Policy Forum 

# Is the European Union a Friend or Foe of Economic Freedom? 

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Date and Time 

February 17, 2016 1 - 2:30 PM EST 

Location 

Hayek Auditorium 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Massimiliano Trovato**, Research Fellow, Instituto Bruno Leoni; with comments by **Richard W. Rahn**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; moderated by **Marian L. Tupy**, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute. 

In the past, the European Union was seen as a force for economic liberalization. Brussels broke down many barriers to the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital. As such, the EU was credited with growing prosperity and stability on the continent. In recent decades, however, the EU became synonymous with unwieldy bureaucracy and overregulation. Today, many see the EU as a source of Europe’s problems, including slow growth, high unemployment, and rising social tensions. The “Index of Liberalization,” published by the Italian think tank Instituto Bruno Leoni, identifies barriers to entry in key economic sectors across the EU. Massimiliano Trovato will present the latest data and discuss the role that Brussels is playing, and fails to play, in returning the EU to a path of growth.

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