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# Euro stands just 20pc chance of survival in next decade
## The euro stands just a one in five chance of surviving in its current form
for ten years, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
![The euro is unlikely to survive in current form for next decade, says top
economic think tank.][1]
As public anger grew over bailouts to Greece and Ireland, several senior
European politicians openly questioned the euro's future. Photo: Getty
[![Harry Wilson][2]][3]
By [Harry Wilson][4] 6:15AM GMT 01 Jan 2011
[Comments][5]
In its annual list of predictions, the CEBR said a new eurozone crisis was its
number one forecast for 2011, citing the hundreds of billions of euros of debt
that members must replace this year.
"If the euro doesn't break up, this could be the year when it weakens
substantially towards parity with the dollar," said Douglas Williams, chief
executive of CEBR.
Spain and Italy alone must refinance more than €400bn (£343bn) of debt in the
first half of the year, which could prove impossible given investor fears over
the finances of southern European countries.
"The euro might break up at this point, though European politicians are
normally able to respond to a crisis and I suspect that what will break up the
euro will be the failure of most of the countries to take the tough medicine
necessary to make their economies competitive over the longer term," said Mr
Douglas.
Mr Douglas added that he was not ruling out another round of government
quantitative easing to support the credit markets and prevent a crisis.
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Speculation over the future of the euro reached new heights last year as what
been a purely theoretical question became very real during the repeated crises
that hit the eurozone in 2010.
As public anger grew over bailouts to Greece and Ireland, several senior
European politicians openly questioned the currency's future.
Investors too have become increasingly sceptical, though few predict its
imminent demise.
F&C said last month that while the European Union may not continue for much
longer in its present form, it was highly unlikley that the euro could be
killed off.
"We believe the events of this year will force the EU to introduce tighter
controls and greater convergence of fiscal policies," said Rebecca Seabrook, a
bond fund manager at F&C.
Japan could also face its own crisis, according to the CEBR, with the
possibility of a serious economic crisis in the world's third largest economy
rated its fourth most likely prediction.
Debt now equals 200pc of Japanese GDP, but up until now this has largely been
financed domestically from the country's vast savings base.
However, the continued growth in Japanese debt means more foriegn financing
will be required, according to the CEBR, which could create the conditions for
a crisis.
"It is likely that the government will have to embark on fiscal retrenchment.
Meanwhile, growth in the Asian export markets will slow and the ageing
population will force the government to raise the retirement age again, this
time to 75," said Mr McWilliams.
Other CEBR forecasts include predictions of increased lending from UK banks,
falling consumer spending, and lower than expected inflation.
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[![Euro crisis is far from over - what the experts are saying][31] ][32]
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