The Treaty also contains rules which curb government debt and fiscal deficits, not only to ensure that public finances remain on a sustainable path, but also to pave the way for the automatic stabilisers to function when the economy experiences a downturn or even, if need be, to provide sufficient leeway for active fiscal policymaking without raising any doubts over the sustainability of debt.
These rules bolster the principle of individual national ownership of fiscal policy upon which the Maastricht Treaty is founded.