BRUSSELS, Oct 7 (AFP) - European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet took Greece to task again Thursday over erroneous data regarding its public deficit, saying that it was vital for the eurozone to have reliable statistics.
"It is of vital importance to the credibility of the budgetary surveillance that the reliable compilation and timely reporting of government finance statistics is ensured," Trichet told a news conference here.
"The procedures must not be vulnerable to political and electoral cycles. Countries should consider the quality and integrity of their statistics as a priority matter."
A recent revision of Greek public finance statistics revealed that the country's public deficit has consistently breached the limit of 3.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) laid down in the European Stability and Growth Pact since 2000 and could reach 5.3 percent of GDP this year.
Asked whether Greece should have been allowed to join the eurozone in 2001, Trichet said it would be best to await the results of a Eurostat audit of Greece's public finances between 1997 and 1999, which served as a basis for Greek entry and were deemed at the time to meet Maastricht criteria.
Also in Brussels on Thursday, the EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Joaquin Almunia, said that Greece could not be sanctioned directly for publishing erroneous data.