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Παρασκευή, 19 Οκτωβρίου 2018 16:24

Commission requests more info from Athens on 2019 draft budget; education, health spending to drop next year

The European Commission has requested more information from Athens regarding the recently tabled 2019 draft budget, with a relevant request reaching the Greek finance ministry on Friday.

The European Commission has requested more information from Athens regarding the recently tabled 2019 draft budget, with a relevant request reaching the Greek finance ministry on Friday.

The Commission wants more information over measures that the Tsipras government plans to take in 2019.

Moreover, other details revealed in the draft budget show decreasing funding, as a percentage of GDP, for education and health, with the former dropping to 3.9 percent of GDP in 2019, from 4 percent this year.

Funding for health care will drop to 4.8 percent in 2019, down from 4.9 percent in 2018, although in absolute terms 9.118 billion euros is budgeted for 2019, up from 8.956 billion in 2018 - ostensibly based on a higher GDP forecast.
Conversely, spending in the draft budget for 2019 will increase by one percentage points, from 0.5 percent of GDP, to 0.6 percent.