The 3% bar: “not very scientific” (European Commission)
(BRUSSELS2) Does the 3% deficit bar, mentioned in the Maastricht Treaty, and used in all the decisions and communications of the European Commission, as the summa division between the virtuous and the broke, have any lead in the wing? I had inquired about the past of this device and therefore sought to know how and which documents had founded the fixing of this figure. It was a few minutes before the conference of the European Commissioner for the Economy, the Finnish Olli Rehn today, around noon...
The spokesperson for the Commission, although versed in economic issues, had a response that was surprising to say the least... " Ohh, that's so far away. It was in the 1980s, 1990s. No? So... And then, you know, it's not really scientific”!
It's true, after all, it's just a number, without even three decimal places 🙂