About: budget discipline

Italy to Commission: Refugees, quakes forced 2017 budget off target

Italy has defended its rule-breaking 2017 budget to the European Commission, saying the migrant crisis, post-earthquake reconstruction and lower-than-expected growth were to blame.

Italy wants EU bonds to fund refugee response

A common European Union policy to manage external borders and cope with the refugee crisis should be funded with common resources, including through the issuance of EU bonds, Italy said on Monday (22 February).

Renzi tells Merkel: ‘Budget flexibility was a promise’

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi insisted on Friday that the EU's budget rules should be interpreted flexibly and that austerity should not be seen purely as an end in itself.

The New European Commission frustrates Germany

Germany and the newly appointed European Commission have different visions for Europe's future, which has caused tension between the two, writes global intelligence company Strafor.

EU gives France to 2017 to cut deficit, Italy, Belgium in clear

The European Commission granted France until 2017 to bring its budget deficit below the EU limit of 3 percent of GDP after Paris missed an already extended 2015 deadline.

Commission to give some budget leeway to France, Italy

The European Commission said yesterday (13 January) that public investment and structural reforms could win some leeway for countries breaking EU budget rules, reducing the likelihood of tough penalties on France or Italy.

European Commission: Germany must invest more, France spend less

Germany's potential for growth is far too low, and the country must invest more, Jyrki Katainen said on Friday. France is cutting its deficit less quickly than promised, raising the chances that the Commission will reject its 2015 budget.

French bosses rally around Juncker’s 300 billion investment plan

Regular critics of the European Institutions, French business leaders are nevertheless interested in a 300 billion euro investment plan promised by the incoming Juncker Commission.

France is the ‘sick man’ of Europe, says EU think-tank

A controversial study by The Lisbon Council, a Brussels think-tank, says France is the sick man of Europe and singles out resistance to change as being responsible for a large part of the country's woes.

Barroso urges ‘credible reforms’ in France in return for deficit grace period

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso urged France on Wednesday (15 May) to push ahead faster with economic reforms in return for being granted two more years as promised to bring its budget deficit below the EU limit. The Commission will present more detailed recommendations to France on 29 May.

Economist: ‘Being pro-European is not a vote-winner in Germany’

The EU’s transformation into a more integrated bloc centred on the eurozone will be a key part of the German election campaign, according to Karl Aiginger, director of the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO). But politicians will probably give in to “populist statements”, he warns, saying the debate on Europe is currently “very irrational” in Germany.

Key German judge backs EU budget vetting powers

The German constitution does not rule out giving an EU financial commissioner the power to ensure states stick to savings targets in their national budgets, the head of the Germany's top court said on Wednesday (27 February).

Hungary denounces planned cuts in its EU regional funds

The European Union risks undermining the credibility of its drive against national budget overshoots if it strips Hungary of structural funds as punishment for running an excessive deficit, a leader of the ruling Fidesz party said.

French Parliament passes EU budget discipline treaty

With 477 votes in favour and only 70 against, the French National Assembly approved the EU treaty on budget discipline yesterday (9 October), giving François Hollande's ruling Socialists the majority it needed to pass the pact without support from the Conservative opposition. EURACTIV France reports.

French coalition rift widens over EU budget pact

President François Hollande's government demanded yesterday (24 September) its Green allies fall into line over European Union policy after the ecologist party said it would oppose a European Union budget discipline pact in a vote next month.

French Greens’ Cohn-Bendit quits party in fiscal pact row

European lawmaker Daniel Cohn-Bendit revoked his membership of the French Greens on Sunday (23 September) in protest at the party's decision to oppose the ratification of the European Union's budget discipline pact.

France readies EU fiscal pact for ratification amid backbench rebellion

France's Socialist-led government today (19 September) kickstarts ratification of a European Union budget discipline pact it grudgingly accepts as the next step out of the euro debt crisis. Meanwhile, another EU treaty for further political integration is already in the pipeline.

ECB’s Draghi calls for ten-year EU growth plan

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, reflecting growing anxiety among Europeans about their economic plight, said on Thursday (3 May) that growth should be at the heart of euro zone policy but that it needed to go hand in hand with fiscal austerity.

Brussels to ask Greece for new budget cuts

Greece’s fiscal nightmare is far from over as the European Commission is set to ask Athens for a new round of spending cuts aimed at reducing labour costs, administration and healthcare expenditure, according to a draft seen by EURACTIV.

Romania to fight over EU budget rules, pensions

Romanian President Traian Basescu said he was "not happy" with a decision by EU leaders last week to exclude the cost of pension reform programmes from public debt and deficit figures, saying he will fight for a "fair decision".