2008 Borrowing requirements and funding plan - Kingdom of Belgium

The Minister of Finance, Didier Reynders, hereby announces the Kingdom of Belgium's borrowing requirements for the year 2008:

The Kingdom's 2008 borrowing requirements are expected to amount to EUR 32.99 billion, including an estimated federal cash deficit of EUR 3.00 billion and pre-funding of 2009 amounting to EUR 3.50 billion.

The Treasury will mainly rely on OLOs of which EUR 27.00 billion will be issued. In addition, the Treasury plans to issue up to EUR 2.00 billion through alternative financing instruments.

As for short-term funding, the issuance of Treasury Certificates is expected to be in line with the 2007 issuance. The remaining borrowing requirements will be met by a reduction of the Treasury's financial deposits for an amount of EUR 3.50 billon.