Commentaries

A message from the President of the Republic of Italy Sergio Mattarella on the occasion of the annual event of the Institute for European Policymaking

Trump’s defeat offers a cautionary tale for the European Union. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

A great legacy of the European Council of Milan is the image of a Europe that does not need to be either unanimous or uniform in order to proceed toward its development, precisely insofar as one can trust one another. A commentary by Marta Cartabia

No municipality, no government, no company functions on the basis of unanimity. Why should the European Union content itself with this constraint? A commentary by Sylvie Goulard

Regulators now face a delicate balancing act: fostering innovation while preserving stability and public confidence—particularly in money as a store of value and a reliable medium of exchange. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

Forty years ago, Milan hosted the pivotal 1985 European Council where, for the first time, a vote was called — breaking with tradition and setting Europe on a new course. By Catherine De Vries 

Eurobonds can be issued to provide new resources or to become the safe asset for the European financial market, not both. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

At the June 1985 European Council meeting, in Milan, the diverging views about the future of Europe – its identity as a common trading area or as a more cohesive bloc – were bound to clash strongly, given the fact that the meeting was intended to consider various proposals for the reform of the European institutions. A paper by Andrea Colli

At the Castello Sforzesco, in the 1985 meeting, the European Council agreed with the Commission’s conclusion that an internal market could provide the economic and social “crisis management” the Community needed and secure its global economic competitiveness. A paper by Grace Ballor

The IEP@BU annual event uses the historical lens of the 1985 European Council meeting in Milan to look at Europe’s future

A political deadlock between a pro-European government and a euroskeptic president could weaken the country's standing within the EU and undermine the European response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A commentary by Catherine De Vries

In response to US protectionism, many governments decry fragmentation in the European market — barriers they themselves enforce. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

While the proof of the pudding will be, as always, in the eating, the UK-EU 19 May Summit can justly be said to have laid out an enticing menu. A commentary by Sir Alan Dashwood

In this paper, we unpack the logic—and the unintended fallout—of the Trump administration’s tariff strategy. We present our analysis as an imagined conversation between President Trump and the late historian Carlo M. Cipolla. A paper by Marco Buti and Marcello Messori

The US-China tariff negotiations and a renewed focus on the long term should not lead the ECB to reconsider its decision. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

The European Union has the money to attract researchers under threat in the US and should coordinate a scheme to deploy it. A commentary by Heather Grabbe, and Daniel Gros.

To truly compete on the global stage, the eurozone must mutualise part of its public debt—and build a deeper, more efficient capital market. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

To enable the United Kingdom to take part in programmes on procurement, standardisation, interoperability, and industrial cooperation, a new institutional framework is needed—potentially inspired by the EU–Switzerland committee model. A commentary by Jonathan Faull 

It is time for an ambitious foreign policy, security and defence partnership (FSDP) between the EU and the UK, tailored to reflect the UK’s unique situation, which should be swiftly negotiated and concluded. A commentary by Alan Dashwood 

The discussion focused on progress made so far and the challenges that still lie ahead in shaping a new framework for UK–EU collaboration in security and defence.

Replacing the Chair is not enough to change monetary policy, as Trump would like — namely, to lower interest rates to boost economic growth. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

The real challenge is not the size of successful tech firms per se, but how their scale is leveraged — whether to support vibrant ecosystems or to entrench monopolistic control. A commentary by Francesco Decarolis.

April’s US inflation data will offer the first glimpse of the real impact of the global trade war that the US administration launched on the “Liberation Day”. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

A rise in US Treasury yields would immediately feed through into other countries’ borrowing costs, tightening global financial conditions. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

There are immediate liquidity problems, and then the choice between lowering inflation risk or supporting the economy. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

Tariff moves have also compromised the rest of the Trump administration’s strategy, from taxes to energy. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

Mainstream politicians must ensure that the state can once again be a force for good. This means investing in public service delivery, allowing houses to be built, and reducing administrative burdens. A commentary by Catherine De Vries

The ECB might counterbalance the impact of tariffs by steering the exchange rate, but that would be a mistake. Maintaining a focus on price stability is paramount.

