MIKULÁŠ Dzurinda's ministers do not have many reasons to be happy after Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš presented the draft state budget for 2005.
Mikloš proposes to give the ministries Sk20 billion (€496 million) less than the ministers had requested from the state purse, wrote the daily SME.
According to Mikloš, the infrastructures that need the most financial support are the education, construction and environment departments. But even these will not receive the amounts that they have requested.
The Agriculture Ministry and the farmers are disappointed the most. They say that Mikloš' budget may very well burry Slovak agriculture and are considering organising public protests over the matter.
Slovakia's economy is projected to grow by 4.5 percent in 2005 compared to the 4.7 percent planned for this year.
Total GDP is planned at Sk1,400 billion (€35 billion), climbing to Sk1,500 billion (€37 billion) in 2006 on a growth of 5.1 percent, and to Sk1,600 billion (€39.7 billion) in 2007 on a growth of 5.4 percent.
In 2005, the average inflation rate is expected to be 3.3 percent year-on-year while the average unemployment rate is projected at 14.4 percent.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
