Germany and France: The case for structural convergence in the euro area
Over the past ten years there has been a substantial rise in income per capita differences between Germany and France. Here's what could be done to encourage convergence.
Annika Eriksgård Melander was educated at the universities of Uppsala and Vienna (i.e. its Wirtschaftsuniversität). After working as a forecaster at the Swedish Ministry of Finance and in the financial markets, she joined the European Commission in 1996. She has held a number of different positions at the Commission, including carrying the executive responsibility for their macroeconomic projections and heading the economic and financial section at the EU delegation to China. She is currently Adviser on the structural features of national economies at DG ECFIN. She has published a track-record assessment of the Commission’s forecasts; a number of briefs on the Chinese economy; as well as a first macroeconomic impact assessment of the refugee influx.