The threat to the euro is over: EU chief Barroso claims single currency will not implode
But the risk is that such structural reforms become discredited because voters associate them with declining living standards and rising inequality, said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform in London. "The consequences are likely to be far-reaching. Not only will governments struggle to push through the needed reforms, but there is a risk of a broader backlash against the market economy and the European Union," he said.