Centre For European Reform

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sat down with Zach Meyers, director of research at the Centre on Regulation in Europe and an associate fellow at the CER, to discuss digital policy as Trump's tariffs are back on the agenda, with the deadline for a new trade deal approaching on 1st August. They discussed how the EU should approach tech policy in the trade talks and whether changes to its digital toolkit should be on the table at all.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, associate fellow John Springford sat down with Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University and deputy chair of the Migration Advisory Committee to discuss the British government's white paper on immigration, which proposes some more reforms to a migration regime that has been going through a lot of change over the last few years. They spoke about new restrictions on middle-skilled jobs, which will no longer be eligible for skilled worker visas.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Luigi Scazzieri, senior policy analyst at the European Institute of Security Studies and a non-resident associate fellow at the CER, to discuss the recent NATO summit of 25-26 June. They spoke about what was agreed at the summit and whether Trump has turned out to be less disruptive to NATO than expected.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sat down with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator for the Financial Times to discuss the geopolitics of the war in the Middle East. Their converstion, recorded on 23rd June conversation, focused on the geopolitical shifts in the region rather than the details of the fighting.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Elisabetta Cornago sits down with CER associate fellow Anton Spisak to discuss his recent insight ‘A perfect storm: Britain's trade malaise, weak growth and a new geopolitical moment’. They consider what has contributed to the stagnation of Britain’s trade since 2020, and how this continues to affect economic growth in the UK.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, deputy director Ian Bond sits down with Mykola Bielieskov policy analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies & Senior Analyst at Come Back Alive and Olesya Khromeychuk director of the Ukrainian Institute London, to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the coalition of the willing and the influence of the US on negotiations. They consider the prospects for peace and the future of stability of Ukraine.

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sits down with visiting fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, Sophia Gaston, to discuss the UK-EU summit set to take place on May 19. They consider the geopolitical and domestic context, and what will or won’t be on the negotiating table. Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, research fellow Aslak Berg sits down with Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, Meredith Crowley, to discuss President Trump's latest tariff announcements. They set out the impact on transatlantic relations, what a US-China decoupling would look like in practice, and the broader implications for the world trading system. Produced by Octavia Hughes

After the recent visit of the EU's College of Commissioners to New Delhi, CER's Anunita Chandrasekar speaks to Tara Varma, who is currently a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution's Centre for the US and Europe, and Amaia Sánchez-Cacicedo, senior fellow covering Asia and India at Institut Montaigne, to consider the trajectory of EU-India relations. Produced by Octavia Hughes

Following the Trump administration's controversial comments and actions on Ukraine, tariffs and much else, CER director Charles Grant sits down with the director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Kori Schake, to discuss what America’s hostility to the rules-based international order means for transatlantic relations. Produced by Octavia Hughes

Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the CER's deputy director Ian Bond talks to head of the GLOBSEC Kyiv Office Iuliia Osmolovska about the mood in the country, Ukrainian reactions to US-Russian negotiations, and the role of the EU and European countries in Ukraine. Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Zselyke Csaky sits down with chief economist Sander Tordoir to discuss President Trump's tariffs and the second China shock. Sander explains which countries and industries Trump is targeting and sets out a series of recommendations to protect Germany’s automotive and engineering sectors from Beijing’s industrial policies. Sander Tordoir and Brad Setser’s recommendations to the German government can be read in full here: https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/policy-brief/2025/how-german-industry-can-survive-second-china-shock Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, senior research fellow Luigi Scazzieri sits down with deputy director Ian Bond and Constanze Stelzenmueller, director at the Center on the US and Europe and Fritz Stern chair at The Brookings Institution, to discuss Donald Trump's inauguration. They highlight key takeaways from his speech, European guests in attendance and how this term will differ from his first.  Produced by Octavia Hughes

In our latest Centre for European Reform podcast, podcast host Octavia Hughes speaks to six of our researchers. They reflect on the EU's past year from different perspectives, including trade and competitiveness; support for Ukraine; UK-EU relations; and the conflict in the Middle East. They then look ahead to 2025. 00:28 Zach Meyers on tech and competitiveness 04:49 Ian Bond on Ukraine 10:52 Luigi Scazzieri on defence spending and the Middle East 17:51 Charles Grant on UK-EU relations 22:15 Aslak Berg on trade 25:37 Zselyke Csaky on the rule of law Produced by Octavia Hughes

On this week’s Centre for European Reform podcast, director Charles Grant sits down with Labour MP for Walthamstow and chair of the Labour Movement for Europe Stella Creasy, to discuss Labour's plan for forging closer ties with the EU. Stella explains the role of the Labour Movement for Europe, while Charles examines how weakened governments in France and Germany, and the re-election of Donald Trump, could affect the UK’s relations with Europe. Produced by Octavia Hughes

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 delving into the relationship between Trump's team and the Labour Party and the impact of the collapse of the German government. Produced by Octavia Hughes

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 Octavia Hughes

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 change as the stakes continue to grow. Produced by Octavia Hughes

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 their proposals are and what’s at stake for Europe. Produced by Octavia Hughes

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 the report, as well as its shortcomings. They assess Draghi's proposals to boost innovation, relaunch industrial competitiveness, upgrade trade policy, accelerate decarbonisation and strengthen defence. Produced by Octavia Hughes