Commentary
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Recent commentary
US tariffs on Chinese imports: managed trade is back
A hike in US tariffs is not a return to wholesale protectionism, and the European Union is unlikely to duplicate the US approach
De-dollarisation is all about de-risking
How to ensure European economic security in a world of interdependence?
German pension reform push crystallises challenges faced by many European countries
The burden of pension reform should be shared across generations, even if it is politically difficult
Xi’s visit underlines the hard choices the European Union faces on China
The EU cannot separate policy on China from its goals of containing Russia and ensuring economic security
Commentary items
Republishing and referencing policy
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Opinion piece
12 April 2016
How to reform EU fiscal rules
The current inefficient European fiscal framework should be replaced with a system based on rules that are more conducive to the two objectives of pu
Zsolt Darvas and Grégory Claeys
Opinion piece
11 April 2016
Making the EU-Turkey refugee deal work
The EU deal with Turkey reached on 18 March is problematic, but without a deal the EU’s external borders would have collapsed completely. Now the EU
Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
10 April 2016
Mere criticism of the ECB is no solution
What would happen if the ECB failed to respond to the excessively low inflation and the weak economy? And what economic policy would be suitable under
Guntram B. Wolff, Marcel Fratzscher, Reint Gropp, Hans-Helmut Kotz, Jan Pieter Krahnen and Christian Odendahl
Opinion piece
30 March 2016
ECB decisions put lack of fiscal union in the spotlight
Fiscal policy in the euro area is hardly supporting the recovery and the ECB. The EU needs a a proper fiscal union in order to stabilise the economy
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré and Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
18 March 2016
The refugee crisis: A European call for action
Open Letter by the conveners of the Vision Europe Summit regarding the refugee
crisis in Europe and the necessity to act now.
Guntram B. Wolff, Aart de Geus, Artur Santos Silva, Mikko Kosonen, Piero Gastaldo, Robin Niblett and Yves Bertoncini
Opinion piece
17 March 2016
The UK’s sovereignty myth
Those who argue that Brexit would let the UK “take back sovereignty” overlook the impact of trade on domestic law-making.
André Sapir and Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
15 March 2016
The G20’s structural reform agenda should address income gap and financial system fragility
G20 leaders must address major issues like the distribution of income and the structure of our financial systems in order to combat the deeper underly
Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
11 February 2016
Why euro-zone ‘outs’ should join banking union
Joining the banking union could provide a stable arrangement for managing financial stability for the UK and other non-Euro countries.
Pia Hüttl and Dirk Schoenmaker
Opinion piece
03 February 2016
A new way to approach Europe’s gas security, beyond the usual Russian obsession
Instead of doing everything to reduce gas supplies from key suppliers, gas supply security could more effectively be safeguarded by ensuring that unus
Simone Tagliapietra
Opinion piece
02 February 2016
The economic consequences of Schengen
The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, recently warned that “without Schengen and the free movement of workers, of citizens, t
Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
30 January 2016
The market's troubling message
Amid one of the worst market routs on record, a chorus of reassuring economic commentators insists that global fundamentals are sound and investors ar
Ashoka Mody
Opinion piece
29 January 2016
The fallout from the European refugee crisis
Of the 1.5 million refugees that reached the European Union last year, more than 1 million ended up in Germany, but the initially welcoming atmosphere
Guntram B. Wolff
Opinion piece
21 January 2016
China is running out of options as foreign reserves drop
The Chinese are watching a new storm unfold in their financial markets, only months after having been bombarded with news about China’s “historical vi
Alicia García-Herrero
Opinion piece
14 January 2016
Greece: a European tragedy
Wrapped up in the details of pension reforms and home foreclosure—matters that, no doubt, have important consequences for many— the big picture has fa
Ashoka Mody
Opinion piece
13 January 2016
Delays and half measures
Are the eurozone’s continuing woes the result of its incomplete construction or because of policy errors in responding to the crisis?
Ashoka Mody
Opinion piece
11 January 2016
The EU must confront the populist challenge in 2016
In France, the US and elsewhere, populist parties are growing in popularity. Such parties radically challenge the consensus of traditional parties an
Guntram B. Wolff