The Euro Area Fiscal Stance

Briefing 21-04-2021

The concept of “Euro area fiscal stance” is used by European and international institutions, as well as academics, to measure the discretionary fiscal effort at the level of euro area as a whole. From 2012 to 2018, the Commission has referred to the euro area fiscal stance in its “Opinions on Draft Budgetary Plans” and has expressed its position on the appropriate fiscal stance in its proposals for the Council recommendation on the economic policies of the euro area. The concept became more prominent with the publication of the Commission Communication on “Towards a Positive Fiscal Stance” of November 2016. Since 2019, however, the Commission has not explicitly proposed an appropriate euro area fiscal stance for the upcoming year. The euro area fiscal stance is also the subject of a report and of a recommendation by the European Fiscal Board. This note (which is regularly updated) provides an overview of the concept and of the latest developments.