Brussels, 16/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - "We are going to maintain Portugal's budgetary policy orientation", Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durao Barroso said on Tuesday. He thus confirmed Lisbon's commitment to keep to the Stability Pact. "It is not because some countries do not keep to their commitments (Ed. France and Germany) that we should not respect them either", he added. Portugal foresees a public deficit of 2.94% of GDP this year. If the figure is confirmed in the official data that the Portuguese government should soon be communicating to the European Commission for 2003, the latter will then suspend the excessive deficit procedure begun against Lisbon.