Debt Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/debt/ Independent research and policy analysis on fiscal, monetary, and regulatory issues in Europe Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:54:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://en.irefeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/IREF-LinkedIn-Profile-DarkBlue-scaled.png Debt Archives - IREF Europe https://en.irefeurope.org/tag/debt/ 32 32 UK government’s plans to track and de-risk its own ‘shadow debt’ show the costs of the Net Zero transition will be imposed directly onto businesses and consumers https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/uk-governments-plans-to-track-and-de-risk-its-own-shadow-debt-show-the-costs-of-the-net-zero-transition-will-be-imposed-directly-onto-businesses-and-consumers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uk-governments-plans-to-track-and-de-risk-its-own-shadow-debt-show-the-costs-of-the-net-zero-transition-will-be-imposed-directly-onto-businesses-and-consumers https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/uk-governments-plans-to-track-and-de-risk-its-own-shadow-debt-show-the-costs-of-the-net-zero-transition-will-be-imposed-directly-onto-businesses-and-consumers/#respond Tue, 17 Feb 2026 06:31:11 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36230 Introduction The UK Budget papers of November 2025 acknowledge the funding models through which the government plans to increase the liabilities of UK taxpayers, beyond the government borrowing the money…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/uk-governments-plans-to-track-and-de-risk-its-own-shadow-debt-show-the-costs-of-the-net-zero-transition-will-be-imposed-directly-onto-businesses-and-consumers/feed/ 0 The United Kingdom as a sandbox for state-directed investment https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-2 https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-2/#respond Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:04:10 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36128 Introduction The new UK government elected in July 2024 has promised a ‘decade of national renewal’, realised through its Industrial Strategy, its Infrastructure Strategy, and the transition to Clean Power.…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-2/feed/ 0 The United Kingdom as a sandbox for state-directed investment – with a major increase in ‘shadow debt’, and in the ‘shadow taxation’ required to service that debt https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-with-a-major-increase-in-shadow-debt-and-in-the-shadow-taxation-required-to-service-that-de/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-with-a-major-increase-in-shadow-debt-and-in-the-shadow-taxation-required-to-service-that-de https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-with-a-major-increase-in-shadow-debt-and-in-the-shadow-taxation-required-to-service-that-de/#respond Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:31:11 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36077 We are delighted to publish this new report by our regular contributor, Bob Lyddon. It is about the plans of the UK government to launch a decade-long programme of ‘investment’…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment-with-a-major-increase-in-shadow-debt-and-in-the-shadow-taxation-required-to-service-that-de/feed/ 0 The United Kingdom as a sandbox for state-directed investment https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment/#respond Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:14:26 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36074 WP 2025-10. Executive Summary Many countries’ Founding Fathers and large portions of academia believed that constitutions, common-sense economics, and people’s vigilance would be enough to restrain taxation and public debt.…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/working-paper-series/article/the-united-kingdom-as-a-sandbox-for-state-directed-investment/feed/ 0 Taxpayers to be burdened with further obligations under a new way of creating public debt https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/taxpayers-to-be-burdened-with-further-obligations-under-a-new-way-of-creating-public-debt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=taxpayers-to-be-burdened-with-further-obligations-under-a-new-way-of-creating-public-debt https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/taxpayers-to-be-burdened-with-further-obligations-under-a-new-way-of-creating-public-debt/#respond Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:24:14 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36029 Introduction Governments and other public sector entities have borrowed up to the limit of their debt capacity, and, in the EU, its supranational entities have run up debts themselves. Public…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/taxpayers-to-be-burdened-with-further-obligations-under-a-new-way-of-creating-public-debt/feed/ 0 A Fiscal Time Bomb: How the Big Beautiful Bill Threatens the U.S. Economy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/a-fiscal-time-bomb-how-the-big-beautiful-bill-threatens-the-u-s-economy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-fiscal-time-bomb-how-the-big-beautiful-bill-threatens-the-u-s-economy https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/a-fiscal-time-bomb-how-the-big-beautiful-bill-threatens-the-u-s-economy/#respond Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:12:56 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36031 On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) into law—a sweeping package of tax cuts and federal spending presented as a patriotic revival of…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/a-fiscal-time-bomb-how-the-big-beautiful-bill-threatens-the-u-s-economy/feed/ 0 EU shadow debts start to become all too real https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/eu-shadow-debts-start-to-become-all-too-real/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eu-shadow-debts-start-to-become-all-too-real https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/eu-shadow-debts-start-to-become-all-too-real/#respond Wed, 10 Sep 2025 05:21:04 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=36001 Introduction The European Commission recently kicked off the negotiation of the EU budget for the next budgetary period, called a Multiannual Financial Framework or ‘MFF’. The period is always seven…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/eu-shadow-debts-start-to-become-all-too-real/feed/ 0 Government over-indebtedness and evasive, unconvincing responses to it https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/government-over-indebtedness-and-evasive-unconvincing-responses-to-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=government-over-indebtedness-and-evasive-unconvincing-responses-to-it https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/government-over-indebtedness-and-evasive-unconvincing-responses-to-it/#respond Wed, 21 May 2025 05:47:14 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35892 Introduction The scale and servicing cost of government debt are both rising. This will increase the amount of money that governments will have to suck out of economies over the…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/government-over-indebtedness-and-evasive-unconvincing-responses-to-it/feed/ 0 Release of German Debt Brake eliminates the support behind the euro https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/release-of-german-debt-brake-eliminates-the-support-behind-the-euro/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=release-of-german-debt-brake-eliminates-the-support-behind-the-euro https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/release-of-german-debt-brake-eliminates-the-support-behind-the-euro/#respond Wed, 02 Apr 2025 03:42:10 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35824 Introduction Germany, by releasing its Debt Brake and borrowing more itself, will use up the capacity the markets rely on to bail out the euro. Markets complacently believe the €1.5…

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]]> https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/release-of-german-debt-brake-eliminates-the-support-behind-the-euro/feed/ 0 The Olympic Games: A Golden Opportunity or an Economic Burden for Host Countries? https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-olympic-games-a-golden-opportunity-or-an-economic-burden-for-host-countries/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-olympic-games-a-golden-opportunity-or-an-economic-burden-for-host-countries https://en.irefeurope.org/publications/online-articles/article/the-olympic-games-a-golden-opportunity-or-an-economic-burden-for-host-countries/#respond Wed, 22 Jan 2025 06:15:17 +0000 https://en.irefeurope.org/?p=35719 Since their revival in the late 19th century, the Olympic Games have captivated global audiences. Cities often compete eagerly to host the Olympics, driven by promises of economic growth, infrastructure…

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