03/09/2004 (Agence Europe) - After having announced figures giving the deficit of GDP as 4% for the first half of 2004 (see EUROPE of 25 August, p.5), Germany confirmed through the voice of its Finance Minister that the 2004 budgetary period should end with a deficit of 3.7% of GDP. On Tuesday, Hans Eichel also announced that, in 2004, the German debt would be by way of 66% of GDP, but reassured his European partners in a press release by confirming that the "federal government is...