The European Union surely has had better moments. What first entered centre stage with some troubling fiscal gaps in Greece’s budget in late 2009 has now turned into a much more sustained challenge for the continent itself – and equally for the rest of the world. However, things are still undecided. At this time people can probably argue with equal justification that we are nearing the end of the downward spiral or that things continue to get much worse if and when a Euro-zone break-up eventually occurs.
I tend to be an optimist and I am convinced that within a few years things will become better than they were before the crisis. This essay sets out the justification for my optimistic perspective and, if realised, what repercussions the optimistic evolution would have for Europe and the rest of the world. It will look at a ‘return of Europe’ and will suggest the implications it has on three dimensions, namely the economy, Europe’s role in the world and the evolution of its identity. These three dimensions shall be analyzed along a chronological perspective, starting with the origins of the crisis and the structural context, recent and current developments with a lasting impact on Europe and eventually an outlook of Europe’s perspectives beyond 2014.
It wasn’t us…
Since the global financial crisis hit Europe, the prevailing narrative Continue reading
Market pressures on ailing Euro-zone countries persist and the Merkels and Sarkozys struggle to find an answer. The latest hype gaining ground is the idea of Eurobonds. These would be jointly issued bonds by all Euro-zone (or even EU) governments to finance government debt by national (or sub-national) governments.
Europa in der Krise. Man mag in diesen Monaten sarkastisch antworten wollen: Schon wieder oder immer noch? Die europäische Bilanz der letzten Jahre scheint wirklich mager zu sein: Vertrag von Lissabon formerly known als Europäische Verfassung? Gerade mal mit Ach und Krach über die Ziellinie gerettet! Weltweiter Vorreiter im Klimaschutz? Das war einmal! Friedensmacht? Nationale Sprache scheint wichtiger als gemeinsamer Auswärtiger Dienst! Handlungsfähiger Akteur zur Bewältigung der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise? Im nationalstaatlichen Klein-Klein weitgehend zerredet! Kein Wunder also, dass das Vertrauen in die politischen Institutionen – auf allen Ebenen – rasant schwindet.
Vielleicht liegt es am Sommerloch, vielleicht an der ungelösten langfristigen Finanzierung. Jedenfalls läuft mal wieder die Rentendebatte in Deutschland. Spiegel Online zieht die Debatte an einem 
The Green Alliance, a leading environmental think tank in the UK has recently published “
