Hungary’s cash flow-based budget deficit was 2,656.4 billion forints (EUR 6.8bn) at the end of June, the finance ministry said in a preliminary release of data. The central budget had a 2,640.1 billion forint deficit at the end of the month and the social security funds were 161.9 billion in the red, but separate state funds were 145.6 billion forints in the black. The budget posted a deficit of 107.8 billion forints in the month of June alone. In January-June, interest expenditures, which included large payments on retail government securities, came to 2,009.5 billion forints, up 649.4 billion from the same period a year earlier. Expenditures for European Union-funded programmes reached 945.7 billion forints, while transfers from Brussels came to 578.2 billion forints, the ministry said.