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Alexei Kuznetsov, the head of the Center of European Studies IMEMO of the RAS,
Today the European Union and the eurozone are not under worse conditions than they were several months ago.
I am afraid about the long-term prospects of development
because situations in certain countries are different in all spheres
ñ the GDP dynamics, the unemployment rate, the state debt.
We havenít seen European unity during the eurozone crisis.
Suddenly, semi-domestic conflicts appeared, for example between Germany and southern Europeans.
In 2014 new long-term financial prospects start in the EU;
one of the major segments is regional policy, and it is not radical againÖ
In words they have done a lot, but nothing has changed radically.
And it seems nobody can achieve a smoothing out of existing differences.
This is the worst.
There will be no collapse, but a wretched existence is guaranteed for several years.
Olga Butorina, the senior scientist of the Institute of Europe of the RAS
The austerity regime which was launched by difficult countries of the eurozone is heavily criticized
Many politicians and populations in the countries are against it.
Nobody is happy with Brusselsí and the IMFís pressure.
The problem is that the European Monetary Union unites countries
with different traditions of macroeconomic management.
When the economic monetary union was founded,
it was thought that national differences were not significant
and could be overcome due to the reasonable and stable policy of price stabilization
which Germany provided, unlike the semi-inflatory policy which was typical for the southern countries.
Now it appears that national characteristics are closely connected with not only national production culture,
but in general with the whole structure of production.
The price stabilization policy of very low inflation,
which was provided in Germany in the post-war period,
was combined with a high level of industrial and producing culture in the country,
a very developed industrial potential and the big export potential of Germany.
The southern countries had a different scheme.
As the countries were losing competitiveness, their currencies devalued.
So, the southern countries actually ìtaxî their trade partners, including Germany,
and it was an instrument of stabilization of their national economies.
When the euro was launched as a common currency, the stabilizer turned off.