Centre for European Reform: Recent Episodes
Centre for European Reform
The Centre for European Reform is a think-tank devoted to making the European Union work better and strengthening its role in the world. The CER is pro-European but not uncritical.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, Armida van Rij sat down with Lord Robertson, former NATO Secretary General and co-lead of the 2024 UK Strategic Defence Review, to discuss priorities for UK defence for the new Burnham government.They took a detailed look at current challenges for UK defence, the UK's future role in NATO as the alliance undergoes a major transformation, and offered advice to the new UK government for navigating big political and societal questions to maintain security in Europe.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s director Charles Grant sat down with Catherine Day, a former Secretary-General of the European Commission, to discuss the impact the departure of the UK on the EU. A decade after the referendum, what have been the positive and negative outcomes of Brexit, from the EU’s point of view?They discussed the possibilities for closer UK-EU relations in the future and the how the darkening geopolitical climate has encouraged closer security co-operation. But should that also mean the EU gives the UK a better trade deal? Should the EU care about the success or otherwise of the British economy?
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast the CER’s deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Armida van Rij a senior research fellow at the CER and Michael Martin Richter UK country director at the Hanns Seidel Foundation to discuss the themes of the new paper ‘Rearming Europe for Deterrence’, available here: https://buff.ly/rwfLU1S They took a detailed look the security threats to Europe, the increase in defence budgets and how this spending can be best utilised to increase Europe's capabilities. They discussed what Europe can do to prepare to defend itself, what lessons can be learnt from Ukraine and the need to update perspectives on how modern warfare should be approached and what is required to combat cyber-attacks.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast Zselyke Csaky sat down with Milan Nic a senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) to discuss the latest on EU enlargement. They took a detailed look at new and old ideas recently put forward, including a so-called associate membership for Ukraine, as well as at progress by candidate countries. They discussed what the key challenges facing the EU are and what we can expect to happen in the near future.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s Clara Marina O’Donnell fellow (2025-2026) Thomas Maddock sat down with Zizette Darkazally, Associate Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, and Schams El Ghoneimi, a former Advisor on Middle East and North Africa affairs to Renew Europe in the European Parliament. They took a detailed look at how Europe is responding to two conflicts happening on its doorstep, Israel's war in Lebanon and the continuing humanitarian crisis and Israeli violence in Palestine.They discussed what the key challenges to the EU’s current response are, and what should be prioritised in the upcoming EU Middle East strategy.
On this week's Unpacking Europe podcast, CER's senior research fellow Anton Spisak sat down with Sam Lowe, partner at Flint Global and author of the Most Favoured Nation newsletter, to discuss renewed tensions in transatlantic trade between the EU and the US, why the contentious Turnberry deal is faltering, and whether Brussels and Washington can still find common ground.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, CER’s senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sat down with Zsuzsanna Szelényi, director of the Democracy Institute's Leadership Academy, a founding member of Fidesz and a former MP in the Hungarian Parliament to take a detailed look at Hungary's landslide election outcome. They discussed the biggest challenges that Péter Magyar faces, including when it comes to rebuilding democracy at home and resetting Hungary’s relations with the EU and its neighbours.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s Clara Marina O’Donnell fellow (2025-2026) Thomas Maddock sat down with Galip Dalay, Senior Consulting Fellow, Turkey Initiative, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House and Senem Aydin-Düzgit, Director of the Istanbul Policy Center to take a detailed look at the current EU-Türkiye relationship.They discussed: can the EU and Türkiye move from a transactional relationship to a more co-operative one?; and what are the prospects for change, in light of geopolitical upheaval and uncertainties in the Turkish neighbourhood?
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, and Victoria Vdovychenko, the joint leader of the Future of Ukraine program at Cambridge University's Centre for Geopolitics, to take stock of the situation on the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.They discussed how Ukraine is managing to hold out during the brutal winter, what the military and economic situation is, and what Ukraine's future prospects are.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Anton Spisak, a senior research fellow at the CER, and Jannike Wachowiak, a researcher at the UK in a Changing Europe, to discuss how things stand in the EU-UK relationship and if 2026 will be the year to reset the reset? They also discussed the prospects for the future of the relationship, including the Labour party’s red lines, its pledges to improve the Trade and Co-operation Agreement and its policies on economic growth and European defence procurement .
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, the CER’s assistant director Elisabetta Cornago sat down with Anton Spisak and John Springford, to discuss the trade escalation and de-escalation between the US and Europe in the past weeks.They also discussed Trump's tariff threats, the EU-US trade deal, the Mercosur and the EU-India agreements and the European economy’s dependency on open global markets.
On this week’s Unpacking Europe podcast, CER senior research fellow Armida van Rij sat down with Sten Rynning, Professor of War Studies and Director of the Danish Institute of Advanced Study at the University of Southern Denmark, to discuss the implications of any coercive US action towards Greenland for the alliance.They also discussed the broader challenges for transatlantic relations and within the alliance, and how Europe is responding to US demands for a Europe-led NATO.
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, Kate Mullineux speaks to six of our researchers. They reflect on the EU's past year in different areas, including, the green deal, the global impact of Trump's return to office, the UK-EU reset, Ursula von der Leyen's second term, the gains of the far right and the EU's Middle East strategy. They then look ahead to 2026.0.55 Elisabetta Cornago on the European green deal4.11 Elisabetta Cornago on the effect of Trump's return on global climate action5.24 Ian Bond on the impact of Trump on Europe, Russia and Ukraine9.10 Ian Bond on Europe's approach to China13.06 Charles Grant on the UK-EU reset 17.01 Aslak Berg on the EU-UK trade deal19.50 Charles Grant on what Ursula von der Leyen has achieved so far24.12 Zselyke Csaky Europe’s efforts to tackle the far right in 202526.30 Zselyke Csaky on Trump's hostility to Europe and Hungary’s 2026 election28.50 Aslak Berg on the EU-US trade deal34.14 Thomas Maddock on the Israel-Hamas war36.57 Thomas Maddock on the wider Middle East into 2026Produced by Kate Mullineux
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, the CER's senior research fellows Armida van Rij and Zselyke Csaky sat down with Catherine E. De Vries, President of the Institute of European Policy Making at Bocconi University in Milan, to discuss why support for the far right is growing, and the implications for democracy in Europe.They discussed why the far right is able to mobilise a base in reaction to voters' dissatisfaction with public services, slow economies and current immigration policies, and how these challenges impact perceptions of democracy.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, the CER's director Charles Grant sat down with Sophie Pedder, The Economist’s Paris bureau chief, to discuss France and Macron’s unstable government. They discussed the deadlocked French Parliament, the growing popularity of the Rassemblement National and of Jordan Bardella, and whether France’s influence in the European Union is understood domestically and what Macron has achieved in his 8 years as President.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, CER's Zselyke Csaky sat down with Ben Ansell of Oxford University and John Springford of the CER to discuss the causes of populism's rise in Europe. They discussed the relationship between immigration, trade and populism, and whether moderate politicians would be better off challenging or accommodating voters attracted by populist messaging.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Donald Jensen of Johns Hopkins University and a former US diplomat and Iuliia Osmolovska, head of the GLOBSEC Kyiv Office to discuss Russian negotiating tactics, Ukraine's negotiating objectives and how Ukraine and its allies can get the best outcome if and when Putin decides to negotiate seriously.They discussed Russian approach to negotiating, preconditions for Ukraine to negotiate successfully with Russia and the dynamics of US-Russia relations.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, chief economist Sander Tordoir sat down with Zach Meyers, director of research at the Centre on Regulation in Europe and an associate fellow at the CER to talk about tech and tech regulation.They discussed the key priorities of the regulations that have been passed by Europe and why Europe's lagging behind the US and China in its technology sector.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, research fellow Aslak Berg sat down with Agathe Demarais, senior policy fellow in Geoeconomics at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) to discuss where EU trade policy stands since the signing the EU-US trade agreement in July.They discussed how and why the EU prioritised damage limitation, where EU trade policy goes from here, the impact on the global trade system and priorities for the EU going forward.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, research fellow Aslak Berg sat down with assistant director Elisabetta Cornago and chief economist Sander Tordoir to discuss where the EU stands one year after the landmark Draghi report which dissected the reasons behind Europe's sluggish growth.They discussed Draghi’s sombre diagnosis of the European economy after what some have called the “summer of humiliation” for the European Union.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, deputy director Ian Bond sat down with Dr Hanna Shelest of the Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism" to discuss the Ukrainian assessment of recent diplomatic manoeuvres and whether they bring peace or even a ceasefire any closer. They discussed European military and diplomatic support for Ukraine and how important it is to prevent Russian influence on Ukrainian politics, elections and political stability.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sat down with Zach Meyers, director of research at the Centre on Regulation in Europe and an associate fellow at the CER, to discuss digital policy as Trump's tariffs are back on the agenda, with the deadline for a new trade deal approaching on 1st August. They discussed how the EU should approach tech policy in the trade talks and whether changes to its digital toolkit should be on the table at all.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, associate fellow John Springford sat down with Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University and deputy chair of the Migration Advisory Committee to discuss the British government's white paper on immigration, which proposes some more reforms to a migration regime that has been going through a lot of change over the last few years.They spoke about new restrictions on middle-skilled jobs, which will no longer be eligible for skilled worker visas.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Luigi Scazzieri, senior policy analyst at the European Institute of Security Studies and a non-resident associate fellow at the CER, to discuss the recent NATO summit of 25-26 June.They spoke about what was agreed at the summit and whether Trump has turned out to be less disruptive to NATO than expected.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times to discuss the geopolitics of the war in the Middle East.Their converstion, recorded on 23rd June conversation, focused on the geopolitical shifts in the region rather than the details of the fighting.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Elisabetta Cornago sits down with CER associate fellow Anton Spisak to discuss his recent insight ‘A perfect storm: Britain's trade malaise, weak growth and a new geopolitical moment’.They consider what has contributed to the stagnation of Britain’s trade since 2020, and how this continues to affect economic growth in the UK.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, deputy director Ian Bond sits down with Mykola Bielieskov policy analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies & Senior Analyst at Come Back Alive and Olesya Khromeychuk director of the Ukrainian Institute London, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the coalition of the willing and the influence of the US on negotiations.They consider the prospects for peace and the future of stability of Ukraine.
