The decision of the UK to leave the EU imposes a key challenge for trade relations; regardless of the outcome of trade talks, trade costs are set to increase with the resulting shocks more severe for goods that are highly dependent on few suppliers. In the worst case scenario, say Lisandra Flach (EconPol Europe, LMU Munich and ifo Institute) and Feodora Teti (EconPol Europe, LMU Munich and ifo Institute), these shocks will cause significant supply chain disruptions that will have a much harsher impact on the UK than any EU member state.These product dependencies, they say, emphasize the need for a trade agreement that minimizes the costs of Brexit for both sides and reduces the uncertainty in international relations.

The confinement measures introduced in several countries to fight the Covid-19 pandemic have imposed a high toll on many economic activities. In this post, EconPol's Stefano Schiavo and co-authors exploit recent evidence on French firms recently published by the OFCE-SciencesPo to discuss the policy options facing European governments and the broader implications of firm exit for competitiveness. Using data on a large number of French firms, they simulate the impact of the lockdown on their balance sheets to estimate the share of companies facing liquidity or solvency issues. The main results from the simulation exercise show that the lockdown has profound effects on firms, with an estimated increase in insolvencies by almost 80%.

When SARS-CoV-2 spread across the world, national authorities implemented novel and drastic measures to curb transmission. Social distancing was introduced to preserve public health and slow down the spread of Covid-19, while in the workplace many economic activities were temporarility discontinued. Robotization appears to present a potential trade-off between safety and employment in the workplace, but observers are concerned that it could create incentives to replace labour. Mauro Caselli, Andrea Fracasso and Silvio Traverso (EconPol Europe, Università di Trento) examine the issues facing policy makers in their task of designing a pandemic-proof economy.

The road to recovery is long and winding, says Stefano Schiavo (EconPol Europe, Università di Trento) but it's one we have to take: exceptional measures are needed to exit the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus, which will see national governments at the forefront of business support and demand stimulation plans.This will lead to a sharp increase in public debt of dimensions never seen in the post-war period, but it's crucial to direct public spending towards initiatives that generate growth and contribute to solving future problems.

Periods of crisis increase xenophobic outbursts and anti-immigrant sentiments, which can lead policy makers to target migrant workers in the hope of quickly restoring labor demand for natives - particularly when health crises are the root cause. But curbing the rise of unemployment by restricting access to the labor market and encouraging the departure of foreign workers is ineffective. In times of crisis, macroeconomic policies to stabilize economic activity and stimulate recovery are crucial to stop the rise in unemployment.

Does the coronavirus crisis call for solidarity within the EU, or within the euro area? Daniel Gros (EconPol Europe, CEPS) argues that being hit by an unforeseen epidemic has nothing to do with euro area membership and the present situation is a case which requires solidarity at EU level. And, he says, there's a plausible and simple way to organise a real expression of EU solidarity without engaging in any large-scale financial transactions.

This article first appeared on VoxEU.org: https://voxeu.org/article/corona-transfers-instead-coronabonds

In the current context of difficult times across Europe and in the World, there are relevant issues on which many people might agree, regardless of their political, ideological or theoretical views. António Afonso examines the options available and asks for compromise.

EconPol Europe's Ulrich Hege (Toulouse School of Economics, ECGI) and co-authors Bo Becker (Stockholm School of Economics, CEPR & ECGI) and Pierre Mella-Barral (Toulouse Business School) discuss the economic risks of COVID-19 and the increasingly plausible steep protraction, examine the mitigating support programs governments are putting into place for households and firms, and explain why planning for debt structuring should start now.

This article first appeared on VoxEU.org https://voxeu.org/article/corporate-debt-burdens-threaten-economic-recovery-after-covid-19

A recession is now inevitable, says Daniel Gros (CEPS, EconPol Europe), but it can be followed by a vigorous recovery. The memory of the financial crisis of 2008/9 is fresh enough to ensure the combined efforts of central bankers and governments can keep financial markets working and prevent mass bankruptcies. Policymakers at every level are using every lever at their disposal to avoid a repeat of the freezing of financial markets, which was so damaging ten years ago. The lesson was learned and is now being applied at a vast scale throughout Europe and the US. Containing the virus and protecting public health is where Western societies have to learn and adapt quickly.

EconPol Speaker Clemens Fuest has called for the UK Government to abandon its plan to complete the Brexit transition by the end of 2020. Prof Fuest describes the UK’s decision to rule out a customs union and pursue its own trade policy as ‘regrettable’, highlights fears from both the UK and EU over the potential lack of a “level playing field”, calls tax policy “a minefield of disagreement” and says climate policy “poses a further challenge to the free trade agreement.”