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Reforming the Stability and Growth Pact: key remaining issues and way forward

Day 2 Afternoon

Thursday 14 September

Room :

ROOM 1

Speakers

Chair
Pierre Gramegna
Managing Director - European Stability Mechanism (ESM)
Public Authorities
Giancarlo Giorgetti
Minister - Ministry of Economy and Finance, Italy
Emmanuel Moulin
Director General of the Treasury - Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, France
Gintaré Skaisté
Minister - Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania
Heiko Thoms
State Secretary - Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany
Vincent Van Peteghem
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance - Ministry of Finance, Belgium

Objectives of the roundtable

European fiscal rules, as enshrined in the Stability and Growth Pact, are currently suspended to allow governments to fight the economic fallout from the pandemic. The Commission has presented on 26 April 2023 legislative proposals to reform the EU’s economic governance and notably the Stability and Growth Pact. These proposals are designed to strengthen public debt sustainability and promote sustainable and inclusive growth in all Member States through reforms and investment.
The objective of this exchange of views is to assess the remaining stumbling blocks, possible solutions and key success factors in reaching a swift agreement on revising the Stability and Growth Pact.

Points for discussion

  1. What are the stumbling blocks, possible solutions and key success factors in reaching a swift agreement on revising the Stability and Growth Pact? How to reduce the high and divergent public debt ratios in a sustainable, growth-friendly and realistic manner while respecting a common and transparent framework?
  2. How to ensure the effective commitment of a member state to its fiscal path (e.g. prior agreement of the national parliament, etc.)?