Foreword

On the 55th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, signed in January 1963 to mark France and Germany’s post-war reconciliation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron drew a picture of a “prosperous and competitive Europe, more sovereign, united, and democratic”. But a decade of economic and migration crises and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union represent major stumbling blocks on the path towards ever closer ties and continuous enlargement of the European Union. This year’s report by the European Economic Advisory Group (EEAG) at CESifo focuses on the causes and symptoms of, and possible cures to the current integration malaise.