“It's becoming harder for Europe to say 'Yes' to Trump,” @cergrant.bsky.social, director at the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, told @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“When I speak to people in Paris and Berlin, there’s not much enthusiasm,” said @cergrant.bsky.social, director of the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, an independent think-tank. “It feels like it’s cherry picking.” www.ft.com/content/111f...

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.

“Do people in Paris realise that actually the EU is still working in many respects for French interests? Or do they not notice that?” @cergrant.bsky.social asked @sophiepedder.bsky.social in the latest #CERpodcast episode. Listen here: buff.ly/ORqgrll

@cergrant.bsky.social, director of the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social joined Patrick Gibbons on the @thespectator1828.bsky.social podcast to discuss the flurry of UK-European activity across Britain this week.

#France remains a force to be reckoned with in EU policy-making, in areas such as industrial and trade policy; defence policy; and relations with the UK. 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cergrant.bsky.social - read here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE

In my new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight, I explain how France manages to be extremely influential in the EU. www.cer.eu/insights/par...

#France has a very weak government with an uncertain future, yet it remains a dominant force in EU policy-making. How does one explain this paradox? 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @cergrant.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/vrFwWbE