Friends of Europe | Library | Paper

News article, Competitive Europe, Fact Sheet

09/05/2012

Rise and fall: When the fate of political leaders is tied to that of financial markets

When investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, the global economic decline that had begun in late 2007 took an abrupt downward turn. The ensuing economic crisis has not only impacted on business, but also on the political arena. Leaders across Europe struggle to maintain credibility as their electorate protest against austerity measures and public spending cuts.

News article, Competitive Europe

30/04/2012

Rising unemployment in Spain, credit rating downgrade confirms bleak outlook

The number of unemployed people in Spain has hit a record 5.64 million, according to the Spanish statistics agency. This puts the current unemployment rate at nearly 25% - a dramatic increase from the 7.9% rate registered in April 2007.

Competitive Europe, Guest Contribution

30/04/2012

Eurozone crisis: A Portuguese perspective

By João Meneses The European sovereign debt crisis has made it almost impossible for some countries in the euro area to finance their government debt without the assistance of third parties. Portugal was saved from national bankruptcy by the triumvirate made up of the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) with a €78 billion bailout, but in exchange had to commit to tough austerity measures and structural reforms.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

23/04/2012

Michel Barnier: The Single Market 20 years on

Our Single Market will be 20 years old at the end of this year. This birthday is a chance for us to reflect on how far we have come, and especially to reflect on how far we have yet to go. What obstacles do we need to overcome to adapt the Single Market to the 21st century?

Competitive Europe, Future of Europe, Guest Contribution

29/03/2012

The eurozone needs outside help to prepare for the worst

By Leif Pagrotsky We all know Eurozone leaders work hard to save the euro. Most of us hope they will succeed. But many of us fear the task may be too difficult and the political constraints too tight. The dominant view among independent observers appears to be that the probability of a failure has moved from unthinkable and out of question to unlikely but possible.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

26/03/2012

John Bruton: The fiscal compact treaty - The choice the Irish people have to make

Irish people voted on 18 June 1992 to ratify the Maastricht Treaty. In so doing, we democratically committed ourselves to a single currency, stable prices, sound public finances and a sustainable balance of payments. As we have learned, we have failed to adhere to the last two of these, sound public finances and a sustainable balance of payments.

Op-ed, Global Europe, Competitive Europe

26/03/2012

Enhancing EU-ASEAN ties

By Shada Islam Finally, there’s hope for some much-needed progress in Europe’s 35-year old relationship with Southeast Asia. In the coming weeks, top officials from the EU and the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be meeting for the second ASEAN-EU Business Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

21/03/2012

Pascal Lamy: Trade challenges that the world should overcome

We need to look at two developments in trade that are at the core of the changes we are living through. First, the rise of key emerging economies and the shift in economic realities that this implies, and second, the internationalization of production processes, leading to increased inter-dependency, expanded trade ties and a more deeply shared interest in a well-functioning trading system.

Op-ed, Global Europe, Competitive Europe

09/03/2012

Progress expected in EU-Japan free trade talks

By Shada Islam The EU has given encouraging signals of progress in negotiating a free trade agreement with Tokyo. In talks in Tokyo recently, Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment, Pia Olsen Dyhr, Japan’s Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba and Yukio Edano, Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry, agreed to try and speed up the so-called “scoping” exercise aimed at exploring the pros and cons of an EU-Japan FTA. Negotiations on the free trade pact should start during the Danish EU Presidency which ends on June 31 2012.

Op-ed, Competitive Europe, Future of Europe

06/03/2012

Europe’s Fairness Crisis

By Giles Merritt Far too slowly, politicians in Europe are beginning to understand that the deep crisis of the EU is a game changer. Even an eventual resolution of the eurozone crisis will not bring a return to the established political order. Europe’s crisis is about fairness, with widespread and growing discontent over wealth disparities now being highlighted by cases of real hardship.

News article, Competitive Europe

06/03/2012

EU moves closer to mandatory quotas for women directors

The presence of women on European corporate boards should soon be regulated by mandatory quotas, said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, on Monday 5th March.

