The path to fiscal union in the euro zone
Can a monetary union survive without a fiscal union? That question has stalked the euro zone since its creation. Designed explicitly to exclude fiscal transfers, the currency bloc was considered by many economists to be doomed even before it was launched. It survived an existential crisis in 2010-12 only with stopgap solutions, and it is no closer to answering this question today.
Yet, paradoxically, the prospects for fiscal union in the euro zone are improving—because the nature of the needed fiscal integration is changing. Fiscal union is typically seen as entailing transfers from thriving regions to those going through economic slumps, and in Europe public opposition to stronger countries supporting weaker ones remains fierce.… Seguir leyendo »