By: Sara Kovač /Nova24tv.si
The proposed amendments to the 2026 budget reveal growing difficulties in managing public finances, while expert warnings continue to be ignored. In preparing the draft amendments, the government has reduced the expected revenue intake, while increasing planned expenditure. The president of the Fiscal Council, Davorin Kračun, has clearly warned: “Fiscal policy is increasingly deviating from the path outlined in the medium‑term fiscal‑structural plan, with which the state committed itself to gradual consolidation that would ensure sustainable public finances.”
Davorin Kračun warns that for 2026 the Ministry of Finance has projected a deficit nearly one billion euros higher than last year’s forecast, despite the fact that key factors such as the wage reform were already known. According to him, these deviations are not a surprise but proof of inadequate planning, and if the trend continues, the deficit in 2027 will amount to around 3% of GDP.
The budget, which the National Assembly had already adopted last November, will undergo changes: revenues, according to Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič, will be €15.6 billion, which is 2.1% less than originally recorded. Inflows from corporate income tax, personal income tax, and VAT will decrease. Planned expenditures, however, will rise by about €500 million, bringing the deficit to €2.1 billion or 2.9% of GDP.
Particular attention is drawn to the issue of Christmas bonuses. As the state secretary said yesterday, the government “does not know what will be, what will not be,” and the bonuses are not included in the budget because they are “still manoeuvring.” Boštjančič explained today that the payout will be ensured through reallocations within the existing budgetary framework, which, according to the opposition, means ad hoc problem‑solving instead of a long‑term financial strategy.
The National Council also expresses concern. Mitja Gorenšček emphasised: “That is why we warn that in the current economic situation it is irresponsible to take on additional debt.” Council members point out that the government should pay more attention in budget planning to items where savings could be made, since at present it does not know how to adequately contain spending relative to revenues.
Experts warn that current trends indicate a growing risk to the sustainability of public finances, and that without a clear consolidation plan the deficit will increase every year, posing a danger to the country’s long‑term economic stability.
