Bruegel Blog (archive)
Timely analysis on the latest developments in economic policy. The Blog is a point of reference for policymakers, influencers and journalists.
Recently published
The fiscal side of Europe’s energy crisis: the facts, problems and prospects
Europe needs to move beyond emergency fiscal responses and focus on structural changes to allow the EU to accelerate its decoupling from fossil fuels.
Is Europe failing on import diversification?
Despite a goal of economic self-reliance, the European Union’s imports are generally sourced from an increasingly limited set of suppliers.
The difficulty of designating gatekeepers under the EU Digital Markets Act
The European Commission should be more precise and transparent when designating gatekeepers under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
Europe’s half a million barrels per day diesel supply question
A new European Union embargo on Russian oil products should not affect EU diesel supplies and prices, but could encourage re-routing by Russia.
Web3: the next internet revolution
Tokenisation based on blockchain technology could bring radical changes to markets for goods and services.
Blog post
11 June 2020
One last push is needed to improve the Just Transition Fund proposal
The European Parliament and the Council still have an opportunity to improve the Just Transition Fund by refocusing it on social support and basing fu
Blog post
10 June 2020
Three-quarters of Next Generation EU payments will have to wait until 2023
Because of hurdles in designing, approving and implementing European Union programmes, less than a quarter of the €438 billion in grants planned under
Blog post
29 May 2020
An uncompromising budget
Apart from decisive European Central Bank measures, the EU-wide response to the COVID crisis had been rather weak until the Commission put on the tabl
Blog post
20 May 2020
The European Union’s SURE plan to safeguard employment: a small step forward
The new EU instrument to mitigate unemployment risks during an emergency (SURE) is too modest to have a significant impact the COVID-19 crisis beyond
Blog post
07 May 2020
Risking their health to pay the bills: 100 million Europeans cannot afford two months without income
Nearly 100 million people in 21 EU countries do not have enough savings in their bank accounts to meet two months of basic expenses: food, utilities,
Blog post
07 May 2020
Banking regulation in the Euro Area: Germany is different
Despite progress in recent years towards a single banking policy framework in the euro area – a banking union – much of the German banking system has
Blog post
05 May 2020
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on individual mobility
Distancing measures imposed by twelve European countries during the COVID-19 pandemics (a ban on holding public events, school closures, shop closures
Blog post
28 April 2020
The revived centrality of the G20
Much was expected from the meeting of G20 Finance officials earlier this month. In the event the meeting decided on a standstill of the poorest countr
Blog post
23 April 2020
COVID-19 is causing the collapse of oil markets: when will they recover?
This oil crisis will be solved only by a pick-up in global oil demand, once lockdowns are lifted and the economy is restarted.
Blog post
22 April 2020
Facts, not words: the EU role in the de-confinement phase
The EU should be modest, but not shy. As far as public health is concerned, it is not in the driving seat and there is no reason to pretend it should
Blog post
22 April 2020
EU debt as insurance against catastrophic events in the euro area: the key questions and some answers
European Union debt can provide comprehensive insurance against the COVID-19 pandemic and can enable a macroeconomic response, even though EU debt is
Blog post
16 April 2020
Is the United States reneging on international financial standards?
The new Fed rule is a material breach of Basel III, a new development as the US had hitherto been the accord’s main champion. This action undermines t
Blog post
14 April 2020
EU trade in medical goods: why self-sufficiency is the wrong approach
As countries are struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages in medical equipment led to EU export controls and war-time like procurement of resp
Blog post
08 April 2020
COVID-19: The self-employed are hardest hit and least supported
Self-employed workers are hardest-hit by COVID-19 lockdowns. Yet they often receive less government support than salaried employees. Is the disparity
Blog post
07 April 2020
Social distancing: did individuals act before governments?
Using online searches for restaurants as a proxy to assess whether and to what extent individuals were practicing social distancing before strict lock
Blog post
06 April 2020
A green recovery
Government policy faces various challenges. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the European Union set ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions. Now in
Republishing and referencing policy
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Republishing and referencing policy
Bruegel considers itself a public good and takes no institutional standpoint. Anyone is free to republish and/or quote any of our posts without prior consent. Please provide a full reference, clearly stating Bruegel and the relevant author as the source and include a prominent hyperlink to the original post.