The European constraints cannot be blamed for the economic difficulties of some euro-zone countries

Euro -zone countries are subject to the same constraints linked to their euro-zone membership and to the European Union: budgetary constraints, competition with Central European countries, free trade and free movement of persons in the EU , etc. Leaders in countries in trouble often blame European membership and the resulting constraints for the country ’s problems . A simple observation of the variety of situations between euro-zone countries shows that these cannot be blamed for countries’ problems, since some euro-zone countries that are subject to the same constraints have prosperous economies. So it is domestic structural problems that explain these countries’ problems; labour force skills, in particular, play a key role.