Brussels, 23/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Union's statistical office, Eurostat, published its final budget deficit/surplus figures on Monday 22 April 2012 for the 27 EU member states. The average public deficit fell in 2011 on the 2010 levels in both the eurozone and the EU27 from 6.2% to 4.1% of GDP, while the public debt increased in both areas over the same period from 85.3% to 87.2% of GDP in the eurozone and from 80.0% to 82.5% in the EU27.
In 2011, the biggest public deficits as a proportion of GDP were in Ireland (13.1%), Greece (9.1%), Spain (8.5%), the United Kingdom (8.3%), Slovenia (6.4%), Cyprus (6.3%), Lithuania (5.5%), France and Romania (both 5.2%) and Poland (5.1%). The lowest deficits were in Finland (0.5%), Luxembourg (0.6%) and Germany (1.0%). Hungary (4.3%), Estonia (1%) and Sweden (0.3%) had budget surpluses. In total, 24 member states improved their deficits, two increased them and one saw no change.
The lowest public debt levels as a proportion of GDP were in Estonia (6%), Bulgaria (16.3%), Luxembourg (18.2%), Romania (33.3%), Sweden (38.4%), Lithuania (38.5%), the Czech Republic (41.2%), Latvia (42.6%), Slovakia (43.3%) and Denmark (46.5%). Fourteen countries had a debt of over 60% of GDP in 2011, namely Greece (165.3%), Italy (120.1%), Ireland (108.2%), Portugal (107.8%), Belgium (98%), France (85.8%), the United Kingdom (85.7%), Germany (81.2%), Hungary (80.6%), Austria (72.2%), Malta (72%), Cyprus (71.6%), Spain (68.5%) and the Netherlands (65.2%). (MB/transl.fl)