The Alternate Minister of Finances Christos Staikouras announced today that the primary surplus of the State budget amounted to 3.53 billion euros in the 11-month period between January and November 2014. The 3.5 billion euro primary surplus so far in 2014 marked an improvement over last year, when the surplus was about 2.77 billion euros in the same period. The regular budget expenses were estimated to be 43.1 billion euros, about 1.351 billion less than the goal set for the 2015 budget.
The net revenue of the State budget came to 45.87 billion euros, about 1.17 billion euros (2.5%) less than the goal for the 2015 budget. The regular budget revenue came to 41.71 billion euros, down by 974 million euros (2.3%). State budget expenses were also reduced by 1.85 billion euros, for a total of 47.73 billion euros, while the regular budget expenses dropped by 1.351 billion to 43.18 billion euros. This was primarily caused by the reduction in primary expenses.
Mr. Staikouras underlined that Greece has managed to stabilize its public finances and set the foundations for viable fiscal discipline, amidst intense pressure on households and businesses alike. The Alternate Deputy also stressed the need to provide a stable, high-quality and efficient political environment to further support the progress.
