This is down from a peak of nearly 30percent in the mid-1990s, when they were the largest component of spending, reflecting the large stock of interest-bearing debt and high average effective interest rates on that stock. ###>Ces frais constituaient alors la plus importante composante des charges, en raison de l’encours imposant de la dette portant intérêt et du niveau élevé des taux d’intérêt effectifs moyens sur la dette.