The
euro at ten: Is its future secure?
essay by Simon Tilford, January 2009
The euro is riding high and the financial crisis has
illustrated the safe haven that membership provides.
On the face of it, the future of the single currency
looks rosy. But in this essay, Simon Tilford argues
that the growth prospects of the eurozone risk being
handicapped by the inflexibility and the external
imbalances of its member-states. Countries such as
Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal need to move fast
to improve their productivity. Germany needs to boost
its domestic demand. Otherwise, the euro may have
a troubled future.
press
release
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State,
money and rules:
An EU policy for sovereign investments
essay by Katinka Barysch, Simon Tilford and Philip
Whyte, December 2008
The debate about sovereign wealth funds will return
as global growth and commodity prices recover. European
governments have been right to reject new EU rules
on SWFs, and instead support multilateral efforts
to set voluntary standards. But the risk of investment
protectionism is not banished, as this new CER essay
argues.
press
release
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Why Ukraine matters to Europe
essay by Tomas Valasek, December 2008
Until the war in Georgia in August 2008, the EU had
taken stability beyond its eastern border for granted.
Now it will need to become more active in this volatile
region, in which Ukraine is the largest and most important
country. If Ukraine successfully 'Europeanises', it
will serve as an inspiration to the entire eastern
neighbourhood. The EU needs to offer it and other
eastern neighbours the prospect of eventual membership
to help them become stronger and more prosperous.
And it needs to work harder to find solutions to the
region's local conflicts, existing and potential ones,
such as the Ukraine-Russia disagreement over Crimea.
press
release
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Ten
things everyone should know about the Sino-Russian
relationship
policy brief by Bobo Lo, December 2008
Sino-Russian ties are at an historic high. But the
relationship remains ambivalent and fraught with mistrust.
Moscow and Beijing have different views of the world,
contrasting foreign policy approaches, and often competing
priorities. Although they share some common interests,
this is no strategic partnership, much less an authoritarian
alliance directed at the West. Bilateral relations
will remain sound over the next decade. However, as
China assumes a leadership role in world affairs,
latent tensions will become more pronounced. Far from
viewing Sino-Russian partnership as a threat, the
West must hope that any deterioration will not have
far-reaching consequences for Eurasian and global
security.
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What
Europe wants from President Obama
policy brief by Tomas Valasek,
November 2008
Barack
Obama was the preferred candidate of most Europeans.
He will have Europe's goodwill and with it, a window
of opportunity to restore transatlantic co-operation
on key security issues. Whether he succeeds will depend
in part on the president-elect's willingness to try
out new approaches to key foreign policy challenges.
Europe will expect the substance of US foreign policy
to change as much as its style. On some issues, like
Iran and Afghanistan, Obama has sketched out how policy
may change; on others, like Russia, he offered few
new ideas during the campaign. He will have to think
creatively on all fronts.
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Is
EU competition policy an obstacle to innovation and
growth?
essay by Simon Tilford, November 2008
European
countries need to improve their record of developing
high-tech businesses if they are to prosper. This
was explicitly recognised in the EU's Lisbon agenda
of economic reforms launched in 2000. The reasons
for Europe's poor record of innovation are complex,
but one factor may be competition policy. In this
CER essay, Simon Tilford argues that EU competition
rules are less favourable to innovation and hence
competition than their advocates believe.
press
release
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