Claeys, Gregory and Mazza Jan, “‘Lo spread’: The collateral damage of Italy’s confrontation with the EU“, Bruegel.org, July The authors assess whether the European Commission’s actions towards Italy since September 2018 have had a visible impact on the spread between Italian sovereign-bond yields and those of Germany, and particularly whether the Commission’s warnings have acted as a ‘signalling device’ for bond-market participants that it might be difficult for Italy to …Read More
Brexit banking exodus creates a dilemma for Dublin
Christie, Rebecca, (2019), “Brexit banking exodus creates a dilemma for Dublin“, Bruegel.org, July Europe’s financial centre is splitting up, possibly for the better. Dublin has gained a lot of new business from London’s exodus, becoming the top choice of firms seeking higher ground post-Brexit. Now Ireland must decide whether it wants to be a leader or a counterweight in Europe’s financial future. With the departure of the UK as the …Read More
The EU’s east-west divide
Kovats, Eszter et al, (2019), “The EU’s east-west divide“, Social Europe, July The so-called ‘Treuhand’ policy which entailed an enormous transfer of wealth from east to west through the privatisation of most state enterprises and real estate to west Germans, the introduction of a militant neoliberal capitalism that would have been politically unthinkable in west Germany at that time, the alteration of entire living and working environments from one day …Read More
Greek elections: The view from across Europe
Brown, Stuart, (2019), “Greek elections: The view from across Europe“, July Greece held legislative elections on 7 July. The preliminary results indicated New Democracy had won a majority of seats, with Syriza in second place. El País describes the result as the “end of a cycle” for Greece, with the four years of Syriza in government coming to an end and the mainstream centre-right winning a majority “worthy of another era”. The Financial …Read More
Greek elections: The view from across Europe
Brown, Stuart, (2019), “Greek elections: The view from across Europe“, Blogs.Lse , July Greece held legislative elections on 7 July. The preliminary results indicated New Democracy had won a majority of seats, with Syriza in second place. El País describes the result as the “end of a cycle” for Greece, with the four years of Syriza in government coming to an end and the mainstream centre-right winning a majority “worthy of another …Read More
Preparing for uncertainty
Papadia, Fransesco, (2019), “Preparing for uncertainty“, Bruegel.org, July Monetary policy must reinvent itself in the wake of the crisis. Reinvention is particularly important because the system is riddled with uncertainties and the scope for applying both conventional and unconventional instruments is limited. The architecture of Economic and Monetary Union makes the challenge even greater because alignment of preferences and policies can only go so far. Σχετικές Αναρτήσεις Kontogeorgos et all, …Read More
The economic geography of sovereignist Europe
Ottaviano, Gianmarco, (2019), “The economic geography of sovereignist Europe“, Vox CEPR Policy Portal, July Economic geography strikes back. After a couple of decades of easy talk about the ‘death of distance’ in the age of globalization, the promise of a world of rising living standards for all is increasingly challenged by the resilience of regional disparities within countries. As long as many people and firms are not geographically mobile – …Read More
Euro area unemployment at 7.5%
Eurostat/Euro area unemployment at 7.5%/1 July 2019 The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5% in May 2019, down from 7.6% in April 2019 and from 8.3% in May 2018. This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since July 2008. The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.3% in May 2019, down from 6.4% in April 2019 and from 6.9% in May 2018. This is the lowest rate …Read More
Have Austria, Germany and the Netherlands impeded Eurozone reforms?
Silvana Tarlea, (2019), “Have Austria, Germany and the Netherlands impeded Eurozone reforms?”, LSE EUROPP, 1 July The latest efforts to deepen Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union have produced limited results, with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently highlighting the role of Austria, Germany and the Netherlands in opposing reforms. Drawing on a new study, Silvana Tarlea illustrates the dynamics that underpin negotiations over Eurozone reforms. She explains that financial sector exposure …Read More
Outlook for Italy: Fiscal policy and instability in the government remain key sources of risk
Dennis Shen, (2019), “Outlook for Italy: Fiscal policy and instability in the government remain key sources of risk”, LSE EUROPP, 27 June Lega finished a sizeable distance ahead of their coalition partners, the Five Star Movement, in the recent European elections. Dennis Shen writes that although Lega’s leader, Matteo Salvini, has stated he has no intention of pushing for snap elections in the short-term, the prospect of instability in the …Read More