The Portuguese government approved its state budget for 2013 and changes to 2012′s budget after a 20-hour meeting that begun Wednesday and ended early Thursday but details will only be released next Monday, according to Secretary of State for the Presidency Luís Marques Guedes.

“The state budget is not going to be released drip by drip,” Guedes said, before promising extended details on Monday, the constitutional deadline for presenting the annual budget to parliament.

Guedes only added that the government was “undertaking every effort (…) to reduce the additional tax burden” through curtailing expenditure in a process he defined as “demanding and very complex” due to the country’s financial position and the loss of budgetary sovereignty following its international bailout.

A short statement delivered after the meeting, said the Council of Ministers of 10 October had “approved the 2013 state budget law which will be sent to parliament until 15 October, as well as a draft law that makes changes to the 2012 state budget, in order to fulfil the conditions imposed in the Memorandum of Understanding and reinforce the conditions necessary for the growth of Portugal’s economy.”

With Lusa News