Nova SBE economists sign manifesto
Past Research News | 19 March 2020 Nova SBE economists sign manifesto

Cátia Batista, Susana Peralta, Fernando Anjos, José Tavares, Pedro Brinca and Pedro Pita Barros (who signs the English version at voxeu: https://voxeu.org/article/european-union-and-democracy-must-deliver) are part of a group of economists who presented a manifesto defending a set of quick actions in the face of the Covid pandemic -19, an extreme event that can threaten the survival of the European Union (EU) and the democratic regimes of its members. "In this context of enormous uncertainty, we believe that anything similar to deficit monetization is a necessary part of the solution," highlight the economists. "In the face of exceptional circumstances, the European Central Bank (ECB) must be authorized to finance such a program", they add, stressing that "one possibility is that the ECB will do so in the form of long-term loans (over 50 years) at very low interest rates (possibly zero) and, of course, with amortizations that are very different over time and increasing over time." The same economists from Nova SBE are also part of the group that proposed an office for monitoring the production and distribution of essential goods.The objective is to collect and use data in real time to predict “and, ideally, avoid cuts in the supply of essential goods” as well as to be “a catalyst for private sector initiatives, with and without for profit ”, that “ensure the sustainability of the production and distribution chains and international trade flows necessary for the provision of essential goods ”.

 

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