Contributor(s): Poul Mathias Thomsen | The event will assess the long-term impact of COVID-19 crisis on the Euro Area taking into account the existing structural differences between member states and in particular the fundamental limitations on policies evident from past experience. It will discuss, the pandemic crisis in relation to the North-South fragmentation within the Euro Area as COVID-19 will significantly increase public debt levels in countries with already limited fiscal space, despite the transfers and debt mutualization implied by the policy response at the European level. Meet our speaker and chair Poul Mathias Thomsen is former Director of the IMF's European Department and Visiting Professor in Practice at LSE European Institute. Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics in the European Institute at LSE. More about this event The European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The LSE 'Europe in Question' Discussion Paper Series (@leqsLSE) was established in May 2009 to publish high quality research on Europe and the European Union from scholars across LSE and beyond. This event forms part of LSE’s Shaping the Post-COVID World initiative, a series of debates about the direction the world could and should be taking after the crisis. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECOVID19