Moldova's Jan-Nov Budget Deficit at 300 Mln Lei (22 Mln Euro)

Budget revenue through November reached 14 billion lei, while spending totalled 14.3 billion lei, the ministry said in a statement but gave no comparative figures for the year-ago period.

Moldova paid $53.7 million (42 million euro) to service its foreign debt through November, including $38.7 million in principal and $15 million in interest. The country has planned to allocate $54.2 million in budget spending, or an estimated 1.2% of GDP, to payments on its foreign debt this year.

The government of the ex-Soviet state of four million people paid 507.3 million lei on its domestic debt in January through November.

On Monday, the Moldovan government proposed to raise its 2008 budget deficit forecast to 495 million lei from 99.7 million lei projected earlier to reflect slowing inflation in the country. The cabinet also proposed to increase its privatisation revenue forecast for this year to 900 million lei from the 200 million expected earlier.

The country projects a 573.8 million lei deficit under its 2009 budget bill, equivalent to 0.8% of the projected gross domestic product.

Moldova ended 2007 with a budget deficit of 183.1 million lei, lower than the government-forecast 279.9 million lei gap.

(1 euro=13.3879 Moldovan lei)