Introduction to the special issue: the persistent challenges to European Banking Union

ABSTRACT The papers of this special issue investigate the persistent challenges to European Banking Union and explore the tensions between broader financial stability objectives and national political and socio-economic pressures through a diversity of lenses. In this introduction, we examine two main issues that need to be addressed in order to strengthen Banking Union: the incomplete institutional design of Banking Union and the difficulties encountered in applying the different elements of Banking Union to loosen sovereign-bank ties. These elements include the so-called ‘single’ rulebook, supervision, resolution, and financial mechanisms to support and resolve banks.