In both areas, the
public deficit has maintained a downward trend since the first quarter of 2021
and compares, between April and June, with 6.8% in the euro area and 6.2% in
the EU compared to the same period.
Also in the chain
comparison, the deficit fell from 2.5% of GDP in the single currency countries
and to 2.3% in the 27 Member States as a whole.
According to the EU
Statistical Service, the decline in the deficit-to-GDP ratio in the euro area
declined, due to a greater increase in total revenue in relation to total
expenditure, as well as higher GDP compared to the first quarter of 2022.
Total revenues and
expenditures continued to be influenced by public policies in response to the Covid-19
pandemic, but to a lesser extent than in previous quarters, highlights
Eurostat.
Among the countries
for which data are available, Portugal (3.0%), the Netherlands (2.4%),
Lithuania (1.9%), Estonia (1.8%), Denmark (1.2% ), Austria (1.0%) and
Luxembourg (0.6%) presented surpluses in public accounts.
Malta (-6.6%), Spain
(-4.2%) and Belgium (-4.0%) recorded the highest public deficits in the second
quarter.