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Germany, France Tap Economists for Advice to Avoid ‘Lost Decade’

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The Social Democrats leader Sigmar Gabriel is Economics Minister in the coalition government of Angela Merkel in Germany. He is sympathetic to French premier Manuel Valls effort to reduce austerity in the 2015 French budget now being reviewed by Brussels. Here he takes the initiative to call for discussion on the issue of growth and austerity facing the European Union, by joining French Economics minister Emmanuel Macron in asking two economists Pisani-Ferry and Enderlein at the Berlin Institute of Governance for advice on generating growth. The process started in late summer with the defeat of the centre right government in Sweden which supported Merkel's strict austerity policies for balanced budgets. The elections to the European parliament showed the dire situation facing Cameron in Britain and Hollande in France with the unpopularity of austerity policies, higher taxes and cutbacks. The Socialist Hollande government has the lowest public opinion ratings of any postwar government in France, at 18%, and it is unwilling to go further down the road with austerity. At the same time Valls has found a partner in Italy with the growing popularity of Matteo Renzi in Italy who won 40% of the vote in Italy for the EU parliamentary elections of 2014. ECB president Mario Draghi, has generated the debate by saying at a October 2014 Brookings Institution conference in Washington D.C. that countries that have fiscal space (referring to Germany) should use it. He added that governments that did not take action in the economic crisis facing the eurozone of no growth will be swept away by public opinion. IMF president Lagarde, a former French Finance Minister under Sarkozy, has also questioned policy of strict austerity. For the first time since the start of the eurozone crisis in 2010 there is an opportunity for open discussion on future policies for renewal in the eurozone.

The initiative by Economics ministers Sigmar Gabriel and Emmanuel Macron to seek advice of 2 economists at the Berlin Institute of Governance to restore eurozone growth

10/14/2014

The initiative of the German and French Economics ministers Sigmar Gabriel and Emmanuel Macron to call on lecturers Pisani-Ferry and Henrik Enderlein for advice, comes at a time when Germany's growth has declined to zero or negative in the second half of 2014. Both are critics of Merkel's policies. For the first time Merkel is listening to different opinions and advice even as the government says it is sticking to balanced budgets. Finance minister Schauble continues to say investment should be mostly private. ECB president Draghi has generated the discussion by saying at a Brookings Institution conference in Washington D.C. that governments with fiscal space (referring to Germany) should provide stimulus. He added that eurozone governments that do not listen to new advice about generating growth will be swept away by public opinion. German officials privately say they can understand the Hollande government's situation with favorability ratings of 18% at the lowest level of any postwar French government. The situation is now markedly different from before with Berlusconi's old politics gone in Italy, and Matteo Renzi having obtained the largest mandate of any eurozone leader in the recent EU parliamentary elections, receiving 40% of the vote. Renzi and French premier Manuel Valls are pushing for less austerity reflected in the 2015 French budget now being reviewed in Brussels.

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