whither the euro? a discussion about why the euro must work and why it will not work (as it is...
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Whither the Euro?
A discussion about why the Euro must work and why it will not work (as it is today)
Andrew White
“An Englishman living in Atlanta”
Agenda
Introduction / Frame of Reference Why the Euro needs to work Why the Euro will not work How should it work
Introduction
Andrew White BA Hons (Economics) Lived in US 3.5 years Watching from afar Scared of what might be left when I
return…..if….
Why the Euro has to work...
Natural Evolution– Historical Direction– Winston Churchill’s “United States of
Europe” Required for Success in a Global
Economy– Power Bloc versus US and ASIA
Afraid of being third, or worse...
What if the Euro doesn’t work?
Subservient to Global Cycles– Interest rates no longer a national
boundary Lack of Global Influence Loss of opportunity to rationalize
resource allocation at a supra and super national level
What is the Euro?
Single Currency– Businesses already use one: Ecu– Eliminate currency-based loss between
nation states Part of an…
– Economic Phenomenon– Political Phenomenon
What is the Process?
Maastricht Treaty 1992– Treaty of Rome
Qualification…or not– UK, France, Finland, and Luxembourg– Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands,
Portugal, and Spain
Euro launched January 1 1999– Exchange Rates to be fixed– ECB sets interest rates
Why will the Euro go wrong?
Soft– Lack of public support– Lack of political reconciliation
Hard– Exchange rates are rather useful things– All previous examples of fixed exchange rate
systems have failed• Bretton Woods; Gold Standard; Snake; EMU
(Sterling and Lira) Round One
Soft
Lack of Public Support– Legislatures not ratified with own public
• UK and Denmark (“No” and change of leadership)• Germany (“No” to DM loss)• Insufficient awareness of the issues
Lack of Political Reconciliation– April 98 saw the Commission sue UK and Germany
and 6 other states for bilateral trade agreements with US
Soft
Lack of Political Reconciliation– Foreign policy examples
• GATT; US/Libya; Iraq War; Argentina/UK
– Oh what a happy family..• Wim Duisengerg and Calude Trichet (Jacques
Chirac, 4 of 8 year term), May 1998
– Unanswered questions...
Soft Unanswered Questions
Sovereignty– As the Parliament is to the People so should the European
Parliament be?
– But what about the Commission?
Parliament Policy
– Who sets it and where is the national and super-national line drawn?
ECB– Who votes here?
Hard Exchange rates are rather useful things
– When in an economic down-cycle it is far easier for a country to devalue a currency than to put people out of work
• UK political and economic strategy 1945-1979: Devaluation 1949; Convertibility of Sterling
• Most recent was Labour Policy pre-Monetarist experiment by Margaret Thatcher 1979
– Countries have to give up this option…and ask for money instead from the ECB
• What about Interest Rates...
Hard
All previous examples of fixed exchange rate systems have failed
• Bretton Woods and Gold Standard - WW II and Post War
• Snake; ROBOT• EMU (Sterling and Lira)
Hard
A Fudge for Qualification?– Economic guidelines and goals laid down
in 1992• Based on economic convergence
– Deadline came and Germany and Italy failed
• German economic advisors did not want Italy in EMU anyway...
The Real Issue
Timetable to EMU was drawn up by politicians with economic input - should have been the other way around– Many politicians were focused on re-election;
Khol…. Political considerations outweigh economic
at every point– Qualification; Election to key posts;
Membership
The European Thing
Italy - economy ‘broke’– Profligate social services; corrupt and
corruptible legislature Germany - not so solid as a rock
– Trying to emulate UK labour practices France - torn between mortal enemy and
enmity…never did like the UK anyway UK - Want to be USAb
EMU - How to make it work
Open debate of the real issues– Get the people to buy-in– Be prepared that some my buy-out…
Integrate Political Union with Monetary Union or loosen penalty (common currency rather than single currency)– Publish rules and regulations– European-wide elections throughout
EMU
E - entirely M - motivated U - underlings
Thank You!
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