On the budget deficit

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Bērziņš met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials to discuss the possibility of the government not meeting its 2000 fiscal deficit target. Under an earlier agreement with the IMF, the government had committed itself to keeping the deficit within two percent of GDP. However, the latest press reports claim the budget deficit could come close to three percent of GDP, as revenue collection fell short and additional spending has been approved by the government. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Gundars Bērziņš admitted that expenditures were pressuring finances, as a result of which the budget gap target might not be met. The IMF mission stressed the need to balance Latvia's social budget to a level that would reduce its impact on the fiscal deficit, the cabinet press office said in a statement.