Press quotes

  • Eurozone sets bleak record of longest term in recession
    Financial Times, 15 May 2013

    "It’s pretty shocking data," said Simon Tilford, economist at the CER, a think tank. "The figures for Italy, Spain and France are very worrying ... There’s a very, very strong case for aggressive monetary relaxation across the eurozone now."

  • Labour must stand firm: No to a referendum on Europe
    The Guardian, 09 May 2013

    Cameron has deliberately fudged what he means, special UK optouts or universal reforms for all: on Thursday he spoke of both. Germany's Angela Merkel seems somewhat receptive, according to Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.

  • Eurosceptics take heart from UKIP's election wins
    European Voice, 08 May 2013

    "UKIP is part of a pan-European phenomenon," Charles Grant of the CER said. "It's not just hostility toward the EU; it's about hostility to the political class."

  • Foreign policy: Struggle for coherence remains intense in diplomatic relations
    Financial Times, 08 May 2013

    "It was an undoubted success," says Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform (CER), a London-based think-tank. "It shows that forging a relationship with the EU still has a lot of attractions for its neighbours. Catherine Ashton's patient approach certainly paid off."

  • La UE teme el avance de los eurófobos
    El Pais, 07 May 2013

    "Los votantes empiezan a buscar respuestas fuera de ese bipartidismo, porque las que les han dado hasta ahora no son convincentes. Y los más confundidos pueden encontrar atractivos los mensajes simplistas de las fuerzas populistas", cierra Katinka Barysch, del Centre for European Reform.

  • One more field where the continent trails Germany
    The New York Times, 07 May 2013

    John Springford of the CER said the winner-take-all aspect of soccer could also be troublesome for Europe as it battles the debt crisis. "The euro crisis has been dominated by that narrative of competitiveness," Mr Springford said.

  • Thousands protest against 'Mr Weak' François Hollande
    The Daily Telegraph, 05 May 2013

    Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform said: "The Germans have to be pragmatic enough to realise they are losing the argument and have got to soften, which will make it easier for Hollande to claim he has helped to push the EU into a more growth-oriented strategy."

  • Nigel Farage: How one man changed the face of British politics
    The Guardian, 04 May 2013

    Charles Grant, of the CER, said the combination of economic crisis and bad governance by EU leaders had created the ideal climate in which populism could grow. He said: "We have a weak economy, weak leadership and a very badly run EU.

  • Revival of Europe's economy falls to German leader
    International Herald Tribune, 03 May 2013

    "They are prevaricating all the time and allowing short-term domestic considerations to determine eurozone policy," said Charles Grant, of the CER.

  • One year into Hollande presidency in France, 'a sense of drfit'
    International Herald Tribune, 03 May 2013

    Still, Mr. Hollande’s economic policies, which have delayed cuts in public spending until next year, are sensible in a recession, said Simon Tilford, of the CER, and his fight against austerity is gaining traction in Brussels, despite frustration with him.