Before the European summit in February 1988, EC agricultural policy was being criticized by almost all those affected. Farmers complained about low incomes and the lack of prospects, consumers and taxpayers about the high cost of agricultural support, politicians about spending commitments that...

The European Community regards its current agricultural policy “reforms” as an adjustment to the reality of the market and hence as a contribution to easing the strains in world agricultural trade and reducing worldwide distortions in resource allocation. A detailed analysis gives ground for...

Economic insecurity and poverty represent a growing problem in the European Community today, with the re-emergence of absolute poverty on a scale unknown since the 1940's. Are we creating a new “underclass” in the midst of our still prosperous societies?

The expected welfare effects of the completion of the internal European market by 1992 will differ markedly from one member country to another. What requirements must be met for liberalisation of the internal market? How could the disparities in the distribution of welfare effects be lessened?

In June 1988 the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission concluded an “Interinstitutional Agreement on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure”. A key element of the agreement is a commitment to medium-term financial planning for the Community for the...

The need for a uniform European system to control mergers seems ever more urgent as the advent of the European internal market draws closer. What proposals and approaches already exist for European competition law? How should they be assessed?

The liberalisation of capital movements and the creation of a market without internal frontiers within the European Community have far-reaching consequences for the European Monetary System. Sr. Wolfgang Schröder analyses the opportunities and risks associated with these developments.

Additional state intervention harbours the danger of increasing inconsistencies; this is especially true if there is no clear demarcation of duties between authorities at different levels, as is the case in many spheres within the EC. The plans to double the size of the EC Structural Fund by...

The initiative to set up the single European market has aroused fears abroad, and indeed even within Europe itself, that the intention is to turn the Community into a “Fortress Europe”. Attempts to allay these fears by the Council of Ministers, the EC Commission or individuals representing...

The completion of the European internal market is generally expected to have beneficial welfare and growth effects. To what extent will they lead to a change in employment? How will the employment effects be distributed among countries, industries and social groups?