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sits down with visiting fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, Sophia Gaston, to discuss the UK-EU summit set to take place on May 19. They consider the geopolitical and domestic context, and what will or won’t be on the negotiating table.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, research fellow Aslak Berg sits down with Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, Meredith Crowley, to discuss President Trump's latest tariff announcements. They set out the impact on transatlantic relations, what a US-China decoupling would look like in practice, and the broader implications for the world trading system.Produced by Octavia Hughes
After the recent visit of the EU's College of Commissioners to New Delhi, CER's Anunita Chandrasekar speaks to Tara Varma, who is currently a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution's Centre for the US and Europe, and Amaia Sánchez-Cacicedo, senior fellow covering Asia and India at Institut Montaigne, to consider the trajectory of EU-India relations.Produced by Octavia Hughes
Following the Trump administration's controversial comments and actions on Ukraine, tariffs and much else, CER director Charles Grant sits down with the director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Kori Schake, to discuss what America’s hostility to the rules-based international order means for transatlantic relations. Produced by Octavia Hughes
Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the CER's deputy director Ian Bond talks to head of the GLOBSEC Kyiv Office Iuliia Osmolovska about the mood in the country, Ukrainian reactions to US-Russian negotiations, and the role of the EU and European countries in Ukraine.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sits down with chief economist Sander Tordoir to discuss President Trump's tariffs and the second China shock. Sander explains which countries and industries Trump is targeting and sets out a series of recommendations to protect Germany’s automotive and engineering sectors from Beijing’s industrial policies.Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser’s recommendations to the German government can be read in full here: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2025/how-german-industry-can-survive-second-china-shockProduced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri sits down with deputy director Ian Bond and Constanze Stelzenmueller, director at the Center on the US and Europe and Fritz Stern chair at The Brookings Institution, to discuss Donald Trump's inauguration. They highlight key takeaways from his speech, European guests in attendance and how this term will differ from his first. Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, podcast host Octavia Hughes speaks to six of our researchers. They reflect on the EU's past year from different perspectives, including trade and competitiveness; support for Ukraine; UK-EU relations; and the conflict in the Middle East. They then look ahead to 2025.00:28 Zach Meyers on tech and competitiveness04:49 Ian Bond on Ukraine10:52 Luigi Scazzieri on defence spending and the Middle East17:51 Charles Grant on UK-EU relations22:15 Aslak Berg on trade25:37 Zselyke Csaky on the rule of lawProduced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sits down with Labour MP for Walthamstow and chair of the Labour Movement for Europe Stella Creasy, to discuss Labour's plan for forging closer ties with the EU. Stella explains the role of the Labour Movement for Europe, while Charles examines how weakened governments in France and Germany, and the re-election of Donald Trump, could affect the UK’s relations with Europe. Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri sits down with deputy director Ian Bond and Sophia Besch, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss the impact of Donald Trump's second presidency on European security. They discuss Trump's stance on Ukraine and China before delving into the relationship between Trump's team and the Labour Party and the impact of the collapse of the German government.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, host Octavia Hughes sits down with deputy director Ian Bond and senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky to discuss the recent elections in Georgia and Moldova. They break down their significance and evaluate what the results mean for the battle of influence between Brussels and the Kremlin.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, Clara Marina O'Donnell Fellow Anunita Chandrasekar sits down with senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri to discuss Europe's role in the Middle East. They examine the chances of escalation, explore the implications of a wider regional conflict for Europe and assess whether the EU's position might change as the stakes continue to grow.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, host Octavia Hughes sits down with CER research fellow Aslak Berg, assistant director Zach Meyers and senior trade writer at the Financial Times Alan Beattie to discuss the transatlantic economic relationship. They break down what Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have said on trade, how realistic their proposals are and what’s at stake for Europe.Produced by Octavia Hughes
On September 10, former Italian prime minister Mario Draghi published his hotly-anticipated report, assessing Europe's productivity challenges. Senior research fellows Elisabetta Cornago and Luigi Scazzieri, assistant director Zach Meyers and chief economist Sander Tordoir sat down with podcast host Octavia Hughes to discuss the key takeaways from the report, as well as its shortcomings. They assess Draghi's proposals to boost innovation, relaunch industrial competitiveness, upgrade trade policy, accelerate decarbonisation and strengthen defence.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Sophia Besch join podcast host Octavia Hughes to discuss NATO and European security. They explain the outcomes of NATO's 75th anniversary summit, and what Donald Trump’s return would mean for the alliance and for European security more broadly. Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European podcast, director Charles Grant is joined by the Economist's Paris Bureau Chief Sophie Pedder. She is the author of 'Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the Quest to Reinvent a Nation'. Charles and Sophie discuss the fallout from the parliamentary elections in France. They outline possible outcomes and their likelihoods, debate whether the result weakens President Macron's position in Europe and look forward to the next French Presidential elections, in 2027.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Charles Grant, director of the CER, and Neil Kinnock, leader of the Labour party 1983 - 1992, European commissioner 1995 - 2004 and member of the house of Lords since 2005, join podcast host, Octavia Hughes, to discuss what Labour's landslide victory will mean for UK-EU relations. They debate whether the success of Reform UK will dampen Keir Starmer's ambitions for Europe, make suggestions to improve security and trade ties and explain the importance of the current geopolitical context.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European podcast, host Octavia Hughes is joined by the research fellow Aslak Berg, deputy director Ian Bond and senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri to find out what a Labour victory in the UK general election would mean for EU-UK relations. They discuss Labour's flexibility on its red lines and changes to trade, security, defence and foreign policy.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European podcast, host Octavia Hughes is joined by the 2023-24 Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Christina Keßler and senior research fellows Zselyke Csaky and Luigi Scazzieri to discuss the results of the European Parliament elections. They dissect the implications of the results on green policies, defence, the rule of law and enlargement, and react to France's President Emmanuel Macron's snap election announcement.Produced by Octavia Hughes
This is an audio recording from the Centre for European Reform and the Delegation of the EU to the UK's discussion on 'Expanding Horizons: 20 years of EU membership – paving the path for future EU enlargement' with Amelia Hadfield, Head of Department of Politics & Founding Director at the University of Surrey, Simona Leskovar, Ambassador of Slovenia to the UK, and Anand Menon, Director of UK in a Changing Europe. Pedro Serrano, EU Ambassador to the UK, gave some opening remarks and Ian Bond, Deputy Director at the Centre for European Reform, chaired the panel.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European podcast, host Octavia Hughes is joined by the 2023-24 Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Christina Keßler and senior research fellows Zselyke Csaky and Luigi Scazzieri to discuss the upcoming European Parliament elections. They explain how the president of the European Commission is selected, unpack concerns surrounding voter turnout and examine the implications of a more right-wing Parliament on the EU's legislative agenda.Produced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast our director Charles Grant and Dr Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China at Chatham House's Asia Pacific programme, join podcast host Octavia Hughes to discuss China's shifting foreign policy. They analyse the success of Beijing's European charm offensive, the strength of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping's friendship and China's objective to create a multipolar world order.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
On April 18, former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta published his hotly-anticipated report, assessing the state of Europe's single market. Research fellow Aslak Berg and assistant director Zach Meyers sat down with podcast host Octavia Hughes to discuss the key takeaways from the report, as well as its shortcomings. They assess the reaction from European leaders and the Commission, and share their thoughts on what we can expect to see in Mario Draghi's report on competitiveness, due to be published in June.Their insight can be read here: https://www.cer.eu/insights/enrico-lettas-report-more-market-less-agendaMusic by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
The EU has for years been a proponent of better regulation: steps to make sure regulation is evidence-based, proportionate, and made in a transparent way. However, there has been a perception that the quality of regulation in the bloc has declined recently. To discuss the EU's performance on better regulation and what the next Commission might improve on, assistant director Zach Meyers was joined by Anthony Teasdale, visiting professor at the London School of Economics and past Director-General of the European Parliamentary Research Service. They debate the efficacy of von der Leyen's 'one-in, one-out' system and explain what the five year term for president of the Commission means for policy making, among other things.Zach's paper on better regulation can be read here: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2024/better-regulation-europe-action-planMusic by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
Globalisation may not have gone into reverse, but it is surely changing – and not in Germany’s favour. Encouraged by the US, von der Leyen wants to push ahead with the ‘economic security strategy’, which would seek to limit the export of advanced technologies to China. But Germany worries that the Commission is trying to grab new powers and that it could provoke retaliation or even a trade war with China. In this week's podcast, host Octavia Hughes is joined by Sander Tordoir, senior economist at the CER, and Shahin Vallée, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss all this and more. Sander and Shahin explain why Germany has such a special relationship with China and the steps the EU can take to mitigate the risks China poses to the German economic model.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
As we enter the third year of full-scale war in Ukraine and the possibility of Trump's re-election becomes more likely, Charles Grant, director, and Luigi Scazzieri, senior research fellow, consider how the EU's role in defence is changing. They discuss where the money for a larger defence budget would come from and whether the Commission could play a role in defence planning. Charles concludes the podcast with a quiz on the many acronyms that appeared in the Commission's latest press releases on defence.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast Dame Melinda Simmons, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine 2019-2023, and Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at the Foreign Policy Council Ukrainian Prism, join the CER's Deputy Director, Ian Bond, on the two-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They examine the media's portrayal of the conflict and shed light on the mood in Ukraine before suggesting how Ukraine might navigate its defence production challenges and what Europe can do to help.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, Camille Grand, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Luigi Scazzieri, Senior Research Fellow at the CER, speak to podcast host Octavia Hughes about the challenges of European defence production. They examine the challenges Europeans have faced in ramping up defence production after Russia's invasion, and examine the roles of NATO, the EU and smaller groups of counties.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, Deputy Director Ian Bond speaks to Philippe Le Corre, Senior Fellow at the Asia Society's Centre for China Analysis, Helena Legarda, Lead Analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, and Christina Keßler, Clara Marina O'Donnell Fellow 2023-24. They provide some background on Taiwan's recent elections before examining reactions to the result from China, the US and Europe. They then debate what Europe's role should be in the Taiwan Strait.Music by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, podcast host Octavia Hughes speaks to eight of our researchers. They reflect on the EU's past year from different perspectives, including climate action; support for Ukraine; UK-EU relations; and the possibility of enlargement and reform. They then look ahead to 2024.00:41 Elisabetta Cornago on energy and climate policy11:57 Charles Grant on UK-EU relations20:07 Luigi Scazzieri on defence and security policy27:03 Zach Meyer and Sander Tordoir on AI and industrial policy39:53 Ian Bond on Ukraine47:00 Christina Keßler on German security policy50:27 Camino Mortera-Martinez on enlargement, rule of law and reformMusic by Edward HipkinsProduced by Octavia Hughes
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Charles Grant, director at the CER, and Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of the CER's Brussels office, join senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri to discuss the prospects for EU enlargement and institutional reform.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Sander Tordoir, senior economist at the CER, and Caroline de Gruyter, author and columnist for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, join podcast host, Octavia Hughes, to discuss the outcome of the Dutch general election and what the surge of Geert Wilders’ far-right means for the EU. Caroline explains how the adoption of more extreme policies by centre-right parties across Europe has strengthened far-right parties like the Netherlands' Party for Freedom. Sander sets out scenarios for the coalition negotiations and the odds of Wilders becoming Dutch prime minister.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Zach Meyers, Assistant Director of the CER, is joined by Kai Zenner, Head of Office and digital policy advisor to MEP Axel Voss, to discuss AI’s implications for Europe. They discuss how Europe can make the most out of AI while managing its risks. The pair also discuss the progress of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, and the possibility of it becoming a global standard.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
One month on from Hamas’s attack on Israel killing 1400, Israeli forces have killed more than 10000 Palestinians in Gaza. The head of our Brussels office, Camino Mortera-Martinez asks Nathalie Tocci, director of the Institute of International Affairs in Rome, and senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri what Europe's role is in this latest iteration of a decades long conflict, and where it should be.
