Euromemo Group

EuroMemorandum 2009/10

Europe in Crisis: A Critique of the EU’s Failure to Respond – Dedicated to the memory of Jörg Huffschmid (1940-2009), Founder and guiding spirit of the EuroMemorandum Group

This Memorandum was formulated on the basis of discussions at the 15th workshop of ‘European Economists for an Alternative Economic Policy’ (EuroMemorandum Group) on 25-27 September 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

It is based on written contributions from Wlodzimierz Dymarski, Trevor Evans, Miren Etxezarreta, David Flacher, Marica Frangakis, John Grahl, Mahmood Messkoub, Catherine Sifakis, Diana Wehlau and Frieder Otto Wolf.

We have dedicated the EuroMemorandum 2009/10 to the memory of Jörg Huffschmid.

The text is available in English, French, German, Greek, and Spanish.

Summary
Introduction

1 Europe in crisis
1.1 From financial panic to global recession
1.2 The macroeconomic situation: European macro policies under pressure
1.3 The labour market: Unemployment and insecurity as the main threats
1.4 The social situation: Poverty and inequality on the rise
1.5 The ecological situation: Global threats to the environment

2 The failure of the EU to respond
2.1 From European integration back to the nation state
2.2 Macroeconomic policies: Deadlock on an integrated policy mix
Box 1: Beyond GDP – Towards new indicators
2.3 Labour and employment policies: Much rhetoric, little substance
2.4 The fight against poverty: Lip-service without action and without impact
2.5 The ecological dimension of EU policies: Insufficient, fragile and subordinate
Box 2: The Lisbon Strategy 2000-2010: A complete failure
3. Proposals for alternatives
3.1 Towards a democratisation of finance
3.2 Towards improved macroeconomic performance
3.3 Alleviating the effects of financial crisis on the labour market
3.4 Effective policies for social inclusion beyond rhetorical discourse
3.5 Sustainable Development as a main guiding principle of the integration process

Conclusion and outlook

Declaration of support

Added Files:
EuroMemorandum 2009/10 – English versionDownload (250 kb)
List of signatories 2009/10Download (24 kb)
EuroMemorandum 2009/10 – German/Deutsche FassungDownload (283 kb)
EuroMemorandum 2009/10 – version française/French versionDownload (1877 kb)
EuroMemorandum 2009/10 – versión española/Spanish versionDownload (278 kb)
EuroMemorandum 2009/10 – Greek versionDownload (692 kb)