Talk at the EReNSEP conference in Paris

This talk tries to give answers to two important questions in the current context: to what extent is the euro an economic and political cost for France? And is an exit or dismantling of the euro possible, or would it rather be a catastrophe?

Let’s start with the first question. For France, the identifiable costs of belonging to the euro area are essentially three: two of an …

Following its election, the Syriza government has to face a double fiscal and banking emergency, which is the consequence of the past austerity plans and of the 2012 rescue on public funds of the European banks. A real stranglehold was set up by the Troika and the previous governments, in order to prevent any alternative policy. Breaking this stranglehold is a precondition for implementing a social emergency program. The challenge lies in the choice of …