The state debt of Hungary last year surpassed the ceiling determined in the Maastricht convention, i.e. Hungary does not meet any of the criteria necessary to introduce euro – says the latest survey of Eurostat. Yesterday the statistical office of the European Union gave an account of the Hungarian economy which is more unfavourable than the data officially published by the Hungarian government. The state debt of Hungary in proportion to its GDP last year surpassed the ceiling determined in the Maastricht convention and now it is at 60,7 pc. The report says the state debt has been continuously increasing since the change of government: at the end of 2001 the state debt was only 53,6 pc. Hungary is the most heavily indebted country in the region: in Czechia this index is only 37,4 pc, in Slovakia 43,6, in Poland 47,7 pc. The budget deficit in Hungary acccording to Eurostat last year stood at 5,4 pc while in 2003 it was more than 7 pc. The differences between the numbers of the government and those of Eurostat are explained by the Ministry of Finance by the different method of statistics: the numbers published by Eurostat reflect the corrections of the pension reform. Mihály Varga MP (Fidesz) chairman of the parliamentary budget committee said the manipulation with the numbers was a simple case of cheating. There is a process against Hungary started by the European Commission last year because of its high state budget deficit and Ecofin, the council of the EU Finance Ministers called on Hungary on March 9 to take measures to knock down the budget deficit.
Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó
origo.hu
Gyermeknapra üzent a miniszterelnök
