EUROPEAN SPRING: WHY OUR ECONOMIES AND POLITICS ARE IN A MESS - AND HOW TO PUT THEM RIGHT

Philippe Legrain
Author and former economic adviser to the President of the European Commission

Europe is in a mess. Our economies are failing to deliver higher living standards for most people – and most Europeans think younger generations will have a worse life than they do. Social tensions within countries are multiplying, as are political frictions between them. The European Union has never been more unpopular; most people now associate it with austerity, recession and German domination, with constraints on what they can do rather than how we can achieve more together. And many people have lost faith in the competence, motives and even the honesty of establishment politicians, with support for extremists soaring in many countries. Are stagnation, disillusionment and a lurch to extremism inevitable? If a brighter future is possible, what needs to be done?

Moderation:
Robert Misik, Journalist and Author

Praise for European Spring
“Essential reading” – Financial Times
“A splendid book on Europe’s malaise” – Martin Wolf
“Philippe Legrain provides an original and insightful analysis of what has gone wrong with Europe’s economies and politics and a timely warning that the crisis ultimately threatens our open societies. Better still, he provides a blueprint for a brighter future and how to achieve it.” – George Soros