About: debt

Before considering new debt, Europe should make full use of its common debt

Rather than issuing new debt to deal with the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine and to build a “European defence,” the EU should transform the residual loans of the Recovery and Resilience Facility into immediate transfers and grants to member states, argues Jérôme Creel.

Debt: A measure of EU democracies illness

In discussions over the EU's next multi-annual budget, EU institutions need to pursue their efforts to decrease the burden of debt, write Cécile Philippe and Diego Sanchez de la Cruz.

The CMU midterm review: How not to miss an opportunity

More often than not, the European Union is accused of overpromising and under delivering. That´s hardly the case in the Commission’s modest and pragmatic approach to the Capital Market Union (CMU). But as the midterm review of the financial flagship initiative nears, pragmatism is no excuse to miss an opportunity, writes Paul Tang.

The threat of populism must be a non-issue in decision to fine Portugal and Spain

Stability and Growth Pact rules must be applied to the letter if the eurozone is to keep any kind of credibility. Populism must not be used as an excuse to reward irresponsible budgetary policies, argues Friedrich Heinemann.

Voters in eurozone countries remain open to a compromise with Greece

Greece's creditors claim that they are acting on a mandate from the EU's citizens by refusing to be flexible. But public opinion in the union is not so hostile argue Michael Bechtel, Kirk Bansak, Jens Hainmueller and Yotam Margalit. 

Is capitalism doomed?

Many advanced economies are on the brink of a double-dip recession as the recovery has been anaemic and sub-par in most of them, writes Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics at New York University's Stern School of Business.

Barroso and Commission are also to blame for Greek crisis

As EU leaders gather in Brussels to solve the Greek crisis, Athens and Brussels should share the blame for having let the country fall down its slippery slope. Now a new social contract is needed between the EU and its citizens to restore trust, writes former Greek MEP Yiannis Roubatis.

Not only governments are to blame for exploding government debts

Although EU governments do bear responsibility for their current debt problems, this is only half the story as the financial crisis was triggered by unsustainable increases in private debt, writes Paul de Grauwe, professor of economics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

Economic governance: What today’s EU summit debate might look like

The main concern underlying reform of EU economic governance is avoiding another debt crisis, but although this is key, Europe should also focus on fostering sustainable growth for future competitiveness, writes Maria Joao Rodrigues, professor of European economic policies at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a policy advisor to the EU institutions. In the sketch below, she simulates a debate on reforming economic governance.

Why the stability pact is irrelevant

France and Germany are pushing for sanctions in the EU's eurozone stability pact, but fiscal profligacy only played a minor role in the debt crisis and the pact is the wrong place to start, writes Wolfgang Münchau of Eurointelligence in an October opinion piece.

Why the spectre of default just refuses to go away

City analysts in London and journalistic observers in Paris and Frankfurt already appear to have drawn the conclusion that it is only a matter of time before Greece defaults. Although the prime minister, the EU, the European Central Bank and the IMF keep on denying such a scenario, the spectre of default keeps returning and is starting to form its own reality, writes Jens Bastian, senior economic research fellow for South Eastern Europe at ELIAMEP, in an exclusive op-ed for EURACTIV.

Gazelles and Turtles

The financial crisis is over but the world is currently divided into two groups: those countries that are recovering strongly and those that are lagging behind with new potential problems, writes Hans-Werner Sinn, professor of economics and public finance at the University of Munich and president of the Ifo Institute, in an August op-ed.