BRUSSELS: The head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers called on Spain on Monday to respect its 2013 public deficit target but left the door open to negotiations on this year's wider budget shortfall.
"We start from the principle that Spain will and wants to achieve its 2013 budget target" of 3.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Juncker said on arrival for eurozone talks.
"Regarding possible concrete actions to take in 2012, we will discuss it without taking final decisions today," he added.
Spain surprised its eurozone partners this month when it announced that its deficit would reach 5.8 percent this year instead of the 4.4 percent target previously agreed with European Union authorities.
Madrid may now struggle to bring its public deficit back under the EU limit of 3.0 percent next year.
The conservative government, which came to power late last year, has blamed the darker forecast on the deterioration of the economic situation.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who was scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Spanish counterpart Luis De Guindos before the Eurogroup meeting, refused to lump Spain with the Greek debt drama.
"Greece is a totally different case," Schaeuble told reporters. "Spain has made great progress and this has been noticed by the financial markets."
A European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated recently that Madrid may get a reprieve this year.
"The 2013 target remains a target. The 2012 target is less important," the official said.
Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter appeared less willing to ease the rules for Spain.
"Spain must make efforts," she said, adding that "we must be strict to show that we are serious" about the eurozone's new budget rules.
"Everybody must respect the (budget) consolidation rule," Fekter said.
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