Understanding low energy reaction with exotic nuclei

Recent developments on the understanding of low energy reactions are highlighted. Emphasis is given to the CDCC framework where the breakup channels of the projectile are included explicitly. Properties of the breakup couplings are presented. Comments are given with regard to the separation between the nuclear and the Coulomb contributions to breakup cross sections as well as the dependence on the optical potentials. A discussion on the sensitivity of the CDCC basis is discussed, by comparing pure breakup results with transfer to the continuum calculations. Finally, some remaining controversies show the need to go beyond the single particle picture for the projectile.