Finance

Fiscal policy encompasses the plans and actions of governments and institutions regarding revenue generation, expenditure control, as well as promoting or stabilising economic growth. The Eurozone crisis and its challenges for the EU require an important debate on goals and principles in European economic and fiscal policies.

Here you will find current articles, publications, and thematic focuses on the topic of finance.

Recent Articles on Finance

Coastline with a few villages on the right, sea on the left, sandy beaches, and scattered rocks along the shore.

Europe Must Help Africa Break the Cycle of Debt

Analysis

Unsustainable debt burdens and escalating climate shocks have left African economies with little fiscal space to invest in their future. Without a reform of the global financial system, the continent’s development and Europe’s stability face growing risks.

Nana Akufo-Addo, Ulrich Volz

verschiedene Geldscheine stecken wie Blumensetzlinge mit einer kleinen Schaufel daneben in der Erde.

A Monetary and Economic Order Fit for the Twenty-First Century

Analysis

If the international community is to have a chance of addressing twenty-first-century challenges effectively and equitably, the global economic and financial architecture that was created eight decades ago must be radically reformed. Eight priorities stand out.

Ulrich Volz, Janak Raj, Sarah Ribbert, Kamal Ramburuth, Monica Herz, William Kring

A white building with a red roof with mountains in the background

Bretton Woods Revisited: Creating a Monetary and Economic Order Fit for the 21st Century

Statement

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference, together with partner institutions, we propose reforms in eight critical areas of the international economic and financial architecture to reflect the changing global realities and challenges.

Ulrich Volz, Kamal Ramburuth, Janak Raj, Paulo Esteves, William N. Kring, Sarah Ribbert

Hauptquartier der EU-Kommission in Brüssel

Europe before the elections: Questions and consequences for the economy

Interview

Five years after the European Green Deal was launched, Europe's economic strength and security are at stake. What lies ahead for the German and European economy? A conversation with Sandra Parthie and Roderick Kefferpütz.

The Debt Brake Must Not Become a Brake on the Future

Presidents' column

With the floods in northern Germany, the relaxation of the country’s debt brake is back on the agenda. But instead of always returning to the same debates, what is finally needed is sustainable reform. A new study shows what this could look like and sets out the options for financing climate protection over the short term.

Jan Philipp Albrecht

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Thematic Focuses on Finance

Blick über Jerewan im Frühling mit dem schneebedeckten Berg Ararat im Hintergrund und dem Opernhaus im Vordergrund.

CBD-COP17 Yerevan | UN Convention on Biological Diversity 2026

Several high-rise buildings behind the riverbank with a boat and houses in the foreground, smoke rising between the trees.

COP30: Belém

COP29: Baku

All Thematic Focuses on Finance

Publications on Finance

Green Priorities for a Better EU Budget

Policy Paper

The European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 MFF opens a chance to raise ambition on climate, social, economic and security goals. This framing paper outlines key budget needs, priority areas and governance reforms.

Georg McCutcheon, Anton Möller, Taube Van Melkebeke

New EU Own Resources to Strengthen Europe’s Long-Term Budget

Policy Paper

The European Commission’s new MFF proposal introduces five new own resources to fund Next Generation EU debt and modernise EU revenues. This paper assesses the package and argues for a balanced basket of genuine new resources to support EU goals.

Dr. Margit Schratzenstaller

Skyscrapers and streets in front of wooded mountains, with yellow text above: Public Debt and Resilient Futures in Latin America and the Caribbean

Public Debt and Resilient Futures in Latin America and the Caribbean

Policy Brief

Latin America and the Caribbean stand at a crossroads of escalating debt, intensifying climate shocks, and stalled progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. A new policy brief analyses the region's debt dynamics.

Ulrich Volz, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Alex Dryden

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