BRUSSELS, March 7. /TASS/. The heads of European states and governments, who gathered for an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday, "took note" of the proposal to issue defense loans of up to 150 billion euro to member states, but stopped short of approving it.

The European Council "takes note of the intention of the Commission to put forward a proposal for a new EU instrument to provide Member States with loans backed by the EU budget of up to EUR 150 billion, and invites the Council to examine this proposal as a matter of urgency," the final statement reads.