Euro Symposium "The Euro: (Greek) tragedy or Europe's destiny? Economic, historical and legal perspectives on the common currency"

The European debt crisis has brought the European Monetary Union (EMU) to the brink of collapse. A large variety of proposals are currently being discussed, ranging from different stabilisation mechanisms to outright default and the exit of individual countries from the euro zone; even a complete dissolution of EMU no longer appears unthinkable. The aim of this symposium is twofold: First, we seek to encourage a genuinely pan-European debate on EMU that will overcome the multitude of (highly diverse) national debates. Currently, economic analyses and policy suggestions follow well-established national fault lines (mirroring earlier divisions between “soft” and “hard” currency countries), which makes agreeing on a common diagnosis of the problem and suggesting a therapy exceedingly difficult. Second, we wish to draw on the rich experience of past monetary unions in helping us master the present and the future of EMU.