...THE EUROPEAN UNION CURRENCY: THE EURO ACCOUTING I The euro, in application of the Maastricht Treaty, entered circulation on January 1 2002. It is the official currency of 16 of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). That union is made of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. The euro has become the second largest reserve currency and the second most traded currency after the U.S dollar (wikipedia). The creation of a single currency born out of a political concern turned out to be a good and strong monetary decision. According to the European Commission (website) the euro has provided many advantages and benefits over the previous situations where each member state had its own currency. Not only are fluctuations risks and exchange cost eliminated and the single market strengthened, but the euro also means a closer cooperation among member. Others assets are more choices and stable prices for consumers and citizen, a greater security and more opportunity for business and markets, an improved economic stability and growth, more integrated financial markets and a tangible sign of an European identity, a stronger presence for the E.U in the global economy making the euro a rival for the dollar. With all those benefits the euro is not without its critics. They were those who feared a lost of national identity because they had to relinquished their...
Words: 425 - Pages: 2
...EUROZONE CRISIS ABSTRACT Euro crisis was not fortunate. It was something that could be avoided if proper care was taken. The European sovereign debt crisis has emerged out of a situation that has made it difficult or impossible for some countries in the euro area to re-finance their government debt without the assistance of third party. It was not only the government sector that lead to this crisis but major cause of it was the private sectors taking up too much of loans. The report also states the impact of euro zone crisis on the world and the India. The Eurozone crisis is systemic in nature. It is a result of policy failures in the way European Monetary Union (EMU) was designed, constructed and implemented. In particular, the crisis is a consequence of the failure to put in place certain necessary institutional components. INTRODUCTION The global economy has experienced slow growth since the U.S. financial crisis of 2008-2009, which has exposed the unsustainable fiscal policies of countries in Europe and around the globe. Greece, which spent heartily for years and failed to undertake fiscal reforms, was one of the first to feel the pinch of weaker growth. When growth slows, so do tax revenues – making high budget deficits unsustainable. The result was that the new Prime Minister George Papandreou, in late 2009, was forced to announce that previous governments had failed to reveal the size of the nation’s deficits. In truth, Greece’s debts were so large that they actually...
Words: 3126 - Pages: 13
...The Euro Debt Crisis: Greece’s and its Next Move Matthew Schrock Financial Markets & Institutions Dr. Victoria Geyfman December 6, 2012 “The Euro Crisis and Greece’s Next Move” The Euro currency, during its original preparation and issuance, had been seen with optimism. It was presumed that the new union of European markets would create a new economic power within Europe, matching it with other economic leaders such as the U.S. and other powers. At this point in history, the Euro seems to be on the brink of despair. The European Monetary Union had determined and established the prerequisite diplomacy and policy making to assure a newly created stable and integrated economy of Europe. The reality of this new currency and monetary union is far from the original optimistic outlook. Policy set forth in the original agreements and conditions of the European Monetary Union that had been established before its adoption had been treated without regard by countries. This disregard started with deceit from Greece but quickly became almost the status quo. Greece is known as the catalyst and a scapegoat within the views of the Euro debt crisis. Greece is on the brink of insolvency and others are following. Options are available in this time of uncertainty, whether they are conventional or not, that could result in Greece remaining within the Euro and accepting austerity or altering their status and participation within the monetary union. The decision that will be...
Words: 3546 - Pages: 15
...The Euro Crisis According to Wikipedia (2012), the Euro Zone is comprised of 17 members that have accepted the euro as their only method of payment for goods and services. Monetary policy and management of inflation levels is governed by the ECB (European Central Bank) which consists of a president and board originating from central banks within the area. Since the late 2000's the Euro zone has experienced financial troubles mainly resulting from the varying degrees of difference between fiscal and monetary policy within each country. The majority of the debt can be attributed to the increase in both public and government debt around the globe as well as the arising debt within the euro zone. Some countries were noted for their involvement in the property crisis while other countries including Greece developed most of their financial obligations from increased public sector wages and pension contributions at an unsustainable level. As the desire for higher yielding investments expanded, many investors sought global markets as those offered by the U.S. Treasury. Norbert Walter (2012) argues that different growth rates, employment levels and unit labor costs have attributed to the euro crisis leading to heightened risk premiums and increased capital flights to those with lower risk assessments. Trade imbalances resulted from rising labor costs within several countries as well as accumulation of trade surpluses between those with the same currency that prevented appreciation...