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of the CER Brussels office, and Luigi Scazzieri, senior research fellow, join podcast host, Octavia Hughes, to discuss EU enlargement, the EPC and migration policy. They set out the successes and failures of the EPC summit in Granada and the subsequent informal meeting of EU leaders. Camino explains why migration is back at the top of the EU's agenda and Luigi sheds some light on the catch-22 of Ukraine's EU membership.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Charles Grant, Director of the CER, and Neil Kinnock, leader of the Labour party 1983 - 1992, European commissioner 1995 - 2004 and member of the house of Lords since 2005, join podcast host, Octavia Hughes, to discuss a European strategy for Labour. They set out the steps the party should take to foster a better relationship and consider how European governments view the British. They consider whether a much closer economic relationship could be viable and conclude by asking when – if ever – the UK could rejoin the EU.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Ian Bond, Director of Foreign Policy, and Hennadiy Maksak, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Prism think-tank, look at Ukraine's path to EU membership after a year and a half of war with Russia. The EU has given Ukraine candidate country status and by the end of the year, it should take a decision on opening membership negotiations. Hennadiy sheds some light on the mood in Ukraine and the pair discuss the progress Ukraine has made in meeting the EU's seven criteria, President Zelensky's decision to treat corruption in wartime as high treason, and the likelihood of elections in wartime conditions.
Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of the Brussels office and Sander Tordoir, senior economist, join our host Octavia Hughes to discuss the implications of the Spanish and Dutch elections for the EU. They explore the causes of the political impasse in Spain and the consequences of government collapse in the Netherlands. The Spanish and the Dutch have become important power brokers in the EU as a result of weakening Franco-German relations. Now, with the pair of countries as a diminished force, will the EU come to a standstill?
Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of the Brussels office, joins Charles Grant, director of the CER, and Heather Grabbe, senior advisor at the Open Society Foundation, to discuss the prospect of EU enlargement. They talk about the likely timeline of the accession process, the countries with prospects of joining and which of these will struggle to meet the EU's criteria. Camino and Charles then debate whether the Lisbon Treaty will be used for this next round of accession or if treaty change might be required.
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Ian Bond, Director of Foreign Policy, and Luigi Scazzieri, Senior Research Fellow, sit down with podcast host, Octavia Hughes, to discuss the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. They look at Ukraine's request for NATO membership and the Alliance's response, assess whether NATO members will increase defence spending and what a Republican in the White House would mean for the war. Ian also sheds light on the state of Sino-American tensions and how these might influence the nature of discussion at Vilnius.
Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, and the CER’s Sander Tordoir and John Springford discuss green tech industrial policy and ‘de-risking’ trade with China. They discuss the growing consensus between Europe and the US on China, as well as the ‘risks of de-risking’ – how challenging China might slide into protectionism and weaken competition. John and Sander’s paper on the effects of Chinese and American green tech subsidies on Europe can be read here:
https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2023/europe-american-chinese-green-tech
Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, host Octavia Hughes speaks to the head of our Brussels office, Camino Mortera-Martínez. They discuss the results of the Spanish local and regional elections and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's decision to call a snap election. Camino explains what is at stake for Spain and Sánchez, including the rotating presidency of the council of ministers of the EU, which Madrid is due to hold between July and December.
Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, we answer questions you have sent to us. Host Octavia Hughes speaks to our director Charles Grant, director of foreign policy Ian Bond, and senior fellow Luigi Scazzieri. We discuss the likelihood of a Kılıçdaroğlu victory in Turkey's presidential run-off, arguments for and against French-style industrial policy in the EU, and alternatives to NATO membership for Ukraine.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, Senem Aydin Düzgit, Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Sabancı University and Senior Scholar and Research and Academic Affairs Coordinator at the Istanbul Policy Center, and Luigi Scazzieri, senior research fellow at the CER, join host Octavia Hughes to discuss the potential outcomes of Turkey's elections which will take place on May 14th. Senem explains why the presidential election is more significant for Turkey's future than the parliamentary one, and Luigi offers some insight as to how the country's foreign policy would change if the opposition were to win.
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, joins host and head of the CER’s Brussels office, Camino Mortera-Martinez, to discuss the EU's elusive China policy. They talk about the lack of consensus among EU member-states on an effective China policy and explain why Brussel's stance on China is different from Washington's. Can Beijing be an honest broker between Moscow and Kyiv? And how will Europe’s China policy evolve over the next year?Produced by Octavia Hughes Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, Sander Tordoir, senior economist at the CER, joins host Octavia Hughes to discuss the EU's fiscal rules ahead of the release of his policy brief on the same subject next week. Sander explains why EU countries must have public finances that are largely aligned and the difficulties the European Commission has faced in enforcing the rules. He offers some suggestions for improving the rules and gives some insight into the proposals set out by the German government in a non-paper last week.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, Helmi Pillai, our (2022-23) Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow, joins our director of foreign policy, Ian Bond, to discuss hybrid threats ahead of the release of her paper on the same topic. They consider the often-disputed definitions of 'hybrid threats' and 'critical infrastructure' and the evolving story of the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. Helmi concludes that a whole-of-society approach is crucial for the EU if member-states are to increase their resilience to Russian hybrid threats.Produced by Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, our director Charles Grant is joined by Catherine Barnard, Professor of EU Law and Employment Law at the University of Cambridge and Deputy Director of UK in a Changing Europe, to discuss the recently agreed Windsor Framework. Together, they delve into how the new framework modifies the previous UK-EU trade deal and its implications, examine the role of the European Court of Justice in the agreement, and explore the domestic reactions to the new agreement.Produced by Helmi Pillai and Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, Dr Olesya Khromeychuk, historian, writer, and director of the Ukrainian Institute London and Sir Richard Shirreff, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, join our director of foreign policy, Ian Bond, to discuss the Ukraine-Russia war. They consider how to avoid 'Ukraine fatigue' in the West, what can be learnt from Ukraine's military successes and whether Western leaders' visits to Kyiv have a practical value, or risk becoming war tourism. Olesya, Richard and Ian agreed that Britain could be providing military support more effectively and that there should be no impunity for Russian war criminals.Produced by Helmi Pillai and Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, we answer questions you have sent to us. Clara Marina O’Donnell fellow Helmi Pillai speaks to the head of our Brussels office Camino Mortera-Martinez and senior fellows Zach Meyers and Luigi Scazzieri. They discuss the EU’s response to the Inflation Reduction Act, Brexit’s impact on UK science and technology, Qatargate, EU migration policy, Iran's nuclear programme and the prospect of sending fighter jets to Ukraine. Produced by Helmi Pillai and Octavia HughesMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week's episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, the CER's deputy director John Springford and professor at King's College London Jonathan Portes discuss their report 'Early impacts of the post-Brexit immigration system on the UK labour market'. The report estimates that Brexit has led to a net shortfall of 330,000 workers in the UK, concentrated in low-skilled sectors such as transportation and hospitality. They delve into the methods used to reach this figure and debate the potential benefits and drawbacks of sector-specific immigration rules to try to reduce labour shortages. Produced by Helmi PillaiMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast Helmi Pillai interviews John Springford about his most recent cost of Brexit analysis. John shares his estimate of the damage Brexit caused to the British economy in 2022 and explains the reasons for the negative impact. John also discusses the methodology behind his findings and responds to criticisms of his analysis. Produced by Helmi PillaiMusic by Edward Hipkins
In this year’s final episode of the Centre for European Reform podcast, our researchers unpack the most significant event of the past year, Russia’s war on Ukraine. The CER’s experts analyse the impact of the war thus far and share their predictions for 2023. Ian Bond, director of foreign policy, evaluates Russia and Ukraine’s performance in the war and the Western response. Senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri discusses the war’s impacts on European defence and enlargement. Elisabetta Cornago, senior research fellow, explains how the war has affected energy policy. Zach Meyers, senior research fellow, shares his views on the technological aspects of the war. And Charles Grant, director of the CER, gives his insights on the war’s broader geopolitical implications.
In this week’s episode of the CER podcast, Camino Mortera-Martinez, head of our Brussels office, and Sander Tordoir, senior economist at the CER, explain the escalating conflict between Hungary and the EU. They discuss the EU’s strategies for tackling democratic backsliding and corruption in Hungary, and cast light on the politics and economics of Hungary’s frozen EU funds.
Produced by Helmi Pillai and Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, John Springford, our deputy director, and Sander Tordoir, senior economist at the CER, discuss the EU’s fiscal rules. They consider why the rules matter, what their shortcomings are, and weigh up the European Commission’s proposal for tweaking the current fiscal rulebook.
