Brussels, 04/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 4 January, the head of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said that Spain had managed to reduce its public deficit in 2010 and attain a figure that is “a little better” than the 9.3% of GDP initially forecast. According to information from the AFP news agency, Zapatero added that in 2011 “we should reach the planned deficit of 6%”.
The Spanish Socialist government has significantly increased the number of austerity measures over recent months in order to reduce its deficit. On Tuesday, Zapatero acknowledged that many of these measures had been taken under pressure from the EU. He provided assurances that “we have developed a softer deficit reduction plan”. In its most recent forecasts, the Spanish government indicated that it was counting on a public deficit of 9.3% in 2010, 6% in 2011 and 3% in 2013, as called for by the European Union. Zapatero emphasised that “our deficit will, however, be slightly above the European average in 2011”. On Tuesday he also affirmed that growth would consolidate in 2011, following a year of recession in 2009 and weak growth in 2010. In the first quarter of last year, Spanish GDP grew by 0.1%, then by 0.3% in the second quarter, before stagnating in the third quarter. (L.C./transl.fl)