The European Commission maintains its estimate that EU member states could spend up to €650 billion on defense over the next four years, despite only half of the governments requesting more fiscal flexibility. The proposal allows member states to temporarily deviate from fiscal rules to increase defense spending without penalties. As of now, 13 out of 27 member states have submitted requests. The Commission emphasizes that the €650 billion figure is a preliminary estimate and will be updated next year based on actual defense expenditure data. Teljes cikk (Euronews.com)