PM Robert Fico announced that the coalition has agreed on a draft state budget for 2024. Fico described the proposal as a combination of "consolidating broken public finances and preserving elements of a strong welfare state". The government will vote on the proposal on Monday, the 4th of December. Parliament could start debating it on Wednesday, the 6th of December. The balanced budget proposed by the previous caretaker government is still in Parliament. This was based on the debt brake requirement and contains drastic savings. However, neither the previous nor the current government envisaged its approval. Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický announced that he would withdraw this previous government draft budget. Experts claim the state has to save money. It is necessary to consolidate public finances. The coalition wants to approve the budget by the end of 2023, despite the lack of time. They want to avoid a budgetary standstill.
Source: TASR, RTVS
