Euro-Workshop 2018: New Perspectives for the EMU

Every year Villa Vigoni hosts the Euro-Workshop to discuss with experts from all over Europe the most important issues regarding the European Monetary Union (EMU).

The 2018 edition of the Vigoni Euro-Workshop will be held at a critical juncture for EMU and Europe. The Euro area survived a difficult decade, now the worst seems to be over. Growth rates for the EU and the Euro area beat expectations in 2017 to reach a 10-year high at 2.4%. Growth is set to remain strong in 2018 and ease only slightly in 2019, with a growth of 2.3% and 2.0% respectively in both the EU and the Euro area. But this growth comes late, is uneven and stems mainly from the ECB’s easy monetary policy and external demand, and not as much as desired from structural reforms, public and private investment and private demand. The question is whether the Euro zone is better equipped to survive its next recession than it was for the previous one, and whether it is taking advantage of the current good times to prepare for it.