Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council

Mr. Sebastian Barnes:

That is a good point. The European rules are in terms of GDP, which we do not think about very much because it is not so relevant to the domestic economy, but the Deputy is correct that what she has described could kick in. There is a lot of uncertainty over the European fiscal rules. The exceptional circumstances position in the rules is due to end at the end of next year. In the interim, the rules do not apply in the normal way. The European Commission has just launched a consultation process on their future. Whether something new comes in by 2023 and what that would be remain unclear. Therefore, there is quite a lot of uncertainty over whether the rules will kick so the Deputy is correct that there is a risk that is worth thinking about. I do not believe it is an immediate, huge concern.