for joint procurement programmes."

  • Eurozone: Risk of contagion seen from 'Greek disease' as EU ponders options
    Radio Free Europe, 03 February 2010

    Analyst Simon Tilford, the chief economist at the Centre for European Reform in London, says its hard to gauge the overall impact of a default on debt by a eurozone member. "There is a risk at some point of Greece defaulting on its sovereign debt," Tilford says. "I think there is a very real risk of that. Then, it's very difficult, really, to say what would happen."

  • Obama to skip European Union summit in Madrid
    New York Times, 02 February 2010

    Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based research centre, said that the Obama snub "is a useful wake-up call for the EU" He said the European Union must realize "that no one will court them or have summits with them because Europe is a nice idea. They need to deliver." Mr Obama sees Europe as an important ally, but "Obama clearly has no emotional identification with Europe," Mr Grant said.