Stronger European economic governance and tougher rules for the Stability Pact needed

Published: 25 February 2010 y., Thursday

Eurai
The EMU framework and economic governance within the eurozone need to be revamped. This was one of the main messages to come out of a draft resolution on the euro area and public finances adopted on Tuesday by Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
The resolution, which the EP adopts annually, covers monetary policy, economic governance and this year also the situation of public finances.

MEPs note the absence of effective mechanisms to prevent the growth of imbalances in the eurozone and ask the Commission to examine ways of preventing future excessive growth of these imbalances and the asymmetric shocks to which they contribute.  It also calls for significant improvement of economic governance in the eurozone, particularly by developing binding commitments between governments.  Moreover, the resolution repeats the Commission's view that a strengthening of macroeconomic surveillance is urgently needed.

On public finances, the resolution calls for greater efforts to be made on fiscal coordination than what is required by the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), which only covers deficits and debt.  The committee believes these criteria are only some of the causes of economic imbalances and that all factors have to be taken on board.  In addition, the SGP must be applied more rigidly than it has been during periods of growth to make sure the Member States do not overspend.

As a solution to reducing the high cost some Member States are facing with repaying their public debt, the draft resolution proposes the idea of issuing eurobonds.

Addressing the specific situation of Greece, the committee says this case should serve as a lesson when future enlargements of the eurozone are being planned.  It also asks that particular attention be paid to the quality of the statistics of the aspiring eurozone countries.

 

Šaltinis: europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Equal pay for women - not yet

Women in the EU earn on average 18% less than men - a gap that has scarcely narrowed over the last 15 years and in some countries has even grown. more »

EU's biggest-ever energy package

43 gas and electricity projects to split €2.3bn, the most the EU has ever spent on energy infrastructure in a single package. more »

Georgia to gradually integrate into the European common aviation market

Georgia and the European Union have initialled a comprehensive air services agreement at a meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, today which will open up and integrate the respective markets, strengthen cooperation and offer new opportunities for consumers and operators. more »

Mobility Programme for Business and Industry calls for applications

In order to vitalize and strengthen cooperation of business stakeholders in the region, the Nordic and Baltic countries continue running joint mobility programme. more »

EBRD and Société Générale support economies in Serbia

The EBRD is boosting the availability of financing to the real economy sector in Serbia, with a €20 million credit line to Société Générale Serbia for on-lending to small and medium enterprises. more »

Armenia’s Ameriabank receives EBRD financing

The EBRD is supporting the development of the private sector in Armenia and increases further the availability of financing in the real economy sector with a $10 million loan to Ameriabank for on lending to local companies under its Medium Sized Co-financing Facility (MCFF). more »

EBRD funds modernisation of roads in Albania

The EBRD is supporting the modernisation and improvement of transport infrastructure in Albania with a €50 million sovereign loan to finance the rehabilitation of regional and local roads in the country. more »

Latvia: Social Investment Fund III Project Second Additional Financing

Given the deep impact Latvia has suffered in the wake of the global crisis, and due to the emergency nature of this program, the first operation will focus mainly on the first and second objectives. more »

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn to Visit Africa to Deepen Dialogue on the Continent’s Economic Challenges

Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Africa March 7-11, to discuss opportunities and challenges facing African economies in the wake of the global crisis. more »

2011 budget: focus on youth and economic recovery

Without enough money, the EU 2020 strategy risks turning into "another vague scoreboard for the Member States", the EP Budgets Committee warned on Thursday when adopting its priorities for the 2011 budget. more »