In a letter to the officials negotiating the formal agreement, Jorg Asmussen, the German member of the European Central Bank’s Executive Council, stressed that a balanced budget meant just that. Even if a country ran budget deficit because a cyclical downturn caused a fall in tax revenue and an increase in social transfers, it should be required to raise taxes or cut spending to restore a balanced budget.
然而，现在的问题是，应该给平衡预算要求下个定义吗？在给讨论正式协定的官员的信中，欧洲央行执行委员会的德国委员艾斯缪森（Jorg Asmussen）强调，平衡预算就是平衡预算。即使一国因为周期性衰退导致税收收入下降、社会转移支付增加而出现财政赤字，该国也应该白要求增税或减支以重回预算平衡。