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European Union

  • Rome
  • 14 May 2015
     
     

    The spirit of Europe. What Europeans can do together for a political Union

      Reviving the spirit of Europe means, first and foremost, returning to the roots of the political and cultural project of integration. While maintaining a critical stance with regard to the Union’s current practical shortcomings, we must not forget the exceptional results that have been achieved in terms of rights and guarantees that European citizens today consider normal but which are not at all so in many other parts of the world. In that sense, the ideal and historical dimension must also be combined with a pragmatic vision aimed at the efficient tackling of present priorities.

    • Rome
    • 2 April 2014
       
       

      Europe’s shifting politics: the challenge for smarter integration

        There is a broad consensus on the key issues that will determine the sustainability and efficiency of the eurozone (and the European Union as a whole). These include common mechanisms in Europe, domestic political consensus in the face of the considerable sacrifices imposed on citizens, the functioning of national institutions to introduce necessary reforms; and mutual trust between the member countries.

      • Rome
      • 22 May 2013
         
         

        Saving Europe: a new compact across the Atlantic

          The main challenge identified as facing European leaders was that of striking a delicate balance between maintaining domestic political consensus (in the face of strong social tensions) and implementing necessary but painful reforms that almost without exception will only yield positive results in the medium to long term. While the worst of the financial crisis seems to have been overcome, many concerns remain regarding the overall state of Europe’s economies and the EU’s continued viability from a political and institutional standpoint.

        • Berlin
        • 17 April 2009
           
           

          Europe on the edge: the weak links and the Russia link

            The current economic crisis is subjecting the entire “EU system” to conflicting pressures. On the one hand, the search for a synergistic and coordinated approach to economic policies would undoubtedly be facilitated if its joint institutions were performing well.

          • Milan
          • 8 June 2015
             
             

            From obstacle to opportunity: how European institutions can help businesses and improve the job market

              We need a new way of narrating Europe. We need it above all to counter the populist drift that has made anti-Europeanism its motto.  Data provided by the Eurobarometer, the instrument measuring the belief of European citizens in the idea of Europe, shows that the vision of the founding fathers is in free fall. In 2008, 75% of Italian citizens were strongly convinced that the European project was a good thing, while today there is a risk that this percentage will drop below 50%.

            • Rome
            • 20 January 2014
               
               

              From banks to competitive enterprises

                Leading in to discussions at this Aspen Junior Fellows event was the observation that 2014 is the launch year for the European Banking Union, the product of what have been difficult compromises between the various countries involved after six years of financial crisis and two recessions.

              • Rome
              • 5 February 2013
                 
                 

                The two Americas: prospects for economic recovery

                  At this event to launch the latest edition of Aspenia, the focus of debate was the fact that diverging trends in the world’s major economies have been made more patent than ever before by the financial crisis that erupted in 2008, and which, particularly in Europe, has since transformed into a sovereign debt crisis. Chief among these divergences are the almost opposite trajectories of emerging markets compared to those of traditionally advanced economies, the divide between Europe and the United States, and glaring disparities within the European Union.

                • Rome
                • 16 May 2012
                   
                   

                  Nations without wealth, wealth without nations

                    At this talk-debate event held in Rome, it was noted that although twenty years have passed since the publication of the book “Nazioni senza ricchezza, ricchezze senza Nazione” written by Giulio Tremonti, Sabino Cassese, Tiziano Treu and Francesco Galgano, the work remains extraordinarily relevant today, as by the time of its release a rift had already emerged between nations and reality, with the latter – and the problems and opportunities it presented – eluding the material constraints under which the former were forced to operate.

                  • Milan
                  • 5 June 2012
                     
                     

                    Making hard choices: economic and political challenges for Europe

                      This encounter with Professor Guido Tabellini, Rector and Full Professor of Economics at the Luigi Bocconi University, gave the Aspen Junior Fellows an in-depth look at today’s issues. Twenty years after Maastricht, Europe’s economic and financial scenario has changed radically. The outlines of European unity were born of an optimistic forecast of the ability to govern a monetary – albeit not yet political or fiscal – union in the context of growing financial integration.