Produced by Helmi Pillai and Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, Peter Foster, public policy editor at the Financial Times and author of the FT ‘Britain after Brexit’ newsletter, joins our director Charles Grant to consider the prospects for repairing UK-EU relations under new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. They consider the scope for compromise on both sides, particularly on the Northern Ireland Protocol, and examine two major pieces of UK legislation, the Retained EU Law Bill and the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, whose outcome will affect the relationship — for better or worse.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi and Helmi Pillai Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, CER media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi puts our listeners' questions to senior research fellows, Elisabetta Cornago and Zach Meyers, and head of our Brussels office, Camino Mortera-Martínez. They discuss how EU policy-makers are responding to the energy crisis, why the UK should tread carefully in burning the EU rulebook, and who the most powerful European leader is right now.
[01:30] Energy crisis measures: what are the measures agreed upon so far? [08:58] What were this week's new emergency proposals on natural gas? [12:59] Does the UK have a strategy for divergence from EU financial services regulation? [18:53] How will the EU tackle online abuse? [23:50] Which European leader is making the biggest mark on the EU's economic and political development?
Emmanuel Macron set out his vision for a 'European Political Community' in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on May 9th. In this Centre for European Reform podcast, head of our Brussels office, Camino Mortera-Martinez, speaks to our director, Charles Grant, about the potential shape of this new European organisation, the purpose it would serve, and which countries might be involved.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, Hilary Benn, Labour Member of Parliament for Leeds Central and Co-Convenor of the UK Trade and Business Commission, joins our director, Charles Grant, to discuss the stalemate between the UK and the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. They consider how negotiations ground to a standstill, the red lines of each side and the prospects for reaching a compromise. Both Hilary and Charles argue that this is not out of reach, provided both parties are willing to work together in good faith.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, our experts answered your questions. Our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi spoke to CER foreign policy director, Ian Bond, senior research fellow, Zach Meyers, and our deputy director, John Springford. They considered how Europe should protect its interests while maintaining a strong trading relationship with China, what the EU has planned in the way of tax reforms, and why the EU’s banking union has stalled.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s CER podcast, Isabel Hardman, assistant editor of The Spectator, joins our director, Charles Grant. They consider the UK Conservative party leadership contest, where party members have to choose between Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, and Liz Truss, the foreign secretary.
Charles and Isabel consider how each candidate’s government experience has shaped their stances on key issues, and examine what the outcome of the election could mean for Britain’s relationship with the EU and its place in the world.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this new Centre for European Reform podcast, we looked ahead to Italy's autumn elections. Our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi spoke to Luigi Scazzieri, senior research fellow at the CER, about Mario Draghi’s resignation as Italian Prime Minister; the hard-right firebrand Giorgia Meloni, who’s tipped to replace him; and what a (probable) right-wing coalition government could mean for Italy’s relationship with the EU and Rome's foreign policy.
Running order below
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi put our listeners’ questions to the CER’s experts. She spoke to senior research fellows Zach Meyers, Luigi Scazzieri and Elisabetta Cornago, and the CER’s foreign policy director, Ian Bond.
They discussed what central bank digital currencies might look like in practice; how the EU measures up against its global defence peers; relations between Russia and the West in the post-Cold War years; how close we are to implementing an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism; and the inclusion of nuclear and gas energy in the EU's taxonomy for sustainable investments.
01:32 What is a central bank digital currency (CBDC)? 05:17 Centralised vs. decentralised payments 08:24 How CBDCs might fit into the digital payments landscape 10:08 How does Europe’s defence spending compare against China, Russia and the USA’s? 14:30 The challenges for successfully implementing Europe’s higher defence spending pledges 17:22 The war in Ukraine: the situation in eastern Ukraine and EU support moving forward 21:40 How things got so bad with Russia after the break-up of the USSR 26:31 Did Western capitals get their approach to Russia wrong in the 1990s? 30:00 What’s the status of the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism? 34:50 How did nuclear and gas make it into the eu taxonomy for sustainable investments? And how might this impact the taxonomy’s credibility on a global scale?
The Economist article mentioned: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/05/01/nominal-spending-figures-understate-chinas-military-might
This is an audio recording from the Centre for European Reform's 24th birthday reception, which we celebrated last night at the Irish Embassy in London. Irish Ambassador to the UK, Adrian O'Neill, and our Director, Charles Grant, gave opening remarks, before Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the UK Labour Party, gave a keynote speech on Labour's plans for the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship.
In this week's CER podcast, our foreign policy director Ian Bond spoke to three senior figures involved in Ukraine's application for EU membership: Natalie Forsyuk, General-Director of Ukraine's Governmental Office on European Integration & NATO; Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU; and Katarína Mathernová, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, and Head of the Commission's Support Group for Ukraine.
Ian spoke to Natalie and Ivanna just before the European Council decided on granting Ukraine (and Moldova) candidate status for EU membership, and Katarína shortly afterwards. They discussed what's next on, and what's needed for, the path for Ukraine becoming an EU member-state.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's Centre for European Reform podcast, we considered the impact that Brexit has had on the UK economy so far. Our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi spoke to two economists: Thomas Sampson of the London School of Economics, and John Springford, the CER's deputy director. They discussed and compared their findings on how Brexit has affected UK goods trade and inflation, and John shared his latest research on how Brexit has impacted GDP, investment and services trade.
Read John's latest CER report: https://cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2022/cost-brexit-so-far
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In late March, the EU agreed upon two big new pieces of legislation for regulating big tech and social media: the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA).
In this week’s CER podcast, our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi speaks to senior research fellow Zach Meyers about the motivations behind the new laws, the companies that will be affected and what the UK is doing to promote digital competition and online safety.
02:10 - Who are the so-called gatekeepers? 04:30 - What will the Digital Markets Act make companies do? 10:32 - Will these companies have to adopt DMA rules uniformly across their products/services? 13:38 - The impact of innovation within big tech itself 18:22 - The metaverse and what it is 20:40 - The short-term for consumers, when companies are grappling with implementing the rules 22:41 - Concerns about interoperability and data-sharing 26:02 - The UK’s answer to the DMA 30:06 - What are online platforms doing to regulate content? (now discussing the DSA) 34:00 - Drawing the line between harmful content and free speech 36:59 - The Commission’s last-minute request for crisis powers 40:40 - Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter 43:50 - The UK’s Online Safety Bill
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s CER podcast, we discussed Macron’s re-election as French President.
We strung together the audio from an event that we held just after the elections. Pascal Lamy of the Paris Peace Forum, journalist and broadcaster Christine Ockrent and the Atlantic Council’s Ben Haddad joined us to consider France’s domestic political landscape, Macron’s victory, his vision for French and EU policy this time around, and what the potential stumbling blocks might be.
Presented and produced by our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi.
Index 01:46 - Figures from the first round of voting and what they show about French society 03:38 - Demographic comparison between the Maastricht referendum in 1992 vs. the second round of these elections 05:01 - The diminished influence of socialists and conservatives in France 06:46 - June's legislative elections 08:37 - Climate policy as a priority 09:29 - Trade and economic policy under Macron 10:55 - Europe as central to Macron’s identity 13:19 - 'European sovereignty' vs. 'strategic autonomy' 15:13 - Energy security 18:00 - The French relationship with Central and Eastern European member-states 21:11 - The enlargement debate
In this week's CER podcast, our 2021-22 Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Megan Ferrando spoke to Malak Altaeb, an environmental consultant and writer based in Paris. Megan recently published a CER paper about water insecurity in the Maghreb, and in this episode with Malak, takes a close look at the situation in Libya in particular. They discuss how the water landscape changed after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the extent of the problem today, and what international actors like the EU can do to help.
02:02 - Why water security should be higher up the political agenda 05:32 - The link between water and politics in Libya 08:00 - Libya's great man made river project 14:21 - Water scarcity in Libyans' daily life 18:01 - The challenge of long-term solutions in an unstable context 22:06 - What the EU and the international community can do
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week’s CER podcast, we answered your questions about EU policy and geopolitics.
Our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi was joined by senior research fellow Elisabetta Cornago, head of our Brussels office Camino Mortera-Martínez, and CER foreign policy director Ian Bond. They discussed the EU's attempts to free itself of its dependency on Russian gas, the UK-EU relationship following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Viktor Orbán's response to the war.
01:38 - What the EU is doing to achieve energy independence from Russia 04:49 - Could these plans just entrench fossil fuel use? 07:44 - How could moving away from Russian energy imports impact the EU's climate targets? 10:38 - The UK-EU relationship amid the war in Ukraine 12:30 - Can the UN offer protection to countries seeking EU membership? 14:38 - Budapest’s relationship with Moscow
In this week’s CER podcast, head of our Brussels office Camino Mortera-Martínez speaks to John Morijn, professor of law and politics at the University of Groningen. They discuss the European Court of Justice’s ruling of February 16th, which dismissed Hungary and Poland’s challenges to the conditionality mechanism, a law that allows the EU to stop funding countries which do not comply with rule of law standards.
They look at how we got here, explain why this law is not as far-reaching as it may seem, and consider how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might affect the standoff between Brussels, Warsaw and Budapest over the rule of law in Europe.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's CER podcast on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, our foreign policy director Ian Bond is joined by Marie Dumoulin, a former French diplomat who now heads the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and our former colleague Khrystyna Parandii, a political analyst in Kyiv and a Ukrainian citizen, who was the CER's Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow from 2019-20.
While it is not clear whether Russia is really withdrawing troops or if an invasion of Ukraine is still imminent, Ian, Khrystyna and Marie discuss the mood in Kyiv and the Ukrainian government’s approach to the crisis; they consider French and German shuttle diplomacy with Ukraine and Russia; and they look at Ukraine’s relations with NATO and the EU.
02:06 - The perception of the crisis from Ukraine 06:07 - Macron’s relationship with Putin and Zelensky 08:15 - France and Germany’s approach - ‘good cop, bad cop’? 11:25 - Ukraine and NATO: Ukraine’s membership perspective 15:18 - The role of the EU as an institution in the crisis 20:55 - The EU’s role vs. NATO’s 24:45 - Where the crisis could go next 27:10 - Next steps for EU diplomacy
This week’s CER podcast features speakers from our recent economics conference on ‘The politics of climate change’ at Ditchley Park.
