The fiscal governance of the EMU is in dire need of reform. Its current arrangements suff er from several shortcomings, most notably, the limitations they impose on national fiscal policies, steering them towards too restrictive or pro-cyclical stances; the absence of an unconditional lender of...

Faced with the impossibility of reaching a political agreement to review the fiscal treaties, the Commission could limit itself to applying the current rules with flexibility, which would maintain an ambiguous situation: much ado about nothing.

Since the launch of the euro, persistent and even rising disparities among member states have made it difficult to implement short-term or structural common economic policies. The article gives an overview of Euro area disparities in terms of growth and inflation and imbalances, mainly...