Impact of fiscal integration on eurozone members (The case of Slovakia)

Abstract

The eurozone is both a unique project and an unprecedented case in the history of monetary unions. It has the characteristic of a single monetary policy but with sixteen national fiscal policies. The national fiscal policy measures that are aimed at compensating for the absence of a more complete fiscal union have been orientated mainly toward domestic fiscal policy and follow domestic fiscal policy discipline. The current questions tackled by many economists within the eurozone nowadays include the following: What steps should the eurozone undergo to set out on the path of sustainability and convergence? Is deeper fiscal integration or even fiscal union the solution? The aim of the paper is to outline polemical views on fiscal integration, identify potential forms of deeper fiscal integration and simulate its impact on the integration of the Slovak economy using the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The collected evidence shows that either deeper fiscal integration taking the form of transfers or a common European tax would be beneficial for the eurozone Member States. Member States would thus have a tool to address unexpected developments in and asymmetric shocks to the eurozone.