BRATISLAVA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia's state budget for 2015 meets the country's commitments towards the EU on achieving a balanced structural budget by 2017, local media quoted Budgetary Responsibility Council Chairman Ivan Sramko as saying on Thursday.
According to Sramko, who also served as former Slovak Central Bank governor, geopolitical developments and possible failures in drawing EU funds represent the most significant risks for Slovakia's 2015 budget, TABLET.TV reported.
"The inability to draw EU funds properly appears to be the biggest problem of the Slovak economy this year," Sramko said.
The budgetary deficit for 2015 should reach 2.29 percent of GDP. The original draft of the Finance Ministry was a bit more austere, but the budget was upped in Parliament mainly due to the introduction of health deduction allowances for people with low salaries.
Sramko said the measure will help to create blue-collar jobs, including for the long-term unemployed.
Sramko also said his organization, which is an independent body, view it as appropriate to recommend having a reserve for unexpected expenditures, due to uncertain geopolitical developments.
