Press

Ora io non nego che si tratti di aspetti rilevanti, figuriamoci. Ma mi hanno molto impressionato l'analisi e quindi la strada prospettata da un economista come Simon Tilford, noto ai lettori del Financial Times e de Il Sole 24 Ore ed ora al CER dopo essere stato all'Economist Intelligence Unit. Devo premettere che gli argomenti di Tilford incrociano una disputa teorica accesa fra gli economisti che vanno tuttora per la maggiore, quelli cioè che predicano l'autosufficienza del mercato con uno Stato. 
 

"The French do have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot in terms of international public relations," said Philip Whyte of the CER in London. "This is the sort of incident that does their reputation no good."

"When people think about Europe, they think in a lot less parochial way than probably 25 years ago," said Philip Whyte of the CER. "The paradox is that the growth of that feeling has coincided with a growth of hostility to the Brussels institutions."

Andrew Marr looks at Germany's role in Europe. Katinka Barysch argues that despite the crisis, support for EU integration still dominates, and that unlike Britain, the ability to compromise is seen as a skill, not a weakness.

"It is possible that the rest of the EU might agree to Britain having an opt-out from the justice and home affairs pillar of EU regulation", says John Springford of the CER. "But to try to get employment rules changed, when lots of countries feel they are an integral part of the single market, will be very difficult."

But,as John Springford from the CER has pointed out, [if the UK's contribution to the EU after 2013 rises by around £500m a year] it's the equivalent of about 0.03% of our GDP - roughly the annual budget of Oxfordshire County Council.

Several economists and other experts at a conference in Brussels Wednesday organized by the CER, depicted the weakness of the French economy as a challenge that the eurozone is likely to have to confront next year.