Growth and Stability Pact is the primary tool of the coordination of economic policy. This thesis deals with the historical development of the Pact, epmhasising its modification and furthermore its eligibility as means of enforcing the fiscal discipline of member states.

The paper examines the degree of convergence between the business cycles of the new EU member states and eurozone. This convergence is a necessary condition for a troublefree operation of a monetary union. Several analyses have been used to assess the problem -- pure time series correlation, correlation of detrended time series and of lagged series, and above all impulse-response functions correlation and forecast error variance decomposition. Finally, the paper briefly assesses the evolution of business cycles convergence.

The economic crisis of 2008 had substantial impacts on the global economy. The European Monetary Union was affected as well, however, the economic impacts also stirred up political discussions concerning functioning of the European Union and its unity as divergence of economic means among the member countries intensified during the crisis. Inflation and real interest rate differentials have to substantial degree the ability to measure the divergence among the member countries of a monetary union. A number of empirical studies measuring the differentials in the Euro area were conducted since the start of the financial crisis in 2008. These studies show growing inflation and real interest rate differentials among the countries of the Euro area, argue that the European Monetary Union is becoming less stable and often question its future. This paper conducts similar empirical analysis; however, it differs from the above mentioned works of other authors by the larger time gap between the start of financial crisis and the time of conducting the analysis as it uses data until the year of 2013. This paper also contributes to current literature by the methodology it uses. The inflation and interest rate differentials in EMU are calculated by two methods and their results are subsequently compared, which has not been done before. The inflation and interest rate differentials are calculated for the USA as well in order to have an entity which can be considered as a hypothetical optimum currency area and to which the differentials of EMU could be compared. The results of the analysis in this paper will state whether the magnitude of inflation and interest rate differentials is too high and it will also either confirm the trend of divergence of inflation and real interest rates within the Euro area or show that this divergence is only a short-time period phenomenon of after-crisis years. As this is an important and very recent issue of European Monetary Union the results of this paper should form interesting contribution to current literature on this topic.

This master dissertation deals with broadly discussed topic -- are there really some trade enhancing effects for countries that have adopted the euro? This thesis provides an estimate of the effect of the European Monetary Union on trade, taking into account panel data of 37 economies during sample period 1995 -- 2012. The sample consists of 27 European Union members and 10 non-EU OECD countries. After applying gravity model of trade and controlling for gravity-model-specific influences, the effect of the euro on trade obtained from the results of the estimation is positive and statistically significant 9 per cent.

Yes / After Brexit, EU national leaders can no longer escape the need to implement structural reforms and improve Eurozone governance. Since the start of the crisis, considerable progress has been made to stabilise EMU, but the current status quo is not an adequate answer to the challenges ahead. As in other domains of European interest, lack of initiative and reform is only fuelling populism. The ECB has contributed greatly to making up for the lack of policy coordination, insufficient structural reforms, and lack of progress in Eurozone economic governance. But its policy impact has been limited by these shortcomings and it has frequently been under fire for having had to take extraordinary measures. This paper, first, considers the initial flaws of the monetary project and the progress made since an EMU a minima was launched in 1999. Second, it examines the measures needed to make the long-term functioning of the euro area sustainable, and analyses the range of issues and choices that policymakers and political leaders need to face to stabilize EMU whilst addressing the often structural lack of competitiveness encountered among Eurozone members. Finally, it formulates recommendations on how to improve the workings of EMU without further postponing action.

