The European Union On Trial

Dear readers,

Welcome to the 21st issue of the TSEconomist! On behalf of the whole team, I hope you enjoy this interesting and controversial issue.

Controversial is an appropriate term for the range of our articles. First up, we have professor Isis Durrmeyer explaining her current research in estimating the effect of taxes on carbon emissions. With the “gilets jaunes” movement being active since October 2018, it is

important to have a better understanding of the economic impact of an environmental public policy.

This issue’s Spotlight articles center around the European Union, with a particular focus on populism. Our four articles target diverse but interconnected topics. The first article covers the way populism works today with an “always online” world, before moving on to a side of Brexit that is rarely discussed: the EU's official language if the United Kingdom leaves the union. Our third article delves into the measures the EU will need to take on in order to address the issue of plastic use, before our final article on the Euro Zone: is it an optimal monetary zone? Check out the Spotlight section and I assure you that you will have interesting opinions to share with your friends.

As in every end-of-year issue, our On Campus section focuses on current and former M2 students and their experience of each of the different masters TSE has to offer. You can find the answer to questions you may be asking yourself: “What was the most challenging aspect of your chosen master”, “What were your favourite classes?” or “What are you up to now?” and “Which skills, acquired from studying at the TSE, have you found useful?” for the alumni. If you are in M1 and still undecided about what M2 to apply for next year, this

section is a must-read.

This is the last issue for some of the members, including the board. I personally want to thank Gökçe, Joël, Valérie, and Veera for being the best board partners I could have wished for. I also want to thank all of the M2 members who are starting their professional life in April, and wish them the best in their new adventures. For the new board, good luck – there is an important responsibility of keeping up the high quality of the magazine, and I don’t doubt that you will do a great job.

José Alfonso Muñoz Alvarado

Editor-in-Chief