- Thomas Cooley (NYU Stern, ADEMU Advisory Committee Chair)
- René Smits (University of Amsterdam; ADEMU Advisory Committee)
- Ramon Marimon (European University Institute; Barcelona GSE; ADEMU Scientific Co-ordinator)
- Jean Pierre Danthine (Paris School of Economics; ADEMU Advisory Committee)
- Jose Manuel Campa (University of Navarra, Banco Santander, ADEMU Advisory Committee)
- Joaquin Almunia (Former Vice President of the European Commission)
A translation of my article published in AHORA on September 16th 2016
The Nobel laureate economist blames the euro for all the ills afflicting the European Union without rigorously considering the existence of causality between the object of his attacks and the negative consequences he attributes to it.
The latest book by Joseph Stiglitz, of which AHORA offered an excerpt last week, is a merciless plea against the euro. The Nobel Prize laureate in Economics vented all his fury on it, accusing it of all the evils that afflict the European Union – many, no doubt about it – without stopping to consider with a minimum rigour the existence of causality between the object of his attacks and the negative consequences attributed to it.
German artist Ottmar Hörl ‘s sculpture depicting the Euro logo. DANIEL ROLAND/AFP/Getty Images)
Shortly after knowing the outcome of the Brexit referendum, I decided to endorse the following statement from the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR).
The Brexit vote poses profound questions about the future of the European project. But the world will not stop while Europe works out its future; people will continue to want to come, enemies will continue to plot, civil wars will continue to kill. Continue Reading
Interview, as published in POLITICO.EU
A European heavyweight warns Spain’s Socialists against backward thinking.
By DIEGO TORRES 6/22/16, 5:23 AM CET
MADRID — Joaquín Almunia doesn’t trust far-left Podemos to run Spain, even as the former European commissioner blames his own Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and Mariano Rajoy’s conservatives for paving the way for the anti-austerity movement.
Photo: JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images
Almunia, who was a minister under Felipe González from 1982-1991 then led the PSOE to an election defeat in 2000 against the Popular Party (PP), regrets that the Socialists — and social democrats across Europe — are “still licking our wounds.” Polls predict the PSOE could be relegated to third place in Sunday’s elections, behind the PP and the Podemos-United Left alliance.
The pact between Cameron and the European Council will be worth as long as the UK remains in the EU without hindering the pending reforms. For the British, the advantages of stay outweigh by far the disadvantages.
Opinon piece published in El País
Photo: El País / Eva Vázquez
The uncertainty hovering the United Kingdom if it decides to leave the EU together with the serious repercussions on the rest of Europe adds drama to a European landscape plagued of unresolved problems: the refugees’ crisis, Jihadist terrorist attacks, an economic crisis that expands its effects into the social field and the political sphere. The EU is going through an extremely difficult moment. The institutions of the Union are gripped by the fear of national Governments of being overwhelmed by the populist arguments. In recent times the temptation of “every man for himself” has spread, even though whenever a country tries to take independent initiatives outside the Community framework, it generates conflicts with their partners without offering effective solutions.
If the Remain supporters win the referendum, and the traditional British pragmatism finally prevails over the emotional messages and the nostalgic who yearn for the “splendid Isolation”, there will be a great relief in almost all the world. The pact between Cameron and his colleagues in the European Council signed in February has undoubted edges – some of which may come close to be incompatible with the Union´s basic principles – and several of its elements are difficult to assume by the supporters of further progress in the integration. At the same time, but for the opposite reasons, the agreement is also rejected by the Eurosceptics. Anyhow, probably it is the least bad of the possible agreements.
Let me start with a declaration of my principles. I hope the referendum to be held on the 23 June will maintain the UK’s membership in the EU. I would have preferred other ways for David Cameron to deal with the eurosceptic wing of the Conservative Party, but at this point what matters is to make a positive result possible; that is to say a victory of the ‘remain’ side.
As an admirer of Britain and, at the same time, strong supporter of European integration, I am deeply concerned about the risks of Brexit. I accept that this campaign belongs to those who will participate in the vote, and that they have to take the responsibilities. But this should not prevent any of us outside Britain from expressing, respectfully, the way we see the consequences of their decision, not only for them but also for the rest of Europe’s citizens.
Article posted on the LSE Brexit vote Blog, on February 19th 2016
Foto: blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexitvote/
Most of the studies carried out about the consequences of Brexit conclude that the UK will have to endure very negative consequences on the medium to long term. But also the rest of Europe will suffer if the British voters decide to leave the EU. Continue Reading