                    • Rome
                    • 9 November 2012
                       
                       

                      The future of Europe: creating and distributing new values, beating the crisis

                        As Altiero Spinelli once observed: “Europe will not fall from the sky”, but rather needs to be built from the ground up with the involvement of everyone. These words served as the opening premise for discussions at this Aspen Junior Fellows Conference on the new challenges that will shape the cohesion and future of the European Union. On one hand, the Conference set out to address the question of the kind of new models that could guarantee prosperity and employment for all Europeans by mitigating the widening imbalances between generations.

                      • Rome
                      • 5 July 2012
                         
                         

                        The European paradox

                          The “European paradox” lies first and foremost in the great potential of the eurozone and the EU as an integrated economic bloc, which remains undeniable despite the serious difficulties of the past few months, and the concerns with the future solidity of the single currency: we are practically witnessing the crisis (hopefully a temporary crisis) of a giant on the global scene.

                        • Venice
                        • 26 October 2012
                           
                           

                          Reshaping Europe: political, economic and social challenges

                            Europe is at a crossroads. The Old World today is facing crucial challenges for its very survival as a political and economic unit. The task is not simple. It is a matter of defining a new economic, political and institutional architecture capable of ensuring its ability to compete with other economic and political systems at the global level.

                          • Rome
                          • 26 October 2011
                             
                             

                            Eurobonds: the intricate relations between politics and economics

                              Discussions at this national roundtable session got underway with the observation that the idea of introducing European public debt securities – or so-called Eurobonds – is not a new one: indeed, it dates back to 1993 when Jacques Delors proposed, albeit in embryonic form, the issuance of European bonds to finance investment in European Community infrastructure.

                            • Florence
                            • 18 November 2011
                               
                               

                              The post growth West? The debt crisis and the shift to new drivers

                                Three major issues stand out in the list of challenges currently facing the Western world: (1) medium-term trends in the global economy, with special focus on new sources of growth, rebalancing and decoupling; (2) the European debt crisis, its outlook and possible solutions; and (3) green energy as a growth driver.

                              • Rome
                              • 4 July 2011
                                 
                                 

                                Radek Sikorsky at Aspen Institute Italia

                                  Radek Sikorsky at Aspen Institute Italia. The Foreign Minister of Poland held an off the record seminar at our Institute. The debate focused on the principle themes of European foreign policy and Poland’s priorities for the EU presidency. Sikorsky is the author of a book on Afghanistan which was recently published also in Italy.

                                   

                                • Milan
                                • 26 January 2009
                                   
                                   

                                  Europe’s economy after the financial crisis

                                    Created by the implosion of the US financial system, the last of the “bubbles” – that of the housing market – is the culmination of over a decade of shortsighted American monetary policies and an inadequate monitoring system. The situation is particularly grave, with forecasts that world growth will fall from 5% in 2007 to little more than 1% in 2009. As yet, it is not possible to predict how long the recession will last.

                                  • Rome
                                  • 8 April 2009
                                     
                                     

                                    The EU and the crisis: light at the end of the tunnel

                                      This talk-debate session focused on early signs of a global economic recovery. Whilst the light at the end of the tunnel may not yet be clearly visible, some important signals are already starting to emerge. The first of these is that the governments of EU countries have acted in a timely and effectively coordinated manner. Indeed, their actions have confirmed the primacy of the political sphere and an intergovernmental approach over action through EU institutions (and the European Commission in particular).

                                    • Venice
                                    • 22 May 2009
                                       
                                       

                                      Economic policies, credit systems and business strategies: how to overcome the crisis

                                        The crisis we are experiencing has not spared anyone, taking in the economy, society and institutions. It has hit the financial sector, spilled over into the real economy and labor market, and called into question the role of the State and international organizations. The crisis has also raised doubts regarding our model of development, the ability of the political sphere to control economic processes, and the reliability of those who had sufficient information from which to predict the worst financial disaster since the end of the Second World War and who did not do so.