Panellists included Suzi Kerr of the Environmental Defence Fund, the European Commission’s Arianna Vanini, Beata Javorcik of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank’s Stéphane Hallegate, whose remarks we included in the first half of this episode. They spoke about whether we needed tougher measures against laggard countries in the fight against climate change. They also discussed whether carbon border adjustment mechanisms would work, and how developing countries could be brought on board.
In the second half of the podcast, Rosie Giorgi asked her CER colleagues Elisabetta Cornago and John Springford for their takes on CBAMs, climate clubs and more.
In this week's CER podcast, our experts answered the questions you wrote in with, asking about all things European policy. Our media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi spoke to senior research fellows Luigi Scazzieri and Elisabetta Cornago, and our director Charles Grant. They discussed European strategic autonomy and the UK's stance on it, the EU's taxonomy for sustainable investments, the French presidential election and the UK's new Brexit minister.
In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, our Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Megan Ferrando speaks to eight of our researchers. They reflect on the EU's past year from different perspectives, including climate action; the transatlantic relationship; Germany's new government; and the increasing French influence in European circles.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, our director Charles Grant speaks to senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martinez and Katia Glod of the Centre for European Policy Analysis, to discuss the latest developments in Belarus and on its border with Poland. Belarus’ President Lukashenka is still encouraging migrants from the Middle East to head for that border, where Poland is trying to repel them. The podcast discusses Lukashenka’s motivations, the legality of Poland’s response and what the EU should be doing to resolve the problem.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
This week’s CER podcast is the second episode in our ‘Ask CER’ series, where our researchers answer questions that our listeners have asked. Our media co-ordinator and host Rosie Giorgi speaks to foreign policy director Ian Bond, research fellow Elisabetta Cornago and deputy director John Springford. They consider the EU’s climate action policies; where its recovery fund has been a success and where it has fallen short; and transatlantic relations under Biden and in the context of Nord Stream 2.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, our director Charles Grant speaks to senior research fellow Sam Lowe about the state of UK-EU relations. They discuss the ongoing issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and consider some of the other major stumbling blocks in the relationship: financial services, data regulation and the EU's proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, our chief economist Christian Odendahl is joined by CER’s director of foreign policy, Ian Bond, and research fellows Elisabetta Cornago and Zach Meyers. They consider Europe’s current gas crisis from three distinct yet interlinked angles: the role of climate change, the European gas market and its regulation, and the geopolitical impact of energy shortages and price increases.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
For our new ‘Ask CER’ podcast, we asked listeners to write in with whatever they wanted to know about the EU, Britain and the world, so that our experts could do their best to answer. In the first episode of the series, CER media co-ordinator Rosie Giorgi is joined by our director, Charles Grant, senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martinez and research fellow Zach Meyers. Charles, Camino and Zach answer your questions on European integration and defence, the EU’s challenge in upholding the rule of law and what Brexit means for UK financial services and payments regulations.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's podcast, CER research fellow Luigi Scazzieri speaks to Claudia Major, head of International Security at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and Sophia Besch, CER senior research fellow. They discuss the forthcoming federal election and its implications for German foreign, security and defence policy, including Germany's relationship with the US and China.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
The attempted coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 failed, but today’s Russian regime owes more to the plotters than their democratic opponents. In this CER podcast episode, Ian Bond, our director of foreign policy, speaks to Georgetown University's Angela Stent and Igor Yurgens of Moscow's Institute for Contemporary Development, to discuss the lessons the West should draw from the event.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
For this week's podcast episode, we have teamed up with the Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI). One of our senior research fellows, Camino Mortera-Martinez, recently published a paper about how the EU can fight corruption and uphold the rule of law within its borders. We held an event last month to mark the launch of Camino's report, where Katalin Cseh MEP, Carl Dolan of OSEPI and Transparency International's Michiel van Hulten joined us to discuss how the pandemic has changed the nature of corruption within the EU, and what the EU can do to fight it more generally. In the first half of this podcast, Camino considers what the speakers said at the event and then in the second half Carl joins her for a discussion.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
Last week the European Commission presented its Fit for 55 policy package, setting out its new policies and the reforms it will undertake to meet the EU's 2030 climate goals. These include the reform and expansion of the emissions trading scheme, the creation of a carbon border adjustment mechanism, the revision of renewable energy and energy efficiency directives and the tightening of vehicle emissions standards. In this week's CER podcast, senior research fellow Sam Lowe speaks to our research fellow Elisabetta Cornago, who shares her thoughts on what Fit for 55 could mean for EU and international climate action going forward.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's podcast, our director of foreign policy Ian Bond speaks to CER research fellow Luigi Scazzieri and Georgina Wright of the Institut Montaigne in Paris. Luigi recently published a paper on EU-UK diplomatic co-operation, and in this episode he, Georgina and Ian consider the ways in which both parties can continue to work together in foreign and security policy, in the absence of a formal agreement.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
This week European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans spoke at a CER event on the EU’s new carbon border adjustment mechanism, the Commission’s plans for reform of the emissions trading scheme, and prospects for COP26. In this CER podcast episode, we provide you with an edited version of his remarks, with commentary from the CER’s John Springford and Elisabetta Cornago. They discuss how the reforms might work and the stumbling blocks the Commission faces.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
This week's CER podcast looks ahead to Joe Biden's trip to Europe, where he will meet Boris Johnson and the Queen, before taking part in the G7, NATO and EU-US summits and later meeting Vladimir Putin. Our director of foreign policy Ian Bond speaks to Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the transatlantic security program at the Center for a New American Security, to discuss the prospects for the transatlantic relationship under the Biden administration.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
Political repression in Belarus has been evident for many years, with opposition leaders disappearing in the late 1990s and many other government critics being persecuted or detained since then; the brutal suppression of popular protests last summer after President Alexander Lukashenko's improbable re-election; and most recently, the forced diversion and landing of a plane travelling from Athens to Vilnius, which carried the Belarusian journalist and telegram blogger Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, who have subsequently been arrested. In this week's CER podcast, our director of foreign policy, Ian Bond, speaks to Katia Glod, non-resident fellow at Washington's Centre for European Analysis, about the latest wave of repression and what the West can do to help.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, Sam Lowe speaks our new research fellow, Elisabetta Cornago, who is based in Brussels and joins us having previously worked at the OECD and the International Energy Agency. They discuss her areas of expertise (energy and climate policy from an economics perspective), her recent CER publication on Europe's attempts to decarbonise road transport and how this could be possible in practice without causing socio-political backlash.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, Camino Mortera-Martínez chats to our new research fellow Zach Meyers. Zach joins Camino from London to discuss one of Europe’s hottest topics: what to do with Big Tech. Zach also talks about his background as a competition lawyer with a focus on regulated markets, why he joined the CER and what he will be working on in the next few months (scoop: a lot of digital).
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
Seven years after Russia illegally annexed Crimea, conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resurged, with Putin deploying Russian regular forces along Ukraine's eastern border. In this podcast episode, the CER's director Charles Grant speaks to Ian Bond, our director of foreign policy, and Orysia Lutsevych, research fellow and manager of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, about what Putin's endgame could be and how Ukraine and its Western allies should respond.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, Ian Bond, our Director of Foreign Policy, speaks to Abdoul Salam Bello, Alternate Executive Director at the World Bank and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Africa Centre, and our 2020-21 Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow, Katherine Pye about the situation in the Sahel region of Africa. Katherine recently published a CER policy brief, 'The Sahel: Europe's forever war?', which considered the escalating conflict there and Europe's involvement in it. This podcast episode expands on her paper, and she and Abdoul Salam discuss the issues driving the various conflicts and what national and global institutions can do to address them.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's CER podcast, our deputy director John Springford speaks to Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics at King's College London and senior fellow at UK in a Changing Europe. They discuss the links between pre-COVID austerity and the UK's poor pandemic outcomes, the outlook for recovery and the future of migration now that the UK has left the EU.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's podcast episode, our deputy director John Springford speaks to Tomáš Valášek, Member of Slovak Parliament and former CER foreign policy director, who recently resigned from his position as chair of the European affairs committee over Bratislava’s decision to purchase the Russian Sputnik vaccine. Our senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martínez and chief economist Christian Odendahl bring their views from EU capitals. They discuss the EU's shortcomings in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine, and the impact this is having on European solidarity and domestic politics in Slovakia, Spain and beyond.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In the latest CER podcast, our Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Katherine Pye speaks to Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali and Special Advisor to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, and our research fellow Luigi Scazzieri. They discuss what Italy's new government, led by Mario Draghi, means for Italy and Europe.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In the latest CER podcast episode, our chief economist Christian Odendahl is joined by Agnès Bénassy-Quéré, chief economist at the French Treasury, and our deputy director John Springford. They discuss the outlook for Europe's recovery and whether the EU recovery fund will stop it from petering out.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In this week's podcast episode, the CER's chief economist Christian Odendahl speaks to Laura Krause, Germany director of the social research start-up More in Common, as well as Sophia Besch, a senior research fellow at the CER. They discuss the recent election of new CDU party leader Armin Laschet and the forthcoming federal election in September, as well as what both events could have in store for German domestic and foreign policy in the future.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
In the first CER podcast of 2021, CER Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow Katherine Pye speaks to the CER's director Charles Grant, senior research fellow and trade expert Sam Lowe and RUSI chair David Lidington. They discuss the substance of the UK-EU TCA which was concluded on Christmas Eve, what we can expect from the future UK-EU relationship.
Music by Edward Hipkins Produced by Rosie Giorgi
As 2020 draws to a close, the CER's director Charles Grant, chief economist Christian Odendahl and senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martinez look back at the year from their respective vantage points in London, Berlin and Brussels. They discuss the biggest events of the year such as the pandemic and recovery fund, respect for the rule of law within the EU and the Brexit process. They also look ahead to the forthcoming year, discussing Angela Merkel's possible successors, the transatlantic relationship and China.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's CER podcast is the final episode in the series from the CER's annual economics conference, usually hosted at Ditchley Park but this year held as a webinar series.
The podcast features event speakers, Sergei Guriev of Sciences Po, Beata Javorcik of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan of the University of Maryland and Abebe Aemro Selassie of the International Monetary Fund. They discussed the EU’s relations with its neighbours including Russia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Western Balkans and sub-Saharan Africa, identifying common themes, challenges and lessons.
