Yesterday, the Government adopted basic documents to prepare the Slovenia’s draft state budget for 2018 and 2019. The projects envisage an increase in the expenditures of all departments, except for the Ministry of Finance (232 million less) and the Ministry of Labour (21 million less).
According to the Prime Minister of Slovenia Miro Cerar, priority funding will be allocated to science, healthcare, security and infrastructure.
The total government expenditures in 2018 will amount to 9.625 billion euros, which is 50 million euros more than in the adopted draft budget, and more than the maximum sum allowed by the Parliament. The Minister of Finance Mateja Vraničar Erman has stressed that such a decision was made at a meeting of the Slovenian Government on the basis of a successful half-year budget implementation for 2017 (surplus of 65.3 million euros) and revenues that, according to current estimates, will exceed the budget projected for the year 2018.
Despite the high rate of expenditures, Erman is confident that the real indicators of the target deficit (0.2% in 2018 and 0.6% in 2019) will be lower than envisaged, and that the medium-term fiscal plan to balance public finances until 2020 will be fulfilled.
Healthcare in Slovenia will be the main priority in financing. This is indicated by a comparison of the proposed project with the current draft budget for 2018. Instead of the planned 100 million euros for the next year, the healthcare sector will receive 166 million euros, including additional 18 million euros for the project on reducing the waiting time and 40 million euros for specialization and internship expenses.
Miro Cerar also mentions an increase in the Slovenia’s expenditures on security issues. The Ministry of Defense next year will receive additional 45 million euros, and the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will grow by 11 million euros.
Among other priorities is the modernization of the infrastructure in Slovenia, which will receive 50 million euros more than in the current draft budget.
Source: dnevnik.si
