Economic growth can be said to be an elixir for struggling economies, but in Europe it will come very slowly to the nations that need it most.

The recovery that has blinked back to life, seen in America and much of Northern Europe is yet to come in euro zone nations burdened with huge debt and ruthless austerity steps. Places like Ireland, Greece and Portugal that have called for large spending cuts and tax increases.

Those steps might ultimately lead to healthier economies, but the process will take years, as stated by analysts and economists. In the meanwhile the pull on growth is telling on the euro, and tying up competitive nations like Germany which is a major growth engine, to the stumbling fortunes of the European Union's weakest members.

Countries having euro as their currency will grow an average of one and a half percent in this year, as stated by the International Monetary Fund, which is less than the 2.3 percent growth it predicted for America. While some of that difference points out to a slower population growth in Europe, but it also points to the further relative fall of Europe's weight in the world economy.

That forecast was made before Congress passed one package worth eight hundred and fifty eight billion dollars of tax cuts and incentives in the month of December, which prompted some economists to increase their growth predictions for the American economy to a level of four percent. Europe does not have any similar stimulus to help thrust a stronger recovery.

IMF further stated that the longer-term picture is somewhat better by the year of 2015; the euro area will see a growth at the pace of just 1.7 percent.