Commentary
Bruegel's shorter research output including First glance pieces, external opinion pieces and testimonies.
Recent commentary

Fast and furious: how digital bank runs challenge the banking-crisis rulebook
The speed of recent bank failures has shown the need for more systemic protection of the financial system.

The unbecoming rivalry at the heart of the EU
A battle of egos between Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel is putting the EU’s post-pandemic solidarity at risk.

Banking turbulence is not a reason to pause monetary tightening
Despite calls for interest rate hikes to be paused, both the ECB and Federal raised rates- which was the right decision.

Comment
07 October 2021
Xi’s pledge on financing coal plants overseas misses point
China’s domestic installation of coal-fired power plants continues at great pace.
Comment
07 October 2021
The only quick-fix to Europe’s energy price crisis is saving energy
The only thing Europe can quickly do to prevent a potentially difficult winter is to actively promote energy conservation in both the residential and
Comment
06 October 2021
Will China use climate change as a bargaining chip?
Beijing shows signs of changing tactics ahead of the COP26 conference.
Comment
05 October 2021
Letter: The lesson Europe should learn from the gas crisis
Europe’s gas supply security could more effectively be safeguarded by ensuring that unused alternatives are maintained.
Comment
04 October 2021
The geopolitical conquest of economics
Although economics and geopolitics have never been completely separate domains, international economic relations were shaped for 70 years by their own
Comment
01 October 2021
Letter: Declining investment may explain why rates are low
Perhaps an analysis of the causes of the declining investment rate would bring us closer to explaining why real interest rates are so low.
Comment
30 September 2021
What Evergrande signals about China's economic future
Under Xi Jinping's new economic agenda 'common prosperity', China is cracking down on indebted real estate developers like Evergrande.
Comment
28 September 2021
The pandemic’s uncertain impact on productivity
The pandemic has certainly permanently affected our way of working. Whether this is for the better remains to be seen.
Comment
27 September 2021
Can climate change be tackled without ditching economic growth?
The ultimate answer to the question on whether climate change can be tackled without ditching economic growth depends on our willingness to step up cl
Comment
23 September 2021
For remote work to work, new ground rules are needed
The pandemic has shown workers and employers that another way to work is possible. The European Union should develop a framework to facilitate hybrid
Comment
22 September 2021
Europe doesn’t need a ‘Mega-Fab’
Europe should defend its existing dominance in equipment manufacturing for semiconductors and invest in chip design instead of luring high-end fabrica
Comment
14 September 2021
El Salvador’s great crypto experiment
Can bitcoin surpass the dollar in popularity and make El Salvador the first state to operate entirely with a private currency?
Comment
14 September 2021
Making supply chains more resilient
After the current global semiconductor shortage, business leaders and policymakers must think now about how to minimise the effects of future exogenou
Comment
06 September 2021
EU climate plan should involve taxing pollution, not borders
Climate change and taxes may be some of the only true certainties in life. To protect ourselves better, we should make careful choices on how they int
Comment
02 September 2021
Global asymmetries strike back
This essay addresses an old question that international relations scholars view as fundamental, but which economists regard as secondary: that of asym
Comment
25 August 2021
Small investors punch above their weight when it comes to improving corporate governance
Far from being irresponsible know-nothings, retail investors provide a vital counterpoint to institutional investors.