The European Toolbox

Peace in Europe was not declared: it was built, tool by tool. First through coal and steel, then through unified markets, then through a currency — the euro, less a top-down design than an experiment, economic instruments tried, retried, and adjusted until they became politically viable. Each shock that followed — sovereign debt, a banking crisis, a pandemic, an energy war — forced governments to add a new tool rather than rewrite the plan. The European Toolbox traces this method from Maastricht, the euro — a successful achievement — to the present: institutions layered under pressure, negotiating between technical results and democratic consent. What emerges is a project permanently under construction: understanding how it was built is the only way to see where it goes next.

Rosamaria Bitetti

evaluates regulatory quality and advises on policy coherence for sustainability at the OECD. She teaches EU Policy Making and Economic Sociology at Luiss Guido Carli. Her research on European policy dynamics and market integration builds on over a decade of experience collaborating with international institutions, including the World Bank and EU-funded projects.

Veronica De Romanis

teaches European Economics at Luiss University. She studied Economics at Sapienza University of Rome and Columbia University, and lectured at Stanford University’s Florence Program. She was a member of the Council of Economic Advisors at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. She is a columnist for La Stampa. She has published several books, the latest being L’Economia della Paura (Mondadori, 2026).