Words: 3424 - Pages: 14
...www.capitalvia.com G lobal Research Limited I MPACT of G REECE White Paper - Impact of Greece Crisis Global Research Limited Introduction Historically, financial crisis tend to lead to sharp economic downturns, low government revenues, widening government deficits, high levels of debt, pushing many governments into defaults. This is called SOVEREGIN DEBT CRISIS. GREECE is currently facing this, it accumulated high levels of debt during the decade before the crisis, when capital markets were highly liquid. As the crisis has unfolded and there was liquidity crunch in world economy, Greece may no longer be able to rol over its maturing debt obligations. Build – Up To The Current Crisis Between 2001-2008, Greece reported budget deficits averaged 5% per year, compared to Eurozone average of 2%. Also, its current account deficits averaged to 9% per year compared to Eurozone average of 1% Greece funded these twin deficits by borrowing in international capital markets, leaving it with chronically high external debt (115% of GDP in 2009) Some of the facts which can be depicted from following charts : www.capitalvia.com 2 White Paper - Impact of Greece Crisis G lobal Research Limited How Country Debts And Budget Deficits Compare? Projected budget deficit for 2009 Budget deficit figs as % of GDP Debt as % of GDP 68.6% UK 13% 112.6% Greece 12.5% 54.3% Spain 11.25% 65.8% Ireland 10.75% 114.6% Italy ...
Words: 2286 - Pages: 10
...“Will the European Union Abandoned the Euro and Go back to their own Currency?” Professor: Dr. Mague Managing in a Global Environment MG615 Winter 2011 In today’s economy there are many different countries using different currencies. The European currency is defined as the forerunner of the Euro. This was a stable means of exchange between the former national currencies as they prepared to give way to the single currency. There are only some countries in Europe who adopted the Euro which are; Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The countries who did not adopted the Euro are; Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This is because they fear adopting the Euro would devastate their economy. Adopting the Euro gave the country a new start and others though it was a investment disaster. There have been many problems in adopting the Euro and people question whether or not the European Union will abandon the Euro. In reading many articles the countries using Euro zone are going through different forms of an economic crisis. According to the Bloomberg report the Euro zone fluctuates by increasing or decreasing in value. The euro zone had a weekly loss against the dollar after Portugal’s credit cut leaving European leaders ready to discuss the region’s debt crisis. The European officials will try to control a sovereign-debt crisis. As reported in the Bloomberg report, European Union leaders in Brussels...
Words: 965 - Pages: 4
...THE EURO IN CRISIS Objective Of Study The objective of the following study is to understand and analyse the recent euro debt crisis which led to the temporary fall of the euro. Through this study, attempt has been made to single out EU member countries and the events in those countries that led to the crisis. Policy recommendations have also been stated to further help the main objective of dissecting and understanding the problem. INTRODUCTION Over the last two years, the euro zone has been going through an agonizing debate over the handling of its own home grown crisis, now the ‗euro zone crisis‘. Starting from Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and more recently Italy, these euro zone economies have witnessed a downgrade of the rating of their sovereign debt, fears of default and a dramatic rise in borrowing costs. These developments threaten other Euro zone economies and even the future of the Euro. Such a situation is a far cry from the optimism and grand vision that marked the launch of the Euro in 1999 and the relatively smooth passage it enjoyed thereafter. While the Euro zone may be forced to do what it takes, it is unlikely that the situation will soon return to business as usual on its own. Yet, this crisis is not a currency crisis in a classic sense. Rather, it is about managing economies in a currency zone and the economic and political tensions that arise from the fact that its constituents are moving at varying speeds, have dramatically different fiscal capacities...
