This paper studies the interactions between monetary and fiscal policies in the euro area. It carefully discusses the process of policy competition and the structure of policy cooperation. As to policy competition, the focus is on competition between the European central bank, the American...

History -- West european economic integration since 1950 (Nicholas Crafts) -- The history of European Economic and Monetary Union (Harold James) -- History of economic thought and policy-making at the European Commission (Ivo Maes) -- The single market and the euro -- The economics of the single...