Greening Europe, Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Future of Europe, Publication, Report

new01/03/2012

40 under 40: European Young Leaders’ work plan on Europe’s future

Key messages from the first European Young Leaders (EYL) seminar in Paris: think European but work trans-nationally, re-engage with European citizens yet look beyond Europe’s borders. ‘40 under 40’ promotes a European identity by engaging 40 of the EU's brightest young minds from a wide range of backgrounds.

Competitive Europe, Future of Europe, Guest Contribution

24/02/2012

The eurozone’s unattractive options

By Dr Alexander Mirtchev “More socialism” didn’t work for the Soviet Union, so why would “more Europe” be any different? Alexander Mirtchev says we should pay less attention to nations heading for default and focus on producing clear, bespoke growth strategies for each member state.

News article, Competitive Europe

23/02/2012

European Commission: mild eurozone recession in 2012

The European Commission has lowered its growth forecast for 2012, predicting that the Eurozone economies will suffer a “mild recession”. The latest figures constitute a downward revision compared to the forecast published in November last year.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

17/02/2012

Mario Monti warns against split in the European Union

Addressing the European Parliament on 15 February, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned against the split in the European Union caused by eurozone problems. He said it was wrong to divide the EU into ‘peripheral’ and ‘central’ member states.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

16/02/2012

Michel Barnier welcomes the adoption of revised international standards against money laundering

The adoption of revised international standards by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a welcome step in protecting the integrity of the financial markets against money laundering and terrorist financing, believes Michel Barnier. Such measures will pave the way for stronger combative actions to take place at EU level.

Competitive Europe, Publication, Report

13/02/2012

Europe's data protection future: Prospects and implications for business

Around two-thirds of EU citizens do not trust the manner in which their personal data is handled. This is not good news for the economy affirmed Martin Selmayr, Head of Cabinet to Viviane Reding, addressing this debate on the recent European Commission data protection proposals.

News article, Global Europe, Competitive Europe

19/01/2012

EU-India FTA postponed

Despite initial hopes, the long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) is unlikely to be signed at the EU-India Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi on 10 February. Instead, the Summit is expected to deliver yet another roadmap for the conclusion of the negotiations, which started in 2007. Read more

Competitive Europe, Future of Europe, Publication, Report

14/12/2011

The State of Europe: Re-thinking the European project

The State of Europe is dominated by the financial crisis in the eurozone and this was reflected in Friends of Europe’s annual State of Europe roundtable, which brought together ministers and EU Commissioners, members of the national and European Parliaments, senior policymakers, business leaders and opinion-formers for a no-holds-barred discussion on prospects for rethinking the European “project”.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

12/12/2011

John Bruton: The Euro crisis-What could go wrong?

The European Union is facing a crisis because of the loss of confidence in the debts issued by several member states. This is related directly to the problems and activities of Europe’s banks.

Competitive Europe, Publication, Fellowship Paper

28/11/2011

European politics and the Euro crisis: Ten failures

The euro crisis is deepening and accelerating week by week. It is a political and economic crisis not only of the eurozone but of the European Union as a whole and with potentially far-reaching consequences. There is intense debate over the different likely outcomes to the crisis: whether the eurozone will survive intact with 17 members (although very likely with many member states mired in recession), or whether the eurozone may split or collapse entirely. All of these scenarios have major implications for the European Union as a whole – politically as well as economically.

News article, Competitive Europe, Future of Europe

14/11/2011

Mario Monti becomes new Italian Prime Minister

Mario Monti, a member of Friends of Europe’s Presiderium and former EU Commissioner, is set to be sworn in as Italy’s new Prime Minister on November 16. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano offered him the post less than 24 hours after the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out, Future of Europe

07/11/2011

Guy Verhofstadt: How to break the European deadlock

The European Union and particularly the Member States of the euro area, indeed, are in great trouble. For about two years now, a debt crisis is challenging Europe and the future of the European Union.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

04/11/2011

Michel Barnier: A single act of togetherness

When the Single European Act was signed in 1986 as the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome, it triggered a success story that still continues today, particularly after 1992, when the Single Market became a reality.

Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Publication, Report

28/10/2011

China’s 12th five-year plan and Europe 2020: Creating new EU-China synergies

Entitled ‘China’s 12th Five-Year Plan and Europe 2020: Creating new synergies’ the China Advisory Council within the Understanding China programme, which is co-funded by the European Commission, was organised in Beijing by Friends of Europe and EUROCHAMBRES.

Competitive Europe, Future of Europe, Guest Contribution

28/10/2011

The eurozone crisis – a plan of action to reignite a lost faith

By Gianni Pittella Eurozone leaders have some crucial decisions to make – and quickly. Gianni Pittella explains why the protests of younger generations are more than justified and why answers to this desperate crisis should be sought in the original EU treaties.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out, Future of Europe

18/10/2011

John Bruton: The coming weeks are of vital importance for the European and world economy

The coming weeks are of vital importance for the European, and the world , economy. I was in Brussels last week and the sense of urgency was palpable. The French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon spoke of our being on the edge of a volcano that could blow up the EU, and our contract between the generations, unless it was capped.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

07/10/2011

Pascal Lamy makes a strong plea for global co-operation

Multilateralism is going through a patchy period. Whether it is on trade, on climate change, on financial regulation or on macroeconomic co-ordination, the family of nations is having trouble defining and implementing common strategies in response to the global challenges facing us.

News article, Greening Europe, Competitive Europe, Green Economy

08/09/2011

The good news: Western European countries top world competitiveness ranking

Despite all the doom and gloom over the Eurocrisis, Western European countries still top the global competitiveness ranking published every year by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Switzerland (a non-EU country) ranks number one in the annual Global Competitiveness Report for the third year in a row, with Sweden in third, Finland fourth and Germany sixth, followed by the Netherlands and Denmark. The UK took 10th spot and France ranks 18th.

Op-ed, Greening Europe, Competitive Europe, Green Economy, Governance, Future of Europe

01/09/2011

From banking reform to sustainable finance

by Willy De Backer The 2011 recession has re-opened the debate about a more radical reform of the financial sector. It has become clear to most policymakers that the restructuring proposals put forward after the 2008 financial crisis have not gone far enough. Even new IMF Director Christine Lagarde is asking for more radical change (see our story “More radical reform of EU banks needed”)

News article, Competitive Europe, Future of Europe

31/08/2011

More radical reform of EU banks needed

“Urgent action is needed for Europe’s banking industry to remove the cloud of uncertainty hanging over banks and sovereigns,” International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in Jackson Hole Wyoming last Saturday at an annual gathering of policymakers from around the world.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

09/08/2011

John Bruton: Short Term European Debt Relief Will Lack Credibility

Unless It Is Accompanied by a Long Term Plan to Regain Competitiveness. The euro is playing the starring role this week in a global loss of confidence in bonds issued by Governments, although the average Government deficit and debt situation of euro area countries is actually is no worse than that in the US, the UK, and Japan.

Global Europe, Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

29/07/2011

Michel Rocard: The Storm after the Calm

PARIS – Could the financial crisis of 2007-2008 happen again? Since the crisis erupted, there has been no shortage of opportunities to nurture one’s anxiety about that prospect.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

15/07/2011

Michel Barnier: Finding a framework

Transparency and competition should remain an important part of the recipe for successful and modern public procurement rules. However, we should look for methods to implement these principles in ways that take better account of the different circumstances facing public purchasers.

