Havlíček: Lower budget deficit would mean cuts to security, energy and transport

A lower state budget deficit would have been possible, but only by cutting spending on security, energy and transport infrastructure, Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) said in a television debate on Saturday. He said the government had rejected such cuts because they could have had a seriously damaging impact on the country's functioning. Around 97 percent of the budget consists of mandatory, legally required spending, according to Havlíček. The government will therefore have to start looking for savings in strategic areas in the coming years.

Mayors and Independents leader Vít Rakušan described the planned 386-billion-crown deficit as an “economic crime.” The opposition has called a vote of no-confidence in the government over the deficit.