Economists agree that countries should only have a monetary union if there is also a fiscal, economic, and political union. If you have a single currency, governments cannot print money to cover their debts, nor can they devalue their currency to regain competitiveness. Arguably, the EMU and European Union are unions with economic, political, and even fiscal elements. They, however, miserably fail to offer the necessary mechanisms to compensate for not having monetary sovereignty. Continue reading →