Feature of the Month: 2016 European Union Outlook

As the New Year begins, many questions face the European Union, ranging from broad economic worries to issues that impact the very fabric of the Union. The past five years have been tumultuous in Europe, as the region looked to recover from the effects of the global recession. At the same time, Europe also had to deal with the economic collapse in Greece and the geopolitical crisis in Ukraine, setting up 2016 as an important year for the entire region.

One major concern for the Union is the global economy, which has looked weaker than expected to start the year. Another global recession would hit the EU especially hard, and push member countries apart, as seen last year in Germany and Greece. If 2016 brings more economic hardships to the region, tensions between the haves and have nots would be intensified, along with worries about the Euro, a defining part of the Union.

Another issue across Europe is the influx of asylum seekers, which has both political and economic dimensions. Unity between member countries as well as unity within country borders will be tested as immigration is brought to the forefront, along many other issues such as Catalonian independence and a referendum on EU membership in the United Kingdom, making 2016 especially important to the region.

Featured Resources

European Union: CIA World Factbook

The CIA provides a detailed background on the European Union including information on geography, demographics, government, economy, energy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

Categories: European Union, Trade Bloc

EU Business

EU Business aims to be a context-driven and user-friendly website for business information about the European Union. It provides information on EU law and EU business developments, up-to-date information on EU programs for specific sectors, information on how to do business in European countries, and much more. A free registration is required to use most of the features.

Categories: European Union, Trade Bloc

Featured Academy

Doing Business in European Union

The European Union module allows one to gain insight into the reasons for doing business in the European Union as well as doing business in several EU countries: France, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Romania. The module also contains a case study that looks at the differences between Old Europe and New Europe.

Regionalization and Trading Blocs

The Regionalization and Trading Blocs module provides one with information on: what globalization means, its impact on business, and the forces that are driving it; the advantages and disadvantages of globalization, as well as who is in favor of globalization and who opposes the movement; what the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) are, how they work, and what their history is; the history and purpose of some of the world's largest and most influential Regional Agreements: NAFTA, MERCOSUR, ASEAN, and the EU; and the basic premises of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) that is currently under negotiation in North, South, and Latin America. A case study on Quebec’s language laws is also provided.

globalEDGE Business Beat

Charles Evans

Tomas Hult provided the keynote introduction of Charles Evans, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, at his December 2015 presentation to the Lansing Economic Club in Michigan. This segment of the globalEDGE Business Beat captures Hult’s introduction as well as Evans’ highlights of issues related to international business and trade from that keynote and the question session that followed.

Bettina Cornwell

Tomas Hult speaks with Bettina Cornwell, who is the Edwin E. and June Woldt Cone Professor of Marketing in the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon. Prior to joining the University of Oregon, she was Professor of Marketing and Sport Management at the University of Michigan. They discuss Cornwell being recognized as one of the top authorities on sports marketing, and what it means to her. They also focus on Cornwell’s most significant research accomplishment and what this research means for companies.