• Bulletin article by Patrick Artus, Elie Cohen and Jean Pisani-Ferry, 01 February 2007

    The debate in the French presidential election has become dangerously protectionist. In the past, the EU’s commitment to free trade has prevented French politicians from advocating naked protectionism.

  • Briefing note by Katinka Barysch, 03 January 2007

    On 1 January 2007, Germany took over the rotating EU presidency. Chancellor Angela Merkel has ambitious goals, most notably an EU agreement on what to do with the Union’s moribund constitutional treaty.

  • Essay by Mark Leonard , 01 January 2007

    The world in 2020 will not see a new world order, but a competition between four ideas of how the world should be run: an American world striving for a balance of power that favours democracy; a 'Eurosphere' whose support for democracy is coupled with a belief in international institutions; an 'axis of sovereignty' led by China and Russia that sees multilateral inst

  • Briefing note by Katinka Barysch, 21 December 2006

    On January 1st 2007, Germany takes over the rotating EU presidency. Chancellor Angela Merkel has ambitious goals that include an EU agreement on energy policy and on what to do with the Union's moribund constitutional treaty. Both will be very difficult to achieve.

  • Bulletin article by Charles Grant, 02 October 2006

    The CER opened its office in January 1998. Soon afterwards we established the bulletin as a forum for debate on European reform – both for our staff, and for external contributors.

  • Bulletin article by Edgar Buckley, 01 August 2006

    In European Union defence, Britain and France spend the most money (45 per cent of the total), maintain the largest and most effective expeditionary forces, run the biggest defence industries and manage the most important research facilities.

  • Policy brief by Charles Grant, Hugo Brady, Katinka Barysch, Simon Tilford, 03 February 2006

    The European Union is suffering from a profound malaise. There have been difficult times in the past – such as the 'empty chair' left by General de Gaulle in the mid-1960s, the rows over the British budget contribution in the early 1980s, and the struggles to ratify the Maastricht treaty and preserve the Exchange Rate Mechanism in the early 1990s.

  • Briefing note by Katinka Barysch, 24 January 2006

    Austrians heaved a sigh of relief when the UK presidency brokered a last-minute deal on the EU budget in December 2005. The Austrian government hoped that the agreement would free its hands to focus on more rewarding issues during its presidency.