After decades of under spending on the military, Berlin now wants to ramp up its defence capabilities, realising Europe can no longer count on the United States to provide securit

Germany has preached fiscal conservatism for years, but suddenly it’s taking the lead on pushing for European Union reforms aimed at freeing up more money for defense spending over the long term. A German envoy to the bloc has urged the bloc to change its budget rules in the face of geopolitical circumstances,

Germany has urged the European Union to reform its fiscal rules to allow countries to spend more on defense. This is a significant shift for the country, known for its restrictions on spending for such purposes,

The bloc wants the two-year extension to help ensure energy security but has also issued a recommendation to provide countries with greater flexibility in meeting targets.

The European Union is easing requirements for filling gas storage this year, allowing countries some wiggle room on meeting the region’s Nov. 1 target.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday retaining the EU's gas storage requirements and targets for two more years, despite concern among some countries that the goals are pushing up gas prices.