51.   The move was announced earlier this month, as a way to boost taxes, cut spending and bring down the government deficit.

52.   The new economic minster, Jean Arthuis, reassured investors the French government will stay faithful to its program to slash government deficits.

53.   The need to cut official expenditure and reduce the government deficit soon led to further unemployment and significant slashes in social welfare outlays.

54.   The parliament seems prepared live up to agreements with the International Monetary Fund to keep government deficits under control.

55.   The other economic criteria are limits on government deficits, national debt and long-term interest rates, and two years of exchange-rate stability.

56.   The proposal was criticized as a creative way to avoid adding to the growing government deficit.

57.   The push to rein in the government budget deficit, he added, is likely to be slowed or reversed.

58.   The shift marks a victory for the Bank of France, which has been pushing for cuts in government deficits as a prerequisite for lower interest rates.

59.   The southern European countries have problems with government deficits and some of the other criteria as well.

60.   The Ulivo is viewed as more serious about selling state-run companies and cutting the government deficit as part of qualifying Italy for European economic and monetary union.