The German Defense Ministry says deputy defense ministers and industry representatives are meeting in Berlin Friday.

The meeting was expected to last several hours.

Officials from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey are considering manufacturer EADS' answer to their offer on how to deal with cost overruns on what is one of Europe's most important military projects.

The ¤20 billion ($27 billion) project is over budget by about ¤5.2 billion and almost four years behind schedule.