The Director-general of the international monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde (c), for the economic Meetings of Aix-en-Provence, July 17, 2013 (Photo by FRANCK PENNANT. AFP)
Rising nationalism, tensions over immigration and trade war: encounters of Aix-en-Provence, economists and policy makers have on Sunday called on Europe to a jump, believing it was necessary to it to overcome its divisions to prevent a “gear unsafe”.
“Since few months, a bad air blowing on the world,” which questioned “the idea that multilateralism is the natural vehicle for the settlement of our conflicts,” said the Circle of economists in its final declaration, issued at the end of three days of debate he organized in the city of provence.
In the Face of this “movement-uncontrollable”, “only new forms of dialogue, new actors, as was the case for the COP 21, will get out of this situation dangerous,” he added, in a message to the leaders in france and abroad.
In the heart of attention: the european Union, called to put an end to its divisions, particularly in the face of the trade war initiated by the us president Donald Trump.
“The question is not whether there is or not a trade war. The trade war has already started”, stated the minister of Economy and Finance Bruno The Mayor, calling on european actors in the “lucidity”.
“In this globalized world, it is necessary that the european States do to block, because they want from our partners, or our opponents, it is to divide us. What the Us wants, it is divide France and Germany,” he insisted.
The United States have imposed Friday of the customs duties on chinese goods with an estimated value of € 34 billion, prompting Beijing to announce to immediately retaliate, for equivalent amounts.
This trade dispute, which is consequential to the introduction of customs duties punitive damages on imports of steel and aluminum in the United States, may soon escalate out of control, Mr. Trump has threatened to impose customs duties of 20% on imported cars in the United States from the EU.
“If tomorrow there had to be a rate increase on other economic sectors, like the automotive sector, our response must be united, strong, to make people understand that Europe is also an economic power in the sovereign,” said The Mayor.
– “Map to play” –
Saturday, the director-general of the international monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde had also estimated that the european Union had “a card to play” in the trade war between the United States to China, on condition that it be “united”.
“Europe needs to overcome its own divisions”, added Sunday, Benoit Coeure, member of the executive board of the european central Bank, saying that Europe had “two strengths”: a “great market, the first in the world”, and “a capacity to regulate, which is also the first in the world”.
“The political anchor in the world is detached”, has underlined his side, Philipp Hildebrand, vice-chairman of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK), the largest asset manager in the world. “Only a collective response can restore a form of stability”, he added.
Whether it is a Brexit, the new populist government in Italy or tension on the issue of migration, the european Union is torn from all sides, the victim of a growing trend on the part of the citizens of the EU – that is the fear in some an implosion.
“The benefits of the European Union have not been enough for the citizens due to the delay in the tax integration”, was recognized by the former Italian Prime minister, Mario Monti, deeming it necessary to improve the “governance” within the EU.
Several proposals during the Meetings, have been made in this direction. Economists in particular to finalise the banking union, to make the climb power, the european Mechanism of solidarity (MES) and to strengthen the european policy on competition.
Regarding the migration policy, they propose to “create within a group of countries on a voluntary basis a procedure for the european asylum with a right of common, a common agency and the joint protection of borders”.
“We, as Europeans, take the hand” in order to be present in the reorganization of the world, the reorganization of global governance,” stressed the president of the Cercle des économistes, Jean-Hervé Lorenzi, by entering into these 18th economic meetings.
