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 d…

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…

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 c…

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 the…

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 …

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 t…

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 …

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 whethe…

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…

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…

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 Sloveni…

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…

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 Jinpi…

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 fro…

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 impr…

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…

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 pla…

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…

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 def…

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 …

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 ener…

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. Carolin…

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 Artif…

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 …

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 …

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 f…

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…

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 …

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 …

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 d…

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 c…

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, in…

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 F…

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 …

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…

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 Commi…

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 s…

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 …

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' i…

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 …

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 U…

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 resp…

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 wa…

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 …

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 an…

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 sid…

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 bur…

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 …

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 re…