Germany’s Government Still Has an Allergy to Investing
The new coalition budget looks a lot like the old German coalition budget. My Bloomberg View column is here....
Read more
Germany’s current account surplus and corporate investment
Following the 1990s post-reunification period and since the beginning of monetary union, Germany’s current account has grown substantially. In the crisis years, Germany’s lost about 15 percentage points of GDP in i...
Read more
Europe needs a broader discussion of its future
The important Franco-German paper leaves aside some of the most crucial issues for the future of Europe’s monetary union: European public goods, a proper fiscal stance and major national reforms. Its compromise on sovere...
Read more
Germany’s export-oriented economic model is caught in a US-Chinese squeeze
The new Merkel government has to reduce the dependencies on exports by stimulating domestic growth forces in Germany and Europe. At the same time, Berlin should push for a more ambitious national and European innovation ...
Read more
How Should the EU Position Itself in a Global Trade War?
This opinion was published in Intereconomics, Volume 53, March/April 2018, Number 2 · pp. 50-51, here is the link. It was also published in Caixin-Chinese and Caixin-English and a shorter version in Nikkei Veritas. Steve...
Read more
Europe needs a strong Italy
This opinion piece was published in La Republicca. Summary: Europe needs to have its Italian voice. A stable government is not only needed to pursue the domestic policies and remain fiscally prudent but also to negotiate...
Read more
Future European priorities
This piece was written for Nikkei Veritas “Budgets are not bookkeeping exercises – they are about priorities and ambition. So let’s first discuss about the Europe we want.” – These are the words of the President of the E...
Read more
US tax reform and implications for the German coalition agreement
Major recent reform of US tax laws represents a serious challenge to Germany, highlighting several weaknesses in the country’s economy. The formation of Germany’s coalition government represents an opportunit...
Read more
Difficulties and opportunities in reallocating European Parliament seats post-Brexit
Summary: The European Parliament must carefully consider the reallocation of seats after Brexit, allowing for a potential shift in political alignment and working within parameters already agreed with Member States. Thi...
Read more