Words: 22358 - Pages: 90
...10NEXT Continue reading the main story ------------------------------------------------- Eurozone crisis * Q&A: Spain's woes * Keeping the euro together * Who's afraid of the euro crisis? * How eurozone crisis affects you After months of refusing to countenance the possibility of Greece leaving the euro, eurozone politicians slowly began to acknowledge there may be no option but to let the country go. The result of the general election on 17 June will please those who hope Greece will remain in the euro bloc. But the outcome is far from clear. The election result means the victorious party, the centre-right New Democracy, will be able to form a coalition intent on pushing through the austerity measures insisted upon by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. But no one knows at this early stage just how long a coalition will last and whether, ultimately, Greece's problems will become so overwhelming that it will be forced to leave the euro. Syriza, which came second in the election, continues to oppose the austerity programme and is promising to freeze payments to creditors and renegotiate the terms of the bailout from the EU and IMF. Germany has led demands that the loan terms are not negotiable. Why is Greece in trouble? Greece was living beyond its means even before it joined the euro. After it adopted the single currency, public spending soared. Public sector wages, for example, rose 50% between 1999 and 2007 - far faster than in...
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...Benefits of the EURO 1. Transaction Costs: There will be no longer a cost involved in changing currencies; this will benefit tourists and firms who trade within the EURO area. It has been estimated that this benefit will be equal to 1% of GDP so will be quite significant. (this is sometimes known as frictional costs) 2. Price Transparency: With a common currency it will be easier to compare prices in different European countries because they would all be in Euros. This enables firms to source cheaper raw material and consumers to but cheaper goods For example, new car prices are much higher in the UK than elsewhere, a single currency could help reduce these price differentials. 3. Eliminating Exchange Rate uncertainty. Volatile swings in the exchange rate can destroy the profitability of exports. This undermines business confidence in investing. Therefore with a single currency business confidence should improve leading to greater trade and economic growth. 4. Improvement in Inflation Performance. The ECB which sets interest rates for the whole Eurozone area will be committed to keeping inflation low; countries with traditionally high inflation will benefit from this. However this point is debatable as countries outside the Euro have maintained low inflation. 5. Euro could emerge as a global trading currency 6. Inward investment Inward investment may increase from outside the EU as firms take advantage of lower transaction costs within the EU area. Recently the Chairman...
Words: 291 - Pages: 2
...THE EURO CRISIS The entire global attention is currently focused towards the ongoing crisis in the Euro zone. The present article seeks to simplify and logically explain the crisis which has engulfed PIIGS. Q1) What does the term PIIGS stand for? Ans. PIIGS stands for Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. The current Euro crisis started in Greece and has now finally spread to Italy. In fact, there is a worry that ultimately it will slowly engulf the entire Euro zone and that there will be sovereign defaults. Q2) What is a sovereign default? Ans. Sovereign default occurs when a country defaults on the loans it has taken and is unable to repay them as per the originally decided terms. Sovereign default is considered catastrophic as the lenders normally have to make huge sacrifices. Q3) How did the crisis originate in Greece? Ans. Greece had a very liberal social security program for its citizens. Govt aided healthcare, education, pensions etc. which were heavily subsidised as the Greek Govt was bearing the major part of the expenditure. The Greek Govt went on a borrowing spree to finance its expenditure leading to the current debt position which looks unsustainable. It is feared that there will soon be a contagion effect. Q4) What is the contagion effect? Ans. Contagion is derived from the word “contagious” which means to spread. The worry is that this alarming situation would spread to soon other Euro regions leading to many sovereign defaults. Already pain is being...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Join the Euro Club? When the euro was introduced in January 1999, the United Kingdom was conspicuously absent from the list of European countries adopting the common currency. Although the current Labour government led by Prime Minister Tony Blair appears to be in favor of joining the euro club, it is not clear at the moment if that will actually happen. The opposition Tory party is not in favor of adopting the euro and thus giving up monetary sovereignty of the country. Public opinion is also divided on the issue. Whether the United Kingdom will eventually join the euro club is a matter of considerable importance for the future of the European Union as well as that of the United Kingdom. If the United Kingdom, with its sophisticated finance industry, joins, it will most certainly propel the euro into a global currency status rivaling the U.S. dollar. The United Kingdom for its part will firmly join the process of economic and political unionization of Europe, abandoning its traditional balancing role. Investigate the political, economic, and historical situations surrounding British participation in the European economic and monetary integration and write your own assessment of the prospect of Britain joining the euro club. In doing so, assess from the British perspective, among other things, (1) potential benefits and costs of adopting the euro, (2) economic and political constraints facing the country, and (3) the potential impact of British adoption of the euro on the international...
