Commentary

Greece’s debt burden can and must be lightened within the Euro

The current link between debt servicing and membership of the single currency leads to a vicious circle that increases uncertainty, weakens growth and

Guntram B. Wolff and Marcel Fratzscher

Europe must wake up before Iran falls into the arms of Russia and China

European leaders seem to have been caught somewhat off-guard by the Iran deal. The Greek saga alone could explain this. The problem is that other comp

Alicia García-Herrero

Griechenlands Schuldenlast kann und muss im Euroraum erleichtert werden

Die Verknüpfung von Schuldendienst mit der Mitgliedschaft in der Währungsunion führt zu einem Teufelskreis, der das Wachstum schwächt und damit eine R

Guntram B. Wolff and Marcel Fratzscher

Waiting for G-Day

With a final decision on Greece fast approaching, what is the worst-case scenario: bailout or Grexit?

Zsolt Darvas

#Greferendum: 3 Questions, 3 Answers

Guntram Wolff replies to three questions in the aftermath of the announced results of the Greek referendum of 5 July 2015.

Guntram B. Wolff

What is at stake in the referendum?

The decision by the prime minister to call a referendum leaves the Greek citizens with a stark choice. The core of the question is whether Greek citiz

Guntram B. Wolff

#Greferendum

Defying hopes that negotiations could lead to an agreement between Greece and its creditors by the end of the week and ahead of the programme expiring

Silvia Merler

David Cameron and the EU’s Waterloo

The United Kingdom, whose new majority Conservative government has pledged to hold a referendum on European Union membership by the end of 2017, perha

Ashoka Mody

Priorities for euro area governance reforms

In order to calm fears about weak euro area governance: better fiscal governance and a mechanism to ensure competitiveness despite the absence of

André Sapir and Guntram B. Wolff

The emerging world: Debt as key risk

Perhaps the most ostensible of all challenges faced by the global economy is that of pervasive debt levels. For quite some time now, particularly foll

Alicia García-Herrero

Giving Greece a chance

This opinion piece by members of the Eiffel Group and the Glienicke Group argues that the Greek tragedy must not go on. Europe’s growing frustration w

Speech by Pier Carlo Padoan, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy

Speech from Bruegel 10th Anniversary Event, “Europe and Emerging Markets”, held in Rome on 5 May 2015.

Pier Carlo Padoan

Digital Single Market: setting the stage

The European Commission's just-released Digital Single Market strategy paper is good news. However, the paper does not spell out how the proposal

Mario Mariniello

Why we should not blame the ECB for low returns on German savings

The ECB has lowered its official interest rate several times in the last years and the rate is now at zero. In March of this year, it has in addition

Guntram B. Wolff

Europe’s radical banking union

Bruegel scholar Nicolas Véron argues in this thought-provoking essay that banking union ultimately enabled the European Central Bank’s announcement th

Nicolas Véron

The IMF's big Greek mistake

The Greek government's mounting financial woes are leading it to contemplate the previously unthinkable: defaulting on a loan from the International M

Ashoka Mody