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What is EuroLens? For effective economic governance in European Union (EU) countries, you need the facts. Insight into what is happening all round. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world as we knew it. Beyond recognition. How, we don't yet know. But what we do know is that fundamental shifts will take place in the economy. In the labour market. Between industrial sectors. And within sectors themselves. Sustainability and inclusive economic growth are key to the new paradigm. With the EU's fiscal tools (SGP) revealed as no longer fit for purpose, insight into the underlying problems is crucial! Now, more than ever! Where insight is absent, economic policy is guaranteed to strand. Monitoring developments in uncharted waters is what Eurolens does best. Designed to map out the underlying developments and monitor them permanently, it is an indispensable tool for every manager, policy maker, members of parliament, investors, analyst or journalist. Wishing to keep the eye firmly focused on the European project. As it unfolds.
What Eurolens does EuroLens is a new on-line information system that brings into focus the economic situation in each EU Member State. Covering a multitude of facets, EuroLens ensures you are kept informed at all times, have the latest data at your fingertips. EuroLens takes European Commission and Eurostat data, classifies and restructures it into easily accessible, meaningful information on the Member States of the EU.
Daily updated, it provides powerful insight into the here and now of the EU. Insight that has never been more crucial. Now that the Covid pandemic has changed the European Union beyond recognition. Only time will tell how it has changed. And in what direction. Despite the obscurity of the picture, there are areas where we can say with certainty that fundamental changes will be seen. Eurolens monitors them closely.
- Public finance
- Labour market
- Sustainability
- Public Sentiment
Public finance. Massive government interventions to deal with the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic has shown existing fiscal tools (SGP) to be no longer fit for purpose. For example, there is no statistical evidence demonstrating that high level of public debt hinders economic growth in the EU. As long as long-term interest rates are lower than the rate of GDP growth, fiscal and welfare costs are acceptable. Eurolens monitors these relationships for all EU member states. And closely tracks the expenditure benchmark of the European Commission, aimed at keeping expenditure growth in line with the potential GDP growth. Labour market. One thing is certain. Fundamental shifts will be seen in the labour market. Between sectors and within sectors. Between age groups. Between groups with different educational levels, gender gaps, etc., Eurolens monitors all these shifts. Sustainability. The European Commission has made the implementation of environment and energy issues a spearhead of policy and has rolled out targets for the individual member states to meet. Eurolens monitors these developments. Public sentiment. In principle, Eurolens uses a macro-economic approach. If the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is the growing discrepancy between the perception of policy makers and that of the man-in-the-street. The EU’s bi-annual survey (Eurobarometer) provides a reading of below-the-surface public sentiment; together with the outcomes that need to be taken into account in a bottom-up approach to policy decision-making. Eurolens makes this field of tension visible.
How does EuroLens work? Log in, select a Member State and off you go! Navigating the system is simple and intuitive, so you never have to search for long. The dashboard page is designed to provide an immediate impression of the economy of each Member State. Listed under three main categories:
- Monitoring: Key Economic Indicators, Crisis and Recovery and Eurobarometer survey
- Governance: Role of the Public Sector, Balancing Public Debt and Capital Market & Banking Union
- Reform: Sustainability, Labour market reform and Pension system Reform
These are particularly useful for monitoring European economic objectives. Colour coding is used to show how a country stands in terms of meeting EU benchmarks and objectives and how it compares to other Member States. Click on one of the headings to reveal the underlying data. And navigate seamlessly from fact to fact. Switch effortlessly from country to country to reveal surprising comparisons on a thousand and one aspects of the EU. And with insight into historical developments, you can weigh up the significance of any deviations from the norm and what the trend looks like. For the latest data on the EU at your fingertips wherever you are, an internet connection and a EuroLens account is all you need. Instantly accessible wherever you are. At a meeting, in conference, advising clients or writing a report, EuroLens is spot-on. For raising your understanding of the EU to a new level. To create an account, you need to register first. Registration offers you the opportunity to view 25 items per month free of charge.
ASPEC is a Netherlands-based consultancy company. Founded in 1999 and based in the Netherlands, we create information products on the basis of our research and offer these to on-line subscribers. Following several years of development Aspec is launching a new product known as EuroLens. This focuses on economic governance of the European Union and aims at providing insight into the budgetary cycle as well as the economies of the Member Countries.
 Alex Yap, founder of ASPEC Consultancy, was educated at the University of Amsterdam (Econometrics), London School of Economics (Regulation of Financial Markets) and Institut d’Études Politique de Paris — Sciences Po (European Integration).
He has worked for the Dutch Ministry of Finance, joint several working party groups at the OECD (Paris) and at the European Commission (Brussels).
In terms of financial analysis, he worked as a director of an investment research unit of the ING Group Amsterdam.
He was a senior advisor to the National Committee on Governance in Indonesia.
 Rudi Pieters, in charge of system development at ASPEC Consultancy.
He was educated at the University of Eindhoven (Physics). He has 30 year of experience in IT and data analysis.
He has contributed to macroeconomic modelling for the CPB (Dutch macro-economic forecast agency). He has worked for the Dutch Ministry of Finance in The Haque, where he contributed to economic and policy analyses, and where he has led the implementation of an executive information system to monitor the development of the Dutch economy.
He has also worked on the development of an object-oriented database and on the application of that to engineering of document management.
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ASPEC
Bovenkerkerweg 41
1185 XA Amstelveen
The Netherlands
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info@aspec.nl
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KvK 37084694
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8117.83.716.B.01
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