The budget debate comes after the government adopted draft budgets for 2016 and 2017 on Sunday, leaving accompanying documents for the next session.

Budget revenue is projected at EUR 8.627bn and expenditure at EUR 9.417bn for 2016; for 2017 revenue is planned at EUR 8.705bn and expenditure at EUR 9.423bn.

Fiscal deficit by EU standards is planned at 2.24% of GDP in 2016 and 1.75% of GDP in 2017, down from 2.9% of GDP projected for this year.

The budgets need to be submitted to the National Assembly by 1 October. The proposals will then be scrutinised and amended by the relevant parliamentary bodies, and sent back to the cabinet for confirmation. The final drafts could then be passed by parliament in November.

Coalition partners are for now agreed on the draft budgets, but details may prove problematic in the parliamentary procedure.

What is more, the government has angered public sector trade unions by expanding the list of austerity measures it wants extend in the draft bill on budget implementation.