This Selected Issues paper discusses the risks of low growth and inflation over the medium term for the euro area. It examines the consequences of longer term trends that predate the crisis and the progress made in addressing the crisis legacies of high unemployment and debt. The paper illustrates, in a downside scenario, how low potential growth and crisis legacies leave the euro area vulnerable to the risks of stagnation. The weak medium-term prospect and limited policy space leave the euro area vulnerable to shocks that could lead to a prolonged period of low growth and inflation. Model simulations suggest that a modest shock to investor confidence could push up risk premia and real interest rates, as policy space is constrained at the zero lower bound and fiscal policy space to provide stimulus is limited. Moreover, the lingering crisis legacies of high debt and unemployment could amplify the original shocks, creating a bad feedback loop and keeping the economy stuck in equilibrium of stagnation.

This Selected Issues paper analyzes euro area policies and discusses the implications of the 2007-08 financial sector turbulence for real economic activity. It examines the linkages between the financial and real sectors in the euro area. The paper discusses the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary analysis and the role of monetary aggregates in central banking, surveying the ongoing theoretical and empirical debate. The paper also describes the introduction of a "European Mandate" for financial sector authorities in the European Union (EU), a proposal that is under consideration by EU member states.

Regulation, supervision, and oversight of central counterparties (CCPs) and central securities depositories (CSDs) in the euro area is evolving. Recent proposed amendments to the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) are expected to further alter the landscape, as is the European Central Bank (ECB) proposal to amend article 22 of the Statute of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the ECB. The main objective of this note is to analyze the regulatory and supervisory structure applicable to CCPs and International CSDs (ICSDs) in the European Union (EU) and assess their suitability using international standards and good practices.

This 2014 Article IV Consultation highlights that the euro area recovery is taking hold. Real output has expanded for four consecutive quarters, and financial market sentiment has improved markedly. Complementary policy actions have supported demand, boosted investor confidence, and eased financial conditions. At the national level, governments have made further progress repairing sovereign and bank balance sheets and implementing structure reforms to restore competitiveness. At the area-wide level, the ECB has taken a wider range of measures to support demand and address fragmentation. Over the medium term, there is a risk of stagnation, which could result from persistently depressed domestic demand owing to deleveraging, insufficient policy action, and stalled structural reforms.