Staatsverschuldung: Tschechien will Schuldenpolitik lockern
Das Land hatte bisher eines der besten Bonitätsratings in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Ökonomen warnen derweil, dass eine laschere Schuldenpolitik schwer rückgängig zu machen ist.
Prague - The Czech Parliament intends to loosen its national budget rules, paving the way for higher state deficits, according to a central topic in the ongoing parliamentary session since Tuesday. The three-member coalition government led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis has sufficient votes to overturn President Petr Pavel's veto from last month.
Babis campaigned on this idea as a key election promise. The chemist and agrarian magnate has long pointed to the comparatively low Czech state debt of around 46 percent of gross domestic product this year as room for investment in highways, hospitals, and nuclear power plants.
Finance Minister Alena Schillerova described the new rules as essential. "Members of Parliament will not vote against the President of the Republic," she said in the Lower House. "They will vote for the security of the country, for a functioning healthcare and education system, for highways and energy security." Specifically, the government expects the budget deficit to rise to up to 400 billion Czech Koruna (approximately 16.6 million Euros) in 2027 - up from 310 billion Czech Koruna this year.
Without the new rules, the deficit would be capped at 150 billion Czech Koruna, which Schillerova called "unacceptable." Measured as a percentage of gross domestic product, the budget gap in 2027 is expected to be 2.8 percent - just below the EU's three percent limit.
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