Why Eastern Europe Doesn’t Want to Join the Euro
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis dresses up his political objections in woolly economic logic.
Euro? No thank you.
Photographer: JOHN THYS/AFP/ via Getty Images
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis thinks he found some useful data to explain his opposition to the euro: A recent report from the German think tank Center for European Policy that says only Germany and the Netherlands have benefited substantially from the common currency since it was introduced 20 years ago. But Babis is wrong, and not just because the report’s findings are being disputed.
“I don’t want the euro,” Babis tweeted on Tuesday. “And all of you who want it, come see the analysis of the German CEP, which does long-term analysis and assessment of EU actions. Which countries have gained from the euro and which haven’t? I think you’ll be surprised.”