Single market, competition & trade

Error message

Notice: Trying to get property 'vocabulary_machine_name' of non-object in _cer_topics_taxonomy_term_page_view() (line 104 of /var/www/vhosts/cer_live/site/sites/all/modules/custom/cer_topics/cer_topics.module).

Flexibility does not come for free

Sam Lowe
16 January 2020
An EU-UK free trade agreement will result in new barriers to trade and border friction even if the UK chooses to unilaterally align itself with EU rules and regulations.

Conference report: Five challenges for Europe

John Springford, Christian Odendahl, Sam Lowe
16 December 2019
A new CER report summarises its 2019 Ditchley Park conference, which brought together 50 leading economists to discuss 'Five challenges for Europe'.

How economically damaging will Brexit be?

28 November 2019
Forecasts of the long-term hit from Boris Johnson’s Brexit range from 2 to 7 per cent. There are several reasons to fear that that the costs will be on the higher side.

Bulletin issue 129 - December 2019/January 2020

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, John Springford, Sophia Besch
28 November 2019

What a Boris Johnson EU-UK free trade agreement means for business

Sam Lowe
05 November 2019
Johnson's EU-UK free trade agreement would increase friction and costs of trading with the EU. Many businesses would find adapting to a new FTA just as troublesome as if the UK had crashed out without a deal. 

The EU budget needs climate-proofing

04 November 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions from Europe’s farms have been flat since 2005. The Common Agricultural Policy, which consumes 37 per cent of the EU’s budget, subsidises a sector that needs to clean up its act.

The EU should reconsider its approach to trade and sustainable development

Sam Lowe
31 October 2019
In specific circumstances, the EU should make trade concessions contingent on partner countries meeting international environmental and labour standards.

Choppy waters ahead for EU trade policy

Sam Lowe
30 September 2019
The strategic case for new EU free trade agreements is strong. But delivering them requires accommodating the European Parliament and winning over an inwardly focused agriculture lobby.

How would negotiations after a no-deal Brexit play out?

03 September 2019
After no deal, the EU would demand that the UK sign up to the provisions of the withdrawal agreement, but in exchange for an emergency deal that is far worse than the standstill transition.

What next for the EU's capital markets union?

Jonathan Faull, Simon Gleeson
01 August 2019
Europe needs deep and liquid capital markets. The best way to ensure that is to open up to global capital markets, including London. 

Bulletin Issue 127 - August/September 2019

Camino Mortera-Martinez, Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Jonathan Faull, Simon Gleeson
01 August 2019

Now is the worst time for 'global Britain'

John Springford, Sam Lowe
27 June 2019
Global trade integration has stalled since the financial crisis, and is unlikely to pick up steam any time soon. In that context, plans for ‘global Britain’ will do little to offset the costs of Brexit.

Bulletin Issue 126 - June/July 2019

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Sophia Besch, Beth Oppenheim, John Springford
04 June 2019

Competition policy in the 21st century: Size isn't everything

04 June 2019
France and Germany have proposed laxer EU merger control to help European companies compete with Chinese firms. But competition has been waning within the EU, and stronger merger rules may be needed.

Northern Ireland and the backstop: Why 'alternative arrangements' aren't an alternative

Sam Lowe
29 May 2019
Technical fixes for the Irish border will only work if created in conjunction with affected communities and businesses.

The cost of Brexit to December 2018: Towards relative decline?

30 March 2019
The UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller than it would be if Britain had voted to remain in the European Union. The knock-on hit to the public finances is £19 billion – or £145 million a week.

Europe without the UK: Liberated or diminished?

Sophia Besch, Ian Bond, Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Sam Lowe
13 March 2019
In 2016 the CER made ten predictions about the effect of Brexit on future EU policy. How do they stand up now, on the eve of the UK’s departure?

The lessons of Brexit: Annual report 2018

04 February 2019
The CER's annual report features an essay on the lessons of Brexit. It also describes some of the highlights among our events and publications during the year we celebrated our 20th birthday.

The cost of Brexit to September 2018

27 January 2019
The UK economy is 2.3 per cent smaller than it would be if Britain had voted to remain in the European Union.