European standards for total public debt and general government balance

Under the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), all countries in the euro area must ensure that their public deficit remains below 3 percent of GDP and that total public debt is no more than 60 percent of GDP.

These standards form the basis of European budget rules for member states.

Since the review of the European budgetary framework in 2024, the European Commission has also set standards relating to spending growth. There are restrictions on how quickly total public spending (excluding certain categories such as intererst payments) can increase over a multi-year period.