21/01/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 21 January, Austria’s Finance Minister Gunter Mayr welcomed the European Commission’s confirmation that his country will avoid, at this stage, the opening of an excessive deficit procedure in 2025, even though Austria is expected to record a deficit of 3.6% of GDP in 2024. The Austrian government presented a package of savings measures totalling €6.39 billion, making the Commission’s decision possible. “The big advantage was that the measures were perfectly prepared and the figures were reliable. We’ve clearly focused on spending”, stressed Mr Mayr. He added that Vienna had committed to taking additional measures of the same magnitude if an individual measure were to be reduced, for example in the area of health insurance. Austria has yet to present its multiannual budget programme. (MB)