In 2006-07 the structural budget balance improved significantly in many euro-area countries; according to European Commission estimates, the average improvement across the euro  BIS Review 94/2008  7  area was 1.6 percentage points (2.1 points in Germany). Italy recorded a substantial improvement of 3 points, but is one of the few countries that continue to fall significantly short of budgetary balance.
A significant new departure with respect to previous years is the passing, together with the Planning Document, of a decree law that defines what must be done to achieve the objectives set for the next three years. For many areas of expenditure, however, the Decree Law postpones the detailed definition of corrective measures to future legislative and administrative measures.