Die Umweltpolitik, die zunächst als politisch unbedeutendes Anhängsel der wirtschaftlichen Integration betrachtet wurde, ist zu einem zentralen Politikbereich der EU geworden. Das Ziel des Buches ist es, den Zusammenhängen auf den Grund zu gehen. Im Vordergrund stehen dabei folgende Aspekte:...

This cross-country paper explains differences in external sector performance among four large euro area countries—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The paper discusses that during 2001–04, the performance of the external sector differed markedly among these four largest euro area countries....

This Financial System Stability Assessment on France reviews the institutional and regulatory framework. Consolidation among financial institutions has resulted in six large universal, vertically integrated banking groups having a strong position in the domestic market. Bank profitability has...

The staff report for the 2004 Article IV Consultation on France highlights economic performance and near-term outlook and policies. On structural issues, a health care reform has established the key instruments to gain control over the system’s budget. Ongoing civil service reform and...

Fiscal deficits and the public debt has grown throughout much of the postwar period in most industrialized countries under the pressure of rising public expenditure, a trend that has begun to reverse after 1992. A number of studies argue that fiscal consolidation in association with expenditure...