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Begin New Search Publishing Institution Centre for European Policy Studies Publication Year within 25 Years

91. The Euro Crisis: Implications for the Internal Market and Harmonisation of Corporate Taxes

Author:
H. Onno Ruding
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The so-called 'euro crisis' is of the utmost economic, financial and political importance for all member countries of the euro area and for the future of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). In my view, however, it is not primarily a euro crisis in the strict sense. The euro itself is of course involved, but, as a currency with a rather stable exchange rate vis-à-vis other currencies and with a major role in global financial markets, it is not at the heart of the crisis. Rather the crisis is a matter of the serious imbalances in the economies of several euro-area countries, particularly their budget deficits and sovereign debts and as well as their lack of competitiveness and balance-of-payments deficits.
Topic:
Economics, Markets, and Monetary Policy
Political Geography:
Europe

92. Self-Fulfilling Crises in the Eurozone: An Empirical Test

Author:
Paul De Grauwe and Yuemei Ji
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
This paper tests the hypothesis that government bond markets in the eurozone are more fragile and more susceptible to self-fulfilling liquidity crises than in stand-alone countries. We find evidence that a significant part of the surge in the spreads of the PIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) in the eurozone during 2010-11 was disconnected from underlying increases in the debt-to-GDP ratios and fiscal space variables, and was the result of negative self-fulfilling market sentiments that became very strong since the end of 2010. We argue that this can drive member countries of the eurozone into bad equilibria.
Topic:
Economics, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

93. Russian Foreign Policy: What is not seen from the Kremlin

Author:
Andrey S. Makarychev, Larisa Deriglazova, and Oleg Reut
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The rising generation of Russian foreign policy experts and commentators, especially outside Moscow, is increasingly sceptical about the key premises of Russian diplomacy and see more failures than achievements in Russia's relations with its closest partners, including the EU and neighbouring states. This is the conclusion that stems from a series of interviews and focus groups carried out with young Russian professionals about Russia's current foreign policies. The study reveals a strong cognitive dissonance between the official diplomatic discourse of the Kremlin and the perceptions of young experts who work in a variety of fields dealing with international cooperation either at a lower level of the state hierarchy or in different professional domains. This paper summarises the key findings of this project and discusses their practical implications.
Topic:
Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Moscow

94. A European Deposit Insurance and Resolution Fund

Author:
Daniel Gros and Dirk Schoenmaker
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The eurozone is caught in a 'diabolical loop' in which weak domestic banking systems damage sovereign fiscal positions and conversely, in which risky sovereign positions disproportionately threaten domestic banking stability. A European-level banking system could go a long way towards breaking this unfortunate loop and stabilising the eurozone. This would require a European safety net for cross-border banks.
Topic:
Economics, Regional Cooperation, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

95. A Sovereign Wealth Fund to Lift Germany's Curse of Excess Savings

Author:
Daniel Gros and Thomas Mayer
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
For most of the time since the early 1950s, national savings in Germany have tended to exceed national investment, resulting in a current account surplus. Most of these excess savings have been intermediated by the domestic banking system, which has had difficulties investing these German surpluses abroad given that it is prohibited by law from taking any exchange rate risk. This tended to keep the surplus within limits most of the time (less than 1- 2% of GDP). With the advent of the euro, however, German surpluses could become much larger and seem now to have become structurally engrained at 6% of GDP, or over one-quarter of savings. Since the start of the euro crisis, German private savers have repatriated their investments – effectively unloading their exposure onto the public sector as German banks have deposited hundreds of billions of euro at the Bundesbank. These funds are being lent by the ECB to banks in the euro area periphery (at 75 bps) – ensuring effectively a negative real return.
Topic:
Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Sovereign Wealth Funds
Political Geography:
Europe and Germany

96. Can Italy and Spain survive rates of 6-7%?

Author:
Daniel Gros
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The sentiment that the euro is now in real danger is based in large part on the widespread conviction that interest rates of 6-7% are simply unsustainable for both Italy and Spain., After taking a closer look at the fundamentals, however, Daniel Gros concludes in this new Policy Brief that both countries should be able to live with this level of interest rates for quite some time, but only if they mobilize domestic savings, which remain strong in both countries. For Spain, some debt/equity swaps are also needed.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, Markets, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe, Spain, and Italy

97. Unholy compromise in the eurozone and how to right it

Author:
Stefano Micossi
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
Two years after the first Greek rescue in May 2010, crisis management in the eurozone has still failed to restore confidence. A vivid picture of the situation can be found in Figure 1: the constellation of spreads on ten-year sovereign debts over the Bund in the eurozone is wider than it was before monetary union, as though financial markets had already discounted its breakdown. Temporary respites, notably in the early part of 2012, have not interrupted the trend of increasing divergence that risks undermining the credibility of adjustment efforts under way.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, Markets, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

98. Pre-empting Technical Barriers in the Single Market

Author:
Jacques Pelkmans and Anabela Correia de Brito
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
Effective enforcement and compliance with EU law is not just a legal necessity, it is also of economic interest since the potential of the Single Market will be fully exploited. Enforcement barriers generate unjustified costs and hindrances or uncertainty for cross-border business and might deprive consumers from receiving the full benefit of greater choice and/or cheaper offers.
Topic:
Economics, Markets, Monetary Policy, and Law
Political Geography:
Europe

99. Central Banks in Times of Crisis: The FED vs. the ECB

Author:
Daniel Gros, Cinzia Alcidi, and Alessandro Giovannini
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
Different economic and financial structures require different crisis responses. Different crises also require different tools and resources. The first 'stage' of the financial crisis (2007-09) was similar on both sides of the Atlantic, and the response was also quite similar. The second stage of the crisis is unique to the euro area. Increasing financial disintegration within the region has forced the ECB to become the central counterparty for the entire cross-border banking market and to intervene in the sovereign bond market of some stressed countries. The actions undertaken by the European Central Bank (ECB), however, have not always represented the best response, in terms of effectiveness, consistency and transparency. This is especially true for the Securities Markets Programme (SMP): by de facto imposing its absolute seniority during the Greek PSI (private sector involvement), the ECB has probably killed its future effectiveness.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

100. External versus Domestic Debt in the Euro Crisis

Author:
Daniel Gros
Publication Date:
05-2011
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
As EU leaders muddle through the eurozone crisis, the debate about its root causes continues. CEPS Director Daniel Gros argues in this Policy Brief that the debate is important if we are to understand how to prevent future crises. In his view, external debt is the key to the turmoil in European economies and that the focus on total public debt is therefore misleading.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe