EU Commission calls on Italy to ramp up defense spending as Bulgaria nears eurozone accession
This Spring Package ties heightened defense budgets to fiscal discipline, outlining steps for economic reform across the bloc
Overview
- The Commission clears Italy from further deficit correction but warns that economic imbalances remain significant
- Italy must bolster its defense budget and operational readiness under the ReArm-Readiness recommendations
- Brussels suggests invoking national safeguard clauses for 15 member states to exceed Stability Pact limits on defense spending
- Italy is urged to revamp its tax system for growth, clamp down on evasion and accelerate its Recovery and Resilience Plan including RePowerEU chapters
- The Commission adopts Bulgaria’s Convergence Report, setting its euro adoption for January 1, 2026 pending final Ecofin approval