Research

The 'Fit for 55' climate proposals explained

27 July 2021
The costs of the Commission’s proposals to meet the EU’s 2030 climate goals need to be distributed in a more progressive way.

A new migration crisis may be brewing

Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri
27 July 2021
Member-states have made some progress towards a common asylum system. But large divisions endure and the EU's efforts to increase co-operation with third countries will continue to face difficulties. 

Bulletin issue 139 - August/September 2021

Elisabetta Cornago, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Christian Odendahl, Luigi Scazzieri
27 July 2021

The cost of Brexit: May 2021

21 July 2021
The Centre for European Reform estimates that leaving the single market and customs union has reduced UK trade in goods by £10 billion or 13.5 per cent in May 2021.  

Europe shouldn't worry about inflation

Christian Odendahl
20 July 2021
The fear of inflation is stalking Europe again. Policy-makers are right to be relaxed.

Reality bytes: The limits of transatlantic digital co-operation

13 July 2021
The EU and the US plan to boost co-operation on digital policy. They should not prioritise regulatory harmonisation, and instead work on areas where mutual compromise is more realistic.

Avoiding the pitfalls of an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism

05 July 2021
A leaked draft of the EU’s CBAM regulation provides fresh insights into what the Commission plans to do. But it also raises a number of tricky questions. 

Bridging the Channel: How Europe and the UK can work together in foreign policy

30 June 2021
The December 2020 EU-UK agreement does not include foreign policy. EU states and the UK will have to find new ways of working together.

Five years since the referendum: A short reflection, and some highlights of the CER's Brexit coverage

23 June 2021
Five years have passed since the British voted to leave the EU. Since then the CER has published 174 papers on Brexit.

From partners to rivals? The future of EU-Turkey relations

23 June 2021
EU-Turkey tensions have cooled since last summer. Relations are unlikely to improve as long as Ankara's domestic and foreign policies continue to cause friction with many member-states.

Objection! Why the EU opposes the UK's plans for cross-Channel litigation

Zach Meyers, Camino Mortera-Martinez
18 June 2021
Brexit has made cross-border litigation harder. While bigger companies will cope, EU and UK citizens and small businesses will suffer.

The cost of Brexit: April 2021

14 June 2021
We estimate that leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK trade by 11 per cent in April 2021. That is on top of our previous finding of a 10 per cent hit to trade between the referendum and leaving the single market.

President Biden went to Europe, and all we got was …?

10 June 2021
Biden is America’s most Atlanticist president since Bill Clinton. Europe and the US will not see eye-to-eye on everything, but they should not waste this chance to strengthen their partnership.

The G7 corporate tax deal: Why the EU should curb its enthusiasm

09 June 2021
The recent G7 deal will not bolster the European Commission’s broader efforts to fight aggressive tax practices. The Commission needs political realism and more modest aims to make headway.

Ending Europe's inertia on Israel and Palestine

Beth Oppenheim
03 June 2021
After 11 days of violence, Israel and Hamas have begun a ceasefire. But as long as Israel denies Palestinian rights and permanently occupies Palestinian territory, violence will reoccur.

Macron's Europe

01 June 2021
If President Emmanuel Macron is re-elected in April 2022 – likely, though not certain – he will be Europe’s pre-eminent leader for several years.

Hurrah for the conference on the future of Europe!

Camino Mortera-Martinez
01 June 2021
If done right, the conference on the future of Europe can help bring about meaningful reform in the EU – even if that means changing the treaties. 

Can the EU set a global rulebook for Big Tech?

01 June 2021
The EU is angling to set a rulebook for digital markets which could be adopted around the world. To achieve this, its draft regulations need improvement.

Don't imitate – innovate! Why Europe doesn't need a rival to Visa and Mastercard

28 May 2021
The European authorities want a home-grown challenger to Visa and Mastercard. They should instead encourage European banks to support more diverse payment options.