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Introduction
Publicfinancesarethesubjectofongoingstudiesbyvariouscentresandresearch
teams0Theyarealsoofinteresttopoliticians0Thisinterestisfullyjustified,aspub-
licfinancesfulfilimportanteconomicandsocialfunctions,playingamajorrolein
redistributionandallocationofgrossdomesticproduct,varyingfrom30%to60%,
dependingonthecountryandperiod0
Publicfinancesareatoolforachievingsociallyandeconomicallyusefulgoals,and
assuchareanattributeofpower0Theuseofpublicfinancesiscloselyrelatedtothe
socioeconomicprogrammesofpoliticalpartiesandtheirdoctrines0Importantly,these
doctrinesaffectthescopeandmethodofusingpublicfinancesinpractice0
Asignificantimpetusinresearchonpublicfinancesandpracticalsolutions
inthisareagaverisetotheEuropeanUnionin1992anditsgradualexpansion,from
12countriesintheyearofitscreationto28countriesin20110
WiththecreationoftheEU,anewqualityappearedinpublicfinance,inpar-
ticularduetorestrictionsonfiscalpolicy(taxandexpenditure)imposedonmember
states0Intheinitialphase,theseconstraintswererelativelysmall,astheyconcerned
thereferencevalueofthebudgetdeficit(3%ofGDP)andpublicdebt(60%ofGDP),
whichwasincludedintheMaastrichtTreaty0Withthecourseoftime,theexpansion
oftheEuropeanUnionandthecleardeterminationofitsauthoritiesforrapideco-
nomicandsocialintegrationofeconomiesandsocieties,thefreedominshapingpublic
financesbynationalauthoritieshasbeenlimited0Thiswasalsoaccompaniedbythe
impositionofmanyobligationsonthememberstatesinthesphereofpublicfinances
putdownintheStabilityandGrowthPact(1997)0Theyconsistof,amongothers,the
needtosystematicallysubmitconvergenceandstabilityprogrammestotheEuropean
Commission0Inrelationtopublicfinances,theauthoritiesoftheEuropeanUnion
obtainedanimportantinstrument,whichistheexcessivedeficitprocedure0Itsim-
positionlimitedthescopeoffreedominnationalfiscalpolicy,inwhichthefiscal
criteriacontainedintheMaastrichtTreatyandtheprinciplessetoutintheStability
andGrowthPacthadtobetakenintoaccount0Thisnewinstrumentcomplicatedthe
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