About: fiscal rules Archives

The European Commission is expected to fine Spain on Wednesday (26 July), but it will give two extra years to Madrid to adjust its budget - while the commissioners pledge a solution for Italian banks that will protect small investors.

The European Parliament’s intervention “would benefit” Spain and Portugal, as they face the freezing of millions in EU funds for having breached fiscal rules, sources told EURACTIV.com.

Both Spain and Portugal have submitted their arguments to the European Commission in a bid to avoid penalties for breaching the fiscal rules, expected to be announced on 27 July.

The EU threatened Spain and Portugal Tuesday (12 July) with huge fines for failing to fix years of high deficits, in the first time Brussels has wielded its disciplinary powers over member states' budgets.

The European Commission on Thursday (7 July) officially declared Spain and Portugal in violation of the EU rules on government overspending, the first step towards unprecedented penalties against members of the 28-country bloc.

The European Commission has postponed again triggering unprecedented sanction procedures against Spain and Portugal for breaching the EU’s fiscal rules, but will formally adopt the decision by 8 July, EU sources told EURACTIV.com today (July 5)

The Slovak presidency of the EU expects the European Commission to recommend sanctions against Spain and Portugal for breaching EU budget deficit rules this week, in time for a decision at the upcoming Ecofin meeting of finance ministers on 12 July.

The European Commission will make a final decision next Tuesday (5 July) on whether to launch sanction procedures against Spain and Portugal for breaching EU fiscal rules, officials told EURACTIV.com.

The European Commission today (18 May) decided to delay potential fines against Madrid and Portugal for failing to meet their budget deficit targets, partly becuase of the upcoming Spanish elections on 26 June.

Spain and Portugal will get only one extra year to fulfil EU fiscal rules on their defecits, once sanctions against both countries are adopted, while Italy will escape an infringement procedure, EURACTIV.com has learned.

EXCLUSIVE / The European Commission will launch a sanctions procedure against Spain and Portugal or the first time, as the college concluded on Tuesday (10 May) that the two countries have not made “sufficient effort” to cut their deficits, EURACTIV.com has learned.

Security concerns and the risk of new terrorist attacks are expected to further damage European economies in the next few months, against a backdrop of the weak economic growth seen in the EU over the last years, the European Commission warned in its spring economic forecasts on Tuesday (3 May).

The fourth largest economy in the eurozone is about to become the first country to be punished for breaking the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, EURACTIV.com has learned.