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Is the European Central Bank Failing Its Price Stability Mandate?

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  • Angel Ubide

    (Peterson Institute for International Economics)

Abstract

Inflation in the euro area is too low, and the European Central Bank (ECB) is at risk of missing its price stability mandate. With the market forecasting average inflation in the euro area over the next five years in the 1.25 to 1.5 percent range, the ECB must prepare to act forcefully to push inflation higher. The ECB should (1) update the definition of price stability as inflation at 2 percent over 2 to 3 years to eliminate the ambiguity over the inflation objective; (2) reduce risk premia in the yield curve via a program of quantitative easing, making clear that this is a monetary policy operation—and thus legal under the Maastricht Treaty; and (3) ease the quantitative credit shortages to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) via a well-designed lending program, offering long-term funds at the policy rate to banks who lend to SMEs. These actions would restore price stability and encourage sustainable growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Angel Ubide, 2014. "Is the European Central Bank Failing Its Price Stability Mandate?," Policy Briefs PB14-5, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:iie:pbrief:pb14-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mr. Ali J Al-Eyd & Pelin Berkmen, 2013. "Fragmentation and Monetary Policy in the Euro Area," IMF Working Papers 2013/208, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Roberto A. De Santis & Paolo Surico, 2013. "Bank lending and monetary transmission in the euro area [Bank capital, bank lending and monetary policy in the euro area]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 28(75), pages 423-457.
    3. Angel Ubide, 2013. "Reengineering EMU for an Uncertain World," Policy Briefs PB13-4, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Athanasios Orphanides, 2020. "The fiscal–monetary policy mix in the euro area: challenges at the zero lower bound," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 35(103), pages 461-517.
    2. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/76n8jifalu9pravs72etj3lddb is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Christophe Blot & Jérôme Creel & Paul Hubert & Fabien Labondance, 2015. "The QE experience: Worth a try?," Post-Print hal-03459951, HAL.
    4. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/166ip2fse39118p4oksocrf89u is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Maciej Ryczkowski, 2015. "Is deflation trap a serious threat? Case study of FED, ECB and NBP," Ekonomia i Prawo, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 14(2), pages 243-259, June.
    6. Jorg Bibow, 2016. "From Antigrowth Bias to Quantitative Easing: The ECB's Belated Conversion?," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_868, Levy Economics Institute.
    7. Orphanides, Athanasios, 2016. "Fiscal Implications of Central Bank Balance Sheet Policies," CEPR Discussion Papers 11383, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Jorg Bibow, 2015. "The Euro's Savior? Assessing the ECB's Crisis Management Performance and Potential for Crisis Resolution," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_845, Levy Economics Institute.
    9. Federico Steinberg & Mattias Vermeiren, 2016. "Germany's Institutional Power and the EMU Regime after the Crisis: Towards a Germanized Euro Area?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 388-407, March.
    10. Stefano Neri & Stefano Siviero, 2019. "The non-standard monetary policy measures of the ECB: motivations, effectiveness and risks," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 486, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Christophe Blot & Jérôme Creel & Paul Hubert & Fabien Labondance, 2015. "Que peut-on attendre de l’assouplissement quantitatif de la BCE ?," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 0(2), pages 265-290.
    12. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/4qb2og10r48j2r0b43vmrub4pd is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Stefano Neri & Giuseppe Ferrero, 2017. "Monetary policy in a low interest rate environment," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 392, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.

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