Debate and a subsequent vote, in Parliament, for the draft 2018 budget will take place sooner than previously scheduled, with the respective dates bumped up to Dec. 11 and Dec. 19.
The decision - via a majority vote - was taken at a council of political party leaders, following a proposal by the coalition government majority. The reason given is that a ratified Greek state budget for 2018 must be published in the government gazette no later than Dec. 20, 2017 in order to allow the uninterrupted disbursement of state-allocated pensions, wages and welfare benefits
