Andre headshot 2023

André Sapir

Senior fellow

André Sapir, a Belgian citizen, is a Senior fellow at Bruegel. He is also University Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Research fellow of the London-based Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Between 1990 and 2004, he worked for the European Commission, first as Economic Advisor to the Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, and then as Principal Economic Advisor to President Prodi, also heading his Economic Advisory Group. In 2004, he published 'An Agenda for a Growing Europe', a report to the president of the Commission by a group of independent experts that is known as the Sapir report. After leaving the Commission, he first served as External Member of President Barroso’s Economic Advisory Group and then as Member of the General Board (and Chair of the Advisory Scientific Committee) of the European Systemic Risk Board based at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

André has written extensively on European integration, international trade and globalisation. He holds a PhD in economics from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he worked under the supervision of Béla Balassa. He was elected Member of the Academia Europaea and of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts.

Disclaimer of external interests

Declaration of interests 2022

Declaration of interests 2021

Declaration of interests 2019

Declaration of interests 2018

Declaration of interests 2017

Declaration of interests 2016

Declaration of interests 2015

Declaration of interests 2014

Declaration of interests 2013

Declaration of interests 2012

Featured work

Policy brief

How Europe should answer the US Inflation Reduction Act

This policy brief explains what is in the IRA, the impact on the EU and other economies, and how the EU should react.

David Kleimann, Niclas Poitiers, André Sapir, Simone Tagliapietra, Nicolas Véron, Reinhilde Veugelers and Jeromin Zettelmeyer
Event

EU enlargement in a new light

What would increase government support around EU enlargement, and what role could membership play in future peace talks?

Event

Bruegel Annual Meetings 2019

Bruegel's 2019 Annual Meetings will be held on 4-5 September and feature the launch of Bruegel's Memos to the New European Commission.

Opinion piece

Europe should avoid a no-deal Brexit

The UK government finally tabled a serious proposal for the country’s future relationship with the European Union (EU). The White Paper puts the ball

Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir, Guntram B. Wolff, Norbert Röttgen and Paul Tucker
Event

Europe's trust deficit

At this event, we discussed the rise of populism in Europe and the economic, security, and identity concerns behind the movement.

Event

Taking competitiveness seriously?

Establishing an independent competitiveness authority in each country of the euro area was a key recommendation in the Five Presidents' Report, but ho

Blog post

Juncker's first move

One early move that Juncker should make is to do away with the current European Commission college structure of one portfolio for each of the 28 membe

André Sapir and Guntram B. Wolff
Book

Japan and the EU in the global economy

This report analyses economic issues facing Japan and Europe. It identifies some of the channels through which Europe can learn from Japan, and viceve

André Sapir, Zsolt Darvas, Guntram B. Wolff, Kiyohiko Nishimura, Michael Plummer, Wataru Takahashi and Masahiko Yoshii
Policy brief

The long haul: managing exit from financial assistance

Countries can make a clean exit from financial assistance, or enter a new programme or a precautionary programme, depending on the sustainability of t

André Sapir, Zsolt Darvas and Guntram B. Wolff
Video

Bruegel year in review - 2013

Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir, Zsolt Darvas, Reinhilde Veugelers, Georg Zachmann, Guntram B. Wolff, Karen Wilson, Mario Mariniello and Suparna Karmakar
Blog post

Abenomics: the implications for Europe

For two decades the Japanese economy has been mired in deflation and stagnant nominal GDP. Real GDP and per capita GDP have grown a bit but only thank

André Sapir
Policy brief

Fiscal rules: Timing is everything

The strengthening of the European Union’s fiscal rules with the approval of the so-called ‘six-pack’, and the parallel worsening of economic condition

André Sapir and Benedicta Marzinotto
Blog post

The SMP is dead. Long live the OMT

Following the various announcements of President Draghi in July and August, most analysts were expecting further clarification of the modalities of th

André Sapir
Policy brief

What kind of European banking union?

This policy contribution discusses in detail how a future banking union could be organised by examining seven fundamental choices that decision makers

Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir, Nicolas Véron and Guntram B. Wolff
Policy brief

The messy rebuilding of Europe

The euro crisis and subsequent policy responses have challenged the assumptions underpinning the euro-area's governance, and the relationship bet

Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir and Guntram B. Wolff
Book

An evaluation of IMF surveillance of the euro area

This report evaluates International Monetary Fund surveillance of the euro area in the years before the financial crisis and during 2008-10.

Jean Pisani-Ferry, André Sapir and Guntram B. Wolff