Words: 264 - Pages: 2
...these countries took austerity measures for example higher taxes and reduced government expenses, resulting in social unrest. However, Valentina (2011) points out that there are other countries like Germany, which made billions of Euros from this crisis since investors moved to Germany because it was taught to be safer. Similarly, Switzerland benefited from the crisis because of its lower interest rates. There are a number of complex factors that have contributed to the European debt crisis; they include globalization of financial institutions, international trade imbalances, slow economic growth, easy credit condition that existed from 2002 to 2008 among other factors. According to Moody (2011) the reasons behind the crisis stem from the high increase in savings present for investment in the course of 2000 to 2007. In the course of this period, the international pool for fixed income increased by nearly $36 trillion. The temptation presented by this readily high saving led to countries overlooking their regulatory when it came to borrowing and lending money. A number of politicians like Angela Merkel, the Germany Chancellor have attributed hedge funds and other speculators as one of the reasons for the crisis (Donahue, 2010). Solutions to the euro crisis require both political and diplomatic measures. Economic as well as financial solutions that should have implemented quickly in order to react to market pressures and increasing distrust have usually been overruled or postponed...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...the driving impulsion." Ironically, today, only Britain could possibly rival Denmark for anti-EMU (European Monetary Union) feelings. In 1992, after tough negotiations, Great Britain signed the Treaty of Maastricht but with a special demand: an opt-in option. This meant that Britain could join the EMU whenever it decided to do so. Ever since the election of Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Labour Party, the government argues that the country should join the EMU when and if the economic conditions are right. Denmark had asked in the Treaty of Maastricht for an opt-in option, however, on September 28th, 53% of the Danes decided to keep the krone. Economically, the UK would find more advantages than not in joining the Euro zone, as shows the following table[1]: |Advantages of entry |Disadvantages of entry | |No cost or uncertainty of changing currencies |Less ability to offset local shocks to real demand | |Lower interest rates |Possible deflationary bias at the beginning | |Fewer output fluctuations |...
Words: 3967 - Pages: 16
...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A plausible scenario for Eurozone fragmentation in 2012 would see elections in Greece, France, Finland and probably Italy changing the terms of the debate to reflect frustration with economies in recession, rising unemployment and hostility to proposed or actual austerity measures. In this scenario, Greece receives an irregular rescue from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and negotiates a rescheduling of its debt in March. But once its April elections are over, the new Greek government is unable to secure bailout funds having missed austerity and reform targets, prompting a formal sovereign default. Greece announces its withdrawal from the Eurozone, closing its banking sector for a period, freezing euro denominated accounts and redenominating them as newly created drachmas. The French and German governments nationalise their weakest banks most exposed to sovereign nonpayment by Greece. This increases their own national debts and prompts a second round of downgrades to the ratings of the French government and the EFSF (following earlier downgrades in...
Words: 2783 - Pages: 12
...Eurozone: Euro Falling? In recent news, many of the Eurozone Financial Ministers met to discuss the value of the Euro, how they will reform the outstanding debt situation within the Eurozone, and how they will respond to strengthen its power. However, discussions have come to a standstill as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is only looking out for the best interests of her country. She wants those financially irresponsible countries, such as Greece, to reform their ways and is, moreover, concentrating her energy instead on changing Eurozone treaties to allow closer fiscal union and supervision of member nations' budgets, even though analysts have told the Euro-bearing nations that the currency might take a harsh blow from which it will never recover, possibly leading to the complete dissolution of the Euro currency. People are saying that this will only have an effect on Europe, but they are wrong. The official decisions that are made will affect the rest of the world and will either cause Europe to rise up to the occasion or make the world enter another Era of Depression. It is because of these reasons that show Europe’s debt crisis has forestalled market activity; they are implementing characteristics of a mercantilist society, modernizing their economic systems to benefit only themselves, and a globalized economy will occur, whether its one of prosperity or trepidation. Mercantilism which is the economic theory that European governments used serving only their countries’...
Words: 1528 - Pages: 7
