In earlier EU agreements France promised to get rid of most of the deficit by 2010, but Paris will not be able to do so before 2012. The French government does not believe it is sensible to economise in times of economic difficulty.
The Netherlands has been praised for its budget policy. The ministers said the Netherlands is on course to meet all its EU budget deficit goals. They called Finance Minister Wouter Bos' expectations realistic, even to the point of being a little too on the cautious side for the coming year.
Source: Radio Netherlands
