Delo: Budget on Agenda

Ljubljana, 24 September - The first day of the government session on budget could hardly be said to have been dramatic as ministers have not yet discussed how much each ministry would get next year. This is a reason why the debate showed the major coalition partners agreed in principle that the budget deficit should not exceed 1 percent of GDP. But it is a well-known fact that Slovenia's macroeconomic image differs considerably from the targets set by the strategy for Europe - the deficit currently totals as much as 1.4 percent of GDP, and could increase in the next year if the coalition partners fail to compromise, according to Thursday's issues of Delo.