MNI BRIEF: Poland, Estonia Join EU Fiscal Escape Group

Poland and Estonia have joined a group of now five EU states which has decided to activate an escape clause from the EU's fiscal rules, European Commission Spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said on Wednesday, indicated that more states can be expected to notify the EC that they will activate the clause during the course of this afternoon.   

Germany, Latvia and Greece have already applied to activate the NEC. 

While today is a soft deadline for applications, the Commission has made clear that it plans to analyse requests during May with a view to announcing its recommendations in the European Semester Spring Package on June 4. (See MNI INTERVIEW:Spain Unsure On Fiscal Escape Clause For Defence)