Between Consolidation and Growth: Federal Financial Framework 2013-2016, "Consolidation Package II" and Stability Programme

The government debt ratio in Austria will rise above 74 percent of GDP in 2012. The quantifiable costs of the financial market crisis and the global recession account for nearly 7¾ percentage points of this ratio, further discretionary measures and statistical revisions for the last few years add nearly 6 percentage points. The "consolidation package" adopted in spring 2012 is to ensure a balanced general government budget (according to the Maastricht definition) by 2016. In addition, it is intended to reduce the structural deficit to 0.4 percent of GDP and the debt ratio to 70.6 percent of GDP.