BRUSSELS: The High Finance Council of Belgium has proposed a second goal: to balance the budget in 2019, as well as 2018.
The Federal government plans to balance the budget in 2018, after it was agreed by a majority vote. Prime Minister Charles Michel said it was still possible after the last budget check in March, though it would be “ambitious and difficult”.
The High Finance Council says balancing the budget in 2018 was the priority, but it required a structural improvement of the budget by 1% of the GDP in 2017 and 2018.
The financial supervisor did not exclude aiming to balance the budget a year later, though said it was less important.
The aim is 1% of the GDP in 2017, 0.8% in 2018 and 0.2% in 2019. This alternative would require less effort in 2018.
