Twelve EU members request activation of escape clause for defence spending, Commission says

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Twelve European Union countries have requested activation of the "national escape clause" from EU deficit rules in order to boost their defence spending, the European Commission said on Wednesday. The Commission, which is the EU's executive body, has proposed allowing member states to raise defence spending by 1.5% of gross domestic product each year for four years without any disciplinary steps that would normally kick in once a deficit is more than 3% of GDP. In a statement, the Commission said Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia have made requests, and that additional requests are expected at a later stage.