Professor Brigitte Granville speaks at the launch of the ´European Solidarity Manifesto´ in Brussels

Open Europe and New Direction, two thinks tanks in Brussels, hosted a conference entitled, “Alternative solutions to the eurozone crisis – Presentation of the European Solidarity Manifesto”. At the conference, Professor Granville looked at France´s future in the Eurozone. According to Granville, “internal devaluation is not an option for France, especially when long-term unemployment is already at 10%.” She suggested that France would instead benefit from leaving the euro, because that would allow Paris to press ahead with a “combination of devaluation and debt reduction as the necessary accompaniment for supply-side reforms.” To achieve this, though, France should be prepared to “sacrifice its alignment” with Germany.  

The debate was chaired by Open Europe’s Pieter Cleppe and featured opening remarks from Dutch MEP Derk-Jan Eppink, of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group.

An audio recording of the event is available on the website of Open Europe.