Fiscal Policy Archives

Welcome to Euractiv’s weekly Economy Brief. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. The new European Citizens’ initiative, which seeks to implement a European wealth tax to support the green transition comes with a healthy dose of EU …

The French government’s deficit reduction projections are not realistic, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found in a report published on Wednesday (29 November), stating France ought to “step up the pace of fiscal consolidation”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was harshly criticised by the opposition after he downplayed his government's declaration of emergency for the 2023 budget following the constitutional court's ruling - as questions remain over how to fill the €60 billion hole in the climate fund.

Germany’s three-party governing coalition adopted on Monday (27 November) a supplementary budget for 2023 which includes the proposal to declare an emergency situation suspending the ‘debt brake’ set in the constitution.

Building on its experience with government-led industrial development, South Korea uses direct government funds to nurture venture capital investments.

Germany thought it could provide the necessary investments for the green transition, all the while adhering to its strict budget rules. It turned out it could not, and this should give everyone pause for thought about the EU’s own fiscal rules.

The German parliament’s budget committee has delayed a meeting originally set for Thursday (23 November) to finalise the 2024 budget, following a court ruling that cancels €60 billion off a climate fund and could have broader implications for other public spending.

After a ruling by Germany's top court barred €60 billion from the government's climate action fund, politicians are frantically searching for ways to close the gaping hole in the budget, with the Social Democrats questioning the constitutional debt limit.

A German court ruling that forced Berlin to freeze €60 billion in planned green investment spending is unlikely to have much impact on the reform of EU fiscal rules now under review, senior euro zone officials said on Thursday (16 …

The new EU rules for national debts and deficits will limit member states' ability to act on climate change in a socially fair manner, the secretary general of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Esther Lynch, told Euractiv in an interview, warning against a return of austerity across the bloc.

Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday (15 November) that the German parliament’s 2022 decision to pour €60 billion from the unused debt contracted during the COVID-19 crisis into a new climate fund was unlawful.

Negotiators of the European Parliament and the EU Council reached an agreement on the bloc's 2024 budget, with the Parliament and the Commission calling on member states to agree on the proposed revision of the Union's long-term budget as soon as possible.

EU defence ministers are expected to issue a joint statement on Tuesday (14 November) calling on banks to grant the defence industry access to loans, in a bid to remove hurdles for greater investment into production capacities.

EU finance ministers are optimistic that they have come closer to an agreement on fiscal rules. So what do we know about what they will look like, and what remains open for discussion?

As EU finance ministers prepare to discuss once again the reform of the EU’s rules for national debts and deficits, the positions of hawkish countries and those calling for more flexibility remain wide apart, with little sign that a compromise is within reach.

As EU finance ministers meet in Brussels, they should not fall for the German finance minister's hawkish position, or they will jeopardise European investments in the green transition and risk social tensions, argues Sebastian Mang.

Defence spending could be granted special status in the EU fiscal rules under the new economic governance review (EGR) in a bid to encourage member state investment in this area, according to a draft compromise seen by Euractiv.

The global minimum corporate tax of 15% will generate significantly less revenue than what was originally hoped for, due to several loopholes weakening the measure, researchers of the EU tax observatory warned.

Multinationals who want access to French public investments must remain in the country for a minimum of ten years after receiving the funds, according to an amendment to the 2024 budget bill.

Despite efforts by the EU to make public authorities consider work conditions when choosing contractors for public orders, most public contracts are still awarded to the lowest bidders, a study by the European Parliament shows.

The EU has fallen behind the US and China in terms of economic growth and innovation, the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) warns in its latest paper, calling for a deeper integration of the EU's single market, a capital markets union, and better incentives to invest in Europe.

In a plea to coalition partners and the European Commission, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) called for more subsidies to secure industrial production and jobs.

The EU will need to spend big and face global challenges autonomously to make enlargement a success, as America is losing interest in Europe, Garance Pineau, the Europe Advisor of the French President, said on Friday (20 October). EU governments are …

As the French government pushed its 2024 budget bill through Parliament without a vote on Wednesday (18 October), and threats of an excessive deficit procedure (EDP) hover, France is once again under the microscope of credit rating agencies.