The euro zone has managed its countercyclical policies very badly
We see that countercyclical policies have been badly used in the euro zone, with constant lags over time compared with a timing that would have been effective . Fiscal policy was m ade restrictive too early (from 2011), and when growth returned (2014), it was not used to reduce fiscal deficits; Monetary policy was expansionary in growth periods (mid-2014 - 2018) and was not expansionary when it should have been so (2010 – early 2014). This inability to implement countercyclical policies in the euro zone at the right time is impressive. It is coupled with regrets: as governments and the ECB did not conduct the right policy at the right time, they conduct ed it later, at a time when it was no longer necessary .