The financial crisis that erupted in 2008, prolonged by a sovereign crisis in the Eurozone, led to a massive contraction in trade, as well as in investment in physical and human capital; thus undermining the foundations of future growth. This may well continue as growth will not rapidly rebound while deleveraging slowly proceeds across Eurozone economies. Empirical evidence suggests deleveraging episodes accompanied by a housing crisis will take on average five and a half years across high-income OECD countries (or seven years when accompanied by a banking crisis (Aspachs-Bracon et al. 2011, IMF 2012).
Little resolution of banking-sector difficulties in the Eurozone suggests that deleveraging and credit will probably remain slow and impaired for much longer than previously thought. Recoveries that happen without credit are, on average, a third longer than recovery episodes with credit (Darvas 2013). Eurozone policymakers have withdrawn support for a policy mix – in the form of rapid attempts at fiscal tightening, monetary easing providing liquidity to banks and not to end users – at a time when a large proportion of Eurozone governments (especially the most fragile ones) had engaged in structural reforms that deliver higher growth in the future but tend to dampen it in recession (Bouis et al. 2012).
All of this is compounded by very challenging trends in demographic changes that will prove a major headwind for long-term growth (Nuño et al 2012).