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EU leaders discuss easing budget rigor over migrant crisis, no deal

By REUTERS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 03:20

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders discussed whether to allow euro zone states to run higher deficits to cope with the costs of the migration crisis, EU officials said early on Thursday, but failed to find a common position.

Since the beginning of the year, about 500,000 migrants have reached the European Union, fleeing war and poverty in their home countries.

On Sept. 11, EU finance ministers asked the European Commission, the EU executive, to take into account the impact of this emergency when it will review national budgets in the coming weeks.

The issue was discussed by EU leaders in a meeting on the migration crisis.

"What was discussed and mentioned by several speakers was that the costs made by countries with regards to migrants should be taken into account in the stability pact," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters after the meeting, adding he supported such a measure.

"Countries should have the possibility to have certain exceptions and calculations recognized, but there was no agreement today," Faymann said.

European economic commissioner Pierre Moscovici, who is in charge of supervising euro zone budgets, agreed to examine the economic impact of the migration crisis and to present his findings on Oct. 5, when euro zone ministers will gather in Luxembourg for a regular meeting.

Euro zone countries are due to submit their draft budgets to Brussels on Oct 15.

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