CroatiaThe Czech government has approved a 2027 budget proposal that predicts the second-largest fiscal deficit in the country's history, amounting to 389 billion crowns (€16.1 billion). The Ministry of Finance, led by Alena Schillerová, announced increased spending on defense, reaching €7.9 billion, which will meet NATO's two percent GDP threshold for the first time in years. Additional investments are planned for infrastructure, healthcare, and public sector wages. The public sector deficit is projected at 2.8% of GDP for 2027, slightly higher than the previous year but still below the EU average. Schillerová emphasized that the Czech Republic will maintain deficits significantly lower than the European Union average and begin reducing them from 2028. This increase follows the record deficit of 2021 during the pandemic, and the current government, led by populist party ANO under Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, has relaxed legal restrictions on state spending to address funding gaps left by the previous administration.
Bias read (Center): While the article discusses a politically sensitive economic issue involving government spending and defense budgets, it presents information from official sources without overtly favoring any particular political ideology. It includes both the context of increased defense spending and the concerns,
