The first half of the year was an eventful and volatile one in the government bond market, and the second half threatens more uncertainty. Sovereign issuers are dealing with steeper curves as investors demand higher term premia. Meanwhile, deficit dynamics are shifting, especially as some countries face up to higher defence and infrastructure spending. GlobalCapital gathered senior funding officials from the EU, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Portugal in June in London to discuss how their funding plans had fared so far, how they are developing their investor bases and how they plan to tackle the uncertainties that lie ahead.