The Eastern member states of the EU have seen impressive economic growth since joining the European Union. This is especially true for the Visegrád countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary), but also, for example, for Slovenia, Romania or Lithuania. In almost all of the ‘accession countries’, the economic development was far better than predicted […]
Economy
After several postponements, the European Commission put forward an orientation for a reform of the EU economic governance framework on 9 November. Now, hopefully, a real political discussion can take off. Since the global financial crisis in 2007, the sovereign debt crisis, the migration and climate emergency and the emergence of the EU Green Deal, […]
Europe is shaken by war and by its economic and social effects, compounding the fears and pains produced by the lasting pandemic. The authoritarian dynamic unleashed by inequalities and loss of certainties is gaining further ground everywhere. In this context, prompt measures to deal with the current state of affairs need to be coupled with […]
After a very long period of low inflation, the current cost-of-living crisis seems to have caught us just overnight. But has it really? Haven’t there been any early signs? How can we avoid having many people unable to heat their homes this winter, or even to pay their rent? And how is it possible to […]
According to Eurostat, Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 10 per cent in September 2022, with the most prominent drivers being energy, which is expected to have the highest annual rate in September (close to 40per cent) and food (close to 12 per cent). Hundreds of millions of Europeans are currently experiencing the […]
In her address to the European Parliament on the State of the European Union, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen talked about the need to “rediscover the spirit of Maastricht”. This is misguided, given that the old rules damaged both political integration and economic performance. New, bold proposals are needed to allow for genuine economic […]