(MADRID) - Ireland cannot avoid a 2008 public deficit above the European Union limit of 3.0 percent of GDP, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said Thursday.

"Ireland cannot avoid a deficit of over 3.0 percent," he told a conference in Madrid.

The EU's Stability and Growth Pact requires governments to keep public deficits under 3.0 percent of annual output, but allows for some flexibility.

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