Press

Grand bargain emerging on Europe as Germany adjusts to Cameron victory

22 May 2015
The Telegraph
“It looks as if they have stopped tilting at windmills and are keeping their demands moderate. They know that repatriation is not on,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.
...Mr Grant said Britain could be offered an international treaty outside the EU structure, the formula used for Denmark’s opt-outs from the euro in the early 1990s. “This would avoid the complicated process of ratification by all 28 states. It would look solemn and binding but would really be just a protocol. It could then be included in the EU treaties later,” he said.

Latvian Public Broadcasting: В Риге открываетса саммит "Восточного партнерства"

21 May 2015
Ian Bond speaks to Latvian Public Broadcasting about his low expectations of the Riga Summit (2:18).
В Ригу уже прибыли практически все лидеры. Помимо представителей стран восточного партнёрства, это и главы стран Евросоюза, включая президента Франции Француа Олланда, канцлера Германии Ангелы Меркель и премьера Великобритании Дэвида Кэмерона. Мы выходим на прямую связь с нашим корреспондентом Викторией Терентьевой.

EU leaders meet with eastern partners in shadow of Ukraine crisis

21 May 2015
dalje.com
But Ukraine and Georgia are likely to be disappointed at not being offered visa-free travel to the EU in Riga, argued Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform. EU officials say this hinges not on political decisions, but on meeting technical requirements.
Belarus also deserves "a little more love from Brussels," Bond argued, pointing out that it has a better human rights record than Azerbaijan.

EU referendum: Stopping benefits for EU migrants a red line in negotiations, says David Cameron

21 May 2015
The Independent
“Changes to in-work benefits would require treaty change, since they would in effect skew labour markets in favour of domestic workers,” said John Springford, senior research fellow at the London-based Centre for European Reform think-tank.
See the relevant report here. 

Европейский эксперт

20 May 2015
Segodny.ua
Очень важно, чтобы ЕС понял, что его интересы и его ценности связаны с успехом таких стран, как Украина, Молдова и Грузия, считает Ян Бонд

Judy Asks: Is the European neighbourhood policy doomed?

20 May 2015
Carnegie Europe
Every week, a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.

The Eastern Partnership: On life support?

19 May 2015
ECFR
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said in February that the EU’s meeting with its eastern partners in Riga this month would be a “survival summit”. The six partners are a disparate group – but the partnership is worth preserving. Here are five ways the EU can do so.

ECFR's the world in 30 minutes: Riga summit

19 May 2015
ECFR's director Mark Leonard speaks to Ian Bond, director of Foreign Policy at the CER, and ECFR Senior Policy Fellow's Kadri Liik and Andrew Wilson. They take a look at the Eastern Partnership summit, which will take place in Riga on the 20-21 May 2015, and whether we can expect any...

European Commission moves to cut red tape by overhauling rule-making procedure

Simon Tilford
19 May 2015
The Independent
"The UK is not alone in seeking simpler regulation – Germany, the Netherlands and others also want it", said Simon Tilford, deputy director of the CER.

Buffer-state blues hit Ukraine amid EU Greek distraction

19 May 2015
Bloomberg
"Enthusiasm for further integration between the EU and its eastern neighbors is on the wane, but Europe should be bolder," said Ian Bond, a former British diplomat now with the Centre for European Reform in London. "A grey zone to its east is not in the EU's interests."

The interpreter

16 May 2015
The Economist
The prime minister appears to realise that he needs to work to improve his relationships with other European leaders. In the past he has been seen by his prospective partners as rather “transactional”, says Charles Grant of the CER.

Lo que Europa no quiere contar de la gestión de fronteras en África

Camino Mortera-Martinez
15 May 2015
eldiario.es
"Las mafias de tráfico de inmigrantes no son homogéneas. No son tipos que estén esperando con un barco a que lleguen los inmigrantes, sino que están controladas desde Europa, por la información que tenemos", apunta Camino Mortera, investigadora sobre Justicia e Interior del Centro para la Reforma Europea, con base en Londres.

Brexit – what would happen if Britain left the EU?

14 May 2015
The Guardian
The CER, says that although the UK is a net contributor to the EU, after Brexit the country would face pressure to replace EU regional funding and agricultural subsidies with domestic spending. There would also be a dent to the public finances if immigration is cut upon exit, given migrants are large net contributors to the Treasury and rejuvenate Britain’s ageing population, according to a report by a CER commission last year.

How Cameron can win an EU referendum

13 May 2015
Eutopia
Now that Cameron has won Britain’s general election, he must fulfil his promise of negotiating reforms to the EU and then holding an in-or-out referendum before the end of 2017.

Cameron could hold British EU membership vote in 2016

12 May 2015
Agence France Presse
"It is highly likely they want to have a short re-negotiation that would be ended by the end of 2015 and they want to have a referendum in 2016," John Springford, an expert at the Centre for European Reform in London, told AFP.

Greg Hands given key role as Cameron mulls early EU referendum

12 May 2015
EurActiv.com
Charles Grant, director of the CER, said an early referendum could increase the likelihood of an ‘in’ vote, explaining: “The longer it is delayed, the more the climate of uncertainty will afflict the British economy and potentially deter foreign investment."
“If the referendum happened at the end of 2017, some voters might vote against the EU only because they were fed up with Cameron,” Grant warned.

Facing vicious debt cycle, Greece sprints to apply fixes

Simon Tilford
12 May 2015
New York Times
“There’s this erroneous assumption that the standoff between Greece and the eurozone is the only thing holding back a robust recovery,” said Simon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform. “Greece’s problems are more deep-seated than that.”
By the end of summer, Greece will probably need yet another international financial assistance package of €30 billion to €50 billion to get it through the next year and a half, economists said.

In post-election Britain, talk turns to European Union

12 May 2015
New York Times
“Economically, the European Union would lose its biggest champion of free trade and the single market (which is why some protectionists would welcome a Brexit),” Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, wrote on the center’s website.
And in security terms, without Britain, Mr Grant wrote, “the EU would find it harder to become any kind of power.”

Listen carefully to the British

12 May 2015
Flashlight Europe - Bertelsmann-Stiftung
Other than many have predicted the general election in the United Kingdom have not led to a hung parliament but the opposite: An absolute majority for David Cameron and his Tory party.

France 24: Road to EU renegotiation for re-elected British PM

11 May 2015
Ian Bond speaks to France 24 on how Cameron will seek to re-negotiate with the EU