Katherine Pye, the CER's current Clara Marina O'Donnell fellow also spoke to Katarína Mathernová, Deputy Director General at DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission about the EU's relations with Eastern Partnership countries. They talked about the reform process, frozen conflicts, and recent elections in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's CER podcast is the fourth of five episodes on the CER's annual economics conference, usually hosted at Ditchley Park but this year held as a webinar series.
The podcast features Caroline Freund of the World Bank, Anu Bradford of Columbia University, Gabriel Felbermayr of the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, and Alan Beattie of the Financial Times.
John Springford, CER's deputy director, also speaks to Soumaya Keynes, The Economist's trade and globalisation editor, about US trade policy and the Biden administration’s approach towards China.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's CER podcast is the third of five episodes released in conjunction with the CER's annual economics conference, usually hosted at Ditchley Park but this year held as a webinar series. Christian Odendahl, CER's chief economist, speaks to Stephanie Flanders, head of Bloomberg Economics, about Europe position in the worldwide tech race, the merits of Europen competition policy and Europe’s ability to drive up standards in the digital world.
They also discuss the comments from event speakers Hal Varian, Google's Chief Economist, Monika Schnitzer, Economics Professor at LMU in Munich, Thomas Philippon, Finance Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and Merle Maigre, Senior Expert on Cyber Security at the e-Governance Academy in Estonia.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's CER podcast is the second of five episodes released in conjunction with the CER's annual economics conference, usually hosted at Ditchley Park but this year held as a webinar series. Sophia Besch, senior research fellow at the CER, speaks to Sir John Sawers, former diplomat and head of MI6 and now senior adviser at Chatham House and executive chairman at Newbridge Advisory, about his thoughts on the triangular relationship between Europe, the US and China.
They also discuss the comments from event speakers Manuel Muñiz Villa, Secretary of State for Global Spain, Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor at the European University Institute, Sciences Po and Bruegel, Daniela Schwarzer, Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations and Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Italian Institute for International Affairs. Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's CER podcast is the first of five episodes released in conjunction with the CER's annual economics conference, usually hosted at Ditchley Park but this year held as a webinar series. The CER's chief economist Christian Odendahl speaks to Megan Greene, senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, about her thoughts on the post-COVID global recovery. They also discuss the comments from event speakers Olivier Blanchard, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Catherine L Mann, global chief economist at Citi; Elina Ribakova, deputy chief economist at the Institute of International Finance; and Maarten Verwey, the European Commission's Director-General for economic & financial affairs. Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this week's podcast episode, Ian Bond, the CER's director of foreign policy, speaks about the forthcoming US election with Sir Nigel Sheinwald, former British Ambassador to the US, Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and Rachel Ellehuus, deputy director and senior fellow with the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. They discuss what a second Trump term or a Biden administration would mean for Europe in terms of transatlantic trade and foreign and defence policy, as well as what the transition process from Trump to Biden would look like.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
This week's podcast accompanies the launch of the CER policy brief 'Europe, the US and China: A love-hate triangle?', which examines the complex triangular relations between Europe, Beijing and Washington, and considers both what the EU can do to reduce the risks of a China-US conflict, and what it should do to protect its own interests against pressure from both sides.
Leonard Schuette, researcher at the University of Maastricht and former Clara Marina O'Donnell Fellow at the CER speaks to Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, as well as fellow co-authors of the paper Sophia Besch, senior research fellow at the CER and Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this podcast episode, CER director Charles Grant and Catherine Barnard, professor of EU law at Cambridge University and senior fellow at UK in a Changing Europe discuss the controversial Internal Market Bill, its impact on the UK and the likelihood of a UK-EU trade deal.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
The European Commission has unveiled its much-awaited ‘new migration pact’. But just how much of it is new? Will the EU finally agree on a common migration policy?
In this podcast episode, CER senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martínez and Giulia Laganà, senior analyst at the Open Society European Policy Institute, discuss the Commission's latest proposals and look beyond the headlines to legal migration, the EU budget and farming reforms.
Produced by Rosie Giorgi Music by Edward Hipkins
In this year's State of the Union address, Ursula von der Leyen laid out her plans for the EU's transition "from fragility to a new vitality". But is the Commission president being too optimistic here? In the latest Centre for European Reform podcast, Charles Grant, Christian Odendahl and Camino Mortera-Martinez discuss the Commission's outline for the next year and what it says about how well it is leading the EU.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regional ambitions and push for control of gas resources in Eastern Mediterranean have put Turkey on a collision course with the European Union. Dangerous military incidents involving Turkey, Greece and France have raised the risk of conflict. EU member-states have been split on how best to manage relations with Ankara – France wants a tougher stance while Germany is urging caution. But the more Turkey continues its current course of action the likelier it is that the EU will shift towards imposing economic sanctions. CER research fellow and regional expert Luigi Scazzieri discusses the latest developments and implications of the rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean with senior research fellow Camino Mortera-Martinez.
Lukashenka has rigged his re-election as president of Belarus, and begun a violent crackdown on protesters rejecting the result. The EU, US and Russia face dilemmas in responding to events. Charles Grant and Ian Bond discuss Sunday's election.
Growing economic tensions, COVID-19, cyber attacks, disinformation, intellectual property theft, a security clamp down in Hong Kong, treatment of the Uyghurs, and restrictions on Huawei: the CER’s director Charles Grant and director of foreign policy Ian Bond examine Europe’s increasingly troubled relationship with China.
Lukashenka is certain to win Belarus’s presidential election. But his suppression of dissent poses a dilemma for the EU: punishing Lukashenka could help Russia to extend its sway over the country.
European Union leaders will meet in Brussels on July 17-18 to discuss plans for a new recovery fund and long-term budget to help Europe bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis. The CER’s chief economist Christian Odendahl and deputy director John Springford discuss how the EU should spend the money.
Following Monday’s meeting between Boris Johnson and the three Presidents of the EU, has a deal between the EU and UK become more or less likely? Charles Grant and Sam Lowe discuss.
Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic is creating new friction in the transatlantic relationship and exacerbating existing differences on China, trade and defence spending. Tensions will get worse if Trump is re-elected in November.
On 18th May, Merkel and Macron proposed a €500bn recovery fund for the EU. John Springford and Christian Odendahl discuss why it's needed, and whether reluctant countries will back it.
As 2020 started, Vladimir Putin’s economic, political and diplomatic position looked strong. Now he faces recession, an exploding COVID-19 pandemic and declining domestic support. What does that mean for the West?
Charles Grant and Sam Lowe discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the EU-UK trade talks, and whether the pandemic will lead to the transition period being extended, taking into account the arguments for and against.
The EU, the US and China are the most important economic blocs in the world. But trade, political and security relations between them are becoming dangerously tense. Can the EU calm things down?
EU solidarity went missing when the COVID-19 pandemic started, feeding eurosceptic narratives. The Union is now getting its act together internally. It should also help to mitigate the impacts of the crisis beyond its borders.
Western leaders must know their facts before they talk to Putin, and take a firm line on unacceptable actions. But there are things that they need to talk about; they should not regard not talking as a sanction.
The new coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in Europe, and Italy has imposed strict constraints on movement to contain the outbreak there. Luigi Scazzieri, Christian Odendahl and John Springford discuss whether Italy’s policies will be enacted elsewhere, and how policy-makers can confront the economic fall-out from the epidemic.
The EU and the UK have now published their objectives outlining what they want a future EU-UK partnership to look like. There is much headline disagreement, but is there a landing zone in sight? Charles Grant and Sam Lowe discuss.
The EU’s economic size is its main source of global power. But what are the consequences of the eurozone’s economic instability – and its large current account surplus – for the EU’s ability to act on the global stage? John Springford and Christian Odendahl discuss.
The conflict in Libya is spiralling out of control despite the recent Berlin conference. Beth Oppenheim and Luigi Scazzieri discuss why Europe has struggled to influence Libya, and how the conflict may evolve.
In this special Brexit episode of the CER podcast, Charles Grant explains why the CER is still needed after Brexit; Sam Lowe discusses the future of UK-EU trade; and Ian Bond explores the fate of UK foreign policy.
Ian Bond and Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska talk to Beth Oppenheim about the decline in respect for the rule of law across the European Union, and discuss possible remedies. Find their policy brief here: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2020/democracy-and-rule-law-failing-partnership
The EU has struggled to take decisive action on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this episode, Sophia Besch asks Beth Oppenheim to review the record of the former EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on the Middle East Peace Process, and to draw recommendations for Josep Borrell.
CER researchers review the year 2019, and discuss what to expect in 2020. The conversation spans the future UK-EU relationship; the fraying of the transatlantic link; China; the state of Franco-German relations; and the EU economy.
After Turkey’s recent offensive in northern Syria, Ankara’s relationships with the EU and US have been badly strained. Luigi Scazzieri and Beth Oppenheim discuss whether the EU can avoid a broader rupture between Turkey and the West.
Cinzia Alcidi, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, and Jens Suedekum, Professor of International Economics at the Dusseldorf Institute for Competition Economics at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, discuss Europe's growing regional divergence and how the EU should respond.
Hervé Boulhol, Senior Economist for Pensions & Population Ageing at the OECD, and Gemma Tetlow, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government, discuss Europe's demographic time bomb.
Alicia García Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, and Martin Sandbu, European Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, discuss Europe's role between an increasingly protectionist and belligerent US, and the ever-growing technological superiority of China.
Åsa Löfgren, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Gothenburg, and Richard Tol, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex, discuss whether the EU should use its market power to force other countries to fight climate change.
Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor at the Hertie School of Governance & Sciences Po, and Ángel Ubide, expert on central banking, European affairs, finance, and macroeconomic policy, discuss whether monetary policy has run out of road, or whether there is more that Christine Lagarde can do.
The UK economy is 2.9 per cent smaller as a result of the vote to leave the EU. John Springford talks to Beth Oppenheim about his final analysis in this series.
Charles Grant and Beth Oppenheim discuss what will happen next with the Brexit process, as well as what the future UK-EU relationship could look like.
Sam Lowe talks to Beth Oppenheim about the incoming Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for a carbon border tax. How could it work and what are the risks?
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska talks to Sophia Besch about the new European Commission. Who are Ursula von der Leyen's new commissioners – and what happens next?
John Springford deciphers what has been happening in Westminster over the past week, and talks to Beth Oppenheim about what this means for the chances of a no-deal Brexit.
