"); document.writeln("

"); document.writeln("Financial Times
9 February 2010
Greek debt crisis hangs over Brussels economic summit
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"); document.writeln(""The broad thrust of the agenda remains as valid today as it was back then [in 2000]," said Philip Whyte of the Centre for European Reform think-tank. "A decade on, many EU countries still suffer from low employment and low productivity. So residual barriers to intra-European trade need to be dismantled and more must be done to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.""); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("New York Times
8 February 2010
Germany is chastised for stance on nuclear arms
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"); document.writeln("In a report to be published Tuesday by the Centre for European Reform, in London, George Robertson, who served as NATO secretary general from 1999 to 2004, says Germany cannot remove the missiles and still expect to enjoy the protection of US nuclear forces. "For Germany to want to remain under the nuclear umbrella while exporting to others the obligation of maintaining it, is irresponsible," the report says. It is highly unusual for a NATO country’s government to announce that it wants to remove US nuclear weapons from its soil. The 2,000 or so US weapons that were based in Europe at the end of the Cold War had been reduced to around 200 by last year. "); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("The Moscow Times
8 February 2010
New military doctrine draws NATO criticism
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"); document.writeln("Tomas Valasek, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said NATO would continue to try to forge greater co-operation on shared security concerns, even though progress had been limited. He said Russia had been consistent in its view of NATO as a threat and in looking for ways to divide the alliance and halt its enlargement, while NATO was "torn between seeing Russia as it is and seeing it as we would like it to be." ..."Even the vaunted northern corridor [supply route], hasn't really gone anywhere," Valasek said. "There's been one shipment that's come through, that's all. The reason is that the Russians are insisting on substantial payments for the service. NATO thought it was in a partnership, they view it as a business.""); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("The Observer
7 February 2010
Greece's financial crisis puts the future of the euro in question
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"); document.writeln("But according to Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, the commission wants to keep the fund at arm's length because it would give the Americans a say in single currency affairs, a blow to European pride. Grant says this is regrettable: "The IMF is very experienced in these matters; it is professional and is not subject to political pressure. There is a political point as well. If the commission sets conditions that lead to hospitals being closed, there will be demos against Brussels. If the IMF does it, the demos will be against the fund.""); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("Reuters
6 February 2010
US, Germany say Iran not ready for nuclear deal
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"); document.writeln("Tomas Valasek, director of foreign policy and defence, Centre for European Reform, said if the needs of Iran's research reactor were to dictate the process there would be no agreement. "That's a deal breaker, because of course the whole idea behind the deal is let's get all of the stuff out so that we win more time so that the Israelis don't feel itchy and don't bomb Iran in the next few weeks," he said."); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("Reuters
5 February 2010
Disunity, economic woes dog EU image drive
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"); document.writeln(""There has been a lot of rhetoric about the 'European project' (to strengthen the EU) but to a large extent governments have had their heads in the sand and not addressed the tough underlying problems," Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank in London, said. "There is an insularity and provincialism which is very worrying.""); document.writeln("

"); document.writeln("

"); document.writeln("New York Times
5 February 2010
Euro debt crisis is political test for bloc
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"); document.writeln(""The challenges facing the euro zone are very serious," said Simon Tilford, chief economist for the Centre for European Reform in London. "For countries that have become pretty uncompetitive in the euro zone and have weak public finances, the current environment is very dangerous." ..."The southerners can do their best to cut costs and be competitive," Mr Tilford said. "But they need the others to create more domestic demand and be less export dependent.""); document.writeln("

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"); document.writeln("Business Week
5 February 2010
Europe's debt crisis intensifies
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"); document.writeln(""The risk of contagion now is very very serious. By the end of next week, if things haven't calmed down or if they have actually intensified further, then it will be a matter of a short while before some steps are being taken," Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, said. ...But Tilford said those worries are now swamped by worries of contagion within the euro zone. "We could get into the position where we have a serious crisis in Spain which might not be containable because Spain's a bigger economy," he said. "It's possible for the euro zone to cope with a bailout in Portugal or Greece but Spain would present a problem of a whole different order.""); document.writeln("

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