Euro crisis – Page 6 – Dr Oliver Hartwich

France’s indecent proposal is an affront to policymaking

23/10/2014

The eurozone has long been stuck in an economic cul-de-sac. The longer the malaise drags on, the more one gets the impression that it is in a political dead end, too. You cannot find reasonable policies anymore if this is how they are discussed.

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Has Germany’s bubble finally burst?

16/10/2014

As recent economic data shows, the German economy is dramatically slowing. Exports experienced their biggest fall for five years, growth forecasts for the next year have been downgraded by research institutes. It is quite possible that the country is already in recession. These are not just cyclical developments. A much bigger swing is on the way, which will end all talk about the economic powerhouse in the heart of Europe.

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An acid test for French-German diplomacy

25/09/2014

In the past, a French prime minister or president visiting Germany would have not only been greeted with military honours but also been treated with polite interest and respect, maybe even admiration. After 15 years of monetary union, which was meant to bring Europe’s nations closer together, only the diplomatic formalities of this past are left.

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The sublime irony of Draghi’s dilemma

28/08/2014

With all of Europe’s woes, the ECB now looks like the last institution able to move the continent’s economy. But even the ECB cannot achieve what Europe really needs to make it viable in the long run: painful but effective economic reforms.

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There’s only one cure for the eurozone’s terminal disease

21/08/2014

Euro periphery countries should have the courage to rid themselves off the shackles of an ill-designed currency union that they should have never joined in the first place. What do they have to lose?

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The calm before the eurozone storm

14/08/2014

The next stages of the euro crisis are already programmed into the system. It is just a matter of time until the current period of calm ends. And though it is impossible to when we can expect the next euro storm, one thing we can say with certainty: The euro crisis is not over. Far from it.

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A new legal challenge to the ECB’s mandate

31/07/2014

The two ECB flagship projects of saving the euro and saving Europe’s banks are now both under legal threat. Sometimes “whatever it takes” is not enough if you cannot convince top judges as well.

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The political cost of Germany’s uber-competitiveness

24/07/2014

It is the same mentality that has propelled Aldi to one of the world’s most successful retail chains, one that is driving Germany’s astonishing competitiveness. Except the international economy does not quite run like a supermarket.

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Setting the stage lights for Europe’s second crisis

03/07/2014

Published in Business Spectator (Melbourne), 3 July 2014 Last week, I wrote about Angela Merkel’s declining influence in Europe. For a number of domestic and international reasons, the German Chancellor can no longer enforce austerity and economic reforms in the eurozone. She is already past the peak of her power, I concluded. What I did not […]

The fallout from Merkel’s waning power

26/06/2014

It is debatable whether Merkel actually managed to negotiate good deals for her country, but at least it always appeared as if she was able to dictate her will in Europe. Not anymore.

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