The economic policy at the heart of Europe is creaking
The health of the single market is vital for the future of Europe’s economy
HELLO KITTY, a Japanese cat-girl with a bright pink bow, is an unusual mascot for European integration. But in July the cartoon character inadvertently became one. Sanrio, Hello Kitty’s owner, admitted to the European Union (EU) that it had granted trademark licences to business partners on the condition each would sell the ensuing Hello Kitty merchandise—from school bags to pencil cases and duvet covers—only in specified EU states. This attempt to treat Europe as a disjointed bundle of countries breaches an article of economic faith: that the EU’s 28 members are one single market. The European Commission doled out a €6.2m ($6.8m) fine.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “An unconscious uncoupling”
Briefing September 14th 2019
From the September 14th 2019 edition
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