The politics behind EU’s economic policy: which way forward during the 2017 electoral year?

The electoral cycle starting with the Dutch elections in March 2017 will be key in defining the future economic policy of the Eurozone. Although Brexit and Trump caught most of the media’s attention over the past year, the problems inherent to the current Eurozone’s system of governance are returning to the spotlight as the White Paper on the Future of the EU has been open for debate.

What will happen to the Banking Union project? Will the EU finally be able to coordinate macroeconomic policies and infer more budget discipline on the Member States? Will the push for tax harmonisation find enough support? Will the ECB be pushed into an early termination of quantitative easing or a hike of interest rates?

This report maps the level of political backing for reforming the EU’s economic policy and shows what are the likely scenarios that can unfold in 2017, taking into account electoral events in Germany, France and other countries.

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