Macroeconomics & the euro
Liberal versus social Europe
01 August 2005
Europe is in the grip of a fundamental debate about its economic future, or at least that is what some politicians and many journalists would have us believe.
Issue 43 - 2005
29 July 2005
- Liberal versus social Europe, Katinka Barysch
- A bad European dream, Daniel Keohane
- Europe’s social dilemma, Alasdair Murray
Over but far from finished - The EU's financial services action plan
01 September 2004
The EU has now all but completed the legislative phase of its financial services action plan (FSAP). The action plan is an attempt to reduce the legal obstacles which prevent businesses – whether banks, insurance companies or stock exchanges – from selling their services seamlessly across the EU.
Is tax competition bad?
02 August 2004
EU enlargement was meant to be a cause for celebration. But one seemingly esoteric issue is threatening to spoil the fun: taxation. West Europeans fear that low tax rates in the new member-states will lure companies eastward, taking jobs and investment with them.
Issue 37 - 2004
30 July 2004
- The recipe for a successful Commission, Alasdair Murray
- Is tax competition bad?, Katinka Barysch
- The peculiarities of the British, Charles Grant
A pact for stability and growth
03 October 2003
The stability and growth pact – the EU’s fiscal rule book – is in tatters. The eurozone’s largest countries, Germany and France, are in breach of the pact, having exceeded the 3 per cent of GDP limit for budget deficits in 2002 and 2003. Theyare likely to do so again...
If it's broken, fix it!
01 October 2003
Europeans are right to worry about their economy. Forecasters think that the eurozone economy will grow by a paltry 0.5 per cent this year. But the real problem is that Europe's sluggish performance is part of a long-term trend.
Issue 32 - 2003
26 September 2003
- If it's broken, fix it! , Katinka Barysch
- A clean break for Europe , Nick Butler
- The EU must be tougher and more creative on Iran, Steven Everts
Der Lissabon-Anzeiger: EU Wirtschaftsreformen vor der Osterweiterung
05 September 2003
Als sich im März 2000 die EU-Staatschefs zum Gipfel in Lissabon versammelten, schien Europas Wirtschaft am Anfang eines neuen goldenen Zeitalters zu stehen. Die Wachstumsraten waren die höchsten seit nahezu einem Jahrzehnt.
Britain and the euro: How to reap the benefits
06 June 2003
The British government predicts that joining the euro would boost domestic investment, employment and growth – provided the economic conditions are right. It has promised to implement measures to ensure that Britain will benefit from the euro.
The euro and prices
03 January 2003
By most measures, the euro’s first year been a success. Doomsayers had predicted that the currency changeover would cause mayhem on European highstreets, long queues in front of cash machines and a wave of crime and forgery. In the event, the participating countries adapted to the new currency quickly and...
A half-finished job: The EU’s financial services action plan
01 November 2002
At the Lisbon summit in March 2000, EU heads of government signed up to an ambitious programme designed to achieve a viable single market in financial services by 2005. The financial services action plan (FSAP) is an attempt to reduce the legal obstacles which still prevent businesses – whether retail...
How to reform the European Central Bank
11 October 2002
Europe's macro-economic policy framework is in trouble. Eurozone inflation continues to overshoot the ECB's 'reference value' of 2 per cent. Yet businesses and policy-makers are pleading with the ECB for lower interest rates.
European economic reform: Tackling the delivery deficit
04 October 2002
The EU has set itself a series of ambitious economic reform goals but has so far failed to deliver on its promises. Alasdair Murray argues in this report that the Convention on the future of Europe and the forthcoming inter governmental conference provide an opportunity for the EU to think afresh about how it can overcome the institutional obstacles to economic reform.
New rules for capital markets
01 August 2002
The fallout from the Enron and WorldCom corporate scandals in the United States will resonate through global securities markets for years to come.
Issue 24 - 2002
31 May 2002
- A 'competence catalogue' is code for protectionism, Ulrike Guérot
- Europe's future is in Ireland's hands , Daniel Keohane
- Playing the European game , Antonio Missiroli
Closing the delivery deficit: The future of economic governance in Europe
03 May 2002
The EU has set itself a series of highly ambitious economic goals to fulfil in the next decade. Eurozone countries are committed to ensuring the longterm health of the single currency, which will mean further economic integration. The Union will need to incorporate successfully at least ten dynamic but diverse...
The Barcelona scorecard: The status of economic reform in the enlarging EU
03 May 2002
Only a new 'High Representative for Economic Policy' can ensure the EU meets its 2010 target of becoming "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world".
Issue 23 - 2002
29 March 2002
- Restoring leadership to the European council , Charles Grant
- The EU needs a flexible pact , Alasdair Murray
The Barcelona European Council
01 March 2002
The EU's ten-year plan to transform itself into "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010" is running out of steam. The forthcoming summit in Barcelona on March 15 and 16 needs to reenergise Europe's faltering commitment to the 'Lisbon agenda' of economic reform.