Brussels - Acknowledging the extraordinarily adverse impact of the economic downturn on European Union governments' public accounts, the bloc's executive in Brussels on Tuesday granted France, Britain and three other member states more time to correct their swelling budget deficits.

France, whose budget deficit to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio reached 3.4 per cent in 2008 and is set to hit 5.6 per cent this year, was given until 2012 to bring its deficit below the 3 per cent limit set by EU rules.

A similar deadline was set for Spain, whose budget deficit is en route to hitting 6 per cent this year.

Ireland, which is suffering a particularly harsh downturn, was given until 2013.

The commission was equally lenient with Britain - which is a not a member of the 16-member eurozone - giving it a 2013/14 deadline despite its deficit surging to nearly 10 per cent over the next 12 months.

But it proposed a tough deadline - 2010 - for Greece, whose budget deficit surged to 3.7 per cent last year.

"National budgetary positions in the EU and elsewhere have deteriorated considerably in the last year and are set to deteriorate further on account of the economic crisis we are living through and the discretionary measures rightly adopted by Member States to sustain demand and promote investment," the EU executive in Brussels said in a statement.

"The deadlines proposed take account of the respective fiscal and macro-economic situations of the countries concerned," it said.

EU governments are normally expected to correct their excessive deficits as soon as possible.