The euro
Why Germany is not a model for Europe
10 November 2010
Der Tagesspiel
Germany's economy has been winning numerous plaudits of late. It is not hard to see why. Previously much-vaunted economies "Ireland, Spain, the UK and the US, to name just four" lived way beyond their means for far too long.
EU economic reforms fall short on growth
30 September 2010
Financial Times
The European Commission announced proposals for reform of eurozone governance on Wednesday, calling for closer monitoring of member states’ public finances and tougher penalties for alleged fiscal ill-discipline.
How to fix the eurozone
27 September 2010
International Herald Tribune
A recent European Union meeting to review blueprints for better management of the euro got overshadowed by a noisy row over France’s decision to send scores of Roma – or gypsies – back to Bulgaria and Romania.
The strategic consequences of the euro crisis
01 September 2010
Europe's world
The euro crisis will be with us for many years. The underlying causes, such as southern Europe's lack of competitiveness, cannot be remedied overnight; Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain face years of low growth, severe curbs on public spending and perhaps social unrest.
The euro's success requires liberalisation
26 August 2010
The Wall Street Journal
Critics of the euro zone have long claimed that it suffers from structural flaws that threaten its long-term survival. The Greek sovereign-debt crisis has done much to vindicate these misgivings.
Germany's euro advantage
13 July 2010
International Herald Tribune
Prior to the introduction of the euro, European economies running big trade deficits routinely devalued their currencies against the Deutschmark and other currencies tied to it. This prompted allegations of beggar-thy-neighbor activity and even calls for protectionism.
Merkels bezuiniging is onverantwoordelijk
14 June 2010
NRC Handelsblad
Het Duitse besluit om sterk te gaan bezuinigingen is volkomen verkeerd. De Duitsers moeten juist gaan consumeren, betoogt Simon Tilford.
Elke economie in de eurozone slaat halsoverkop aan het hakken in de overheidsuitgaven. Het lijdt geen twijfel dat de eurozone en de EU als geheel een grote uitdaging op begrotingsterrein te...
Elke economie in de eurozone slaat halsoverkop aan het hakken in de overheidsuitgaven. Het lijdt geen twijfel dat de eurozone en de EU als geheel een grote uitdaging op begrotingsterrein te...
EU learnt from Greek experience
09 May 2010
Financial Times
Sir, Lex on the Portuguese bail-out (May 4) implies that the International Monetary Fund would have imposed more rigorous criteria on the crisis-hit country than the “soft-touch” European Union.
Greece rescue is just a sticking plaster
30 March 2010
The Guardian
For several years it has been evident that any momentum the European Union had for further integration has been dwindling. For instance, despite the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, the EU shows few signs of developing more united and effective foreign policies.
Europe cannot afford to let Greece default
15 January 2010
Financial Times
The eurozone cannot afford to make an example of crisis-hit Greece. Claims by officials and politicians in the currency bloc's fiscally more robust economies - including Wolfgang Schauble, Germany's finance minister - that the Greeks will have to find their own way out of the crisis, are not credible.
Germany will not drive a European recovery
01 September 2009
Financial Times
The European Union’s biggest member goes to the polls in less than four weeks. Yet while Germany’s economic prospects rest precariously on a recovery in foreign demand, the campaign has been free of any real debate about the country’s extraordinary export dependence. This is worrying.
A sustainable EU economic recovery requires...
A sustainable EU economic recovery requires...
The wages of recovery
15 April 2009
The Wall Street Journal
Everywhere in Europe the talk is of the need to cut costs. Companies have no choice but to respond to declining profits by reducing expenses.
Ten years on, the eurozone must beware of Greeks bearing debts
29 March 2009
The Times
Europe's leaders have plenty to fret about. The Czech Government, which holds the EU presidency, has collapsed. The European Commission is battling against the protectionist instincts of some states.
Les crises appellent une figure forte pour l'Europe
06 March 2009
La Croix
La période actuelle où est mise à l’épreuve la construction européenne exige, pour Charles Grant, non pas davantage de transferts de compétences, mais une personnalité de premier plan face au reste du monde.
Wij moeten de zwakke eurolanden helpen
02 March 2009
NRC Handelsblad
Twaalf maanden geleden leek het nog ondenkbaar dat een EU-lidstaat in een staatsschuldencrisis zou belanden. Toch behoort dit nu tot de mogelijkheden.
How to avoid a eurozone debt crisis
24 February 2009
The Wall Street Journal
Twelve months ago it seemed inconceivable that any European Union member could face a sovereign debt crisis. It would have been the stuff of fantasy to argue that Ireland or Austria could be among those at risk.
This is no time to listen to the siren call of the euro
14 October 2008
The Guardian
Since the Labour party entered office in 1997, the UK economy has become more "European". One of the government's first acts in office was to sign up to the EU's social chapter. It followed this with the introduction of a minimum wage in 1999, along with sustained increases in public expenditure.
Could the euro rule supreme? It's not worth it
27 November 2007
Financial Times
In the 1970s, John Connally, President Richard Nixon's treasury secretary, famously quipped to a group of visiting Europeans that "the dollar may be our currency, but it's your problem".
How to ensure the eurozone does not unravel
04 October 2006
Financial Times
The euro has to be a success if Europe is to flourish. Unfortunately, diverging trends in competitiveness within the eurozone threaten its stability.
Slow reform could bust up eurozone
19 September 2006
Business Week
The eurozone risks breaking up in the near future putting the entire EU single market into jeopardy unless member states – particularly Italy - undertake crucial economic reforms, according to a new report.
Entitled Will the eurozone crack?, the report by the London-based Centre for European Reform, argues that instead of...
Entitled Will the eurozone crack?, the report by the London-based Centre for European Reform, argues that instead of...