2011年12月，歐盟國家或政府領袖 (英國除外) 同意通過一項財政條約，做為處理歐元區主權債務危機整體策略的一部分。由於英國反對以歐盟條約之形式簽署，故其他會員國改以簽署政府間條約代之。2012年1月30日，25個會員國正式通過「經濟暨貨幣聯盟穩定、協調與治理條約」(以下簡稱財政條約)，並於2012年3月簽署。財政條約於2012年12月21日獲得第十二國批准後，於2013年1月1日正式生效。然而，英國與捷克均非新條約之締約國。本文將檢視財政條約，以評估新條約如何強化歐盟財政治理與國家財政紀律。本文亦審視財政條約引起之若干問題，例如其法律地位、其與歐盟條約及歐盟法規之關係、歐盟機構之運用，以及財政條約是否足以構成財政聯盟之基石。

In December 2011, the European Union heads of state or government, with the exception of the United Kingdom, agreed to adopt a “Fiscal Compact” as part of an overall strategy to tackle the sovereign debt crisis in the euro area. The United Kingdom vetoed its adoption as an EU treaty, so the other member states agreed to adopt it as an intergovernmental treaty instead. On 30 January 2012, 25 member states formally agreed to the “Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union” (Fiscal Compact Treaty), signing it in March 2012. The Fiscal Compact Treaty entered into force on 1 January 2013, owing to its ratification on 21 December 2012 by a 12th country. However, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic are not parties to the new treaty. This paper offers a review of the Fiscal Compact Treaty, with the aim of assessing whether and how the new treaty can be expected to strengthen EU fiscal governance and national fiscal discipline. This paper looks at some of the issues that arise, such as its legal status, its relationship with the EU treaties and EU law, the use of EU institutions, and whether the treaty could constitute a cornerstone of a fiscal union.