Dutch Public finances have taken a severe hit. As a result of the financial crisis, government debt has increased by 20 percentage points to almost 66 percent of GDP. Without a significant improvement of the EMU balance debt will continue to rise in the coming years. The current crisis raises...

Although Europe is about to introduce a commom monetary policy with one common European currency, the euro, estimating the expected costs and income is not an easy task. This paper analyzes in-depth the benefits of the euro. The prospects are positive.