Seven EU countries are to be given extra time to bring down their budget deficits, after the European Commission took a lenient stance on austerity measures taken by governments to balance their books.
France, Spain, Poland and Slovenia have each been given an extra two years to bring their deficits below the 3 percent limit in the bloc's Stability and Growth Pact, while Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands were given an extra year.
Meanwhile, Belgium narrowly avoided a fine des...
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Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.