André Sapir produced this short paper at the request of Commissioner Mandelson for the Expert Seminar on Trade Defence Instruments at the European Commission.

André Sapir puts forward some comments and recommendations about the Lisbon Methodology (LIME) Working Group. This Policy Contribution was presented at the first meeting of LIME'S Working Group on 1 February 2007.

This paper discusses the creation of a European Banking Union. First, we discuss questions of design. We highlight seven fundamental choices that decision makers will need to make: Which EU countries should participate in the banking union? To which categories of banks should it apply? Which...

The economic profiles of southern Mediterranean countries (SMCs) bear some resemblance to those of south-eastern European countries and some former Soviet republics at the beginning of their economic transition in 1990. The SMCs resemble less the former communist countries that joined the...

Jean Pisani-Ferry and André Sapir call for more focused guidelines in Lisbon 2, an explicit methodology for evaluating National Reform Programmes, and better ownership of these programmes to encourage national debate on key areas of underperformance in member states. This paper, prepared at the...

The single market is often perceived as the panacea for Europe's economic troubles. It is believed that completing the single market would boost welfare, stimulate growth and increase European competitiveness. However, identifying and quantifying the channels through which market integration is...

The report discusses a variety of issues involving difficulties in the banking sector, with a view to ascertaining the appropriate institutional infrastructure in the context of the European Union and the euro area. Forbearance on the part of banks dealing with delinquent borrowers is...

A European banking union is necessary to ensure the stability of the European financial system. This paper assesses the EU Commission's proposals for legislation to create a banking union in Europe. The EU Commission's proposal for a regulation creating a single supervisory mechanism is strongly...

The European macro-prudential policy framework operates at two levels. First, the ESRB has a legal responsibility for macro-prudential oversight in the EU. Second, various national and EU authorities have responsibility for the implementation of macro-prudential policy. The creation of a...