Eurozone members have given up their national
currencies and adopted the Euro. In doing so they have forfeited their fiscal spending capacity to manage
their economies and respond effectively to external shocks. Austerity in the
face of economic downturns is not a choices for Eurozone members, but a
necessity. The Euro as a 'stateless' currency does not make any sense, because
it cannot be employed to pursue countercyclical
policies, a primary and necessary policy instrument of modern democratic governments. The CLD shows how the
pernicious dynamic that arises from these
misguided policies leads social discontent and instability. The faulty design
of the Euro will prevent the EU from fulfilling its promise to improve the
lives of EU citizens and in this sense the Euro has already failed as a common
currency.