What can we know about the cost of Brexit so far?
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at how far the UK is lagging behind compared to similar economies. Covid-19 made it hard to isolate the impact of Brexit on the UK economy. But now that the most advanced economies have re-opened and have surpassed their pre-pandemic level of output,...
How to make EU fiscal rules compatible with net zero
This briefing from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at Europe and the need for more green investment. In order to be climate neutral by 2050 and to fulfil its 2030 climate targets, Europe needs more green investment. Although total European climate investment is on the rise, thanks in part to the...
Boiling dry
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at how the EU can help prevent instability in the water-scarce Maghreb. Over-exploitation and mismanagement of water, worsened by climate change, has made water scarcity of increasing concern in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya). It constrains agricultural production and access to...
Russia-Ukraine: The West needs a sanctions strategy
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at how the West can take a more strategic approach to Russian sanctions. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU, US and UK have instituted an unprecedented set of economic sanctions – treating Russia in a comparable way to pariah states...
No pain, no gain? The Digital Markets Act
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at the new set of rules to improve competition online. At the end of 2021, the European Parliament agreed on its preferred version of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a set of new rules to improve competition online. The DMA is part of...
Bridging the Channel: The UK’s nuclear deterrent and its role in European security
This report from UK think tank Centre for European Reform looks at the credibility of the UK's nuclear deterrence policy. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the UK plans to increase its nuclear warhead stockpile. Britain’s nuclear weapons have for decades been intended to defend its NATO allies as well...
Why the EU’s recovery fund should be permanent
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at the EU’s post-pandemic recovery and resilience facility. The EU’s post-pandemic recovery and resilience facility (RRF) began disbursing funds to member-states this summer. The €723.8 billion fund will be spent by the end of 2026, and amounts to 0.8 per cent of EU...
Bridging the channel
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform looks at how Europeans and the UK can work together on defence capability development. Since Brexit, the UK has been reluctant to engage with the EU in defence industrial co-operation. Aside from being disappointed with the EU’s offer to third countries, UK policy-makers and...