Applications are open for the 13th Clara Marina O’Donnell fellowship, watch here for @thomasmaddock.bsky.social's tips to candidates.
Full details here - buff.ly/3vV64SZ
Start date: October 2026 for six months
Pay: London Living Wage
Applications in by: 09/04/26
An excellent paper on European defence budgets by @armida.bsky.social
@cergrant.bsky.social, del @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, apunta que China “ve con desdén a los europeos, como una potencia en declive”.
elpais.com/internaciona...
As our former ambassador to Latvia, @cerianbond.bsky.social, observed to me: “Too many of its people have for so long been told that they are a nation surrounded by enemies who are constantly plotting against them.”
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
The EU's struggle to ratify the #Mercosur deal exposes a weakness in Europe's geoeconomic playbook, argues @antonspisak.bsky.social in a new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight.
Read here: buff.ly/IESx33T
good piece on global role of euro
Four lessons & four policy priorities after four years of Russia’s war against #Ukraine. 🇪🇺 🇺🇦
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cerianbond.bsky.social.
Read here: buff.ly/6RWmjER
@cergrant.bsky.social examines these challenges in the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social 2025 annual report essay but concludes that there are cautious grounds for optimism.
The report also highlights the CER’s most important events and publications in 2025.
Read here: buff.ly/22mXMmm
Read @cergrant.bsky.social's paper here: buff.ly/1I0JhS8
[Report] #FutureofEurope - Europe’s future: Grounds for hope? - Annual report 2025, by @cergrant.bsky.social, @cerianbond.bsky.social, @elisabettaco.bsky.social, @sandertordoir.bsky.social & @zecsaky.bsky.social | @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social
www.pubaffairsbruxelles.eu/opinion-anal...
Good Economist piece on Merz tough China trip.
"For not only has China’s market begun to dry up for Germany, big chunks of German industry now regard China as a direct threat to their interests.."
With a favourite chart of Setser and mine. China's net car exports now dwarf even peak Germany.
1/
My essay in @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social annual report looks for reasons not to be totally depressed about the state of the EU: UK getting closer, Commission quite strong, defence budgets rising, it can work with middle powers, smaller groups of countries forge ahead.
www.cer.eu/sites/defaul...
The tussle over Buy European is emblematic of what @cergrant.bsky.social describes as the “paradox of French power”.
buff.ly/R67KC2t
In the 30 years since the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social’s conception, the world has probably never been more intellectually interesting than it was in 2025, but also never more alarming writes @cergrant.bsky.social in the CER's annual report.
Read here: buff.ly/22mXMmm
“The EU really dislikes the Swiss model quite intensely and has a very low opinion of it. So they don’t really want the British to have anything resembling the Swiss model,” @cergrant.bsky.social, director of the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, wrote recently.
@cergrant.bsky.social, directeur du @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, explique dans une récente analyse que «certains fonctionnaires de la Commission étaient plutôt embarrassés. Ils ont évoqué les pressions considérables exercées par la France.
www.capital.fr/economie-pol...
The @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social's annual report features an essay by @cergrant.bsky.social which analyses the many problems the #EU faces, but concludes that it is not doomed. The report also highlights the CER’s most important events and publications in 2025.
Read here: buff.ly/22mXMmm
A great piece on the multiple challenges the EU faces, by @armida.bsky.social. She is right that Europe needs to work more closely with the 'middle powers', many of which support a rules-based order.
The EU has leverage over Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But internal divisions and damaged credibility have blunted its leverage.
How can the EU fix its broken Israel-Palestine policy?
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social piece by @thomasmaddock.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/eN3ueIG
@cergrant.bsky.social of the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social think-tank, believes the French want to exclude Britain from SAFE.
Looking back over our most read publications of 2025, @cergrant.bsky.social wrote in his March insight "#Trump’s words and actions are already creating tectonic shifts in #geopolitics."
Read here: buff.ly/JTq5OJ5
Read @cergrant.bsky.social's paper here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE
Six of our researchers reflected on the EU's past year covering the green deal, the global impact of Trump's return, trade, China, Ukraine, @cergrant.bsky.social on the UK-EU reset, the far right & the EU's Middle East strategy in our end of year podcast.
Listen here: buff.ly/rIGyp61
France has long wanted to see the emergence of ‘European champions’ in several industries. It has argued that EU competition policy has been too purist and prevented the emergence of such champions. 🇪🇺 🇫🇷
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cergrant.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/i8RsHEf
There is an ambivalence in #French attitudes to the #British, when it comes to defence, because France, pre-eminent in EU defence, does not want its leading role to be challenged. 🇫🇷 🇬🇧
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cergrant.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE
The French have always believed in tempering #freetrade with industrial policy, the protection of industry and the principle of préférence européenne. 🇪🇺 🇫🇷
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cergrant.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE
Nobody can doubt French influence in the EU. But, given the political weakness of France’s government, what explains it? Explores @cergrant.bsky.social in a new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight. 🇪🇺 🇫🇷
Read here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE
The mainstreaming and “embourgeoisement” of the 🇫🇷 far-right National Rally
In 2017, 7% of those with a degree voted for the RN in the 1st round. By 2024, the figure was 22%—the same share that voted for Macron’s centrists. Even the gender gap has closed
economist.com/briefing/202...
This is well worth a read.
Thank you to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya for speaking at our @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social / @euinuk.bsky.social discussion on 'The future of Belarus in a peaceful Europe' in London yesterday, with @cergrant.bsky.social, Katia Glod and Pedro Serrano.
