Finance Minister Bauc confident inflation can be held at 5.9% next year

In an interview broadcast over the internet, Finance Minister Jaroslaw Bauc said inflation would fall to between 5.9 and 6.3% by the end of next year. He added that the current account deficit would settle at 7.7% of GDP at the end of this year, which would be a substantial improvement compared to what it was in the first quarter of this year. According to Bauc, the 2000 budget was already beginning to slow the deficit growth. Revised data from the National Bank of Poland (NBP) shows the current account deficit in May fell to $376 million against $681 million in the corresponding period last year. On an annual basis, the fall brings the deficit to 7.8% of GDP. (Prawo i Gospodarka, page 2) S.M.