EU budget rules cannot face endless exceptions, commissioner warns

The European Commission cannot keep making exceptions to national budget rules, economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday after a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg. Greece and Italy have asked for flexibility because of high inflation and energy prices. [1]

Dombrovskis warned that repeated exceptions could cast doubt on the commitment to a rules-based budget framework and put Brussels’ credibility in enforcing it at risk. He emphasised the need for fiscal discipline. His warning was not a rejection of the Greek and Italian requests: according to ANP, they will be examined further. [1]

In a separate case, the Commission said it had granted an Italian request to allow additional spending on energy measures of up to 1.5% of the size of Italy’s economy, ANP reported. That exception is not yet in force. A majority of EU member states must agree to it first. [1]