Brussels could recommend opening an ‘excessive deficit procedure’ against Berlin on 3 June
The European Commission is considering formally admonishing Germany over its ballooning budget deficit, in a move that threatens to compound the woes of the EU’s largest economy.
The EU executive could propose opening a so-called excessive deficit procedure (EDP) – which could theoretically lead to Brussels imposing fines on Berlin – on 3 June, when the Commission presents its next regular update on the bloc’s 27 member states’ economic and social policies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The potential move comes as Friedrich Merz’s coalition government ramps up spending on infrastructure and defence, in a bid to ward off Russia’s growing military threat and revive Germany’s long-stagnant economy.
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