Direct inflation targeting - between hopes and accomplishments

This paper presents the challenges and perspectives of the future evolution of inflation in a changing world characterized by a severe financial crisis. It also analyses the framework of inflation targeting in Romania. Contradictory pressures have challenged ever since the functioning of this monetary policy regime owing to peculiar features and objectives of the Romanian economy. First, the requirements imposed by the achievement of nominal and real convergence in order to join the European Union, and, eventually, the European Monetary Union, ask for sustainable high economic growth and the consolidation of disinflation simultaneously, which is an extremely ambitious task. Second, the operational requirements of the implementation of a strict inflation targeting regime are unlikely to be met under the current monetary transmission mechanisms.