Despite the challenges surrounding the drafting of the budget such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, the government is keeping to its practice of submitting the budget bill during parliament’s spring session, Gergely Gulyás told a regular press briefing. This ensures predictability and sets the government’s economic policy goals for next year, he added. The budget aims to guarantee the country’s security, protect families, pensions and jobs, as well as the cap on household utility bills, Gulyás said. It must calculate with the possibility of a protracted war, but it is important that the government’s goals are maintained and that the budget deficit and the public debt are reduced, he said, adding that the draft budget will target a deficit of 2.9% of GDP. The government plans to submit the draft budget to the Fiscal Council on around May 20, he said. The bill was drafted with the war in mind, Gulyás said, adding that peace and a phasing out of sanctions would greatly increase the budget’s room for manoeuvre, making the country’s situation much easier.