Beth Oppenheim asks Camino Mortera-Martinez to review the record of the EU's Security Union. Has it successfully addressed Europe's security challenges, and what will happen to it after Brexit?
Sophia Besch and Beth Oppenheim discuss the state of the EU's arms export regime, and whether the Union needs a genuinely common and enforceable policy.
Sophia Besch talks to Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska about the EU’s top jobs reshuffle. They discuss the candidates, Europe's winners and losers, and what happens next.
Beth Oppenheim talks to John Springford and Christian Odendahl about regional divergence across the EU. They discuss the political and economic consequences and possible policy solutions.
Sophia Besch asks Sam Lowe to explain what a customs union is. Sam argues that a customs union is still compatible with an effective UK trade policy.
Beth Oppenheim talks to the CER's experts about the upcoming European Parliament elections. Ian Bond, Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Charles Grant, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri and Leonard Schuette brief listeners on the key member-states, as well as the EU institutions in Brussels.
Panel 3: Industry and innovation
Speakers: Catherine Howarth, Chief Executive, ShareAction Corinna Zierold, Senior Policy Adviser, industriAll European Trade Union Chair: John Springford, Deputy Director, Centre for European Reform
Closing remarks Sophia Besch, Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform
Panel 2: A clean energy market
Speakers: Lisa Fischer, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G Jostein Kristensen, Partner, Oxera Consulting Clare Moody, MEP, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and Vice-Chair, Subcommittee on Security and Defence, European Parliament Chair: Sam Lowe, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform
Panel 1: Europe and global climate leadership
Speakers: Elina Bardram, Head of Unit, International Relations, Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, House of Commons and Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group Chair: Sophia Besch, Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform
Sophia Besch asks Camino Mortera-Martinez to talk through the Spanish election results.
Sophia Besch asks Beth Oppenheim whether the European-Saudi relationship has changed after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi last October.
The UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller as a result of the vote to leave the EU. John Springford talks to Beth Oppenheim about his latest analysis and draws some political lessons from the findings.
Sophia Besch asks Ian Bond to reflect on the CER's 2016 predictions about the effect of Brexit on future EU policy. How do they stand up now, on the eve of the UK’s departure?
Beth Oppenheim and Camino Mortera-Martinez make the case for opening legal migration routes into the EU.
Beth Oppenheim asks Charles Grant to weigh up the possible Brexit scenarios: will Theresa May's deal make it through parliament, or will the UK end up with no deal, a general election, or a referendum?
Sophia Besch asks Sam Lowe how Brexit will affect trade in services between the UK and the EU, and why services have been sidelined in the debate.
In this CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Beth Oppenheim asks Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska about the latest developments in the rule of law dispute between Warsaw and Brussels, and how the EU should respond to democratic backsliding, beyond the Polish case.
Torsten Bell, director of the Resolution Foundation, and Shahin Vallée, from the European Institute at London School of Economics, discuss the growing consensus that the state will do more for its citizens, and the political constraints on governments' ability to intervene.
Claire Waysand, General Auditor at the Treasury, Ministry of the Economy and Industry & Digital Sector, and Jeromin Zettelmeyer, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, discuss what happens to our politics if our economies do not grow, and how to create economic policies that avoid lurches to the left or to the right.
Laurence Boone, Chief Economist and G20 Finance Deputy, and Duncan Weldon, economist and writer, discuss the causes of Europe’s productivity slowdown, and whether or not it is the legacy of the economic crisis.
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré, Professor at the Paris School of Economics, and Brad Setser, Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, discuss whether European governments are being too timid in promoting economic growth, and whether there is a role for central banks in boosting productivity.
Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser at HSBC, and Sotiria Theodoropoulou, Senior Researcher and Head of Unit at the European Trade Union Institute, discuss the future of the median worker, including the impact of technological and demographic changes.
In this CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on two of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Beth Oppenheim asks John Springford what is in the 585 page withdrawal agreement, and Charles Grant outlines what might happen next: will Theresa May and her withdrawal plan survive?
Sophia Besch asks Leonard Schuette what progress has been made on Macron's reform agenda one year on, and they discuss the impact of Merkel's planned departure.
The UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller as a result of the vote to leave the EU. John Springford talks to Beth Oppenheim about his latest analysis, how he has refined his modelling method and the implications of the findings.
Speeches by the host, the Ambassador of Spain, HE Mr Carlos Bastarreche; CER director Charles Grant; and the keynote speaker, the Rt Hon David Lidington MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Sophia Besch asks Luigi Scazzieri about the latest escalation of the conflict in Libya, and they discuss the EU's fragmented policy.
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Sophia Besch asks Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska and Beth Oppenheim about the prospects for another Brexit referendum.
The UK economy is around 2 per cent smaller as a result of the vote to leave the EU. John Springford speaks to Sophia Besch about his analysis, his modelling method and the implications of the result.
Beth Oppenheim asks Sam Lowe about the UK Government's recent White Paper on Brexit, and whether it stands any chance of being accepted by the EU.
Three panels of experts gathered to discuss the new CER/KAS policy brief, ‘Plugging in the British: Completing the Circuit’ at the Royal United Services Institute. In the first session, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Yvette Cooper MP, Claude Moraes MEP and Peter Storr address justice and home affairs after Brexit, chaired by Charles Grant. In the second session, Ian Bond, Rosa Balfour, Simon Fraser, Paul Johnston and Nick Westcott discuss future UK-EU foreign policy and development cooperation, chaired by Felix Dane. In the final session, Sophia Besch, Paul Everitt, Kori Schake and Julie Smith debate military and defence industrial relations after Brexit, chaired by Malcolm Chalmers.
CER event audio: CER/KAS conference on 'Plugging in the British: Completing the circuit' by Centre for European Reform
Sophia Besch asks Camino Mortera-Martinez whether the UK will stay plugged into EU justice and home affairs structures after Brexit.
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Sophia Besch asks Luigi Scazzieri what to expect from the new ruling coalition in Italy.
Recorded at the Daimler US-European Forum: Sophia Besch talks to Constanze Stelzenmüller and Camille Grand about changes in the relationship between the US and its European NATO allies.
Sophia Besch asks John Springford and Sam Lowe to lay out the arguments in favour and against a customs union between the UK and the EU after Brexit.
Beth Oppenheim talks to Sophia Besch about the difficulties the UK and the EU face as they are trying to negotiate the conditions for European military co-operation and defence industrial policy after Brexit.
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform speaks to LBC about how Russia will react or retaliate to the allied strikes on Syria.
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Sophia Besch speaks to Beth Oppenheim and Sam Lowe about what to expect during the second part of Brexit negotiations – will the future relationship talks bring out different political and economic interests among the EU-27?
Launch of CER policy brief 'Can EU funds promote the rule of law in Europe?' by Jasna Šelih with Ian Bond and Carl Dolan. Hosted by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.
Speakers: Franziska Brantner, Spokeswomen on European Policy for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Carl Dolan, Director, Transparency International EU Heather Grabbe, Director, Open Society European Policy Institute Milan Nič, Senior Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) Chair: Jana Puglierin, Head of the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Sophia Besch and Beth Oppenheim discuss German politics, and what Berlin needs to do over the next four years to help Europe overcome its many challenges.
Sophia Besch asks Luigi Scazzieri about the political debate in Italy, which coalition might win the election on March 4th, how strong is the Italian populist platform, and how to counter Italian euroscepticism.
Charles Grant talks to Sophia Besch about how the EU-27 view the British idea of a bespoke post-Brexit partnership based on regulatory alignment.
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Noah Gordon talks to Sophia Besch about the controversial Nordstream 2 pipeline – who is in favour of the project and who stands to lose out, what the EU is doing and what it should do, and whether Nordstream 2 is about business, geopolitics, or EU solidarity.
Charles Grant, Simon Tilford and Ian Bond review the political themes and events that shaped 2017, and take a look at some of the predictions they made last year.
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska and Sophia Besch review the Commission's new proposals for eurozone reform, and look at what EU leaders should discuss at the euro summit next week in Brussels.
Launch of CER policy brief 'Ulster's fight, Ulster's rights? Brexit, Northern Ireland and the threat to British-Irish relations' by Edward Burke, hosted by the Embassy of Ireland in London.
Speakers: Edward Burke, Assistant Professor in International Relations, University of Nottingham Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers Chair: Carolyn Quinn, Presenter, The Westminster Hour, BBC
Heather Grabbe, Director at the Open Society European Policy Institute, and Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution discuss the backlash against liberal norms in Central and Eastern Europe, propose suggestions for what the EU can do about it, and assess the value of a ‘flexible’ Europe for the EU’s newer members.
Catherine Mann, Chief Economist & G20 Finance Deputy at the OECD, Barry Eichengreen, Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and Christian Odendahl, Chief Economist at the CER discuss whether it is possible that the EU’s combination of intensive market integration combined with action against social and environmental dumping and tax competition provides the best hope of reconciling globalisation with national politics.
Anand Menon, Director at The UK in a Changing Europe, and Yascha Mounk, Executive Director at Renewing the Centre, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change discuss different strands of Euroscepticism, how to create an EU voice, and why they think Emmanuel Macron might not be it.
John Springford and Luigi Scazzieri argue that he EU needs to prioritise the development of a new neighbourhood policy, as a way of reducing both security threats and migration pressures.
Christian Odendahl discusses possible reforms to eurozone governance that could put the currency union on a more stable footing.
Charles Grant lays out a proposal for a new European Architecture. He argues for the EU to develop more flexible structures, so that its countries are given greater choice over which policies they take part in.
CER podcast: Should we learn to live with a nuclear North Korea? by Centre for European Reform
Sophia Besch talks to Luigi Scazzieri about Russian President Putin’s proposal to send a UN peacekeeping force to eastern Ukraine. Scazzieri explains the background to Russia’s proposal, the risks of a frozen conflict, and what the EU should do.
Dominic Grieve, MP for Beaconsfield speaks to the CER fringe event at the Conservative party conference: 'How to handle Brexit'
Konrad Szymański, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland speaks at the CER fringe event at the Conservative party conference: 'How to handle Brexit'.
Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons speaks at CER fringe event at the Conservative party conference: 'How to handle Brexit'
Juliet Samuel, Columnist, The Telegraph speaks at the CER fringe event at the Conservative party conference: 'How to handle Brexit'.
