Research
The EU and Libya: Realism or irrelevance
03 February 2017
Europe cannot view Libya only through the lens of migration. It needs to stabilise the country, brokering a compromise between different factions.
Parliamentarians in Brexit talks: Bulls in a china shop?
01 February 2017
David Davis promised that Westminster will have the same scrutiny powers in the Brexit talks as the European Parliament would. But what does that really mean?
May is weak in Europe but strong at home
26 January 2017
The EU-27 fear domestic politics will drive Britain towards a very hard Brexit. But Theresa May is strong enough at home to resist such pressures, if she wishes to.
Russia, the West and Eastern Europe: Lenin's long shadow
26 January 2017
Russia's neighbours in Eastern Europe are dogged by their Soviet legacy. Both Russia and the West need better strategies to deal with Europe's contested spaces.
Britain's economy: Enjoy the calm before the storm
26 January 2017
Britain's economy has not weathered the Brexit storm. But the calm before the storm has lasted longer than many economists expected.
Bulletin Issue 112 - February/March 2017
25 January 2017
- May is weak in Europe but strong at home, Charles Grant
- Russia, the West and Eastern Europe: Lenin's long shadow, Ian Bond
- Britain's economy: Enjoy the calm before the storm, Simon Tilford
What does the Supreme Court's ruling mean for British parliamentary sovereignty?
25 January 2017
The Supreme Court ruled that Theresa May needs to ask Parliament for its consent to notify of the UK's intention to leave the EU.
Where will Donald Trump take the world?
20 January 2017
Donald Trump has been sworn in as 45th President of the United States, and delivered a short but savage inaugural address. If he means what he says, he is going to do enormous damage both to the US and to the rest of the world.
What free movement means to Europe and why it matters to Britain
19 January 2017
Britain and the EU-27 view migration very differently. That could complicate the Brexit and free trade negotiations.
Will the new president of the European Parliament make any difference to the Brexit talks?
18 January 2017
The European Parliament (EP) yesterday elected Antonio Tajani, an Italian MEP from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), as its new president.
What does Theresa May’s speech tell us about how Britain will leave the EU?
17 January 2017
Until now, Theresa May’s government has avoided being open about the trade-offs that Brexit entails: the more that Britain restores sovereignty, the greater the economic costs.
What does Theresa May's speech tell us about how Britain will leave the EU?
17 January 2017
Theresa May has decided on a hard Brexit, putting sovereignty ahead of economics. She thinks the negotiations will take only two years, but they will take longer.
Europe's make-or-break country: What is wrong with Italy's economy?
19 December 2016
Italy's economic problems are a threat to the eurozone and the EU as a whole. While the euro has not helped Italy, its problems are mainly homegrown.
Customs union membership is no way out of the Brexit trap
16 December 2016
Remaining in the customs union seems to be the least damaging way for Britain to ‘take back control’, but it is fraught with difficulties.
EU defence, Brexit and Trump: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
14 December 2016
Brexit and Trump compel European leaders to get serious about EU defence. But a lack of leadership and investment will make sustaining their efforts difficult.
Brexit and the economics of populism
12 December 2016
Inequality, insecurity and a nativist backlash against immigration all help to explain the rise of populism. But globalisation does not prevent governments from addressing these problems.
Russia and China: Partners of choice and necessity?
08 December 2016
Russia and China are not natural allies. Western policy should reflect their different interests, not drive them together. China may be the easier one to accommodate.
Has the ECB started to tighten the screws?
08 December 2016
Given the continued weakness of inflation, the ECB was always going to extend its bond purchasing programme (‘quantitative easing’ or QE) beyond its previously scheduled end in March 2017.
Italy's referendum: Much ado about little
28 November 2016
Whatever the outcome, Italy's referendum is not the watershed moment in Italian politics many are making it out to be.
Autumn Statement 2016: How will Brexit affect the budget?
23 November 2016
‘Brexit’ will be added to the Collins dictionary this year, and one Twitter wag suggested that the dictionary should tweak Theresa May by making the following entry: ‘Brexit (n): Brexit’.