The advantages of the Trump administration's ‘reciprocal’ tariff structure for EU industry on the US market are likely to outweigh the direct impact of the 20% tariff that EU exports will now face. A commentary by Daniel Gros

By supporting Marine Le Pen, members of the international nationalist coalition have put partisan solidarity before defending the interests of national taxpayers. A commentary by Sylvie Goulard 

The intrinsic contradictions of Trump’s strategy will strike the United States where it is most vulnerable: inflation and employment. In the ensuing moves of this chess game, it is vital to project both strength and flexibility. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

Amid Trump’s activism, many accuse Europe of lacking timely and effective decision-making. But distinctions are necessary. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

Weakening the EU climate corporate reporting in the name of competitiveness, or complementing it with specific measures to mitigate its negative economic impacts? A commentary by Sylvie Goulard, Mélanie Marten, Thomas Rowley, Romain Svartzman 

A firm but measured response, aligned with rules and European interests, is better than excessive conciliation with the US administration. Here's why. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

From Germany's debt choices to Italy’s stance on rearmament, Ambassador Luigi Mattiolo analyses how the EU is evolving in the age of Trump. An interview by Stefano Feltri

The administration’s emphasis on stablecoins risks eroding the Federal Reserve’s independence and could weaken the dollar’s global standing. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

Berlin’s pledge to do “whatever it takes” on military and infrastructure spending raises government bond yields across the continent. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

Financial discipline, growth potential, and deeper EU integration reassure investors amid rising defense budgets. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

Trumponomics Faces Market Test: Implications for Europe

The heightened risk aversion triggered by Trump's policies has not spread to Europe, where optimism prevails regarding more cohesive and responsive policymaking. A commentary by Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

The normalisation of war in political discourse is forcing a renegotiation of the European welfare state, a delicate balancing act that will determine whether defence budgets remain sustainable in the long run. A commentary by Stephanie Hofmann & Catherine E. De Vries 

The explicit goal of the new US administration is to protect the US tech industry and to dismantle European regulations, reverting to bilateral arrangements where the strongest naturally prevails. A commentary by  Lorenzo Bini Smaghi

The EU, along with the UK and Norway, has the resources and capabilities to sustain Ukraine’s fight and provide security guarantees if Putin agrees to a ceasefire. A commentary by Daniel Gros 

Should China and the US – where major market players are based – manage to sideline Europe in its regulatory isolation, the EU’s influence may wane. A commentary by Marco Bassini.

After the 2008 financial crisis, the ECB's supervision restored the soundness of euro area banks. Now, it has the opportunity to build a banking sector of continental dimension. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni.

Trump’s ambitions to extend U.S. influence over neighboring countries align with Karl Haushofer’s notorious geopolitical doctrine. A new global order is emerging, and Europe may not be part of it. A commentary by Andrea Colli

As 80 years ago, today’s large states aim to impose their will on smaller nations. This time, however, no European leader is at the table. Will incoming German Chancellor Merz change this? A commentary by Catherine De Vries

The shared opposition of environmentalists and farmers to the EU-Mercosur trade deal reflects concerns about economic liberalization at the expense of ecological and social equity. A commentary by Pietro Galeone, Joseph Christopher Proctor, Romain Svartzman

The US President has halted plans for a central bank digital currency: a mere show of strength to undermine the Fed’s independence. A commentary by Ignazio Angeloni

The incumbent’s full control over a pivotal realm of power implies several risks related to the incumbent’s behavior. The first temptation is to self-justify the strict control over AI technology “for the good of mankind” . A commentary by Andrea Colli

The global financial system is at a crossroads of two related processes: post-crisis reform—the so-called Basel III—that is missing its final stage, and the new political course in the United States, where the incoming administration has declared war on all pre-existing rules.