Christian Odendahl and Sophia Besch discuss who is likely to win on Sunday, what the German election will mean for Europe, and what it will mean for Brexit negotiations.
Sophia Besch speaks to Francois Heisbourg about the future of European defence co-operation and about why he thinks the EU’s proposal for a European defence fund has potential.
Sophia Besch talks to Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska about the role of the European Commission, the member-states, the European Parliament and the ECJ in the Brexit talks, and about how process can turn into leverage in the negotiations.
Sophia Besch talks to Luigi Scazzieri about the position of the Trump administration on the Middle East peace process, and about concrete policy recommendations for the EU.
Sophia Besch talks to Camino Mortera-Martinez about how to keep Britain plugged into Europol and European criminal databases.
On the day before the UK general election, Charles Grant and Simon Tilford discuss current polls, the effect of recent attacks on voting, which issues were not sufficiently discussed in the campaigns and what would be the best possible election result for Europe.
Simon Tilford and John Springford lay out in detail how leaving the EU without a deal would damage the British economy.
Recording at the CER's Arctic Bridge Summit in Finland, Sophia Besch talks to Elisabeth Braw and Ethan Corbin about security challenges in the Arctic and how Russia and Europe could co-operate in the region.
John Springford talks to Matthew Goodwin, Paul Whiteley and Florence Faucher on the reasons the UK voted to leave, how these political trends played out in the French elections, and lessons for the EU 27.
In the week of the One Belt One Road Summit Ian Bond talks to Sophia Besch about the complex relationships and rivalries between Russia, China and the EU, and how the EU should move forward to defuse tensions.
Ian Bond talks to Sophia Besch about the next steps for the newly elected French president; how his victory is perceived in Brussels, Berlin, London, Moscow and Washington; and whether the defeat of the French right wing populist candidate should be read as part of a broader trend.
John Springford talks to Sophia Besch about about the best possible trade deal between the UK and the EU after Brexit. Based on new empirical research into the costs of trade barriers he argues for a ‘Swiss style’ Brexit.
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska talks to Sophia Besch about the triggering of Article 50, the tone and substance of the letter, how it was received in Brussels, and how we can expect negotiations to unfold.
Ian Bond talks to Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska and Camino Mortera-Martinez on the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome: the EU has a great past, but what will its leaders do about its many challenges in the future?
Director of the CER Charles Grant discusses the progress and the process of deciding the British position in Brexit negotiations, assesses the value of the UK’s ‘trump cards’ and explains why many European officials are pessimistic about finding a good agreement.
Daniel Keohane and Sophia Besch discuss how Brexit will affect EU defence cooperation and if and how Theresa May can use the UK’s special relationship with the United States to get a better deal from Europeans.
Camino Mortera-Martinez and Christian Odendahl discuss the politics and economics that underlie the different views of free movement in Britain and Europe, and asses how these differences will impact on Brexit negotiations.
Read more on this topic in their recent policy brief, available here: http://www.cer.org.uk/publications/archive/policy-brief/2017/what-free-movement-means-europe-and-why-it-matters-britain
Kori Schake, CER board member and research fellow at the Hoover Institution, talks to Sophia Besch about how European leaders should approach the Donald Trump presidency, the real checks and balances of the American political system, why she thinks sanctions against Russia will hold and why she is optimistic about Donald Trump at the NATO Summit.
Keynote speech at our dinner on 'Making a success of the EU's security union', by Sir Julian King, European Commissioner for the Security Union.
Sir Julian is the British commissioner in charge of the EU’s security union. His responsibilities include reinforcing the Union’s fight against terrorism and organised crime; improving data and intelligence sharing between governments and internet companies; and fighting cybercrime.
Camino Mortera-Martinez talks to Rob Wainwright about the work of Europol on counter-terrorism and migration, the future of his agency and the effects of Brexit on UK-EU security co-operation.
Rem Korteweg explains what trade policy under Trump will look like, if and how European governments can save TTIP, and what to make of a US-UK trade deal.
Charles Grant, Simon Tilford and Ian Bond review the year 2016: The rise of a new global disorder, the future of the European project, stories the world did not pay enough attention to in 2016, developments to look out for in 2017, and what gives them cause for optimism.
In this episode, Martin Sandbu and Christian Dustmann discuss 'How should governments respond to migration fears?'
In November 2016, the CER took more than 50 of Europe's top economists to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire for a conference on 'The economics of populism’. This CER podcast series offers an insight into the discussions of that weekend.
In this episode, Marcel Fratzscher and Ryan Avent discuss ‘Is inequality behind the rise in populism?’ In November 2016, the CER took more than 50 of Europe's top economists to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire for a conference on 'The economics of populism’. This CER podcast series offers an insight into the discussions of that weekend.
In this episode, Martin Hellwig and Agnès Bénassy-Quéré discuss ‘Has trade liberalisation and financial globalisation gone too far?’
In November 2016, the CER took more than 50 of Europe's top economists to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire for a conference on 'The economics of populism’. This CER podcast series offers an insight into the discussions of that weekend.
In this episode, David Willetts and Nicholas Crafts discuss 'Was Brexit a rebellion against globalisation?'
In November 2016, the CER took more than 50 of Europe's top economists to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire for a conference on 'The economics of populism’. This CER podcast series offers an insight into the discussions of that weekend.
In this episode, Barry Eichengreen and Martin Wolf discuss 'Are macro-economic policy failures behind the rise of populism?'
In November 2016, the CER took more than 50 of Europe's top economists to Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire for a conference on 'The economics of populism’. This CER podcast series offers an insight into the discussions of that weekend.
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Rem Korteweg and Ian Bond discuss the impact of the UK’s vote to leave the EU on transatlantic relations and how the future US president will approach Europe.
Charles Grant and Jean Pisani-Ferry discuss the chances of a ‘continental partnership’ between Britain and the EU post Brexit, as well as France’s position on the eurozone.
This podcast followed a private roundtable event at the CER with Jean Pisani-Ferry, Paul Tucker and Peter Mandelson on 'Post-Brexit, what should be the ties between the UK and the EU? Is a 'continental partnership' the right model?'
Simon Tilford and John Springford discuss the value of sterling and the impact on the economy and British politics.
CER experts John Springford and Camino Mortera-Martinez assess the credibility, legality and practical feasibility of political proposals to restrict the rights of EU migrants in the UK.
Sophia Besch talks to CER's director Charles Grant about Brexit red lines in Paris, Berlin and Brussels and a negotiation strategy for the British.
Sophia Besch talks to Ian Bond and Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska about the Bratislava summit, President Jean-Claude Juncker's State of the European Union address and defence union proposals.
Simon Tilford speaks to former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb about the implications of Brexit and the challenges ahead for the EU.
Charles Grant talks to Nick Clegg MP about the challenges facing the EU-UK exit negotiations, after the launch of his second 'Brexit Challenge' report.
This podcast was recorded at a CER event with Nick Clegg and Peter Sutherland.
Sophia Besch talks to Charles Grant about the six deals that the British government will have to strike – with the EU, the WTO and bilaterally – in order to realise the Brexit vote.
Sophia Besch talks to Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska about Polish priorities during the Brexit negotiations and consequences of the British vote to leave the EU for the bilateral relationship between the UK and Poland.
Sophia Besch talks to Rem Korteweg about reactions to the recent UN tribunal ruling from ASEAN countries, the US and the EU, and the difficult balance between power politics and international law.
Sophia Besch talks to Rem Korteweg about the implications for the EU, NATO and Turkey’s European trajectory.
A conversation about the strategy behind recent appointments, consequences for Britain’s foreign policy and trade relations, and an outlook on the start of negotiations with the EU 27.
With keynote speeches from Helle Thorning-Schmidt and The Rt Hon David Miliband. Hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland Mr Daniel Mulhall.
Sophia Besch talks to John Springford, Camino Mortera-Martinez and Ian Bond on what role the UK could play in the EU following a vote to stay in on June 23rd.
This podcast refers to the recent policy brief 'Europe after Bremain: A strong team?' which can be read here.
John Springford explains the results from new research by the CER and Groningen University which shows that eurosceptic regions have the most to lose from a Brexit. He talks to Sophia Besch about euroscepticism and hostility to immigration in England’s regions outside of London and the South East – despite the fact that these regions sell more of their output to the EU.
Could Britain end up in the EEA? The CER couldn't agree, so we decided to have a debate between CER director Charles Grant and senior research fellow John Springford.
Sophia Besch talks to her fellow CER colleagues Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Christian Odendahl, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Rem Korteweg, Paola Buonadonna and Shahin Valeee from the LSE, about how their home country's capitals view the Brexit debate in the UK.
In the fourth episode of a series of podcasts on the implications of a Brexit for the EU, Sophia Besch talks to CER research fellow Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska.
In the third episode of a series of podcasts on the implications of a Brexit for the EU, Sophia Besch talks to CER's Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) research fellow Camino Mortera-Martinez.
In the second episode of a series of podcasts on the implications of a Brexit for the EU, Sophia Besch talks to CER's deputy director Simon Tilford.
At our event on 21 April, 86% of the audience, the majority of whom were economists, agreed that leaving the EU would damage Britain's economy during a CER debate.
An electronic poll was taken after a panel discussion featuring Brexiteers Gerard Lyons, Mayor of London's Office, and Roger Bootle, Capital Economics and pro Europeans Stephanie Flanders, JP Morgan, and Martin Wolf, Financial Times.
The event was introduced with a keynote speech by former prime minister Gordon Brown.
The Netherlands will vote on the EU's association agreement with Ukraine next week on the 6 April. Like the British referendum, the Dutch referendum risks making both the EU and its eastern neighbourhood less stable.
Sophia Besch talks to the CER's JHA expert Camino Mortera-Martinez about the details of this week's migration summit deal and broader implications for the sustainability of Schengen.
CER's Sophia Besch talks to CER director Charles Grant and senior research fellow John Springford about their take on David Cameron's EU deal at the February EU summit.
Besch asks: What were David Cameron’s objectives going into the negotiations, what were his wins for Britain last week and where did he have to make concessions?
How is this reform deal perceived in Brussels and in other European capitals?
What does this deal mean for Britain in Europe and for Cameron's goal to sway his own party towards staying In?
And finally, moving on from the Brussels deal, which issues will be discussed over the next months and how will the decision of Mayor Boris Johnson to support the Out campaign play into the debate?