New EU spending rules bring back debt discipline focus

FILE - A cardboard displays the price of asparagus at the Bosnyak Market Hall in Budapest, Hungary, June 1, 2023. At 24.5 percent in April, inflation in Hungary was three times the EU average of 8.1 percent, with energy and food price inflation at 42 and 38 percent respectively.

With an energy crisis and record high inflation in the EU's rearview mirror, Brussels believes the time has come for the bloc to focus on ensuring sound public finances.