Centre For European Reform

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.