As a result of the pandemic, the debt of many countries have once again grown considerably. How and whether these need to be reduced at all is intensively discussed in academia. Prof. Dr. Christian Keuschnigg of the HSG's Institute of Economics explains in an interview why he believes debt consolidation is essential. He and other researchers have also simulated the effects of certain reforms on Austria's debt ratio in a study. The results show that covid debt consolidation is possible in many countries without major cuts and tax increases.