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Fiscal Challenges Facing the EU New Member States

Author

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  • Malgorzata Antczak
  • Marek Dabrowski
  • Michal Gorzelak

Abstract

Since May 1, 2004 the European Union's new member states (NMS) have been subject to the same fiscal rules established in the Treaty on the European Union and Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) as the old member states (OMS). The NMS entered the EU running structural fiscal deficits. More than half of them (including the biggest ones) breach the Treaty's actual deficit limits and are already the subject of the excessive deficit procedure. A high rate of economic growth makes the fiscal situation of most NMS reasonably manageable in the short- to medium-term, but the long term fiscal outlook, mostly connected with the consequences of an aging population, is dramatic. The NMS should therefore prepare themselves now to be able to meet this challenge over the next decades (the same goes for the OMS). In addition, the perspective of EMU entry should provide the NMS with a strong incentive to reduce their deficits now because waiting (and postponing both fiscal adjustment and the adoption of the Euro) will only result in higher cumulative fiscal costs. The additional financial burden connected with EU accession cannot serve as excuse in delaying fiscal consolidation. In spite of the growing debate on the relevance of the EU's fiscal surveillance rules and not excluding the possibility of their limited modification, they should not be relaxed. Frequent breaching of these rules cannot serve as an argument that they are irrelevant from the point of view of safeguarding fiscal prudence and avoiding fiscal 'free riding' under the umbrella of monetary union. Any version of fiscal surveillance rules (either current or modified) must be solidly anchored in an effective enforcement mechanism (including automatic sanctions) at the EU and national levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Malgorzata Antczak & Marek Dabrowski & Michal Gorzelak, 2005. "Fiscal Challenges Facing the EU New Member States," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0295, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:sec:cnstan:0295
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jacek Rostowski, 2004. "The Stability and Growth Pact - Essential and Unfeasible," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0275, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Marek Dabrowski, 2006. "A Strategy for EMU Enlargement," Springer Books, in: Marek Dabrowski & Jacek Rostowski (ed.), The Eastern Enlargement of the Eurozone, chapter 0, pages 199-225, Springer.
    3. Joanna Siwinska & Piotr Bujak, 2006. "The Short-Run Macroeconomic Effects of Discretionary Fiscal Policy Changes," Springer Books, in: Marek Dabrowski & Jacek Rostowski (ed.), The Eastern Enlargement of the Eurozone, chapter 0, pages 131-145, Springer.
    4. Elżbieta Kawecka-Wyrzykowska, 2002. "Merits and shortcomings of the Commission's financial framework for Eastward enlargement," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 37(2), pages 80-83, March.
    5. Coricelli, Fabrizio & Ercolani, Valerio, 2002. "Cyclical and Structural Deficits on the Road to Accession: Fiscal Rules for an Enlarged European Union," CEPR Discussion Papers 3672, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mariusz Jarmuzek, 2005. "Are the EU new member states fiscally sustainable? An empirical analysis," UCL SSEES Economics and Business working paper series 51, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).
    2. Ferré, Montserrat, 2012. "The effects of uncertainty about countries’ compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 660-674.
    3. Dabrowski, Marek, 2010. "The global financial crisis: Lessons for European integration," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 38-54, March.
    4. Marek Dabrowski, 2006. "A Strategy for EMU Enlargement," Springer Books, in: Marek Dabrowski & Jacek Rostowski (ed.), The Eastern Enlargement of the Eurozone, chapter 0, pages 199-225, Springer.

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