Fiscal federalism as a solution for the eurozone problems (Federalizm fiskalny jako rozwi¹zanie problemów gospodarczych strefy euro )

Recent economic problems have proved once again that the best trigger for European integration is crisis. As for now the causes of world financial crisis and European debt crisis are not the main subject of economists’ polemics. The key problems is how to avoid or prevent euro zone from next asymmetric shocks and improve its shock absorption capabilities? European Union (EU) introduced one of the most complex reform package in its history. Recent EU reforms solve many of current problems which led in some members countries of euro zone to debt crisis. But the key issue is whether they lead euro zone to next stages of economic integration that would help to prevent and coping with future crisis which surely will come. The theory of economic integration as one of the solutions suggests to go further than what was already created within European Union and particularly within eurozone – a political union (Lubbe, 2003). An integral part of this stage is fiscal federalism. In this paper I would like to highlight causes of recent economic crisis and explain why fiscal federalism would solve many of current problems. I will also introduce current propositions of UE reforms and try to assess whether they lead to fiscal federalism as the best way for efficient macroeconomic governance in the euro zone.