This paper presents an assessment of the overall economic impact of ageing for the EU Member States. It draws upon the macroeconomic assumptions developed by the Ageing Working Group attached to the Economic Policy Committee and the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs for the...

The cyclically-adjusted budget balance (CAB) is the backbone of the EU framework of fiscal surveillance, both in its preventive and corrective arms. The concept corresponds to the budget balance prevailing if the economy was running at potential. After correcting for the one-off and temporary...

This paper presents the results of long run labour productivity and GDP growth rate projections (until 2050) for each of the 25 EU Member States and provides a detailed overview of the forecast methodology used. These projections were undertaken in order to provide an internationally comparable...

The paper decomposes GDP both in terms of level per capita and growth rate, so as to identify the sources of income differences and of economic growth for all EU27 member states. This accounting approach has multiple advantages, although a number of substantial caveats should be borne in mind...

The paper examines the rationale for creating a database on labour market reforms and looks at the value-added of LABREF compared with existing datasets. In doing so, it considers recent developments in the economic literature as regards the design of labour market institutions. After a...

This paper presents a selective survey of the recent literature on labour market institutions and performance and offers new empirical EU-based evidence on the impact of labour market reforms on employment and labour market adjustment. While the literature traditionally treats labour market...

The paper examines potential challenges arising at Member State level from the need and scope for either consolidating on the revenue side or shifting taxes away from labour. It uses a systematic indicator-based screening to identify Member States that may face a challenge in each of these two...

This paper provides evidence on the size, composition and cyclicality of discretionary tax measures (DTM), using a new database developed by the Output Gap Working Group. While their average magnitude is fairly limited over a long period with discretionary tax cuts being offset by discretionary...

Summary for non-specialistsAn essential part of the Europe 2020 strategy consists of reforms with a medium- to long-term horizon that focus on promoting the sustainability of public finances and enhancing potential growth. Building on structural reform simulations with the DSGE model QUEST III,...

The proceedings gather together the views of academics, national policy-makers and international institutions on two topical issues of great policy-relevance at the current juncture, i.e. housing taxation and tax governance. The part on housing taxation touches upon different aspects of housing...