This volume, the fifth instalment of the classic Report on the European Union series, offers at once an economic and intellectual historical perspective on the creation of the euro and its 20 first years, a comprehensive review of the current and future challenges of the euro area, including a...

The ‘Troika’ is a word that is scorched into the narrative of the EU’s banking and economic crisis - a triumvirate constituted by the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. The modus operandi of the Troika is defined by the authors of this book...

This book analyzes the effects of the recent crisis and evaluates potential solutions to the gridlock that is currently dominating the Eurozone and the European Union, concerning both the monetary policy and the budgetary and fiscal policy. The timely study highlights the main challenges that...

This book brings together the work of researchers in Eastern and Western Europe, who analyze competitiveness, social exclusion and sustainability from a range of perspectives. It examines the key challenges faced by the EU in its efforts to establish a socially inclusive and greener path to...

This book explores the diverse challenges facing the EU and in particular examines the impediments to financial stability and sustainable growth and how these can be overcome. Among the topics explored are the extent to which monetary union has favored real convergence, competitive imbalances in...

1 Introduction -- 2 What Went Wrong With the Euro?.- 3 Public Debt: Introductory Remarks -- 4 Was the Eurozone an Acceptable Currency Union? -- 5 Preconditions of a Monetary Union -- 6 What Was the Theory Behind the Formation of EMU? -- 7 Will the Eurozone Dissolve Into Its Constituents? -- 8...

A Country's Process of Development as Described by a CUSP Catastrophe Model - The Case of Eastern European and Baltic Countries -- Empirical Analysis of the Shadow Economy of the South East European Countries -- Investigating the Convergence Hypothesis in the EU: More Evidence Accounting for...

Introduction -- The Role of Banks in Financial Integration: Some New Theory and Evidence from New EU Members -- Interdependence Between Foreign Exchange Markets and Stock Markets in Selected European Countries -- The Transatlantic Banking Crisis: Lessons, EU Reforms and G20 Issues -- Financial...

This study analyzes trade specialization patterns in the enlarged European Union with a special focus on the new EU member states and the cohesion countries. Empirical findings on revealed comparative advantage and a broader picture of competitiveness on the single market are presented from a...

Despite the success of policymakers and the European Central Bank in calming down financial markets since the summer of 2012, European leaders are still facing formidable challenges in making the single currency work in a complex environment. This book starts with a review of the necessary...