[Introduction]. A monetary union is a group of states which share a single, or common, currency. An economic and monetary union (EMU), like the Eurozone, is characterized not only by a single currency, but also by a single market, as well as by a common economic and monetary policy. According to...

[Introduction]. Until the 19th and mid-20th centuries, economic theory explained that the economic status of a country was represented by the strength of its currency.2 This strength is measured by the exchange rate of one currency vis-á-vis another currency, a “zero-sum” game in which one...

Even before the EMU process is complete in 2002, there are already initiatives being suggested to further integrate the European Union, both from an economic and political perspective. Many of these initiatives focus on harmonization of, for example, indirect taxes or corporate taxes in the...

The countdown for establishing economic and monetary union (EMU) in Europe has started and the countries of the European Union are practically on automatic pilot. Nevertheless, some nagging questions still have to be addressed concerning the design of the project and the possibility that, if not...

At the start of the Third Stage of EMU, it was by no means clear whether the ECB would succeed in setting up an efficient framework for distributing liquidity throughout the euro-zone. Now in retrospect, however, the ECB appears to have been quite successful. In this paper, we will look at the...

[From the Introduction] This study provides new evidence on the emergence of a single eurozone retail banking market with particular reference to consumer credit. Given the heterogeneous nature of consumer credit products in the eurozone, the authors reject the earlier proposition of the...

This paper argues that when EU member states joined EMU, this resulted in domestic institutional changes in the areas of fiscal policy-making and wage-setting. The paper argues that these changes were triggered by two facts: (i) in EMU, the monetary policy can no longer be used as an instrument...

Even before the EMU process is complete in 2002, there are already initiatives being suggested to further integrate the European Union, both from an economic and political perspective. Many of these initiatives focus on harmonization of, for example, indirect taxes or corporate taxes in the...

The argument in this chapter is that formation of EMU is about restructuring the financial architecture of Europe in order to enhance-rather than simply diminish-national autonomy. By implication, EMU functions-at least in part-to shore up and insulate Europe's member states during a period of...

The EU has set in place a series of mechanisms to try to co-ordinate fiscal, "structural" and monetary policies in order to achieve the objectives of EMU for the 12 members. All of these mechanisms are unique and untried. There is single monetary policy run by the combination of the national...