A recently published report by the Institute for European Policymaking, written by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Bocconi University and the Toulouse School of Economics, provides timely insights into these challenges and offers concrete policy recommendations across three critical areas

The German economy is weak not because of a lack of investment, but because of the sectors it goes into. German industry has specialised in mid-tech sectors, like automotive, that are now under increasing competitive pressure from China. A commentary by Daniel Gros

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has acknowledged that the neutral interest rate will be higher than previously expected. This shift carries significant implications for public finances.

The geopolitical references in the inaugural address of the new US President are striking because they align closely with the concept of “classic geopolitics”—a vision of politics and international relations as an aggressive, zero-sum game. A commentary by Andrea Colli

Much of the impact of the new Trump Administration on Europe will depend on how the balance of power within the US plays out between the President and key corporate leaders, of Big Tech in particular

Both in the U.S. and Europe, the excess liquidity created over past decades has been only partially reabsorbed. It remains ready to fuel inflation if a matchstick is struck. A commentary by Franco Bruni

Linking relocation to a job in Ukraine would ensure that the return does not constitute a burden for Ukrainian public finances which are already under enormous strain

IEP@BU seeks to foster discussions—even on the most divisive topics—that are firmly rooted in data and rigorous analysis of empirical evidence

In a world where the number of smartphones is nearing that of people, and each device typically hosts two or three payment applications, the added value of X's new tool is limited

Reduced economic insecurity generates not only a direct increase in demand for populist commitments but also a change in culture in the direction of lower trust and prevalent exclusionary rhetoric, which in turn are further indirect channels through which populist movements thrive

We must be realistic about the level of structured cooperation we can expect to be able to achieve with the EU in the immediate term. But we should be ambitious

Remarks by Sir Jonathan Faull, Chair of European Public Affairs, Brunswick Group.

The foreign policy landscape is shifting fast, and it is time to overcome the post-Brexit- mutual diffidence. 

It defies any sense of equity that countries facing rising sea levels, or like Pakistan which suffered a flash flood in 2022, submerging a third of the country, should borrow on commercial terms to cope. 

The discussion explored practical ideas around the process of establishing a broad and deep partnership between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the areas of foreign, security, and defence policy.

A second term for Donald Trump could structurally intensify the trend toward trade fragmentation, heightening tensions, particularly between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies.

The narrative of the EU as a peace project is that it allowed Europeans to reject military investments on the basis of the excuse that we were living in a post-war society. This is not true.

The fact that prices have risen considerably compared to four years ago will matter more to most voters when voting, and not that they have caused growth to slow.

The Honorary President of the IEP@BU Mario Monti opened the international conference "Democracy Today," organized by the Konstantinos Karamanlis Foundation in Athens, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Greece's transition to democracy

The age demographics in key swing states reveal a significant number of young potential voters who are more likely to support Kamala Harris. However, young voters are historically the least likely to turn out at the polls.

Europe will be called upon to make a difficult decision between pursuing the protectionist policies of the United States or taking advantage of the diplomatic and economic opportunities that American isolationism could offer.

“The Commission would like to be taking the lead on defense policy, but defense remains the domain of Member States”. Thomas Gomart is one of the most influential experts on foreign relations and geopolitics at the EU level: he has been director of the Ifri, Institute Francais de Relationes Internationales, since 2015. An expert in Russian geopolitics and the history of international relations, he has recently published the book L'accélération de l'histoire. Les noeuds géostratégiques d'un monde hors de contrôle ( Éditions Tallandier, 2024).

 The first elected president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, discusses how to fix the decision-making process at the EU level 

On 16 October 2024, Claudia Buch delivered a lecture titled Bank Profitability: A Mirror of the Past, Creating a Vision for the Future at Bocconi University. The event was co-organized by the Baffi Center on Economics, Finance, and Regulation and the Institute for European Policymaking @ Bocconi University (IEP@BU).

The 16^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), or "Biodiversity COP 16", will take place in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1.

