Since the start of the year the foreign debt has increased by EUR1.59 billion, or 6.2 per cent. At the end of June it reached EUR27.3 billion.
Banks and companies were described as principal generators of foreign debt growth, with banks increasing their foreign debt in May by EUR152.7 million compared to April and companies by EUR129 million.
At the end of May the banks' overall foreign debt amounted to EUR10.44 billion, a year-on-year increase of 25 per cent. In the first five months of this year the banks increased their foreign debt by EUR1.45 billion, or 16.1 per cent.
The overall debt of companies was up 20.1 per cent year on year, increasing from EUR6.34 billion at the end of May 2005 to EUR7.62 billion at the end of July 2006. In the first five months of this year the companies' foreign debt rose by EUR464.3 million, or 6.5 per cent.
The government foreign debt amounted to EUR6.53 billion at the end of May, a mild increase of 0.12 per cent on the monthly level.
Since the end of last year the government foreign debt has been reduced by EUR518 million, or 7.3 per cent. Compared to May 2005, the government reduced its foreign debt by EUR349.7 million, or 5.1 per cent.
The government's share in the overall national foreign debt declined from 28.87 per cent in May 2005 to 24.06 per cent in May 2006.
On the other hand, the companies' share in the overall foreign debt increased from 26.63 per cent in May 2005 to 28.08 per cent in May 2006, and the banks' share from 35.03 per cent to 38.49 per cent.
At the end of May direct investments amounted to EUR2.5 billion, increasing by EUR196 million since the end of 2005.