Commentary
Uri Dadush
{
"authors": [
"Uri Dadush"
],
"type": "other",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Western Europe",
"Germany"
],
"topics": [
"Economy"
]
}
Source: Getty
Other
The Missing EU Approach
The German position (no new money, no ECB guarantees, and no euro bonds) would place the whole burden essentially on troubled countries to reform with very little additional help from eurozone partners.
By Uri Dadush
Published on Nov 22, 2011
Are there signs of a comprehensive EU approach to the crisis?
No. The last EU summit on October 27 issued a communiqué that contained references to all the needed reforms—increased capacity of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), bank recapitalization, and Greek debt restructuring. It also opened the door for longer-term reforms to the set up of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) that would require treaty changes.
However, the devil is in the details and there was no new money pledged for the EFSF, the bank recapitalization gave scope for banks to cut back instead of increase lending, and the Greek debt restructuring lacked crucial elements that still require negotiation. And the intention to reform EMU governance, requiring approval by parliaments across the eurozone, is not sufficiently specified or credible.
However, the devil is in the details and there was no new money pledged for the EFSF, the bank recapitalization gave scope for banks to cut back instead of increase lending, and the Greek debt restructuring lacked crucial elements that still require negotiation. And the intention to reform EMU governance, requiring approval by parliaments across the eurozone, is not sufficiently specified or credible.
Read more
The result is that very little remains of the October 27 package, which is one reason markets are so jittery, and so much has been placed in the lap of the European Central Bank (ECB). The German position (no new money, no ECB guarantees, and no euro bonds) would place the whole burden essentially on troubled countries to reform with very little additional help from eurozone partners. This is unrealistic.
About the Author
Uri Dadush
Former Senior Associate, International Economics Program
Dadush was a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He focuses on trends in the global economy and is currently tracking developments in the eurozone crisis.
- The Labors of Tsipras
- Greece, Complacency, and the EuroIn The Media
Uri Dadush
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
- Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its LimitationsPaper
The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.
Yezid Sayigh
- Unpacking Lebanon’s Gap LawCommentary
In an interview, Ishac Diwan looks at the merits and flaws in the draft legislation distributing losses from the financial collapse.
Michael Young
- Has Sisi Found a Competent Military Entrepreneur?Commentary
Mustaqbal Misr has expanded its portfolio with remarkable speed, but a lack of transparency remains.
Yezid Sayigh
- Arab Diaspora Business Communities in EgyptResearch
Arab diaspora business communities in Egypt often mirror the same systemic challenges facing Egyptian businesses.
- +4
Nur Arafeh, Yezid Sayigh, Qaboul al-Absi, …
- Saudi Arabia in Africa: Sound Economic and Geopolitical Strategy, or Resource Exploitation?Article
Largely characterized thus far by a single-minded focus on extractivism, Riyadh must commit to greater equitability in its approach to investment and development deals with Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
Hesham Alghannam
