English
Even in the conditions of an epic, historic energy crisis, wages are rising, the deficit and inflation are decreasing, we pay the solidarity taxes and have 3.5 percent real growth when in Europe growth is almost at one percent. Despite all the challenges, we are coping and, instead of groveling, we are sending a message of stability, security and help, said Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski during question time in the Parliament today.
Responding to a parliamentary question, Mickoski noted that the Ministry of Finance is consolidating the budget deficit from an inherited deficit of just over 4.5 percent of GDP. In the context of capital investments, the Prime Minister emphasized that he expects the new State Prosecutor to first put all audit reports relating to the work of public construction company and the Transportation Ministry on the agenda so that it can be seen what was done there.
Last year, real GDP growth was approximately 3.5 percent, and nominal growth was over eight percent. If we add to that the GDP growth in 2024 of three percent or the nominal growth, then I can say that in these six quarters we have an average growth of almost 3.5 percent per quarter. The previous government in its 28 quarters had an average growth rate of two percent. And their first six quarters are below two percent. If we compare them with ours, the difference is again 2:1, and since they mention the Covid measures, they forget that during the corona period, in addition to committing a brutal, epic bribery in the 2020 elections and passing decrees at the last minute, they also increased the state and public debt by 10 percent of GDP, throwing more than one billion euros to the wind, or in bribes. Our growth rate, in these six quarters, of 3.5 percent, is at times when growth in Europe is barely one percent. If we compare any period, even the most successful one in 2006-2008, we will see that then the growth in the EU was so much, there were prerequisites for that growth, and now we have 3.5 real growth in conditions when in Europe it is almost 1 percent, so all this has weight, explained Mickoski.
The Ministry of Finance is consolidating the budget deficit from inherited slightly over 4.5 percent of GDP, added the Prime Minister.
Today we are aiming to be 3.5 percent, last year we were below 4 percent. And in conditions when we consolidate the deficit, we have growth, both real and nominal, and we raise salaries and have the lowest fuel prices in the region and we bring direct fiscal measures, we subsidize citizens directly from the budget. But, despite all this, in conditions of crisis, we have the highest growth in the region for 2025, and now we are going even higher, with real growth greater than the budget deficit, which means that we have consolidated the situation, Prime Minister Mickoski emphasized.