IREF Conference: Reform of Fiscal Rules in Europe

We would like to invite everyone to our upcoming panel discussion titled “The reform of fiscal rules in Europe: Is a return to sound public finances possible, and is it probable?“

We are very excited to organize this event together with our partners IREF, Liberální Institut, Natland, and Wonderinterest Trading Ltd. Join us for an exciting discussion on the contemporary topic of the EU fiscal policy and its deficiencies, limits, and its reform challenges, that will be held on the AAU campus on the 17th of May from 5pm – 7pm. The event will include a networking session with refreshments.

European policymakers are currently discussing the reform of fiscal rules on the EU level. The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are responsible for the dynamic growth of public expenses, which made the current development in public finance with huge budget deficits unsustainable. The experience with the old set of rules is not encouraging, as they have not prevented the accumulation of huge levels of public debt in recent years. Among the adverse effects of these high debt levels is the danger of fiscal dominance: The ECB may not increase interest levels as quickly as necessary, due to worries about the sustainability of debt in some European countries. 

At the end of April, the European Commission presented a set of reform proposals, which by and large will not lead to stricter enforcement of fiscal rules, but rather to a further deterioration of fiscal discipline in Europe. The current reform proposals will be discussed, as well as alternative, more efficient ways to encourage sustainable public finances in Europe.

The following speakers will take part in this discussion and offer valuable insights and their points of view as economists, academics, and finance professionals.

Keynote speaker: Jan Schnellenbach

Jan is a professor of economics at Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, and also an affiliated fellow at the Eucken Institut in Freiburg. His main research field is economic policy and the economic analysis of policy-making, with a particular focus on public finances and the policy implications of behavioral economics.

Discussant: Agnieszka Slomka Golebiovska

Agnieszka Słomka-Gołębiowska is discussant for IREF and a Professor at the Warsaw School of Economics. Her research interests focus on broadly understood topics related to institutional economics, corporate governance, and sustainable growth. She has 16 years of board experience in large public and privately- held companies. She is the author of numerous speeches at international conferences and publications, which have been published in JCR academic journals such as among others: Business Strategy and the Environment, Management Decision, Emerging Markets Review, and practitioner journals. She actively promotes ideas and Good Practices of corporate governance and ESG agenda being a Member of Platform for Sustainable Finance advising EY Commission. She is an Ambassador of GAP – Bank of America and Vital Voices Program.

Discussant: Petr Bartoň

Petr is the Chief Economist at Natland Investment Group. He evaluates the state of the economy, predicts its future paths, and applies this to a client’s situation at Natland, the media, or students at several universities where he teaches. Petr was educated at the universities of Cambridge and Chicago. His research focuses on regulation, game theory aspects of public choice, and cost-push inflation.

Discussant: Olívia Lacenová

Olívia is the chief analyst at Wonderinterest Trading Ltd. In addition to her extensive experience in the investment world and economic media, she has brought a new service concept to clients focused on investing in “green” or otherwise sustainably oriented assets. Olívia also writes blogs, lectures, and collaborates on various webinars from the world of investments, and has extensive experience in commodities and precious metals.