The Birth of the Euro

by Otmar Issing

Today, 318 million people in 15 countries use the Euro, which now rivals the importance of the US Dollar in the world economy. This is an outcome that few would have predicted with confidence when the Euro was launched. How can we explain this success and what are the prospects for the future? There is nobody better placed to answer these questions than Otmar Issing, who as a founding member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (1998–2006), was one of the Euro's principal architects. His story is a unique insider account, combining personal memoir with reference to the academic and policy literature. Free of jargon, this is a very human reflection on a unique historical experiment and a key reference for all academics, policy makers, and 'Eurowatchers' seeking to understand how the Euro has got to where it is today and what challenges lie ahead.

Genres: Economics

296 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2008

Reviews

[André Morais · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by Doctor Issing is a mandatory reading for everyone either working or interested in the workings of the Economic and Monetary Union, both because of the historic account of EMU and the clear explanation of its state of art (back in 2008 when the book was published).
Furthermore, although it has a certain flavor of a Zweigian “World of Yesterday, due to it being published in the very early days of the Great Financial Crisis, certain aspects of it where foreseen by Doctor Issing, which shows the insight of this book and its author.