Causes of the European debt crisis historian Robert Skidelsky added that it was indeed excessive lending by banks, not deficit spending that created this crisis. Government's mounting debts are a response to the economic downturn as spending rises and tax revenues fall, not its cause. Either way, high debt levels alone may not explain the crisis. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, the position of the euro area looked "no worse and in some respects, rather better than that of the US or the UK." The budget deficit for the euro area as a whole (see graph) is much lower and the euro area's government debt/GDP
Notional Defined Contributions Notional Defined Contributions The term Notional Defined Contributions or Non-financial Defined Contributions or NDC refers to type of public pension system in which contributions made by the public behave in similar way they would in most public funds. This system is implemented in several countries in Europe such as Latvia, Poland, Italy and Sweden. NDC is in many ways similar to classical PAYG pension scheme. Working age individuals contribute to the system and pay for the benefits of current retirees. However, NDCs are different when it comes to determining the size of the benefits. For each individual the amount contributed