Greek parliament passes government’s 2024 budget

By DEMETRIS NELLAS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek parliament has approved the government’s 2024 budget, the first in 14 years with Greek debt listed at investment grade. The budget passed Sunday evening on a 158-142 vote in the 300-member body, with only lawmakers from the governing conservative New Democracy party voting for it. In a separate vote, the defense budget was approved 249-51. The budget forecasts economic growth of 2.9% in 2024, up from 2.4% in 2023. It predicts inflation will average a higher-than-expected 2.8%, but investments are expected to grow 15.1%.