STRBSKE PLESO, Slovakia (Reuters) – Slovakia’s budget deficit is likely to hit 0.68% of economic output in 2019 and the government will aim for a gap of 0.49% of GDP in 2020, newspaper Hospodarske Noviny quoted Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky as saying on Friday.
Slovakia was aiming for its first-ever budget surplus in 2019 but scrapped plans last month after the Finance Ministry slashed growth forecasts due to weakening euro zone trade. The ministry had yet to comment on new deficit forecasts.
Kamenicky declined to give more details on the 2020 budget ahead of a planned government debate on Monday.
(Reporting by Tatiana Jancarikova, writing by Jason Hovet)
