Download or read book Building a Strengthened Fiscal Framework in the European Union written by European Commission. Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This publication provides a non-technical overview of the Stability and Growth Pact, the rule-based framework for fiscal policy in the European Union. It is divided into two sections. The first section provides a historical look at the evolution of the SGP's framework, from the Pact's origins in the Maastricht Treaty to the most recent Two Pack reforms. It presents the changes that were made to the framework over the years and discusses the reasons for the reforms. The second section provides a description of the application of the SGP today, structured around the SGP's two arms, the preventive arm and the corrective arm.."--Document home page.

Download or read book Reforming the EU Fiscal Framework written by Mr. Nathaniel G Arnold and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2022-09-05 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The EU’s fiscal framework needs reform. While existing fiscal rules have had some impact in constraining deficits, they did not prevent deficits and debt ratios that have threatened the stability of the monetary union in the past and that continue to create vulnerabilities today. The framework also has a poor track record at managing trade-offs between containing fiscal risks and stabilizing output. Finally, the framework does not provide sufficient tools for EU-wide stabilization. This was most visible during the decade following the euro area sovereign debt crisis, when structurally low real interest rates stretched the policy tools of the European Central Bank (ECB), leading to a persistent undershooting of its inflation target. This paper proposes a new framework based on risk-based EU-level fiscal rules, strengthened national institutions, and a central fiscal capacity. First, risk-based EU-level fiscal rules would link the speed and ambition of fiscal consolidation to the level and horizon of fiscal risks, as identified by debt sustainability analysis (DSA) using a common methodology developed by a new and independent European Fiscal Council (EFC). The 3 percent deficit and 60 percent debt reference values would remain. Second, all member countries would be required to enact medium-term fiscal frameworks consistent with the EU-level rules—that is, to ensure convergence over the medium-term to an overall fiscal balance anchor by setting expenditure ceilings. Independent national fiscal councils (NFCs) would have a much stronger role to strengthen checks and balances at the national level (including undertaking or endorsing macroeconomic projections and performing DSAs to assess fiscal risks). The European Commission (EC) would continue to play its key surveil¬lance role as articulated in the Maastricht Treaty and the EFC would be the center of a peer network of fiscal councils. Third, building on the recent experience with the NextGenerationEU (NGEU), an EU fiscal capacity (FCEU) would improve euro area macroeconomic stabilization and allow the provision of common EU public goods—a task that has become more urgent given the green transition and common security concerns. Central to the proposal is a mutually reinforcing relationship between EU rules and national-level imple¬mentation. Strengthening implementation requires both better national ownership of the rules and their application and greater congruence of national-level frameworks with EU-level rules. The former can only be achieved by rules that convincingly balance the needs of members with the avoidance of negative externali¬ties across members. This argues for a risk-based approach—the first pillar of our proposal. The latter requires a stronger role for significantly upgraded national level frameworks—the second pillar of our proposal.

Download or read book Building a Better Union written by Angana Banerji and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-09-11 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The momentum for structural reforms is waning in the euro area at a time when even faster progress is needed to boost productivity and growth, achieve real economic convergence, and improve the resilience of the monetary union. What can the European Union (EU) institutions do to bridge this divide? This paper argues for greater simplicity, transparency and accountability in the EU governance framework for structural reforms. Our three interrelated proposals—“outcome-based” benchmarking; better use of existing EU processes to strengthen oversight and reduce discretion; and improved financial incentives—could help advance reforms. Ex post monitoring by an independent EU-level “structural council” and ex ante policy innovation by national productivity councils could strengthen accountability and ownership. Deeper governance reforms should be considered in the medium-term with a view toward a greater EU role in promoting convergence.

Download or read book Designing a European Fiscal Union written by Carlo Cottarelli and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-11-13 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does the European Union need closer fiscal integration, and in particular a stronger fiscal centre, to become more resilient to economic shocks? This book looks at the experience of 13 federal states to help inform the heated debate on this issue. It analyses in detail their practices in devolving responsibilities from the subnational to the central level, compares them to those of the European Union, and draws lessons for a possible future fiscal union in Europe. More specifically, this book tries to answer three sets of questions: What is the role of centralized fiscal policies in federations, and hence the size, features and functions of the central budget? What institutional arrangements are used to coordinate fiscal policy between the federal and subnational levels? What are the links between federal and subnational debt, and how have subnational financing crises been handled, when they occurred? These policy questions are critical in many federations, and central to the current discussions about future paths for the European Union. This book brings to the table new, practical insights through a systematic and comprehensive comparison of the EU fiscal framework with that of federal states. It also departs from the decentralization perspective that has been prominent in the literature by focusing on the role of the centre (which responsibilities are centralized at the federal level and how they are handled, rather than which functions belong to the local level). Such an approach is particularly relevant for the European Union, where a fiscal union would imply granting new powers to the centre.

