Euro at 20: The Monetary Union from a Bird’s-eye View

20 years after the start of the monetary union, this briefing takes stock of accomplishments and challenges. In response to the sovereign debt crisis and in its attempts to support fiscal and structural reforms and later to lift inflation back to target, the Eurosystem has manoeuvred itself in a difficult position causing unintended side-effects. At the same time, broad consensus on reforming the institutional framework of monetary and fiscal affairs is still lacking among Eurozone members. This document was provided by Policy Department A at the request of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.