Thousands of demonstrators from Europe expected in Brussels to protest austerity measures in the EU

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Thousands of protesters are expected to gather in Brussels on Tuesday to protest what they perceive as new austerity measures as the 27 European Union countries discuss ways to overhaul rules on government spending. Finance ministers from the bloc have been negotiating for months a reform of the EU’s rules limiting debt and deficits for member states, known as the Stability and Growth Pact, which would curtail the options of nations seeking to spend their way out of a crisis and potentially force them into austerity. The rulebook, which has often proved difficult to enforce and has served as a source of tension, was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but should be reactivated next year.