VILNIUS - EU Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget Dalia Grybauskaite has urged Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus to reject the 2009 budget in its current form.
"No way [it should be signed]," the commissioner told the Baltic News Service after a meeting with Adamkus.
"I gained solid experience during the critical situation in 1999 and 2000
when all public expenditures were trimmed. By more than 10 percent, and not
just 5 percent. Such reserves do exist. The authorities should buy less
limousines and should rather think and balance the appetites of individual
departments with the economic and fiscal policy, financial resources. They
should start there instead of doing harm to people," Grybauskaite said.
President Adamkus ostensibly agrees with the minister, and believes that the government has failed to pay due
attention to the calls to reduce expenditures and eliminate tax breaks in
the context of economic slowdown, President's spokeswoman Rita Grumadaite
said.
In line with the 2009 draft national budget, which was submitted to the
parliament on Friday, the expenditures will exceed the revenues by 2.64
billion litas (0.76 million euros) next year while the fiscal deficit will reach
almost 3 percent of gross domestic product.
n Grybauskaite's opinion, the new authorities should review the draft
line by line. The commissioner is ready to help as long as her
recommendations are considered: "It would be very useful and worthwhile to
review each line as soon as new government is formed."
