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The reform of the european Union’s fiscal governance Framework in a new Macroeconomic environment

Author

Listed:
  • Mario Alloza

    (Banco de España)

  • Javier Andrés

    (Universidad de Valencia)

  • Pablo Burriel

    (Banco de España)

  • Iván Kataryniuk

    (Banco de España)

  • Javier J. Pérez

    (Banco de España)

  • Juan Luis Vega

    (Banco de España)

Abstract

The main proposals for the reform of the European Union’s fiscal policy framework affect three blocks of issues: (i) simplifying the rules to make them more transparent and flexible; (ii) incorporating new supranational risk-sharing instruments into the Economic and Monetary Union, in particular to facilitate the absorption of severe shocks; and (iii) the fiscal aspects necessarily being accompanied by reforms at the national (structural reforms) and supranational (e.g. pressing forward with the capital markets union) levels. Irrespective of their political feasibility, these proposals do not easily fit the current macroeconomic environment, which is far removed from that of the 1990s: structural trends, such as digitalisation, globalisation, the climate transition and population ageing, affecting the natural rates of interest and potential growth are emerging or taking hold. Also, after the Great Moderation, we have entered a period of severe global shocks. In this paper we argue that this setting calls for a paradigm shift in how the fiscal policy framework is designed, as opposed to the incremental reform approach of recent decades. This should include improved governance of fiscal rules, which should be simpler, more functional and more credible than the current ones, but it should also go a step further and incorpórate supranational risk-sharing components enabling the smooth operation of the monetary and fiscal policy mix, from a wider euro area perspective. We provide quantitative elements to illustrate several challenges with a bearing on any reform process in the current setting: (i) medium-term debt anchors should be adapted to the medium and long-term interest rate and potential growth expectations; (ii) economies may remain subject to very severe shocks, meaning that fiscal space must be recovered in the medium term; and (iii) realistic mechanisms for absorbing existing fiscal imbalances must be implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario Alloza & Javier Andrés & Pablo Burriel & Iván Kataryniuk & Javier J. Pérez & Juan Luis Vega, 2021. "The reform of the european Union’s fiscal governance Framework in a new Macroeconomic environment," Occasional Papers 2121, Banco de España.
    • Handle: RePEc:bde:opaper:2121e
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Julia del Amo Valor & Marcos Martín Mateos & Diego Martínez López & Javier J. Pérez, 2023. "Is the European economic governance framework too “complex”? A critical discussion," Working Papers 2023-06, FEDEA.
    2. Olga Francová & Ermal Hitaj & John Goossen & Robert Kraemer & Andreja Lenarčič & Georgios Palaiodimos, 2021. "EU fiscal rules: reform considerations," Discussion Papers 17, European Stability Mechanism, revised 25 Oct 2021.
    3. Ionel LEONIDA, 2022. "Fiscal Impact Of Romania'S Accession To The European Union - Advantages And Disadvantages," Contemporary Economy Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 7(1), pages 22-27.
    4. Benalal, Nicholai & Freier, Maximilian & Melyn, Wim & Van Parys, Stefan & Reiss, Lukas, 2022. "Towards a single fiscal performance indicator," Occasional Paper Series 288, European Central Bank.
    5. Hauptmeier, Sebastian & Leiner-Killinger, Nadine & Muggenthaler, Philip & Haroutunian, Stephan, 2022. "Post-COVID fiscal rules: a central bank perspective," Working Paper Series 2656, European Central Bank.
    6. Daniel Alonso & María de los Llanos Matea, 2021. "European Semester 2021 and Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue 4/2021.
    7. Daniel Alonso & María de los Llanos Matea, 2023. "The 2022 European Semester and the Recovery and Resilience Facility," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue 2023/Q1.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal policy; fiscal governance; fiscal rules; public debt; public deficit; interest rates;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy
    • H60 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - General
    • H61 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Budget; Budget Systems
    • H62 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Deficit; Surplus
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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