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The Case for Reforming Euro Area Entry Criteria

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  • Zsolt Darvas

    (Institute of Economics - Hungarian Academy of Science, Bruegel-Brusselss)

Abstract

The global economic and financial crisis has raised further concerns about the euro-entry criteria, in addition to other factors, such as the effective tightening of the criteria due to the enlargement of the EU from 12 to 27 members, the highly unfavourable property of business cycle dependence, the internal inconsistency of the criteria due to the structural price level convergence of Central and Eastern European countries, and the continuous violation of the criteria by euro-area members. The interest rate criterion became a highly volatile measure. Many US metropolitan areas would fail to qualify to be members of the US monetary union by applying the currently used inflation criterion to the US. It is time to reform the criteria and to strengthen their economic rationale within the legal framework of the EU treaty. A good solution would be to relate all criteria to the average of the euro area and simultaneously to extend the compliance period from the currently considered one year to a longer period.

Suggested Citation

  • Zsolt Darvas, 2010. "The Case for Reforming Euro Area Entry Criteria," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1022, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:has:discpr:1022
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Lewis & Karsten Staehr, 2010. "The Maastricht Inflation Criterion: What is the Effect of European Union Enlargement?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3), pages 687-708, June.
    2. Jean Pisani-Ferry & Pavle Petrovic & Michael A Landesmann & Vladimir Gligorov & Daniel Daianu & Torbjörn Becker & Zsolt Darvas & André Sapir & Beatrice Weder di Mauro, . "Whither growth in central and eastern Europe? Policy lessons for an integrated Europe," Blueprints, Bruegel, number 453, June.
    3. Darvas, Zsolt, 2009. "Leveraged carry trade portfolios," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 944-957, May.
    4. Zsolt Darvas & Andrew K. Rose & György Szapáry, 2005. "Fiscal Divergence and Business Cycle Synchronization: Irresponsibility is Idiosyncratic," NBER Chapters, in: NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2005, pages 261-298, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Zsolt Darvas & György Szapáry, 2008. "Business Cycle Synchronization in the Enlarged EU," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, February.
    6. Balázs Égert & László Halpern & Ronald MacDonald, 2006. "Equilibrium Exchange Rates in Transition Economies: Taking Stock of the Issues," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 257-324, April.
    7. Zsolt Darvas & Zoltan Schepp, 2009. "Long maturity forward rates of major currencies are stationary," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(11), pages 1175-1181.
    8. Zsolt Darvas, 2008. "Estimation Bias and Inference in Overlapping Autoregressions: Implications for the Target‐Zone Literature," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 70(1), pages 1-22, February.
    9. Zsolt Darvas & György Szapáry, 2008. "Euro Area Enlargement and Euro Adoption Strategies," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 304, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    10. Zsolt Darvas & Jean Pisani-Ferry, 2008. "Avoiding a new European divide," Policy Briefs 227, Bruegel.
    11. Zsolt Darvas, 2009. "The Baltic Challenge and Euro-Area Entry," Policy Contributions 357, Bruegel.
    12. repec:bla:jcmkts:v:48:y:2010:i::p:687-708 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Darvas, Zsolt, 2015. "Does money matter in the euro area? Evidence from a new Divisia index," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 123-126.
    2. Zsombor Z. Méder & András Simonovits & János Vinczeb, 2012. "Tax Morale and Tax Evasion: Social Preferences and Bounded Rationality," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 171-188, September.
    3. Zsolt Darvas, 2013. "The Euro Area's Tightrope Walk: Debt and Competitiveness in Italy and Spain," Working Papers 1307, Department of Mathematical Economics and Economic Analysis, Corvinus University of Budapest.
    4. Avadanei, Andreea, 2011. "O abodare de ansamblu privind provocările adoptării euro: cazul României [An overview of euro adoption challenges: the case of Romania]," MPRA Paper 28420, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. MIHUT Ioana Sorina & LUTAS Mihaela, 2014. "The Impact Of The Recent Financial Crisis Upon The Nominal Convergence Indicators Across New Eu Member States," Revista Economica, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 66(2), pages 58-74.
    6. Zsolt Darvas, 2012. "The euro crisis- ten roots, but fewer solutions," Policy Contributions 755, Bruegel.
    7. Torój, Andrzej & Bednarek, Elżbieta & Bęza-Bojanowska, Joanna & Osińska, Joanna & Waćko, Katarzyna & Witkowski, Dariusz, 2012. "EMU: the (post-)crisis perspective. Literature survey and implications for the euro-candidates," MF Working Papers 12, Ministry of Finance in Poland, revised 06 Mar 2012.
    8. Gheorghe SAVOIU & Constantin MANEA & Ion Iorga SIMAN & Marian TAICU, 2014. "Historical Retrospection And Statistical Introspection Into Romania'S Convergence To The European (Monetary) Union And The Seasonal Mountain Tourism'S Impact," THE YEARBOOK OF THE "GH. ZANE" INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC RESEARCHES, Gheorghe Zane Institute for Economic and Social Research ( from THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY, JASSY BRANCH), vol. 23(1), pages 45-53.
    9. Roxana Badircea & Alina Manta & Alia Duta, 2016. "The Analysis of the Real Convergence of the Countries from Central and Eastern Europe," Finante - provocarile viitorului (Finance - Challenges of the Future), University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 1(18), pages 45-50, December.
    10. Darvas, Zsolt, 2022. "Discretion lets Croatia in the euro area in 2023, but leaves Bulgaria out," SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 25(2), pages 183-194.
    11. Dumitriu, Ramona & Stefanescu, Razvan, 2013. "Provocările politicii monetare [Monetary policy challenges]," MPRA Paper 50261, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 Sep 2013.
    12. Triandafil, Cristina Maria, 2011. "The Analysis Of The Convergence Criteria. Empirical Perspective In The Context Of The Sustainable Character Highlight," Working Papers of National Institute for Economic Research 111205, Institutul National de Cercetari Economice (INCE).
    13. Zsolt Darvas, 2011. "Exchange Rate Policy and Economic Growth after the Financial Crisis in Central and Eastern Europe," Working Papers 1103, Department of Mathematical Economics and Economic Analysis, Corvinus University of Budapest.
    14. Sara Casagrande & Bruno Dallago, 2022. "Socio-Economic and Political Challenges of EU Member Countries: Grasping the Policy Direction of the European Semester," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 64(3), pages 487-519, September.
    15. Zaenal Mutaqin & Masaru Ichihashi, 2013. "Widening and Deepening Economic Integration Impact on Bilateral Trade in the Eurozone and ASEAN," IDEC DP2 Series 3-3, Hiroshima University, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC).
    16. Jozsef Moczar, 2016. "Noether's Theorem and the Lie Symmetries of Goodwin-model," Working Papers 1601, Department of Mathematical Economics and Economic Analysis, Corvinus University of Budapest.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Euro; EU institutions; financial crisis; Maastricht-criteria;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions
    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations

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