The Sound of Economics

What comes next for the euro area? Europe has emerged from crisis, and progress has been made with banking union; but more can be done to reform the EU budget and improve the public perception not only of EU money but of the Union itself. Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs correspondent at the Financial Times, and Manfred Weber, chair of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, discuss their t...

Bruegel senior fellow André Sapir clarifies the UK's options for a new relationship with the EU in the wake of Brexit. The UK's position relative to the European Union following Brexit remains undecided. With negotiations ongoing, Bruegel senior fellow André Sapir explains the UK's options, and explores the scope for a new kind of relationship between the two parties. This latest episode of 'The S...

Bruegel director Guntram Wolff frames the two debates that will dominate the upcoming meeting of the European Council on 23 February 2018 – the shape of the next EU budget, and the method by which a new European Commission president will be appointed. Major questions still hang over the next EU budget, or multiannual financial framework (MFF), and not just because of Brexit. The next budget, anoth...

Bruegel fellow Georg Zachmann joins Richard Tol, professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Sussex, and Pieter-Willem Lemmens, head of analysis at the climate policy think-tank Sandbag, for this episode of 'The Sound of Economics', to discuss the impact of Brexit on climate and energy policy in the European Union Britain's departure from the European Union poses questions not on...

The final document on the German coalition agreement will have significant consequences for the European Union and the Eurozone. Bruegel director Guntram Wolff gives his assessment of the agreement's key features in this episode of 'The Sound of Economics' The negotiations to form the next German government have been a significant factor in European affairs for months now. With an agreement finall...

Brexit has afforded the European Parliament with the opportunity to reform - but will the current proposals for reallocating the UK's 73 seats after 2019 fully realise that opportunity? In the latest chapter of 'The Sound of Economics', Bruegel director Guntram Wolff highlights the potential political ramifications of seat reallocation, and the difficulties inherent in making the Parliament more r...

SUMMARY:  Manufacturing in its 21st century guise is markedly different from its traditional portrayal. Innovations are not only improving the efficiency of production processes but are also allowing for the establishment of more complex supply chains, with smarter communications systems and big-data management systems driven by an increasing digitalisation. Companies in a variety of sectors in Eu...

The issue of member-state integration in two or more speeds is one of the recurring questions in the debate about the European project. While previously this was a subject for academic circles, it has now moved into policy circles. Is this the future of Europe? Would the idea of proceeding in two or more speeds provoke a break-up of the EU? Is it an opportunity for each country to rethink and rene...

Senior Bruegel fellow Zsolt Darvas discusses the impact and integration of migrants in the European Union, based on a new research paper he has co-authored with Uuriintuya Batsaikhan and Inês Gonçalves Raposo. Joining him on 'The Sound of Economics' is Manu Bhardwaj, vice president for research and insights at the Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth, while Sean Gibson takes the reins of his fir...

Bruegel senior scholar Nicolas Véron speaks with Steven Maijoor, the chair of ESMA, about the future of the Capital Markets Union (CMU), and of the EU's financial supervisory architecture. Currently, the organisation of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) is based on a sectoral approach with one ESA for each sector: separate authorities for banking, insurance, and securities and markets. M...

Bruegel scholar Dirk Schoenmaker speaks with James Murray, London’s Deputy Mayor with responsibility for housing. They talk about the challenges London is facing in guaranteeing fair access to reasonably-priced housing. What is the right balance between rental and owned accommodation? And how much can local government influence the housing market in our most desirable cities? SPEAKERS Dirk Schoenm...

Bruegel’s Alicia García-Herrero and Robin Niblett of Chatham House discuss a new joint report on EU-China relations. How easy was it to find common ground with Chinese partners? And what should be the priorities for economic cooperation between Europe and China? In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we host a conversation between Alicia García-Herrero and Robin Niblett. Our guests talk about...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics we focus on trade multilateralism. What are the advantages of a multilateral approach to trade, and what are the risks? What challenges is the global trade system facing, and how should Europe react? Bruegel’s André Sapir explains the benefits of multilateral trade agreements, and calls on society’s to find ways to compensate those who lose out. Arancha Go...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we host a conversation between Jean Pisani-Ferry and Guntram Wolff on the future of Europe after the French election. Our guests discuss how to address the urban-rural divide that was visible not only in the French election, but also in the Brexit vote and the US election. They also address Emmanuel Macron's pro-European platform, and discuss the signific...

This episode of The Sound of Economics focuses on the banking system in Europe and some of the challenges it is facing. The financial crisis made it clear that more should be done to create conditions for a safer financial system. The EU has taken measures to do that, and one of those measures is the creation of the banking union, which implies bringing all instruments of the banking sector policy...

This episode of The Sound of Economics focuses on labour mobility in Europe. Anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise due to the perception that immigrants are taking away jobs and benefits. But what is the real impact of migration on European labour markets? What are the economic challenges for migrants and how do these challenges impact on social integration? These are some of the questions we...

This episode of The Sound of Economics focuses on artificial intelligence (AI). The important technological advancements in computer science and information systems move us towards the artificial intelligence era with the creation of computing machines and systems that perform operations analogous to human learning and decision making. How will our lives change in this new era? Robert Atkinson sha...

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which started the process of European integration. This presents an opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made so far, and to discuss what Europeans can expect in the future. We explore some of the central questions on this topic with our guests. Europe is facing a period of doubt and uncertainty, but this is...

This episode of The Sound of Economics focuses on non-performing loans (NPLs), a pressing issue for Europe's banks. The financial crisis and the recession that followed left European banks with € 1 trillion of NPLs. This has a negative impact on banks, borrowers, and the wider European economy. A range of experts offer insights into why NPLs are a challenge for banks, and why they are a problem fo...

In this episode of “The Sound of Economics” we examine the issue of inclusive growth and inequality in Europe. We asked Zsolt Darvas, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, to explain us how is it possible to define and measure inclusive growth. We spoke to Jana Hainsworth, President of the Social Platform, about the negative effects of social inequalities. We also asked her which new policies should be implem...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we focus on trade relations between the EU and China. We asked Alicia Garcia Herrero, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, where relations between China and the EU stand at the moment, and why their trade relations are so important. Currently the US seems more interested in the Pacific than its Atlantic alliance. Does this situation leave any room for the EU and Chi...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we discuss the issue of indebtedness and debt resolution with Carmen Reinhart, Professor of the International Financial System at the Harvard Kennedy School. Professor Reinhart highlights the scale of the debt overhang in many advanced economies. She also presents evidence that deleveraging has been notably slow since the last global financial crisis. She...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, a panel of experts from Bruegel and the Financial Times discuss the outlook for the UK and Europe. There is still a lot of uncertainty about the future, but some key questions are becoming clear. What will be the impact of Brexit on politics and business? Is the UK retracting not only from Europe, but also from globalisation? How should Europe react to wh...

This episode of The Sound of Economics focuses on innovation. There is widespread agreement that innovation is vital for European economy, but how can we get from smart ideas to economic growth? We asked Reinhilde Veugelers, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, why innovation matters for our economies, and why it is important for the components of the innovation system to be interconnected. Dominique Guellec...

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, we focus the issue of decarbonisation and the fight against climate change. Decarbonisation is at the heart of EU energy and climate policy. And the recent ratification of the Paris Agreement makes decarbonisation targets some of the EU’s most important international commitments. Progress towards the 2020 targets has been impressive. But the 2020 framewor...