Search

Since the financial crisis in 2008-09, concern over the sustainability of some EU countries' sovereign debt has continued to mount higher and higher. This paper explores the ways in which the financial crisis caused the deterioration of European debt-to-GDP ratios, examines which countries are on sustainable debt paths and quantifies the fiscal adjustment required per country for debt sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the implications of Greece’s intense and long-lasting fiscal and external imbalances for the potential efficacy of a discretionary fiscal policy response to the current recession. It argues that, given recent developments in interest rate spreads and the credit markets’ increased sensitivity to risk, the interest rates applicable to the entire amount of Greece’s external debt would tend to be higher with a fiscal expansion than without one. Moreover, it deduces from a simple model that the leakages associated with increased interest payments to foreign creditors could well cancel out any positive multiplier effects generated by a fiscal expansion, resulting in a failure to stimulate growth. The implications of this finding for policy is that Greece should continue to avoid the adoption of a fiscal stimulus package, not only out of respect to its fiscal obligations as an EU member but, ultimately, because such a package would be ineffective as an economic recovery tool. While the analysis focuses on the Greek economy, it may be of relevance to other EU economies suffering from serious macroeconomic imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of the 2008+ crisis economic protectionism was feared to return. Financial turbulence, trade imbalances, instability of fiscal policies and labour market deterioration made intervention by the state justified. To cushion the blow various measures were launched. Whereas major economic policies such as the fiscal, monetary or labour market policies were adjusted, little is known about possible modifications in other, less popular, areas of government activity such as the policy on foreign direct investment (FDI). By combining available sources - mainly international scoreboards and rankings - this article sought to classify the member states of the European Union (EU MS) according to their policies pursued in respect of outward and inward foreign direct investment (OFDI and IFDI) after 2008. The main value added could be seen in: (i) the selection, compilation and assessment of various indicators proposed as the most suitable approximation of FDI policies; (ii) the coverage of all the EU members without a priori focusing only on some cases; and (iii) touching upon OFDI which is rather rare in FDI literature dominated by studies on IFDI. The major obstacle which may impair the quality of the research outcome was the lack of proper indicators i.e. lack of variables which can stand for genuine FDI policy. The results obtained indicate the dominance of rather more restrictive attitudes in respect of inward and outward FDI amongst the EU member states in the aftermath of the 2008+ crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern debate on a potential EUBS began in earnest around a decade ago, just prior to the onset of the global financial crisis. In the mid-2000s, current account imbalances and diverging unit labour costs triggered a new debate about transfer systems between euro area countries and, particularly, a European unemployment insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic imbalances manifested in recent years not only require a restructuring of the institutional architecture of the banking system, but also a stimulation of the competition between banking institutions. It has been analyzed the international context so turbulent since 2007 and until now, to a better understanding of the need to reform the banking sector both at European level and in Romania, all these changes having a direct impact over the banking management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]