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France, NATO and European defence
policy brief by Tomas Valasek, May 2008
France and the UK are close to an agreement that would
dramatically improve relations EU and NATO. The two
institutions currently make poor partners. Besides
Franco-disagreements, Turkish squabbles with the EU
also impede EU-NATO co-operation. France had long
championed the EU over NATO for defence co-operation
but President Nicolas Sarkozy has changed that. He
has ordered his diplomats to stop obstructing NATO’s
work and offered to return France to NATO's military
structures.
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European
retail banking:
Will there ever be a single market?
by
David Shirreff, December 2007
Integrated
markets for entertainment and communications, as well
as nearly all goods, stretch from the Arctic to Cyprus.
By contrast, Europe’s retail banking industry
remains largely segmented along national lines. As
a result, it is highly inefficient. This has to change
if the full potential of the single market and the
euro are to be realised. European lawmakers need to
create an environment in which cross-border deals
make commercial sense. A framework in which each business
within a bank has its own profit-and-loss account
and its own dedicated capital would lead to cross-border
activity below the level of mega-mergers.
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Russia,
realism and EU unity
by
Katinka Barysch, July 2007
The
Litvinenko murder case is only one of a growing number
of disputes between the Kremlin and EU countries.
But the EU has been slow to reassess its relations
with a more autocratic and assertive Russia. Divisions
within the EU have not helped. This new CER policy
brief suggests that the EU should focus on finding
common ground on pressing issues, such as Kosovo,
missiles and pipelines.
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Serbia's
European choice
by
David Gowan, June 2007
Serbia's
accession prospects are looking up, following the
formation of a new government in Belgrade and the
resumption of SAA talks with the EU. However, disagreements
over Kosovo could quickly derail the process again.
In this CER policy brief, David Gowan, the former
British ambassador in Belgrade argues that Serbs must
stop living in the past if they want progress towards
stability, prosperity and EU membership.
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Why treaty change matters for business
and for Britain
by
Hugo Brady and Charles Grant, May 2007
If Britain blocks Germany's plans to forge an agreement
on a new EU treaty, the consequences would be grim,
according to a policy brief published today by the
Centre for European Reform and Business for New Europe.
In 'Why treaty change matters for business and for
Britain', Hugo Brady and Charles Grant argue without
a deal on a new treaty, enlargement will stop and
the EU will be unable to develop effective policies
on climate change, the Doha trade round, Russia, the
Middle East and much else.
press
release
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The
EU should not ignore the Shanghai
Co-operation Organisation
by Okasana Antonenko, May 2007
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO)
is an organisation of increasing strategic importance.
It brings together Russia, China and four Central
Asian states. The SCO is increasingly active in fighting
terrorism and in promoting economic development in
Central Asia. In this new CER policy brief, Oksana
Antonenko argues that if the EU engaged with the SCO
it could help to stabilise Central Asia, improve its
energy security, and strengthen its efforts to fight
terrorism and drug-trafficking.
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