Little has changed since Italian economists Alberto Alesina and Francesco Giavazzi noted, nearly a decade ago, that, “Without serious, deep, and comprehensive reforms, Europe will inexorably decline, both economically and politically.” They warned that, “Absent profound change, in 20 or 30 years the share of Europe [in world output] will be significantly lower than it is today, and, perhaps more important, its political influence will be much trimmed.”
意大利经济学家阿尔伯托·阿里斯纳（Alberto Alesina）和弗兰塞斯科·吉雅瓦兹（Francesco Giavazz）在差不多十年前就指出，“没有严肃、深入、全面的改革，欧洲将不可避免地衰退，无论在经济上还是政治上都一样。”，但一切至今都没什么改变。他们警告说“如果缺乏深刻的变革，欧洲在20到30年后占全球产出的比例将明显低于现今，而或许更重要的，是其政治影响力将大大削弱。”