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1 month ago | 
bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Armin Steinbach |Jeromin Zettelmeyer |Zsolt Darvas
In the context of the push by the European Union for regional integration in the Western Balkans, this paper explores the barriers to, and prospects for, deeper intra-Western Balkan economic relationships. First, it addresses the pronounced bilateral economic relationships between Western Balkan countries associated with historical path-dependencies.
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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.
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2 months ago | 
bruegel.org | Nicolas Véron |Nicolas Boivin |Zsolt Darvas |Marie-Sophie Lappe
Less than fifteen years after the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, banks and policymakers are calling for deregulation and lower capital requirements in the financial sector. They dispute that the Basel framework, the global standards for regulating large international banks, should be implemented fully in the European Union.
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
bruegel.org | Silvia Merler |Zsolt Darvas |Kamil Sekut |Nicolas Véron
The European Commission’s so-called first Omnibus package, published 26 February, has as its objective “unprecedented simplification” while keeping to the goals of the European Green Deal – the European Union’s net-zero plan – “enabling companies to access sustainable finance for their clean transition”. This is a complex trade-off. If adopted, the package could create risks for the underlying policy objectives of the European Green Deal and disrupt sustainable finance in two important ways.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol |Alicia Garcia-Herrero |Juan Lopez |Juan López |Zsolt Darvas
In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie invites Johanna Breuer, Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol and Federico Fabbrini to delve into the intricate dynamics of European public goods and how to pay for them. Together, they explore the historical, legal, and political foundations of joint European financing—tracing its evolution from the post-WWII period to recent crises like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Relevant publication:Mourlon-Druol, E.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | Pascal Saint-Amans |Zsolt Darvas
At first sight, the 10 September 2024 European Union Court of Justice (CJEU) ruling on Apple’s Irish tax bill seems just about fair. The ruling, confirming that that Ireland granted unlawful aid to Apple and should recover €13 billion in unpaid taxes, tackles an extremely aggressive scheme. European Commission executive vice-president and competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager hailed it a “big win for European citizens and for tax justice”.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | Alicia Garcia-Herrero |Zsolt Darvas
Ask your question on Sli.do #elections24Join Bruegel’s Heather Grabbe, Fiona Scott Morton and Guntram Wolff for a special live broadcast of the Sound of Economics podcast, hosted by Rebecca Christie, to discuss next steps after the U.S. elections on Nov. 5. How will Europe work with the new President and new Congress? What will this mean for Ukraine? What will each side prioritize to stay competitive? Join us for a Europe-centric view from both sides of the Atlantic.
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Sep 19, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | Zsolt Darvas
In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel Senior fellow Zsolt Darvas and Jennifer D. Sciubba, President and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau from Washington DC. Together, they explore the findings of Darvas’ recent paper on the effects of demographic changes on public debt sustainability, which was presented at the informal Meeting of Economic and Financial Affairs Ministers on 14 September 2024.
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Sep 4, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | André Sapir |Maria Demertzis |Zsolt Darvas |Luca Léry Moffat
You face three main challenges: maintain the EU’s commitment to open markets at home and abroad by continuing to adhere to the multilateral rules-based trading system; continue to sign and implement free-trade agreements; and head-off the resistance from the Global South to trade-climate policies such as the carbon border adjustment mechanism.
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Sep 4, 2024 | 
bruegel.org | Pascal Saint-Amans |Zsolt Darvas
You take over responsibility for the European Union budget at a time of climate emergency, a war near the EU’s border, heightened security risks, increased global protectionism, slow productivity growth and a weak European economic outlook. Demands for new EU spending are mounting. Whilst opinion polls suggest significant alignment among EU citizens on what the EU’s priorities should be, member countries are divided over the size of the EU budget and how to finance it.
