A political crisis was the last thing Italy needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet a personal conflict between the leader of Italia Viva, Matteo Renzi, and the previous prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, led to the collapse of the coalition in mid-January. President Sergio Mattarella then...
The current public health crisis has become a major challenge for European economies. It particularly affects countries in the southern part of the eurozone, as they are still suffering from the effects of the euro debt crisis of 2009-12. In the absence of a convincing fiscal policy response from...
Two reports published in early 2020 shed new light on this challenge. The European Central Bank’s (ECB) risk report on less-significant institutions is the first of what is intended to be an annual series. The impact assessment study on the most important differences between...
Italy joined the eurozone in 1999 under the leadership of Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema of the Democratic Left party. This fateful participation, which entailed the complete loss of independent monetary policy, is undoubtedly the main cause of the disappointing performance of the Italian...
In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to Ivan Jakovcic, a member of the European Parliament and former Croatian minister of European integration. Croatia is a nation of about 4.1 million people. Situated at the crossroads of central and southeastern Europe, it is the newest...
The upcoming EU presidency is Bulgaria’s chance to remold its image as a reliable and stable actor in the Balkans and beyond. On January 1, 2018, Bulgaria will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time in its history. The country is stepping up on the...
Have eurozone states built sufficient democratic institutions for the necessary sharing of risks and resources? The 2008 financial crisis was not a one-off event. The resources that were available to cope with that crisis would not necessarily be there if there was another crisis. Government...
European banks haven’t recovered as well as American banks from the financial crisis. Investors have sold off shares as banks face tighter margins and an ongoing slowdown. Bank stocks are taking a drubbing globally, but the picture is a bit more glum in Europe. The Stoxx Europe 600 Banks Index...
After a year of earthshaking victories and devastating setbacks, Europe’s new progressive parties are slowly learning how to balance governance with activism. Over the past year, left and center-left parties have taken control of two European countries and hold the balance of power in a third....
Alexis Tsipras must fully commit to Greece’s bailout agreement in both letter and spirit. The popularity of Greece’s radical left-wing Syriza party is on the decline. In January, polls showed that support for Syriza—which struck a power-sharing agreement with the right-wing Independent...
