Structural Budget Balances in EU Member States - November 2019

Briefing 14-11-2019

Structural budget balances play an important role in the fiscal policy frameworks of the EU both as part of the application of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and in the implementation of the balanced budget rule by the contracting parties of the intergovernmental Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the EMU (the fiscal section of the Treaty is called “Fiscal Compact”). This document provides a short overview of the concept and application of the structural balance rule(s) in the EU. It will be regularly updated, in particular, the Annex that shows progress made (based on the latest Commission forecast) by Member States in reaching their structural budget commitments under the preventive arm of the SGP.