Competitive Europe, Publication, Report

10/07/2011

Taming the turmoil: New rules for global finance

Rebuilding Eurozone credibility, following recent bailouts agreed to ease the sovereign debt crisis in Greece, Ireland and Portugal, will take time, energy and hard work. The Greek government’s success in securing parliamentary approval of a medium-term fiscal bill has lessened fears over a disorderly default of Greek debt, which had weighed heavily on the single currency, and cleared the way for a second rescue package from the International Monetary Fund for Athens.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out

16/06/2011

Guy Verhofstadt: The economic governance that the EU needs

Yes, the eurozone crisis could have been handled better, says Guy Verhofstadt, but the real crisis facing Europe is about economic policy governance. He puts the case for bringing all its elements under a single framework, with the European Commission at the centre.

Competitive Europe, Guest Contribution

27/05/2011

We need a counter-narrative to creeping euro-scepticism

By Miguel Otero-Iglesias At a recent Friends of Europe roundtable on European economic governance William E. Kennard, the US Ambassador to the EU, pointed to the need for a counter-narrative against the rise in euro-scepticism across Europe.

Op-ed, Global Europe, Competitive Europe

23/05/2011

Let the best man/woman win the IMF job

by Shada Islam Prepare for an epic battle over the appointment of a new head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following Dominique Strauss-Kahn's resignation as the organisations's managing director. Europeans are insisting the job should once again go to a European candidate.

Competitive Europe, Social Europe, Trustees Speak Out

23/05/2011

Frank Vandenbroucke: The EU Needs a Social Investment Pact

In this Opinion Paper, we argue that long term-goals of social and economic policy in the EU must not fall victim to short-term policy orientations prompted by the banking crisis that hit the global economy in 2008.

News article, Competitive Europe

13/05/2011

IMF warns EU debt crisis could spread to its core

Following the bail-outs of Greece and the Irish Republic and with Portugal soon to follow, the International Monetory Fund (IMF) has called for “bold policy” actions to restore the Eurozone’s fiscal health. The report warns the continent’s debt crisis could spread to its core, unless reforms are taken.

Greening Europe, Competitive Europe, Green Economy, Trustees Speak Out, Future of Europe, Publication, Report

13/05/2011

The nature of growth: In search of a new framework for progress and prosperity

This special publication combines the outcomes, highlights and recommendations that are a reflection of the views of a number of Friends of Europe Trustees and other high-level discussants, as well as a selection of growth-critical authors and thinkers who debated and pondered the future of economic growth in the wake of the autumn 2008 global financial crisis.

Competitive Europe, Publication, Fellowship Paper

12/05/2011

The Lessons of the Eurozone Crisis that Should Shape the EU’s G20 Stance

In Friends of Europe’s first Fellowship report, Dr Yannos Papantoniou, a former Greek finance minister, draws lessons from Greece’s debt crisis to propose eurozone reforms and also a more proactive approach by the EU to global governance issues. The report advocates a permanent secretariat for the G20 and a number of regulatory and supervisory rules that would cover banking and financial services around the world.

Competitive Europe, Trustees Speak Out, Future of Europe

10/05/2011

Michel Barnier: Towards a New Europe

Only a few days ago, in Finland, and a few months ago, in France, over 20% of those countries’ citizens cast their votes for extremist and populist movements which are seeking to retreat behind their national borders.

Press release, Competitive Europe

10/05/2011

Fellowship report by Dr Yannos Papantoniou

BRUSSELS, 10 MAY 2011 Friends of Europe has pleasure in announcing the publication of the first of its Fellowship reports. In our first Fellowship report, Dr Yannos Papantoniou, a former Greek finance minister, draws lessons from Greece’s debt crisis to propose eurozone reforms.

News article, Competitive Europe, Future of Europe

22/04/2011

MEPs call for a stronger Commission role on economic governance

The Economics committee of the European Parliament (EP) backed on April 19 a package of legislative proposals to reinforce EU economic governance system, giving the Commission stronger powers than it had envisioned for itself.

News article, Global Europe, Competitive Europe

20/04/2011

BRICS call for reforms on the global economic system

Leaders of the world’s five most powerful emerging economies repeated calls on April 14 for reform of the current system of global economic governance as part of their quest for a stronger say in world affairs. The demand for reforms is not new.