France

The Council today activated the national escape clause for Austria under the stability and growth pact.  The measure will help Austria transition to higher defence spending at national level while ensuring debt sustainability.

Today, the Council added two countries - Turks and Caicos Islands and Viet Nam – to the EU list. At the same time, three countries - Fiji, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago - were removed. Following this update, the list consists of 10 jurisdictions.

The President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to Oslo this week for high-level meetings. The visit marks the strong momentum of the bilateral relations with Norway, one of the closest and most likeminded partners for the European Union.