Brussels, 27/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 October, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, took position in favour of a flexible interpretation of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to help the member states to face the massive influx of refugees.
“If the effort is extraordinary, then there should be an extraordinary interpretation” of the Stability Pact, Juncker told a debate of the European Parliament taking stock of the migration challenge facing the European Union (see other article). However, he warned that the countries calling for a flexible interpretation of the Pact would also have to exercise a “sense of responsibility”, but did not specify whether he meant maintaining the prudent budgetary policy or showing solidarity by welcoming refugees from the frontline countries.
Austria, Italy, France and Luxembourg are in favour of flexibility in the Pact to deal with the migration challenge. Austria, Belgium, Italy and Finland referred to the impact of hosting refugees on their public finances in the draft budgets for 2016 they submitted to the European institution (see EUROPE 11414). The Commission has already stated that it will examine these drafts on a case-by-case basis.
The Commission President also said that it will be necessary to “think about additional funding channels to tackle the crisis”, as the EU budget has already exhausted its possibilities. “For exceptional situations, exceptional financing”, he stressed. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)