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By Panagiotis Sotiris [1]
The report
by Costas Lapavitsas and Heiner Flassbeck on the crisis of the Eurozone has
been an important step in re-opening the euro debate within the European Left.
The political significance of the report was made even more evident by the fact
that it was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, and was endorsed
by the leadership of Die Linke, especially after Oskar
Lafontaine had also recently insisted on the need to consider the exit from
the Eurozone as a potential solution for countries of the European South such
as Greece. It follows the decision by AKEL the Cypriote left-wing party to
propose Cyprus’ exit
from the Eurozone, a proposition based upon scientific advice offered by
amongst others Lapavitsas and Flassbeck.
The report itself is not a radical or Marxist
manifesto. Although Lapavitsas has a strong Marxist background, the report is
marked by Flassbeck’s much more Keynesian approach. Moreover, it is not a
report with an a priori hostility towards monetary union or currency
coordination for Europe, nor is it filled with anticapitalist references. On
the contrary it seems to take the internationalization of trade and capital
flows as granted. However, it is exactly this kind of critique from within
aspects of the dominant economic paradigm that makes it even more interesting.
