Long-Run Fiscal Sustainability in Germany
November 20, 2006
Berlin, Germany
The International Monetary Fund, together with the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Institute for Economic Research (Ifo), have organized a Symposium on Long-Run Fiscal Sustainability in Germany to be held in Berlin on November 20, 2006.
Demographic change in Germany will enter an acute phase from 2010 onward when the "baby-boomers" start retiring. This is projected to cause a sharp rise in public expenditure at all levels of government, while public revenue is projected to evolve more gradually in line with moderate GDP growth. Therefore, adjustments in fiscal and other economic policies, and their accompanying legal framework, have to be made to increase the long-term sustainability of the public finances. The symposium focuses on the following three aspects with a view to stimulating and informing the domestic debate on these issues.
- Transparency: How large are potential fiscal risks and in which areas of public spending are they most pressing? How do politicians at the federal and state level assess the challenges ahead?
- Options: What are the policy options and what are the conditions for their successful use?
- Implementation: What is the experience in other countries with the implementation of measures to improve the long-term sustainability of public finances?
The symposium will be open to the public. To register please send an e-mail with your name and affiliation to nicole.kleimann@bertelsmann.de.
| Disclaimer |
|---|
| The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors only, and the presence of them, or of links to them, on the IMF website does not imply that the IMF, its Executive Board, or its management endorses or shares the views expressed in the papers. |
Access the English presentations (this page is available in German only)
PROGRAM
| Monday, November 20, 2006 | |
|---|---|
| 9:30am - 9:40am |
Opening Remarks |
|
Dr. Johannes Meier (IMF)
Bertelsmann Foundation |
|
| 9:40am - 10:00am |
Session 1 |
|
Sustainable Public Finances - The Opportunities for a Grand-Coalition Govt. Thomas Mirow Secretary of State, Federal Ministry of Finance |
|
| 10:00am - 11:10am |
Session 2 |
|
Updated Calculations on Long-Run Fiscal Sustainability Martin Werding Ifo [15 min] A Long-Run Fiscal Baseline and Indicative Public Sector Balance Sheet Bob Traa IMF [15 min] Financial Situation at Different Levels of Government Helmut Seitz University of Dresden [15 min] Comment Rainer Wiegard Federal Minister of Finance, Schleswig Holstein [15 min] Floor discussion [15 min] |
|
| 11:15am - 11:30am |
Coffee Break |
| 11:30am–12:45pm |
Session 3 |
|
Fiscal Consolidation: The Swedish Experience Per Molander Advisor to Prime Minister Göran Persson, former Minister of Finance [15 min] International Best Practices Fiscal Consolidation Uwe Wagschal University of Heidelberg [15 min] Political Governance Johannes Meier Bertelsmann Foundation [15 min] Comment Christian Kastrop Deputy Director General, Economic Policy Department, Federal Ministry of Finance [15 min] Floor discussion [15 min] |
|
| 12:45pm–2:00pm |
Lunch |
| 2:00pm–3:00pm |
Session 4 |
|
Who will Pay; Global Perspectives Peter Heller Deputy Director, Fiscal Affairs Department, IMF [15 min] The Situation in the EU and the Role of the EU Commission Michaele Schreyer Former Member of the European Commission, Visiting Lecturer Freie Universität of Berlin [15 min] Comment Moritz Kraemer Standard & Poors [15 min] Floor discussion [15 min] |
|
| 3:00pm–3:30pm |
Coffee Break |
| 3:30pm–5:00pm |
Session 5 |
|
Impulse: Georg Milbradt Prime Minister, Saxony
Johannes Meier Bertelsmann Foundation |
|