Deficit spending

Türkiye is "open for business and dialogue," Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek announced on Wednesday, emphasizing the nation's benefits from post-pandemic supply chain diversification and its comprehensive reform program to boost competitiveness, productivity, and potential growth.

The budget deficit is expected to fall below 5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2024, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has said.

In the medium-term program, the government predicted that the central government budget would be 2.65 trillion Turkish Liras or 6.4 percent of the estimated GDP.

Bulgaria is currently experiencing a significant budget deficit, according to the latest data from Eurostat. In the first quarter of 2024, the country's seasonally adjusted budget deficit as a percentage of GDP was -5.6%. This places Bulgaria among the highest in the European Union for budget deficits relative to GDP, on par with France.

The European Commission anticipates that Bulgaria will narrowly approach meeting the inflation criterion required for entry into the Eurozone, although it may not fully satisfy it.

Expected post-election fiscal tightening would strengthen the effectiveness of Türkiye's monetary policy, in the context of weakened transmission channels, Fitch Ratings has said. 

"If sustained, this improvement in policy consistency should support lower inflation, a narrower current account deficit and a recovery in international reserves," the rating agency added.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts a primary surplus of 2.1% of GDP for Greece this year and a decrease in public debt by 10 percentage points to 158.8% of GDP in its report on fiscal developments (Fiscal Monitor).

Excessive domestic demand that has caused higher inflation will disappear around the second and third quarter of this year, Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek has said.

The Central Bank is taking additional tightening measures, the minister said in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk. "We are fully supporting this."

European Union finance ministers agreed on Wednesday on changes to the EU's fiscal rules updating them to the post-pandemic realities of high public debt and the need for massive public investment to fight climate change.

The pact is complex but is built on two crucial principles: an upper limit for a country's national budget deficit, and an upper limit for its total public debt.

Finance Minister Asen Vassilev announced a significant decline in the state budget deficit for November, reaching a mere 0.6%. This marks a milestone in over two decades, with revenue from taxes surpassing expenditures—a first in this time frame.

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