George Papaconstantinou

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Zsolt Darvas |Jeromin Zettelmeyer |Rebecca Christie |George Papaconstantinou

AbstractSince mid-2021, the euro-area economy has gone through several shocks, leading to the highest inflation since the creation of the European Monetary Union. A forceful and persistent response from the European Central Bank, grounded in the monetary policy framework it agreed in 2021 ahead of the inflationary episode, has succeeded in bringing inflation down and delivering on the central bank’s price-stability mandate.

2 months ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |George Papaconstantinou |Eleni Varvitsioti |Eamon Gilmore

The Western Balkans are often seen as Europe’s periphery, but they are in fact embedded within the continent’s history and future ambitions. Despite close economic ties with the EU, these six countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia—remain outside the Union, navigating a complex path toward accession.