The Road to Monetary Union in Europe: The Emperor, the Kings, and the Genies

The move toward economic and monetary union is the most important issue facing the European nations today. From his work as Deputy Director General of the Banca d'Italia, the author assesses the opportunities and risks involved in monetary unification, and provides an indispensable guide to the complex issues and tangled recent history. He discusses extensively the creation of a single currency, the tasks of a European central bank, the ECU, the role of budgetary rules, currency competition, and the relationship between monetary union and political union. Lucidly written and completely up-to-date, the book is an insider's guide to this important political and economic subject.