Brussels, 28/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday EU25 finance minister pointed to the absence of effective measures by Poland to get its deficit down. On the basis of Article 104§8 of the Treaty, they therefore followed the recommendation of the Commission, which in light of new statistical rules, expects a deficit in 2007 that will still be above the deficit allowed in the Stability and Growth Pact (EUROPE 9306). Being unable to comply with the previous Ecofin Council recommendations, which granted Poland until the end of 2007 to correct the deficit (EUROPE 8741), the country is now obliged to set itself a new schedule for adjustment (under Article 104§7). The Commission will produce a new recommendation when it gives its verdicts on the next updated national convergence programme, which should be presented to it in the next few days. During a press conference, Joaquin Almunia underlined, “I hope that we will receive new information” because until now no precise argument had been forthcoming. The acting president of the Ecofin Council, Eero Heinäluoma, said that some progress had been made with budgetary consolidation but this had not been sufficient. Technically, current Polish statistics are undoubtedly within the limits of the SGP but they do not take into account the new statistical rules in force, which from April 2007, will no longer authorise the inclusion of subscriptions to the pension system in the second pillar with reserves from government revenue. The deficit will therefore increase by two percentage points around the Commission's autumn forecasts of 4% of GDP in 2007 (3.7% of GDP according to the Polish government). (ab)