26/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - Luxembourg Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker stated to the Luxembourg press that the Commission proposal to postpone budgetary balance from 2004 to 2006, which "should in any case form the basis of a more detailed analysis by Finance Ministers", did not threaten the existence of the Stability Pact at all (see EUROPE yesterday pp 7-8). Mr Juncker said that budgetary balance was a "medium-term" objective and the Commission proposal to educe the structural deficit by 0.5% annually "considerably strengthened" the pact. German Social Democrat, Christa Randzio-Plath, President of the EP Economic and Monetary Committee said that the Stability Pact id not indicate an exact date for application and took into account the economic context. "I welcome the fact that the provisions in the Pact are not watered down like Italy, France and Portugal requested", he added.