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Fears of Euroskepticism blunt Brussels’ budget threats against Rome

2018-12-20 10:18:39       source:Politico

December 19, 2018


The European Commission on Wednesday backed down from a fight with Italy over the country’s spending plans for 2019 amid fears that a continuing standoff could trigger a surge in Euroskepticism ahead of the European Parliament election.


Instead, the EU’s executive arm compromised with Rome on its controversial budget plans, which include costly initiatives such as a flat tax and a basic income for the poor, by opting against the launch of a disciplinary measure known as an excessive deficit procedure (EDP) "at this stage."


Cracking down on member countries too hard could embolden Euroskeptics, especially “if you totally ignore the overall atmosphere in the EU … or if you ignore the upsurge of nationalism,” warned the Commission’s economic and financial affairs chief, Pierre Moscovici. He also suggested that a similar “flexible and intelligent” approach would be taken with other EU countries.


Read more:

https://www.politico.eu/article/fears-of-euroskepticism-blunt-commission-budget-threats-against-rome-salvini-juncker/