Download or read book Fiscal Policy Making in the European Union written by Martin Larch and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-12-16 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ""Fiscal policy making in the European Union is a national prerogative that is carried out and co-ordinated within the remits of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The SGP Member States have agreed upon a rules-based framework which, abstracting from operational details, aims to ensure long-term sustainability of public finances while allowing for short-term fiscal stabilization. The success of the EU fiscal framework depends to a large extent on the effectiveness and accuracy of the tool-kit of indicators and methods used at the EU level to monitor and assess the fiscal performance of the Member States vis-a-vis the requirements of the SGP. The contributions to this volume examine key aspects of the measurement of fiscal policy making in the context of the EU fiscal surveillance framework. They highlight strengths and weaknesses of current assessment practice, including innovations implied by the 2005 revision of the SGP." "--Jacket.

Download or read book Republic of Poland written by International Monetary and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2024-06-12 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stabilizing expenditure rule (SER) in Poland has been instrumental in fostering fiscal discipline in the years leading up to the pandemic. The pandemic and subsequent shocks severely tested the expenditure rule. Returning to the SER limit after severe shocks proved challenging, making clear the needs to revise the SER to preserve its credibility. The government could enhance the credibility of the expenditure rule through broadening its coverage and strengthening compliance, including establishing an independent fiscal council. Moreover, aligning to the EU fiscal framework will require (i) ensuring expenditure limits implied in the SER to be consistent with the EU net expenditure path; and (ii) providing explanation on the differences in expenditure coverage and classification between the SER and the EU fiscal framework to ensure compliance. Over time, transition to binding multi-year limits in the SER would improve linkages between annual budgets and medium-term fiscal planning.

Download or read book Vade Mecum on the Stability and Growth Pact written by European Commission. Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This vade mecum is a manual prepared by DG ECFIN presenting the procedures and methodologies for implementing the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). It is primarily aimed at individuals and organisations working on public finance issues in EU countries, but should be of interest to anyone wanting an in-depth understanding of the SGP's functioning or searching for details on its implementation. (It is not, however, aimed at those seeking a general overview of the Pact - instead, a more immediately accessible guide, 'Building a strengthened fiscal framework in the European Union: a guide to the stability and growth pact' is also available.) This manual describes the implementation of the SGP at the time of writing, step by step, and should not be considered to be definitive, in two ways. First, the electronic copy will be updated when there are changes or clarifications to the way the Pact is implemented. For example, when the legislative package known as the Two Pack, which is currently going through the European legislative process, becomes law, the vade mecum will be updated to reflect the changes to the surveillance procedures. Second, in many parts the vade mecum presents an agreed or historic interpretation of a feature of the SGP which might be adapted as the need arises.

Download or read book Reforming Fiscal Governance in the European Union written by Michal Andrle and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-05-21 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successive reforms have brought many positive elements to the European Union’s fiscal framework. But they have also increased its complexity. The current system involves an intricate set of fiscal constraints, which hampers effective monitoring and public communication. Compliance has also been weak. This note discusses medium-term reform options to simplify the framework and improve compliance. Based on model simulations and practical considerations, it argues for moving to a two-pillar approach, with a single fiscal anchor (public debt-to-GDP) and a single operational target (an expenditure growth rule, possibly with an explicit debt correction mechanism) linked to the anchor.

Download or read book The Two pack on Economic Governance written by European Commission. Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "As the uncertainty relating to the sovereign debt crisis in some Euro Area Member States continued over the last two years, the extent and potential consequences of the spillovers between euro area Member States' economic, financial and budgetary situations has become increasingly evident. Building on the Six Pack on economic governance which entered into force December 2011, the European Parliament and the Council adopted two further pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening economic coordination and surveillance in the euro area. The so-called Two-Pack entered into force at the end of May 2013.This paper focuses on the regulation on the strengthening of economic and budgetary surveillance of Member States experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability in the euro area (i.e. the regulation on enhanced surveillance) and attempts to explain the key objectives of the regulation."--Document home page.

