Our most popular content of 2023
Thursday, 28 December 2023
Hello Future is Blue readers,
Welcome to our newsletter about European economic affairs bringing together top experts from academia and think tanks to discuss the most pressing economic challenges of today. Future is Blue is promoted by Funcas.
Before we close 2023, we wanted to share with you some of our most successful content of the year. We have selected 3 podcast episodes that have been the most popular for our audience. You will see that there is a common subject in all three episodes: China.
2023 has been marked by the growing economic rivalry between US and China. Europe's need to adapt to this geopolitical landscape is something that has captured the attention of analysts and policymakers over the last few months.
In the three podcast episodes that we are featuring today, you can listen to great comments on this broad topic from great analysts such as Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, Joaquín Almunia, former Vice-President of the European Commission, Sander Tordoir, Senior Economist at the Centre for European Reform, and Raymond Torres, Funcas Europe Director. All talks are presented by our host, Carlos Carnicero Urabayen.
China's debt domino effect: Is the world economy at risk?
China's debt has been rising dramatically over the past decade. Some are arguing that this represents a risk for its own stability and that, ultimately, considering China's size, a bursting of the debt bubble could trigger a new episode of global financial stress. We analyse these risks together with Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis, a French multinational financial services firm, and Senior Fellow at Bruegel think tank, Raymond Torres, Funcas Europe Director.
How can the EU stay relevant in a world dominated by US and China?
As we see a world increasingly dominated by the US and China economic rivalry, what is the role for the European Union? How can Europe’s economy stay competitive and relevant in this new world? We asked these questions to former Vice-President of the European Commission Joaquín Almunia.
Trade wars on wheels? The Commission investigates Chinese electric cars
"Something monumental happened in our industry, where China became the number one exporter of vehicles globally. It had always been the Germans or the Japanese", said recently Ford CEO in a call with investors. The rise of Chinese brands is quite visible in our streets. In 2022, sales of Chinese electric cars in Europe represented 11% of the market, compared to 7.5% in 2021. Numbers are likely going up according to recent indicators.
The Commission suspects that EVs are gaining market shares as their price "is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies", distorting the European Union ("EU") market. Sander Tordoir shared with us great comments on this topic.
First year of collaboration between Funcas Europe and the Centre for European Reform
In order to grow our audience and bring to you some world class analysis and insights on European economic affairs, earlier this year we agreed with the Centre for European Reform to regularly collaborate on the Future is Blue podcast. Every two months, an analyst from CER joins our podcast to discuss the most pressing economic issues on the agenda.
We'd like to thank the Centre for European Reform and Sander Tordoir, Senior Economist at this prestigious institution, for their great contribution to the Future is Blue podcast series throughout 2023. We're looking forward for more great policy discussions in 2024.
The Centre for European Reform is an award-winning, independent think-tank that seeks to achieve an open, outward-looking, influential and prosperous European Union, with close ties to its neighbors and allies. You can read more about the CER and their latest publications in their website.
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Wishing you all a great 2024 full of joy and health.
Raymond Torres
Funcas Europe Director