Balance and debt; public Sectors

This table shows the evolution of the balance and debt of the general government (also referred to as EMU balance and EMU debt) in the Netherlands. EMU stands for Economic and Monetary Union. This table provides annual and quarterly estimates of general government, broken down by the contribution by sub-sector of general government. This table also shows the reconciliation between the balance and the changes in debt. The debt is presented in facial value (the original amount of debt). The balance and debt of the general government sector are the main indicators of public finance health in the European Union. The Maastricht Treaty and the resulting Stability and Growth Pact stipulate that a deficit should not exceed 3 % of gross domestic product (GDP) and debt should not exceed 60 % of GDP. If the standards are exceeded and there are no special circumstances, the European Commission may impose sanctions. The figures are in line with the system of the National Accounts. Temporary differences may occur from the publications of the National Accounts because the published figures of government accounts are sometimes more up-to-date. Due to the difference in measurement basis, the sum of sovereign debt securities (facial value) is not equal to the sum of debt securities in national accounts (market value). The debt consists of the titles: deposits, short-term debt securities, long-term debt securities, short-term loans and long-term loans. Data available from: Annual data from 1995, quarterly data from 1999. Status of the figures: The figures in this table have final status for the period 1995-2018. The quarters of 2019 have the status provisionally. The annual figures for 2019 have the status definitively. The 2020 and 2021 figures have provisional status. Changes as of 25 March 2022: Figures for the fourth quarter of 2021 and the year 2021 are available. In addition, figures for 2020 and the first three quarters of 2021 have been adjusted. The adjustments for 2020 have not yet been included in the National Accounts. As a result, the data are temporarily not fully aligned with the publications of the National Accounts. Figures for 2020 have been adjusted, in particular as a result of up-to-date information on coronavirus support measures. The changes are explained in a news release on 25 March 2022. Balance, income, expenditure, transactions in financial assets and transactions in liabilities, non-EMU debt have been adjusted. The figures for public finances and national accounts are in full line with the next publication date, as of 24 June 2022. When will there be new figures? The first figures for the most recent quarter are published three months after the end of a quarter. The first quarter may then be adjusted in September, the second quarter in December and the first three quarters in March. The first annual figures shall be published three months after the end of the reporting year. The annual figures are then revised twice: six and eighteen months after the end of the reporting year. In addition, interim updates may take place in order to provide the European Commission with the most up-to-date public data at the end of March and the end of September. The data for the quarters are linked to the adjusted annual figures. The updated annual and quarterly figures are published at the end of June each year. Information on the revision policy of National Accounts can be found under paragraph 3 ‘relevant articles’.