Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-01
CONTENTS
[01] FinMin tables 2008 draft Budget in parliament
[01] FinMin tables 2008 draft Budget in parliament
The draft State Budget for fiscal year 2008 was submitted by national
economy and finance minister George Alogoskoufis to parliament
president Dimitris Sioufas on Monday, and was later tabled with the
Standing Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs.
Alogoskoufis said that it was a "very critical budget" as it was the
first budget following Greece's exit from the EU's excessive deficit
procedure "to which we had been led by the wrong choices of the past".
He said it was also the budget that "signals the second stage of the
economic streamlining the country needs so as to face the huge problems
of the public sector debt and in order for us to be consistent with our
European obligations".
Sioufas, in turn, said that the tabling of the budget was "a very
important parliamentary event" and expressed wishes for the achievement
of its targets.
Presenting the draft to the parliamentary committee later, Alogoskoufis
said that the 2008 budget provided for a 4 percentage point rise in
GDP, with a 10.5 percent increase in investments, 7.3 percent increase
in the export of goods and services, and a 7.8 percent rise in
imports.
The budget further anticipates a 1.9 percent increase in employment,
while unemployment will be contained at 7.4 percent from 8.3 percent in
fiscal 2007.
According to Alogoskoufis, achievement of the 4 percent rise in the
growth rate will result mainly from the private sector.
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