"We don’t have the final data for the 2008 state budget. We’ll probably have it, together with the forecast for 2009, in the first part of January,” Boc said on Realitatea TV.
He also confirmed that the government will have another informal meeting Monday to discuss the 2009 state budget draft ahead of the government meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
People close to the matter told MEDIAFAX Saturday, after the Cabinet had a first informal meeting on the 2009 budget, that Boc asked ministers for new documents for a clear assessment of the country’s current financial situation.
The draft budget approved by the former government end October hasn’t yet received Parliament approval and will be pulled from the Parliament’s daily agenda.
The country’s newly instated center-left government sees the 2009 general consolidated budget deficit at a maximum 1.7% of gross domestic product. The government also sees next year’s inflation at 5% and the current account deficit at 10.5% of GDP.
Budget revenue is estimated at 32.5% of GDP and expenditure at 34.2% of GDP, while the country’s gross domestic product is seen at 582.7 billion lei (EUR1=RON 3.9297), compared to RON505 billion in 2008.