Brussels, 11/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will be holding an orientation debate on 18 February on ways for making the stability pact more flexible. No formal proposal is expected in this meeting. Le Monde on 12 march looked at ways the College could explore, for example by exempting the 3% GDPI deficit rule for countries experiencing negative growth. Currently such an exemption is subordinated to an annual contraction of 2% GDP, which Arnaud Leparmentier, author of the article say "hardly ever happens in Europe". The most heavily indebted countries: Belgium, Italy and Greece will be expected to continue to aim for balance in their mid-term public finances or indeed a slight surplus. On the other hand, those whose debt is less than 40% and do not have to fund pay as you go schemes (United Kingdom, Ireland and accession countries) and which have to meet the challenge of public investment, notably the accession countries for catching up with the Fifteen, will benefit from a period of grace to participate if they go beyond the 3% deficit threshold, whereas the current deadline is three years. Le Monde stresses that this measures is almost the equivalent of getting rid of the 3% limit. In exchange for this greater flexibility, the Commission will attempt to find ways for making Member States affect their resources from more prosperous times to reimbursing the debt. The Commission is expected to return to the issue of excluding certain kinds of investments from the deficit calculation, but according to Le Monde, the Commission should not change exclusion criteria. It does, nevertheless, intend to take into account investment generated from growth from research, education and networks when it assesses the reduction efforts demanded from each Member State.