Assessment of the EU’s Fiscal Framework and the Way Forward

Assessment of the EU’s Fiscal Framework and the Way Forward PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The ongoing debate that seeks to reform the EU’s fiscal framework is characterised by two different perspectives. Those who point to the lacklustre compliance of some Member States with current fiscal rules calling for a more stringent practice intent on reducing risks at the national level. And those who emphasise the lack of risk sharing at the EU level arguing in favour of a central fiscal capacity. Against this backdrop, this paper lays out the evolution and performance of the EU’s fiscal framework over the past decades in order to frame the current political negotiations of reform. It highlights a fundamental challenge for further fiscal integration namely the idea it can be achieved without better cooperation or representation.

Assessment of the EU’s Fiscal Framework and the Way Forward

Assessment of the EU’s Fiscal Framework and the Way Forward PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The ongoing debate that seeks to reform the EU’s fiscal framework is characterised by two different perspectives. Those who point to the lacklustre compliance of some Member States with current fiscal rules calling for a more stringent practice intent on reducing risks at the national level. And those who emphasise the lack of risk sharing at the EU level arguing in favour of a central fiscal capacity. Against this backdrop, this paper lays out the evolution and performance of the EU’s fiscal framework over the past decades in order to frame the current political negotiations of reform. It highlights a fundamental challenge for further fiscal integration namely the idea it can be achieved without better cooperation or representation.

Fiscal Policy Making in the European Union

Fiscal Policy Making in the European Union PDF Author: Martin Larch
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135234949
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
""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.

Reforming the EU Fiscal Framework

Reforming the EU Fiscal Framework PDF Author: Mr. Nathaniel G Arnold
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
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.

Second-Generation Fiscal Rules

Second-Generation Fiscal Rules PDF Author: Luc Eyraud
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484350936
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Fiscal rule frameworks have evolved significantly in response to the global financial crisis. Many countries have reformed their fiscal rules or introduced new ones with a view to enhancing the credibility of fiscal policy and providing a medium-term anchor. Enforcement and monitoring mechanisms have also been upgraded. However, these innovations have made the systems of rules more complicated to operate, while compliance has not improved. The SDN takes stock of past experiences, reviews recent reforms, and presents new research on the effectiveness of rules. It also proposes guiding principles for future reforms to strike a better balance between simplicity, flexibility, and enforceability. Read the blog

Towards a Single Performance Indicator in the EU's Fiscal Governance Framework

Towards a Single Performance Indicator in the EU's Fiscal Governance Framework PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789289948425
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
A key element of the European reform agenda is to simplify the EU fiscal governance framework by moving towards a single debt anchor and a single operational indicator as the basis for formulating fiscal targets and assessing compliance. This paper puts forward an in-depth analysis of two alternative fiscal performance indicators currently used in the EU fiscal framework: the change in the structural balance and the expenditure benchmark. Comparing these two indicators allows us to identify options for the design of a fiscal performance measure - such as assumptions on cyclical adjustment and the inclusion of fiscal variables - and assess their policy impact. Our paper finds that the expenditure benchmark used in the EU fiscal governance framework has advantages over the change in the structural balance. However, it still has scope for improvement. The paper also shows that taking account of interest payments in the expenditure benchmark would make fiscal policy more supportive of the monetary policy stance.

Assessment of the EU Fiscal Framework

Assessment of the EU Fiscal Framework PDF Author: Jérôme Saulnier
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789284699407
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Without effective coordination of fiscal policies and active supervision of external and internal imbalances, significant negative spillover effects can occur between Member States participating in economic and monetary union and across the EU more widely. A credible fiscal framework and related rules should therefore be designed and enforced, to ensure that Member States pursue sound public finance policies that keep deficits within the range where financing can be secured. This approach, coordinated with an appropriate monetary policy, could also limit the risk of persistently higher inflation, instability, and the materialisation of macro financial risks. Confirming that there is still a need for better fiscal policy coordination among Member States and for a deeper EU fiscal framework, this study emphasises that these two things could lead to substantial benefits. More specifically, based on the results of a meta-regression analysis, estimates indicate that well-designed fiscal rules could generate deficit reduction of between 1.8 % and 1.3 % of gross domestic product. This would correspond to potential additional fiscal space of approximately €220 billion per year for the EU as whole.

The Quality of Public Expenditures in the EU

The Quality of Public Expenditures in the EU PDF Author: European Commission. Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Budget
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
Recoge: Composition and quality of public expenditures in the EU - Improving the efficiency of public expenditure - Growth-enhancing and high-quality expenditure in the EU budgetary framework - A way forward for the assessment of quality of public expenditures in the EU.

Fiscal Politics

Fiscal Politics PDF Author: Vitor Gaspar
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1475547900
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description
Two main themes of the book are that (1) politics can distort optimal fiscal policy through elections and through political fragmentation, and (2) rules and institutions can attenuate the negative effects of this dynamic. The book has three parts: part 1 (9 chapters) outlines the problems; part 2 (6 chapters) outlines how institutions and fiscal rules can offer solutions; and part 3 (4 chapters) discusses how multilevel governance frameworks can help.

Independent Fiscal Councils: Recent Trends and Performance

Independent Fiscal Councils: Recent Trends and Performance PDF Author: Mr.Roel M. W. J. Beetsma
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1484348281
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
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.

The Stability and Growth Pact

The Stability and Growth Pact PDF Author: A. Brunila
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230629261
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
The Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) encompasses the legislative text and political resolutions regulating fiscal policy and public finances in EMU. The contributions in this volume analyse the institutional, legal, theoretical and empirical aspects of the SGP, examine its development and evaluate its main implications. The authors include academic economists, who provide insightful analysis, and policy makers who have contributed to the shaping of the pact and have a direct responsibility for its implementation. This book is the definitive source of reference on the SGP for academics, policy makes and economists.