Carras, Costas, (2013), “Europe poised between union and hegemony”, Open Democracy – Free Thinking for the World. French and German overriding of the European Commission over the Stability Pact can be seen, ten years later, to have been disastrous. A vision more powerful, more engaging, more profound than “common interest” is now required if Europe is to survive, and divided Cyprus is a test case.
How the EZ crisis is permanently changing EU institutions
Micossi, Stefano, (2013), “How the EZ crisis is permanently changing EU institutions”, The Centre for Economic Policy Research, Policy Insight, N. 65. The Eurozone crisis has elicited oceans of comment and analysis related to crisis management. Much less noticed is the crisis’ deep impact on EU institutions. A series of decisions taken at crisis summits massively centralised EU executive power over national economic policymaking. These decisions also shifted the institutional …Read More
The Cyprus Eurocrisis: the beginning of the end of the Eurozone?
Trimikliniotis, Nicos, (2013), “The Cyprus Eurocrisis: the beginning of the end of the Eurozone?”, Open Democracy – Free Thinking for the World, 25 Μαρτίου. EU accession in 2004 did little if anything to make runaway bankers accountable; on the contrary, the so-called institutional ‘independence’ of the Central Bank making the Governor accountable to the ECB rather than having any democratic accountability to the people who would be immediately affected, made …Read More
Striking the right balance? An uneventful summit despite mounting socio-political uncertainties – Post-Summit Analysis
Emmanouilidis, Janis A., (2013), “Striking the right balance? An uneventful summit despite mounting socio-political uncertainties – Post-Summit Analysis”, European Policy Centre, 18 Mαρτίου. It was not a summit that will enter the EU’s history books, and there were no new concrete additional measures to counter low economic growth and high (youth) unemployment. But the 14-15 March European Council did send out a subtle message that EU leaders – concerned about …Read More
European enlargement and the economic crisis: impact and lasting effects
Zahn, Rebecca, (2013), “European enlargement and the economic crisis: impact and lasting effects”, European Trade Union Institute, Working Paper 2013.1. This working paper by Rebecca Zahn of the University of Stirling looks at the effects of the economic crisis on the enlarged European Union and the European Social Model. Starting from an analysis of the well-known Viking and Laval decisions of the European Court of Justice from 2007 and 2008, the …Read More
Will the EU Grow Again ? From EU-27 To EU-36 and Beyond?
Verluise, Pierre, (2013), “Will the EU Grow Again ? From EU-27 To EU-36 and Beyond?”, IRIS – Institut De Relations Internationales Et Strategiques, Μάρτιος. The current uncertainty about the expanding frontiers of the European Union is nourishing anxiety that the European elites seem happy to underestimate. Rather like a boomerang this concern fuels a growing estrangement from the EU idea within the community. Hence, as we enter 2013, there is …Read More
Italy’s Perfect Storm
Ungaro, Carlo, (2013), “Italy’s Perfect Storm”, Open Democracy – Free Thinking for the World, 7 Μαρτίου. Some foreign publications, in commenting on the situation in Italy after the recent electoral results, have reverted to the offensively superficial and trite image of “bring on the clowns”. The term could be used both in a derogatory and a purely descriptive sense, as the only real winner of the election, Mr. Beppe Grillo, …Read More
Two cheers for Beppe Grillo
Grant, Charles, Tilford, Simon, (2013), “Two cheers for Beppe Grillo”, The Centre for European Reform, 1 Μαρτίου. The Achilles heel of the euro has always been democracy. Although the euro is unlikely to break up, that risk cannot be entirely excluded: one day, voters may choose a government committed to policies that are incompatible with the conditions set by Europe’s leaders for membership of the single currency.”
Crisis Management in the Euro Area: Why Europe’s Policy is on the Right Track
Becker, Werner, Löchel, Horst, Gregosz, David, (2013) “Crisis Management in the Euro Area: Why Europe’s Policy is on the Right Track”, The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. The aim of this article is to show that the crisis-driven pragmatism of politics is an appropriate way of resolving the problems in the currency area and placing the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on a new, more stable footing. The paper will show …Read More
What is political union?
Dullien, Sebastian, Torreblanca Ignacio, Jose,(2012), ‘What is political union?’, The European Council on Foreign Relations. “The euro crisis has led to a massive transfer of power to the EU level, and made political union a genuine possibility. But although pro-Europeans now agree that political union is necessary to save the euro, they often have in mind very different things. A new ECFR paper by Sebastian Dullien and José Ignacio Torreblanca …Read More