Economics
EU’s Plodding Stirs ECB Concerns as U.S. Delivers Stimulus
- Lagarde pleads for bloc to avoid ‘too much procrastination’
- Transatlantic contrast is starting to look rather stark
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The European Union’s path to joint fiscal stimulus is looking less assured than its monetary guardians would like, casting further clouds over an outlook already stunted by the bloc’s botched vaccination drive.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde last week gave a hint of alarm to lawmakers on the slow rollout of the 750 billion-euro ($896 billion) pandemic recovery fund, building on the warning of colleagues. That heaps pressure on the EU’s leadership to get its flagship tool right, especially with other parts of its crisis response faltering.