Against the commonly accepted view that in the run-up to EMU the Maastricht fiscal restraints were quite effective in re-aligning public finances in Member States that were showing large excessive deficits, Strauch and von Hagen stress that there are some objections concerning this initial sign...

The convergence criteria group together those macro variables whose dimensions mean to put in good use, to potentiate and to strengthen the major benefits of integration, as their configuration, either before and especially after the adhesion in EU, represents strict and compulsory requirements...

This paper examines the impact of budgetary institutions on public finances in the European Union on the basis of a critical survey of the relevant theoretical and empirical literature. In general, the authors find that fiscal institutions (namely fiscal rules) have successfully contributed to...