The Spanish government will employ 1,989 officials this year, compared to 15,084 hired last year, and is expected to save 280 million euros, said Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, as reported by hrt.hr.
In the second half of January, the government announced a reduction in public spending by 50 billion euros to decrease the budget deficit from last year’s 11.4 percent of GDP to 3.0 percent in 2013, in accordance with European Union regulations. The excessive deficit has fueled fears that Spain, like Greece, could fall into a debt crisis. Unlike other countries, the government does not plan to cut salaries. The plan to reduce the deficit is partly based on GDP growth forecasts that the Spanish central bank called overly optimistic yesterday. (HRT)
