The Euro Challenge Task

For the 2024 Euro Challenge competition, which will take place in the spring of 2024, student teams will be asked to deliver 15-minute presentations in which they are required to:

  1. Describe the current economic situation in the euro area (the economic region consisting of the 20 EU member countries who have adopted the euro). The description must include a discussion of GDP growth, unemployment, and inflation in the euro area and a brief discussion of the current monetary policy activities of the European Central Bank (ECB). To learn more about the ECB, toggle over the “Resources” tab and select “Useful Links”. There is a link to the ECB website that explains its role for the EU.

  2. Select one economic-related challenge topic confronting the euro area as a whole (see list below), and pick one of the 20 member countries of the euro area to illustrate that challenge. To learn more about each country, toggle over the “Resources” tab and select “Country Profiles”.

  3. Recommend a policy or policies for addressing the challenge you identified in the country you selected. Be sure to include in your recommendation a discussion of how having a single currency may or may not affect the policy choices for addressing the challenge.

Teams can choose one of the following economic-related challenge topic:

NEW Climate Change and Going Green

NEW What Role does Inflation Play in an Economy?

Managing Migration Flows

Inequality, Social Mobility and the Gender Gap

Innovating for Long-Term Growth and the Future of Work

To learn more about each topic, toggle over the “Resources” tab and select “Challenge Sheets”