In een persbericht van de Europese Commissie wordt in zoveel worden gezegd dat zij er vanaf het begin van de invoering van de Euro een ongekende puinhoop van heeft gemaakt:
The still growing macroeconomic, employment and social divergences threaten the core objectives of the EU as set out in the Treaties, namely to benefit all its members by promoting economic convergence and to improve the lives of citizens in the Member States. The latest review shows how the seeds of the current divergence were already sown in the early years of the euro, as unbalanced growth in some Member States, based on accumulating debt fuelled by low interest rates and strong capital inflows, was often associated with disappointing productivity developments and competitiveness issues.
In the absence of the currency devaluation option, euro area countries attempting to regain cost competitiveness have to rely on internal devaluation (wage and price containment). This policy, however, has its limitations and downsides not least in terms of increased unemployment and social hardship, and its effectiveness depends on many factors such as the openness of the economy, the strength of external demand, and the presence of policies and investments enhancing non-cost competitiveness.
Kunnen de mensen die dit hebben opgeschreven ervoor zorgen dat het licht in Brussel zo snel mogelijk wordt uitgedaan? Scheelt bakken met geld. En als we ook nog eens de Euro bij het grofvuil zetten gaan landen als Griekenland, Italie, Spanje en Portugal misschien wel een kans krijgen.