In October 1999 the European Commission published the second progress report on the state of convergence of the Central- and Eastern European candidate countries (CEECs). The report encompasses an assessment, which is based on the three Copenhagen criteria. From an economic point of view, a country must have a functioning market economy and be able to withstand the competition on the European single market. In this paper we present a synthetic performance measure which helps to assess the economic preparedness of the ten Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) to become members of the European Union (EU). With the aid of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) we construct a best practice frontier, which is supported by the best performing EU-countries and which serves as a benchmark for the candidate countries. The preparedness of any CEEC is measured as the relative distance to this frontier. The results confirm that the macroeconomic performance of most of the CEECs lies far behind the EU standards, in foreign trade some of the CEECs already perform better than some EU countries. Interestingly, we find out that some CEECs are already better prepared for the EMU than many EU member states. (authors' abstract) / Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-03-21T13:51:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jaqueline Soares do Nascimento.pdf: 1854549 bytes, checksum: 599702a42b67bce2e9c182b8cc815b48 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-21T13:51:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jaqueline Soares do Nascimento.pdf: 1854549 bytes, checksum: 599702a42b67bce2e9c182b8cc815b48 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-22 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar comparativamente as integrações econômicas do Mercosul e da União Monetária Europeia. A metodologia é baseada na análise de estatística descritiva, com dados secundários relacionados à taxa de crescimento, taxa de desemprego, inflação, bem como às taxas de câmbio, no intuito de avaliar o desvio e correlação dessas variáveis nas integrações. De 1999 a 2011, os resultados apontaram significativa volatilidade nas economias do Mercosul e as flutuações observadas na taxa de crescimento, no emprego, preços e taxas de câmbio são minimamente correlacionadas dentro da região do Mercosul, os níveis de correlação no período de 2000 a 2011 foram muito inferiores aos verificados na década de 90. Os resultados indicaram um grau de abertura da economia baixo na União Monetária Europeia e um pouco maior no Mercosul neste mesmo período, o que indica maiores custos em abandonar a política cambial doméstica e ingressar em uma união monetária; a diversificação setorial no ano de 2011 foi verificada tanto nas economias do Mercosul quanto na UME; e a plena mobilidade do fator trabalho ainda é uma realidade distante para as integrações econômicas diante da baixa mobilidade na União Monetária Europeia e redução do percentual de migrantes intra sul-americanos no bloco latino. O Mercosul apresentou nítidos retrocessos quanto as excessivas medidas restritivas adotadas pelos países participantes e a dificuldade em implementar a livre circulação de bens e serviços entre os países. Na UME, a rigor os critérios de convergência não tem sido sistematicamente cumpridos pelos países aderentes à unificação monetária no ano de seu ingresso e essa flexibilização no que tange a convergência monetária da integração europeia permanece no período recente, pois as economias europeias ainda não conseguiram se recuperar. / The main goal of this master dissertation is analyzing the economical integration between Mercosur and European Monetary Union. The methodology selected is descriptive statistics using secondary data, which are related to growth rate, unemployment rate, inflation as well as exchange rate in order to evaluate the deviation and correlation among these variables in the economical integration. From 1999 to 2011 the results have shown significantly volatility in the Mercosur’s economies. The observed flotation on growth rate, employment, prices as well as exchange rates were minimally correlated within Mercosur’s region and the correlation level from 2000 to 2011 were lower than the nineties. The results indicated a lower grade of economic openness in the European Union and slightly better in the Mercosur during 2000- 2011 period, indicating higher costs to abandon the domestic cambial policy and commence in a monetary union; the sectorial diversification in 2011 was verified in both economies and the full labor mobility still is a distant reality for economic integration considering the lower mobility presented by European Union and the reduction of South American immigrants in the Latin bloc. The Mercosur has presented regression regarding restrictive measures adopted by the participating countries and the obstacles to implement the free circulation of goods and services among the countries. In the European Union, the convergence criteria have not been systematically fulfilled bythe countries, which adhered the monetary unification in the year of their admission. This flexibility in the monetary convergence in the European Union remains until nowadays, because the European economies could not retrieve from the financial crisis.

What explains IMF behavior in Europe between 2008 and 2012? Harshly criticized in Greece, yet tentatively praised in Hungary, the institution found itself playing different roles as it responded to a string of financial crises. Its programs varied substantially in terms of conditionality, financing, and private sector involvement. This thesis explores why, highlighting the changing global financial safety net, which is both expanding and becoming more decentralized due to the spectacular rise of regional financing arrangements (RFAs). Existing theories of IMF behavior assume the Fund to be a stand-alone institution and analyse financial assistance as the outcome from the interplay between creditors, borrowers, and staff. By focusing on dynamics within the IMF, however, they miss how developments outside the institution are increasingly shaping its behavior. This thesis brings in the role of changes in the institutional environment by drawing on the literature on regime complexity. The proliferation of RFAs alters the outside options of all actors, which affects their bargaining power. This opens the way for new strategies, through which creditors can entangle institutions by creating overlaps, borrowers can engage in confrontation between alternative financing institutions, and the IMF can find means to co-work with RFAs. These in turn affect whose preferences shape program design. This argument is tested empirically through process-tracing and comparing three cases of IMF-RFA cooperation in Europe. In Hungary, the IMF led the way in shaping a surprisingly 'generous' program with little constraint from the EU. However, in Latvia, the Fund found itself a 'junior partner' in a program driven by local authorities with the support of an European RFA. In Greece, the interests of creditors were paramount, securing IMF acquiescence through the threat of exclusion. These findings point to significant challenges for the Fund going forward. As RFAs continue to proliferate around the world, the IMF needs to avoid the temptation of striking even more Faustian bargains that keep it at the table of financial assistance at the cost of becoming a junior partner.

