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8 Apr 2013
Portugal to slash spending after court ruling setback
FXstreet.com (Barcelona) - Following the Portuguese constitutional court decision last Friday, in which certain austerity measures from the 2013 budget were rejected, Portugal's Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said on Sunday the government will implement further cuts to compensate the unexpected budgetary setback, so that it can meet targets set by the Troika.
Passos Coelho said in a televised address to the country that the court ruling was, cited by Reuters, "a serious obstacle for and risk" this year and next, but showed commitment to comply with the EU/IMF rescue program.
The Prime Minister ruled out an increase in taxes but one of the measures being explored was to cut on more spending, as mentioned above. The government is also seeking more flexible conditions from international lenders, so that they can successfully complete the bailout programme in 2014.
According to Reuters: "Analysts expect Portugal to be able to agree replacement measures with the European Union and International Monetary Fund to make up for the court ruling, which could cost it between 900 million and 1.3 billion euros."
Passos Coelho said in a televised address to the country that the court ruling was, cited by Reuters, "a serious obstacle for and risk" this year and next, but showed commitment to comply with the EU/IMF rescue program.
The Prime Minister ruled out an increase in taxes but one of the measures being explored was to cut on more spending, as mentioned above. The government is also seeking more flexible conditions from international lenders, so that they can successfully complete the bailout programme in 2014.
According to Reuters: "Analysts expect Portugal to be able to agree replacement measures with the European Union and International Monetary Fund to make up for the court ruling, which could cost it between 900 million and 1.3 billion euros."