EU banking unionPolitical Union Eurozone limits
  • What a banking union means for Europe
    Essay by Philip Whyte, 05 December 2012
    What a banking union means for Europe
  • Alice in euroland: What political union for the single currency?
    Insight by Philip Whyte, 09 October 2012
    Alice in euroland: What political union for the single currency?
  • Has the eurozone reached the limits of the politically possible?
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 12 July 2012
    Has the eurozone reached the limits of the politically possible?
  • The euro's reality gap
    Bulletin article by Simon Tilford, 01 June 2010

    Europe faces a critical choice between greater integration or disintegration. The gap between the rhetoric of a united Europe and the reality of national interests and politics has always dogged the EU.

  • Closing the gap between rhetoric and reality is key to the euro's survival
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 10 May 2010

    Europe faces a critical choice between greater integration and disintegration. The gap between the rhetoric of a united and integrated Europe and the reality of national interests and politics has always dogged Europe.

  • EU learnt from Greek experience
    Opinion piece by Simon Tilford
    Financial Times, 09 May 2010

    Sir, Lex on the Portuguese bail-out (May 4) implies that the International Monetary Fund would have imposed more rigorous criteria on the crisis-hit country than the “soft-touch” European Union.

  • The dangers of a disgruntled Germany
    Insight by Katinka Barysch, 07 May 2010

    Germany has finally agreed to help bail out Greece. The negotiations were acrimonious and took months. Angela Merkel’s hesitation and prevarication have increased the cost of the bail-out and unsettled financial markets.
  • Turning Japanese?
    Insight by Simon Tilford, 30 April 2010

    Japan has long had the highest level of public debt of any developed economy. The country’s public debt to GDP ratio is around 200 per cent of GDP, far in excess of even the EU’s worst performers.
  • There can be no eurozone stability without economic growth
    Bulletin article by Simon Tilford, 01 April 2010

    The German government believes that tougher fiscal rules are the solution to current strains in the eurozone. No doubt such rules are necessary. But they are not enough.

  • Greece rescue is just a sticking plaster
    Opinion piece by Charles Grant
    The Guardian, 30 March 2010

    For several years it has been evident that any momentum the European Union had for further integration has been dwindling. For instance, despite the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, the EU shows few signs of developing more united and effective foreign policies.

  • Why Christine Lagarde is right about Germany
    Insight by Philip Whyte, 26 March 2010

    Greece’s recent fiscal travails have, slightly unexpectedly, thrown the spotlight on Germany’s current-account surplus. In mid-March, France’s finance minister, Christine Lagarde, urged Germany to do more to boost domestic demand – a call echoed by the European Commission’s president, José Manuel Barroso.