The Uni­Credit-Com­merzbank deal is a test case for the ECB, which will rever­ber­ate into the future, and be a golden oppor­tun­ity for its super­vis­ory board to uphold its inde­pend­ence

This dismantling of the European Grean Deal would be one of the main mistakes that the Europeans could make. The often critics should not lead us to underestimate or marginalize people's desire to take action and deny the necessity to accelerate the transition.

On September 19, mister Roth gave a lecture to Bocconi students titled “Europe at the Crossroads: Turning Today’s Poly-Crisis Into Tomorrow’s Poly-Opportunity”. Eleanor Spaventa, a professor of European Law at Bocconi and a member of the IEP@BU managing board, chaired the event co-hosted by IEP@BU and the Department of Legal Studies.

While the focus of the new Commission will be crystallizing over the months and years to come, this short analysis of the mission letters for the future Commissioners suggests that the recent intervention of Mario Draghi on Europe’s competitiveness has been agenda-setting for the policy priorities as defined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

Project Beethoven allocates €2.51 billion to “…strengthen the Dutch chip industry and support the future growth of activities in the Brainport Eindhoven hub.”, “…investment in vocational and professional talent, and in sufficient space, good accessibility and affordable housing…”.  

The September 2024 state elections in Germany mark a low point in public support for the governing left-wing coalition and a high point for the populist right. Often overlooked, the elections might also mark the fading of the German socialist party Die Linke into political irrelevance. Its demise teaches us valuable lessons for modern European politics

The report on The Future of European Competitiveness presented by Mario Draghi provides a clarion call for economic reforms to stop Europe’s relative decline.  This short comment cannot do justice to the report with over 300 pages of supporting material.  We will concentrate just on two key messages regarding innovation and investment.

If Trump is elected in November 2024, the security outlook of Europe could deteriorate very fast as Russia may attempt to seek the opportunity of taking NATO off balance. It is therefore essential that the Commission and the forthcoming Defence Commissioner begin the policy planning and design well in advance and preferably as soon as they take office, as to move past preliminary negotiations and have blueprints ready for approval should the situation require it.

In June 2024, the EU has unleashed a powerful weapon in its arsenal against money laundering and terrorist financing: a comprehensive package of new rules designed to close loopholes, enhance transparency, and strengthen enforcement.

Identifying the appropriate level of spending is difficult and there is not really any science about this. This is because different considerations play a role, including military strategy to political psychology.

There are lessons to be learned by comparing the most recent elections in France and the UK. The French electoral system is characterized by two-turn constituency elections where several short-listed candidates qualify for a second round should no-one reach more than 50% of the votes in the first round. The British system, conversely, assigns a given constituency seat to whoever wins the plurality in a given constituency, regardless of whether or not the candidate reaches 50%.

While defense procurement and production remain fragmented across Europe and the EU and its member states invest less in their security and defense than the US, new EU and EU-sponsored initiatives demonstrate that Europeans are aware of this and attempt to reduce these shortcomings – political and fiscal obstacles notwithstanding.

A key area of frustration for voters on both the left and the right is the poor performance of the NHS. With ever-longer waiting lists for hospital appointments and declining local services, voters are deeply concerned about the state of their beloved health service. 

European politics has become more fragmented which makes governing a tall task, but also makes the EU more political. After decades of being perceived as too technocratic and distant, the fight for the European Union’s top jobs became more highly anticipated and much more political. 

The latest European Defence Industrial Strategy outlines a commitment to support investments by Member States and the European defence industry in the development and market introduction of cutting-edge defence technologies and capabilities. 

EU firms should be able to satisfy a large share of the increases in defence expenditure that are required immediately to support Ukraine and also those in the medium and longer-term

The European Sovereign Bond market gyrations erupted in the wake of President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a snap parliamentary vote after his party’s defeat to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the European elections have sparked a debate on the opportunity of an activation of the Transmission Protection Mechanism (TPI). 
 

Europeans want policymaking that is culturally more conservative, for example, better protection of external borders and more priority on the wellbeing of European natives rather than third-country immigrants.