The EU economy and the pandemic: short-term pain and long-term gain?

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Europe hard. Tough shutdowns and social distancing measures have caused an unprecedented economic contraction, while the recovery has been slowed down by the surge in new variants. Despite a rocky start, however, vaccines are now being rolled-out, and the EU is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Large fiscal transfers and supportive monetary policy have cushioned the economic blow, and the EU economy is expected to come out of this new crisis with a few scratches, but hopefully not the deep scars that characterized the European Debt Crisis. Through its Next Generation package, the EU is also aiming at boosting green and digital investments to address risks of economic divergence and fragmentation.

Join us for a special Jean Monnet in the USA (#JMintheUS) webinar with two speakers from the Delegation of the European Union to the United States as they discuss how the pandemic is reshaping EU economic governance and preparing Europe for the key challenges of the 21st century. An audience Q&A will follow the discussion.

Speakers

Ben Carliner is the Senior Economist at the Delegation of the European Union. His primary areas of responsibility include covering US macroeconomics, with a special emphasis on US monetary and fiscal policies, transatlantic economic relations, and financial markets. Prior to joining the Delegation, Carliner worked at the Economic Strategy Institute, a think-tank in Washington DC, where he was the Director of Research. There he focused on international economics, publishing studies and policy briefs on monetary policy, global imbalances, and international trade. Carliner has also worked in New York as the North American Editor for Project Finance International and Barron’s Business and Financial Weekly, covering syndicated bank lending, structured finance and global capital markets.

Kristian (Kris) Orsini is the Counsellor for Economic and Financial Affairs at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. His primary areas of responsibility include US economic and economic policy developments, transatlantic economic relations and relations between the EU and Multilateral Financial Institutions, mainly the IMF. Prior to joining the Delegation, Orsini worked in the European Commission Directorate General for Economic and Financial affairs (DG ECFIN), in the Directorate for fiscal and macroeconomic surveillance of Member States.

David Bieri (moderator) is an associate professor in the School of Public & International Affairs and Associate Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech. He is also a faculty member and research fellow at the Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, & Economics and serves as Associate Director for the newly-established Jean Monnet Center for European Union, Transatlantic, and Trans-European Space Studies (CEUTTS). Bieri’s research covers spatial economics, regulatory aspects of international finance, global monetary governance, and the history of economic thought.

Debra Glassman (moderator) is a Teaching Professor in the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. She has taught global macroeconomics and international finance in the undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and Technology Management MBA programs. She is the Faculty Director for the UW Global Business Center, home of the federally-funded Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). Her areas of research interest include international portfolio investment, exchange rates, international trade agreements, and European business. She has written business cases about a variety of global firms, including Amazon, Starbucks, Holland-America Line, and Volkswagen.

Stephen Silvia (moderator) is a professor at SIS and is an affiliate professor within the Department of Economics at AU. He teaches international economics, international relations, and comparative politics. He researches comparative labor employment relations and comparative economic policy, with a focus on Germany and the United States.

This event is co-sponsored by the Transatlantic Policy Center and the Jean Monnet in the US network. For the most updated event information, please visit the event registration page.