Annual CEPS-Intereconomics Conference: A Fiscal Stabilisation Function for the Eurozone

The Five Presidents’ Report of 2015 has called for a macroeconomic stabiliser at the EMU level that would be capable of dealing with asymmetric shocks. A European unemployment benefits scheme (EUBS) is one potential stabilisation mechanism, although other proposals for devising risk-sharing tools that could be deployed across the Economic and Monetary Union have surfaced over the years. This high-level conference will explore and compare the advantages and disadvantages of the various schemes entertained. Which one is best suited for the member countries of EMU? Which one holds out the greatest promise of reducing the risk of deep recession? Do such schemes inevitably lead to moral hazard or are there practical safeguards that can be built into their provisions to minimise this risk from materialising? Are any of these proposal politically feasible in the near term? Join us and share your views on these important questions.

Studies and conclusions will be published end of May in the coming issue of Intereconomics.