Some EU governments have had to apply austerity because they could not afford further support.
Multiple EU member states are in active fiscal consolidation in 2025-2026. France's contentious 2026 budget, Italy's spending review, Belgium and Hungary in the Excessive Deficit Procedure. Abela's framing is broad but supported.
Multiple EU member states are in active fiscal consolidation in 2025-2026. France's contentious 2026 budget, Italy's spending review, Belgium and Hungary in the Excessive Deficit Procedure. Abela's framing is broad but supported.
Multiple EU member states are in active fiscal consolidation in 2025-2026, driven by deficit ratios and debt levels exceeding EU thresholds. France's 2026 budget includes structural consolidation. Italy is running multi-year spending reviews. Belgium, Hungary and others have been put on Excessive Deficit Procedure pathways requiring corrective action. Abela's framing — that some EU governments cannot afford further support and have moved to austerity — is broadly supported by the EC's published country-specific recommendations. True.
Are other EU governments really applying austerity
Abela's claim is broadly supported by the published EU fiscal record.
Which EU member states are consolidating
Multiple EU governments are in active fiscal consolidation in 2025-2026:
- France: the 2026 budget includes politically contentious structural spending reductions and revenue increases
- Italy: running multi-year spending reviews under EU surveillance
- Belgium and Hungary: placed on Excessive Deficit Procedure pathways requiring corrective action
- Germany: navigating debt-brake constraints into spending decisions
The European Commission's autumn 2025 country-specific recommendations track the pattern.
Where the framing gets contested
Whether 'austerity' is the right umbrella term for these consolidation packages is a stylistic question. Economists prefer 'fiscal consolidation' or 'structural adjustment' as more neutral terms. But the substantive claim — that some EU governments have had to constrain spending or raise revenue — is supported.
So is the claim accurate?
Yes, on the substance. Some EU governments are running fiscal-consolidation packages because deficit and debt ratios required corrective action. Whether 'austerity' is the right word is a separate stylistic argument.
Verdict: True.