If the euro zone moves to greater fiscal and economic-policy harmonisation, it may make the entire club less congenial to liberals and less appealing even to those in Britain (including Mr Cameron) who want to stay in.The European project has long had at its heart a tension between an economic liberalism that favours openness to the world and an economic nationalism that prefers a fortress.
IN THE discussions leading up to this weekend's European Union summit in Nice, a familiar line of argument in support of the "harmonisation" of economic policy has once again come to the fore.
There is lots of griping on the convention floor that monetary union has not been followed by genuine economic union whether through tax harmonisation or tougher fiscal rules or tax-raising powers.
Finally, many countries are adopting regional regulations and requirements, seen in Southeast Asia and the Mercosur countries in Latin America; sub-Saharan Africa should also explore the potential health and economic benefits of regional label harmonisation (20, 68).
To be sure, the SPD positions itself as a resolutely pro-European party, arguing for economic convergence, partial social and tax harmonisation, or debt mutualisation, for example in the form of eurobonds.
Whether these concern an "economic government" for the euro zone, tax harmonisation, environmental border tariffs or what Mr Barnier calls "a more humane, social Europe", these tend to drag the whole EU project disproportionately to the left.
French politicians, as usual, want more intervention; by harmonisation they mean the abolition of economic tools in other EU countries, like lower tax rates or weaker labour laws, that can undermine intervention in the French economy.What next?
With this, the joint harmonisation of three issues is implied: economic growth, social equality and protection of environmental resources [13].
As of 9 May, 2009, the council, with its decisions on rescue packages and possible debt restructurings and with its declarations of intent to bring about harmonisation in all fields of relevance for competition (economic, fiscal, the labour market and social policies), has passed a threshold.
At a time when leaders are inching towards more economic co-ordination, with oversight of budgets and even tax harmonisation, a Socialist victory would put the shaping of such a project into uncertain hands.With Dominique Strauss-Kahn out of the running there is just one French Socialist primary candidate who understands all this.
