Government plans big loans for 2009

TIRANA, Oct 28 – The government has planned to get some 600 million Euros of loans during next year, though it does not specify where and why.
The draft budget has set that some 600 million Euros will come from foreign funding, without specifying where from.
It is known that the country may get as a loan up to 350 million Euros and that it has also planned to sell treasury bills up to 250 million Euros.
The total budget will be 382.6 billion leks planning a 6.2 percent GDP growth compared to this year.
Investment will be lower and its main bulk will be used for the Rreshen-Kalimash road segment.
As this year the defense budget will be two percent of the GDP as required for a NATO member which the tiny Balkan country hopes to become in April.