MNI BRIEF: EU Leaders Call On EC To Do More To Boost Defence

European leaders have called on the European Commission to "explore further measures" to boost defence spending in addition to those announced by on Tuesday, a source close to summit discussions said on Thursday.

The leaders have amended the text of a draft communique to request that the Commission "explore further measures, taking into account the views of the Council, while ensuring debt sustainability, to boost defence spending." 

The change to the text follows a call by German officials for the Stability and Growth Pact to be reviewed in order to provide a longer-term exemption to defence spending from EU fiscal rules than the four years announced by the Commission as well as a push by other states for more joint borrowing, summit sources said.

The Commission has already announced measures creating EUR650 billion of fiscal space and up to EUR150 billion of loans to member states in order to increase defence spending and investment. (See MNI: European Commission Eyes EUR100Bln Defence Tool-Source)