BELGIAN GOVERNMENT REACHES BUDGETARY ACCORD
Senior Belgian cabinet ministers
reached an agreement on budgetary economies, which will allow
the net budgetary financing requirement to remain within
previously set limits, the government said in a statement.
    The statement, issued as ministers ended a marathon meeting
in the early hours of this morning, did not give further
details.
    However, Budget Minister Guy Verhofstadt said before the
meeting he was seeking economies of at least 21.2 billion
francs in order to keep the financing requirement at 418
billion francs this year, or eight pct of Gross National
Product.
    The government set this figure as its target for the
financing requirement last year when it announced a program of
cuts designed to reduce spending by 195 billion francs in 1987.
    However, Verhofstadt had claimed that subsequent
developments had meant that unless further cuts were found, the
financing requirement would be considerably higher.
    Last year, Belgium had a financing requirement of 561
billion francs, or 11.0 pct of GNP.
    A government spokeswoman said the accord would be
considered by the full cabinet later today, and Prime Minister
Wilfried Martens would announce it to Parliament on Monday.
    She said no details would be made public before then.
 REUTER
