text: Besides of the backward-looking debt-brake compliance check (bt  bbt) and forward-looking debt-brake compliance check (bt+2  bbt+2), a third cyclically adjusted backward-looking debt-brake check (b*t  bbt) also form part of the assessment whether or not a member state is in abeyance with the debt-criterion. This check applies the same backwards-checking formula for the debt reduction bechmark (bbt), but now checks if the cyclically adjusted debt-to-GDP ratio (b*t) respects this calculated benchmark-limit (bbt) by being compliant with the equation: b*t  bbt. The exact formula used to calculate the cyclically adjusted debt-to-GDP ratio for the latest completed year t with outturn data (b*t), is displayed by the formula box below.
  If just one of the four quantitative debt-requirements (including the first one requesting the debt-to-GDP ratio to be below 60% in the latest recorded fiscal year) is complied with:  or  or  or , then a member state will be declared to be in abeyance with the debt brake rule. Otherwise the Commission will declare existence of an "apparent breach" of the debt-criterion by the publication of a 126(3) report, which shall investigate if the "apparent breach" was "real" after having taken a range of allowed exemptions into consideration. Provided no special "breach exemptions" can be found to exist by the 126(3) report (i.e. finding the debt breach was solely caused by "structural improving pension reforms" or "payment of bailout funds to financial stability mechanisms" or "payment of national funds to the new European Fund for Strategic Investments" or "appearance of an EU-wide recession"), then the Commission will recommend the Council to open a debt-breached EDP against the member state by the publication of a 126(6) report.