Rebecca Christie

Belgium

Columnist at INTERNATIONALE POLITIK QUARTERLY

Senior fellow @Bruegel_org - economics, markets, politics. Views mine. She/they. Formerly: @business, @WSJ, @FT, @Breakingviews.

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Articles

The economic impact of Trump’s tariffs on Europe: an initial assessment

1 week ago | bruegel.org | Niclas Poitiers |Rebecca Christie |Uri Dadush |Ignacio Garcia Bercero

President Donald Trump’s tariffs clearly pose a profound challenge to the global rules-based trading system, marking a huge shift after decades of multilateral trade liberalisation that had left tariffs at near-historic lows. The economic impact on the European Union is much less clear, however.
The Western Balkans: a region in waiting

1 week 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.
Trump’s tariffs need a strategic response from the EU and others

1 week ago | bruegel.org | Ignacio Garcia Bercero |Rebecca Christie |Uri Dadush |Niclas Poitiers

After two weeks of chaos, the tariff policy of the United States under President Donald Trump appears to be converging around three elements: 1) a baseline import surcharge of 10%, with the main purpose of raising revenue; 2) protective tariffs of 25% on steel, aluminium, cars and car parts, which are likely to be extended to pharmaceuticals and semiconductors; 3) special treatment for China, although it is unclear whether the US will maintain its current prohibitive tariffs (at time of...
Five reasons why Europe must retaliate against Trump’s tariffs

2 weeks ago | bruegel.org | Ignacio Garcia Bercero |Rebecca Christie |Uri Dadush |Niclas Poitiers

President Trump’s tariffs are an economic policy mistake of historical proportions, causing more harm to the United States than to almost all of its trading partners. Even with the pause announced on 9 April on big tariff hikes (except for China), the US tariff on the European Union remains at a very high 10%, and higher for cars, steel and aluminium. The EU has already agreed countermeasures on the US steel and aluminium tariffs and continues to weigh its options.
Greece's debt crisis: a decade of resilience

2 weeks ago | bruegel.org | Francesco Papadia |Rebecca Christie |Jean Pisani-Ferry |Nicolas Véron

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we mark a decade since the Greek debt crisis, reflecting past hardships and the progress made and the challenges that lie ahead. Host Rebecca Christie is joined by George Papaconstantinou, former Greek Minister of Finance, and Eleni Varvitsioti, journalist and expert on European affairs. Together, they explore Greece’s recovery journey, from the turbulence of the crisis to its recovery and economic growth.
Can the EU negotiate away Trump’s reciprocal tariff?

3 weeks ago | bruegel.org | Uri Dadush |Rebecca Christie |Ignacio Garcia Bercero |Niclas Poitiers

Following President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement of a 20% tariff on European Union imports, the EU must respond. It seems unlikely that the EU will be able to negotiate a lower tariff. Trump needs hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff revenue to cover extended and increased income tax cuts – a signature feature of the Republican agenda. He believes high tariffs will revitalise investment in US manufacturing.
With the US Economy in Disarray, Is This the Euro’s Hour?

1 month ago | ip-quarterly.com | Rebecca Christie

The euro is ready for its close-up. With the United States’ economy swerving itself toward a recession and new European leadership pressing for more investment, the 20-country currency area could become more of a global economic engine. But the European Union has to do more than stand by and watch Washington fall apart. Member states will need to invest. Tariff fights mean transatlantic tensions will only keep growing, as a new trade war gets underway.
Beyond the short-term emergency, the EU must think about the broader implications of defence integration

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Johanna Breuer |Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol |Federico Fabbrini

The current debates about bolstering the European Union’s defensive capabilities focus on what the EU needs to do to compensate for the United States’s volte-face in supporting Ukraine. The European Commission’s 4 March ReArm Europe plan, which could mobilise up to €800 billion for defence spending, encapsulates this.
Climate expenditure for survival

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Alissa Kleinnijenhuis |Jean Pisani-Ferry |Laurence Tubiana

In the short and medium terms, Europe’s survival will hinge on a rapid expansion of its defence capabilities. But an acceleration of international climate action is equally critical, in the face of the Trump administration’s withdrawal of the United States’s commitment to climate action and apparent withdrawal of its commitment to defending the free world. To avoid catastrophe, Europe must spend more – and more effectively – on defence and climate.
Ireland’s journey from crisis to confidence

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Georg Zachmann |Simone Tagliapietra |Alexander Roth

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses Ireland's economy with Eamon Gilmore, former Foreign Minister, and Patrick Honohan, former Governor of the Irish Central Bank. They explore Ireland’s recovery from the global financial crisis and current political outlook, alongside issues such as public debt, low interest rates, and rebuilding national confidence.