18/06/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 18 June in Luxembourg, the Council of the European Union adopted recommendations on the twenty-seven stability and convergence programmes of Member States. These recommendations reflect the continuation over 2021 and 2022 of the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact and address the budgetary positions of Member States in qualitative terms (see EUROPE 12732/1). In particular, a difference in treatment is made according to the level of public debt of the Member State: highly indebted countries can continue to support their economy as affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as a result, among other things, of contributions from the European Recovery Plan, Next Generation EU. They are, however, invited to limit certain expenditure that represents a permanent burden on their public finances. A link is also put in place between the budgetary process of the ‘European Semester’ and the national recovery plans that the EU27 must validate at a European level. See: https://bit.ly/3cSnB1N (MB)