FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries should be fined more quickly if they fail to apply EU rules, the adviser to the bloc’s top court said on Thursday, in a landmark case that could hasten lengthy procedures against offending EU governments.

The court’s advocate general recommended a daily fine for Spain for having failed to apply EU rules on consumer credit in a case that for the first time would enforce sanctions against EU countries after a single ruling from the EU court.

Currently they are fined only after a second, confirmation ruling from the EU court which usually takes years, allowing countries to breach EU rules for prolonged periods without penalties.