Pisani-Ferry, J. (2014) “Europe’s Trapped Politics”, Project Syndicate, 29 Απριλίου.   PARIS – When the last European Parliament election was held, in 2009, it seemed that Europe’s citizens were all facing the same dangers. Across the continent, governments were busy coping with the consequences of the global crisis that had erupted the year before. Five years later, on the eve of another European Parliament election, the situation could not be …Read More

Lodge, M. & Wegrich, K. (2014) “Bureaucracy may be the solution, rather than the problem, for issues of European governance“, LSE EUROPP, 24 Απριλίου.   The European Union is often criticised from the perspective that it has created a layer of bureaucracy or ‘red tape’ which has a damaging effect on European governance. Martin Lodge and Kai Wegrich write that while it is particularly common for political parties to make …Read More

Fazi, T. (2014) “Is German Policy The Greatest Eurozone Threat? A Response To Jürgen Stark“, Social Europe Journal, 16 Απριλίου.   In a recent article published in the Financial Times, Jürgen Stark, a former member of the ECB’s executive board, brings the anti-inflation paranoia that the German establishment has accustomed us to since the start of the crisis to a whole new level. In his commentary, he rebuts the need …Read More

Issing, O. (2014) “The German Leadership Question”, Project Syndicate, 14 Απριλίου.   FRANKFURT – Many in the eurozone’s crisis countries complain that the source of their suffering is a rigid economic-austerity regime – including reductions in wages and pensions, tax increases, and soaring unemployment – imposed on them by Germany. Hostility against Germany has reached a level unseen in Europe since the end of World War II. And yet, despite …Read More

Lanthemann, M. (2014) “Berlin Fears a High Court Ruling Could Threaten the European Union“, Geopolitical Weekly, Stratfor, 15 Απριλίου.   The Greek economy ended its four-year exile from international markets last week with a triumphant 3 billion euro (about $4.1 billion) bond sale. The global financial media trumpeted this somewhat unexpected achievement as a sign that things were finally turning around in the European Union’s most blighted country. Media reports …Read More

Campos, F. N., Coricelli, F. & Moretti, L. (2014) “How much do countries benefit from membership in the European Union?”, VoxEU Organisation, 09 Απριλίου.   In the wake of the recent crisis, the debate about the economic benefits from EU membership has intensified. This column presents new results about the benefits countries derive from becoming EU members, using data from the 1980s and 2004 enlargements. There are substantial positive pay-offs, …Read More