Lucio Pench
Lucio Pench is a non-resident fellow at Bruegel. He was director for macroeconomic policies in the European Commission from 2011 to 2023. In particular, he was responsible for the elaboration of the Commission position on the design of the framework for the EU surveillance of budgetary policies, including in relation to national frameworks and the long-term sustainability of public finances, and the monitoring of macro-fiscal issues, including in relation to monetary policy. Having joined in 1989, prior to his appointment as director Mr Pench held a number of positions in the Commission, mainly in the field of macroeconomic policies, including a stint in the group of the President’s policy advisors.
His research interests focus on issues of economic governance, particularly in the context of European integration, from a macroeconomic and institutional perspective. An Italian citizen, Mr Pench holds degrees from the University of Pisa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa as well as a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Disclosure of interests
Featured work
Should the European Union’s fiscal rules bend to accommodate the defence transition?
EU debt rules should not be changed to exempt increased defence spending, but some flexibility could be considered
Three risks that must be addressed for new European Union fiscal rules to succeed
The reform, completed in April 2024, left implementation unaddressed, or at least open to very different potential outcomes
Taking stock: 25 years of EMU
Closed-door conference jointly organized with De Nederlandsche Bank
To unblock fiscal rule reform, the EU should reinstate its excessive deficit procedure
Reapplying the excessive deficit procedure could create space for European Union countries to decide on longer-term rule change
Making sense of the European Commission’s fiscal governance reform plan
This Policy Brief offers proposals to enhance institutional self-commitment to implementation, with reputational consequences for non-implementation.
Reforming Europe's fiscal framework
This event will discuss reforming Europe's fiscal framework in order to make it less complex and more effective.
A fiscal stance for the euro area? The current recommendation of the EC and the reform of EMU in light of the five presidents' report
An off-the-record debate on the fiscal stance in the euro area and the recent recommendation of the Commission.
A fiscal framework for the EU
Doubts about the fiscal sustainability of various member states have led Europe to enact greater coordination and surveillance. But are these policies