Download or read book How to Fix the Euro written by Stephen Pickford and published by Chatham House. This book was released on 2015-01-31 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The global economic and financial crisis that started in 2007 exposed serious flaws in the euro's original design. This report examines why Europe's economic and monetary union was so badly affected by the crisis, and assesses whether further changes need to be made to the structure of economic governance that underpins it. A Chatham House, Elcano and AREL Report

Download or read book Reforming Fiscal Governance in the European Union written by Michal Andrle and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-05-21 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successive reforms have brought many positive elements to the European Union’s fiscal framework. But they have also increased its complexity. The current system involves an intricate set of fiscal constraints, which hampers effective monitoring and public communication. Compliance has also been weak. This note discusses medium-term reform options to simplify the framework and improve compliance. Based on model simulations and practical considerations, it argues for moving to a two-pillar approach, with a single fiscal anchor (public debt-to-GDP) and a single operational target (an expenditure growth rule, possibly with an explicit debt correction mechanism) linked to the anchor.

Download or read book Financial Crisis Management and Democracy written by Bettina De Souza Guilherme and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-12-09 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book discusses financial crisis management and policy in Europe and Latin America, with a special focus on equity and democracy. Based on a three-year research project by the Jean Monnet Network, this volume takes an interdisciplinary, comparative approach, analyzing both the role and impact of the EU and regional organizations in Latin America on crisis management as well as the consequences of crisis on the process of European integration and on Latin America’s regionalism. The book begins with a theoretical introduction, exploring the effects of the paradigm change on economic policies in Europe and in Latin America and analyzing key systemic aspects of the unsustainability of the present economic system explaining the global crises and their interconnections. The following chapters are divided into sections. The second section explores aspects of regional governance and how the economic and financial crises were managed on a macro level in Europe and Latin America. The third and fourth sections use case studies to drill down to the impact of the crises at the national and regional levels, including the emergence of political polarization and rise in populism in both areas. The last section presents proposals for reform, including the transition from finance capitalism to a sustainable real capitalism in both regions and at the inter-regional level of EU-LAC relations.The volume concludes with an epilogue on financial crises, regionalism, and domestic adjustment by Loukas Tsoukalis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). Written by an international network of academics, practitioners and policy advisors, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students interested in macroeconomics, comparative regionalism, democracy, and financial crisis management as well as politicians, policy advisors, and members of national and regional organizations in the EU and Latin America.

Download or read book Economic Convergence in the Euro Area Coming Together or Drifting Apart written by Mr.Jeffrey R. Franks and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-01-23 with total page 47 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We examine economic convergence among euro area countries on multiple dimensions. While there was nominal convergence of inflation and interest rates, real convergence of per capita income levels has not occurred among the original euro area members since the advent of the common currency. Income convergence stagnated in the early years of the common currency and has reversed in the wake of the global economic crisis. New euro area members, in contrast, have seen real income convergence. Business cycles became more synchronized, but the amplitude of those cycles diverged. Financial cycles showed a similar pattern: sychronizing more over time, but with divergent amplitudes. Income convergence requires reforms boosting productivity growth in lagging countries, while cyclical and financial convergence can be enhanced by measures to improve national and euro area fiscal policies, together with steps to deepen the single market.

Download or read book Improving Fiscal Transparency to Raise Government Efficiency and Reduce Corruption Vulnerabilities in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe written by Mr.Bernardin Akitoby and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2020-05-11 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This departmental paper investigates how countries in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) can improve fiscal transparency, thereby raising government efficiency and reducing corruption vulnerabilities.

Download or read book Europe in 12 Lessons written by Pascal Fontaine and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Banking Union for the Euro Area written by Rishi Goyal and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2013-02-12 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The SDN elaborates the case for, and the design of, a banking union for the euro area. It discusses the benefits and costs of a banking union, presents a steady state view of the banking union, elaborates difficult transition issues, and briefly discusses broader EU issues. As such, it assesses current plans and provides advice. It is accompanied by three background technical notes that analyze in depth the various elements of the banking union: a single supervisory framework; a single resolution and common safety net; and urgent issues related to repair of weak banks in Europe.

Download or read book Independent Fiscal Councils Recent Trends and Performance written by Mr.Roel M. W. J. Beetsma and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-03-23 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countries increasingly rely on independent fiscal councils to constrain policymakers’ discretion and curb the bias towards excessive deficits and pro-cyclical policies. Since fiscal councils are often recent and heterogeneous across countries, assessing their impact is challenging. Using the latest (2016) vintage of the IMF Fiscal Council Dataset, we focus on two tasks expected to strengthen fiscal performance: the preparation or assessment of forecasts, and the monitoring of compliance with fiscal rules. Tentative econometric evidence suggests that the presence of a fiscal council is associated with more accurate and less optimistic fiscal forecasts, as well as greater compliance with fiscal rules.