Opinion pieces

  • Britain would be unwise to thwart Europe's treaty, by Charles Grant
    Financial Times, 03 April 2007

    Germany's ambition to salvage large parts of the European Union constitutional treaty may provoke a serious rift between Britain and its partners. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown may be heading for a collision over what to do about the German plan. But the general view in Britain seems to be that EU treaty change is irrelevant.

  • What are European values?, by Charles Grant
    The Guardian, 25 March 2007

    The larger the EU becomes, the more important it is for the people who live in it to realise that their union has been built on common values. So I am delighted that the Berlin declaration, issued at the special EU summit marking the union's 50th birthday, stresses European values and principles.

  • The European Union at fifty: A second life, by Aurore Wanlin
    Open democracy, 15 March 2007

    On 25 March 2007, the European Union will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the treaty of Rome, the founding document of what became today's union of twenty-seven member-states.

  • Get with it, Europe, by Simon Tilford
    The International Herald Tribune, 09 March 2007

    It is seven years since the European Union launched its Lisbon agenda of economic reforms aimed at transforming the competitiveness of the European economy by 2010. Despite the pessimism, there has been much to cheer.

  • A French force, by Charles Grant
    Prospect, 01 March 2007

    Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a "rupture" with France's past makes him an exciting figure. In the last five years—during stints as chairman of the Gaullist UMP party, finance minister and interior minister—he has proved himself a hyperactive and effective politician.

  • Ségolène’s speech at Villepinte, by Aurore Wanlin
    Policy Network, 21 February 2007

    For some time, Ségolène Royal, the French Socialist presidential candidate, benefited from a good degree of sympathy in the UK. Her charm, her praise of Tony Blair’s policies and criticism of some French policies like the 35-hour week had gained her support in British media and political circles.

  • The EU's premier foreign policy is enlargement, by Hugo Brady
    DW-World.de, 09 February 2007

    At the annual security conference, which opens in Munich on Friday, Javier Solana will be awarded a prize for his efforts in promoting peace as the EU's foreign policy chief.

  • Welcome to the neighbourhood, by Charles Grant
    Russia Profile, 15 January 2007

    The enlargement of the EU is slowing down. Bulgaria and Romania have just joined, bringing the membership to 27, but in many EU countries there is little enthusiasm for extending the Union's boundaries further.