Zielonka, J. (2014) “Mending A Dysfunctional European Union“, Social Europe Journal, 11 Ιουνίου.   The EU is not an end in itself. Europe needs a vision of functional integration orchestrated and managed not just by states, but also major regions, cities, NGOs and firms. Elections create winners and losers; the former suffer from hangover due to the excess of champagne; the latter suffer from hangover caused by depression. These last …Read More

Cooper, R. (2014) “The European Union does not have a democratic deficit – it has a democratic surplus“, LSE EUROPP, 11 Ιουνίου.   The European Union has often been accused of having a ‘democratic deficit’. Sir Robert Cooper writes that what the EU actually suffers from is a ‘democratic surplus’: elections are held, but turnout remains extremely low due to a lack of interest among citizens. As national parliaments appear …Read More

Magnus, G. (2014) “The ECB and Sisyphus: it won’t be finished unless it does QE“, Pieria Online, 09 Ιουνίου.   Mario Draghi, 5th June: “Are we finished? The answer is no… within our mandate, we’re not finished yet.” After the announcements made following the ECB’s June meeting, we hope this wasn’t an idle remark from the President because the ECB will almost certainly have to come back and do more …Read More

Harding, G. (2014) “Προσοχή στα «κενά» τής ΕΕ – Πώς θα κλείσει το δημοκρατικό έλλειμμα στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση“, ForeignAffairs – TheHellenicEdition, 09 Ιουνίου.   Ο ευρωσκεπτικισμός αποτελεί πλέον μια ασθένεια σε όλη την ήπειρο, με την δυναμική να έχει στραφεί στην πλευρά του. Για να ξανακερδίσει τους πολίτες, η ΕΕ θα πρέπει να κάνει λιγότερα, αλλά να τα κάνει καλύτερα. Το δημοκρατικό έλλειμμα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης σπάνια ήταν σαφέστερα εμφανές …Read More

Rogoff, K. (2014) “The 4% Non-Solution”, Project Syndicate, 05 Ιουνίου.   PARIS – For some time now, there has been concern that central bankers have “run out of bullets.” Having lowered their policy rates to near zero, they have engaged in increasingly extravagant measures such as “quantitative easing” and “forward guidance.” Given the fog cast over real economic activity by the financial crisis, it is difficult to offer a definitive …Read More

Flesher Fominaya, C. (2014) ““Spain is Different”: Podemos and 15-M“, LSE EUROPP, 04 Ιουνίου.   In a dismal post-European election scenario, in which the extreme right has managed to emerge as the leading political formation in a number of European democracies, Spain has once again lived up to the 1960’s tourist slogan “Spain is different”. While the right-wing party Partido Popular (PP) won the most votes, the real news is …Read More

Merkel, W. (2014) “Failing Union Of Capitalism And Democracy Fuels Rise In Inequality“, Social Europe Journal, 03 Ιουνίου.   Recent weeks have been all about elections and broken promises: from early April to mid-May, half-a-billion Indians went to the polls in what many described an astonishing display of democratic prowess. Later, millions of European citizens elected their representatives to the often-criticised and never much-loved European Union parliament. Meanwhile, Australian prime …Read More

Gros, D., Piedrafita, S., (2014), “Common Misconceptions about the European Parliamentary Elections”, CEPR Commentary, Μάιος. Much commentary on the EP elections has followed the line that the European Parliament somehow has less democratic legitimacy because the participation rate is low, and that these elections are taken less seriously because people’s trust in the EU institutions in general and the European Parliament in particular is low. Both arguments lose much of …Read More

Blair, T. (2014) “A Manifesto for European Change“, Project Syndicate, 03 Ιουνίου.   LONDON – Interpreting election results, especially when turnout is not high, is always a risky business. And, in the case of the recent European Parliament election, the results were not uniform. The most spectacular result was in Italy, where a pro-reform, pro-Europe party led by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi won more than 40% of the vote. Chancellor …Read More

Salamone, A. (2014) “The European Council should not feel obliged to choose any of the leading candidates as President of the European Commission“, LSE EUROPP, 02 Ιουνίου.   This year’s European Parliament election has been noteworthy both for the rise of Euroscepticism and the introduction of leading candidates for European Commission president put forward by some of the European political parties. Anthony Salamone argues that the European Council should freely …Read More