Towards a post-German Europe

Paweł Świeboda
Commentary

Beyond the exceptional circumstances of the crisis, Europe cannot continue to be run from a single power centre. Much of the point of European integration has always been about creating a balance between the member states – constrain the strongest and empower the weakest. Given its status as the largest advanced economy with a top credit rating, the crisis has naturally elevated Germany to the position of the dominant power in Europe. This has led to massive resistance, also beyond the troubled countries of the European South. The foreign minister of neighbouring Luxembourg has cried out that „Germany does not have the right to decide the economic model for other states“. Read more...

Europe’s democratic divergence

Paweł Świeboda
Commentary

Europe’s electorates continue on different trajectories. Further economic slowdown expected in the first half of this year, will exacerbate the tensions and intensify the blame-game. In the process, the continent’s democratic politics is becoming a mirror image of the economic imbalances which have been at the heart of the eurozone emergency. If the problem is not addressed, next year’s elections to the European Parliament are likely to become an exercise in mutual recrimination which will further weaken efforts to solve the crisis. 
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Towards a Transatlantic Market

Paweł Świeboda
Policy paper

A new transatlantic momentum has been set in motion by the economic crisis. Both the US and the EU need every impulse for growth they can find. Their effort can also help to create a single global market based on regulatory convergence, equality of rights and responsibilities, and a level-playing field. The success of  TAFTA, the new trade and investment agreement which is being launched, is necessary if the US and the EU want to take advantage of their predominant role in the international economic system. In parallel, the EU and the US need to better understand each other’s macroeconomic policies with a view to improved coordination which is required by their structural interdependence. Finally, the jury is still out on whether the EU and the US can come to a joint understanding on issues of energy and climate change. Research collaboration on new technologies can help to bridge the existing policy gap.
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Beyond Europe’s zero-sum game 
Commentary for Policy Network’s “Europe in Search of a New Settlement”

Paweł Świeboda

The eurocrisis has created a sense of dislocation between the EU and its citizens. The immediate concern is stability, but in the long-run Europe needs a new settlement between the citizens, nation-states and EU institutions.

Europe’s existential struggle is not only about the survival of the common currency but also about a renewed sense ofpurpose. The crisis has created a massive sense of dislocation among the elites and citizens. For now, the all-absorbing objective is stability. Efforts are made to restore the basic functionality of the eurozone and correct the flaws of the past. The next step will be to achieve long-term fiscal and financial safety while avoiding incompleteness which has troubled the common currencysince the beginning.

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