Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 08/2010

In Defense of Europe's Grand Bargain

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard

June 2010

Peterson Institute for International Economics

Abstract

Nothing is easier than pointing fingers at policymakers working feverishly at 2 a.m. to contain a rapidly spreading financial crisis. Rarely has this been truer for the European Union than during the current crisis’s amateurish policy management. Yet, what really matters is the final result, which is far more positive for Europe than the ugly sausage-making process.