A adoção de uma moeda única por diferentes países muda significativamente a política econômica desses países. O objetivo desta dissertação, elaborada em forma de artigo, é estudar os efeitos da adoção do euro sobre a competitividade internacional dos países-membros da União Monetária Europeia (UME) com base no arcabouço teórico da teoria das áreas monetárias ótimas. A análise econométrica irá compreender um painel dinâmico com 12 países da UME nos períodos de 2002 a 2013 para inferir se a entrada de capitais teve impacto negativo na competitividade externa dos países periféricos da UME e como que os diferentes tipos de capitais interferiram sobre a taxa de câmbio real efetiva dos países da Zona do Euro. Conclui-se assim que não só a crise é capaz de permitir ganhos de competitividade entre os países da UME, como outros fatores mais desejáveis também, tal como a entrada de outros investimentos da conta financeira do balanço de pagamentos, a abertura comercial e os gastos do governo. Além disso, constata-se que o impacto da mobilidade de capital na competitividade é influenciado não só pelo tipo de capital como também pelo país que recebe esse fluxo. / Adopting a single currency in different countries changes significantly the economic policy of these countries. The objective of this dissertation, prepared in the form of an article is to study the effects of the adoption of the euro on the external competitiveness of member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU) based on the theoretical framework of the theory of optimum currency areas. The econometric analysis will comprise a dynamic panel with 12 countries of the EMU in the period 2002-2013 to infer if the capital inflow had a negative impact on the external competitiveness of the peripheral countries of the EMU and how different types of capital flows interfered on the real effective exchange rate of the countries of the euro zone. It is therefore concluded that not only the crisis can allow gains in competitiveness between countries in the EMU, as more desirable factors as well, like the inflow of other investments of the financial account of the balance of payments, trade liberalization and government expenditures. In addition, it appears that the capital flows impact on competitiveness is influenced not only by the type of capital but also by the country that receives the flow.

A adoção de uma moeda única por diferentes países muda significativamente a política econômica desses países. O objetivo desta dissertação, elaborada em forma de artigo, é estudar os efeitos da adoção do euro sobre a competitividade internacional dos países-membros da União Monetária Europeia (UME) com base no arcabouço teórico da teoria das áreas monetárias ótimas. A análise econométrica irá compreender um painel dinâmico com 12 países da UME nos períodos de 2002 a 2013 para inferir se a entrada de capitais teve impacto negativo na competitividade externa dos países periféricos da UME e como que os diferentes tipos de capitais interferiram sobre a taxa de câmbio real efetiva dos países da Zona do Euro. Conclui-se assim que não só a crise é capaz de permitir ganhos de competitividade entre os países da UME, como outros fatores mais desejáveis também, tal como a entrada de outros investimentos da conta financeira do balanço de pagamentos, a abertura comercial e os gastos do governo. Além disso, constata-se que o impacto da mobilidade de capital na competitividade é influenciado não só pelo tipo de capital como também pelo país que recebe esse fluxo. / Adopting a single currency in different countries changes significantly the economic policy of these countries. The objective of this dissertation, prepared in the form of an article is to study the effects of the adoption of the euro on the external competitiveness of member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU) based on the theoretical framework of the theory of optimum currency areas. The econometric analysis will comprise a dynamic panel with 12 countries of the EMU in the period 2002-2013 to infer if the capital inflow had a negative impact on the external competitiveness of the peripheral countries of the EMU and how different types of capital flows interfered on the real effective exchange rate of the countries of the euro zone. It is therefore concluded that not only the crisis can allow gains in competitiveness between countries in the EMU, as more desirable factors as well, like the inflow of other investments of the financial account of the balance of payments, trade liberalization and government expenditures. In addition, it appears that the capital flows impact on competitiveness is influenced not only by the type of capital but also by the country that receives the flow.