EU member states that have continuously complied with the Stability and Growth Pact's budget deficit reference value have experienced much lower volatility and higher growth rates than those which violated the reference value. Also, most complying member states recorded a pronounced decline in...

To ensure a smooth functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union, the Stability and Growth Pact defines limits on national fiscal policies and encompasses the possibility to impose sanctions. This short piece explores the much under-examined issue of enforcement of the EU fiscal rules. In the...

The European Commission has recently published legislative proposals for a reform of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The declared object is to make the economic governance of the EU simpler, improve national ownership, place a greater emphasis on the medium term and strengthen enforcement....

The need for larger public investment in Europe drew attention to its role in the EU fiscal governance. The current reform proposal of the European Commission aims to incentivize higher public investment by softening deficit rules, likely at the cost of incurring higher deficits. If fiscal rules...

Die finanzielle Schieflage der Kommunalfinanzen in Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) ist offensichtlich. Der kommunale Schuldenstand pro Einwohner in NRW lag Ende des Jahres 2022 mit 2.863 Euro deutlich höher als in den meisten anderen Bundesländern. Über 40 Prozent der kommunalen Schulden in NRW...