procedures in EU countries on public finances. It briefly describes the main pattern of budgetary institutions and their … determinants across the EU 15 member states. Empirical evidence for the time period 1985-2004 suggests that the centralisation of …

such rules in Japan and in the EU. Comparing the performance of fiscal policy in the 1980s and 1990s until 2003, we find … rule of the Maastricht Treaty had a significant impact on political budget cycles in the EU, but did little to constrain … fiscal rule in the EU has vanished. Next, we discuss the importance of budgetary institutions for the effectiveness of fiscal …