Europe splits over energy and budget as Greece pushes for flexibility

At the Brussels summit, Greece and Italy are failing to secure immediate fiscal flexibility from the European Commission to address the energy crisis, despite their urgent requests for coordinated support measures. The Commission has so far refused to relax budget rules, creating a North-South divide. Greece, Italy, Poland, and others seek temporary relief for households and businesses, while northern countries insist on fiscal discipline due to sensitive financial markets. Separately, negotiations on the EU's next seven-year budget are contentious, with Germany pushing for cuts to agriculture and cohesion funds. Greece opposes this, and final decisions are postponed until December.