The draft budget for 2023 should ensure security and stability as well as foundation for further accelerated economic growth. The 2023 draft budget is the point for embarking on a new path to continue to manage the crisis and the consequences from it and to make sure we start recovering and growing slowly in order to raise the living standards, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said Saturday.

Kovacevski added that the draft budget ensures economic and energy stability, as well as support for citizens and companies in the conditions of the global economy and energy crisis.

He explained that the focus of the draft budget is on several pillars, i.e. dealing with the consequences of the crisis and supporting the most vulnerable, stable economic growth, supporting and intensification of the EU integration process, as well as transparency and accountability that will be achieved through demonstrated results and implementation of the budget.

Government support for dealing with the crisis will certainly continue. All anti-crisis measures to protect the standard, additional financial support for the most vulnerable, as well as measures to maintain the prices of basic food products, ensuring a lower price of electricity compared to the market price for regulated consumers, will continue throughout the coming year. 250 million euros have been allocated from the total budget for anti-crisis measures, Kovacevski said.

He stated that funds are also provided for all compensations for vulnerable categories of citizens, the unemployed, the bankrupt, the guaranteed minimum assistance, help and care of another person, support, for persons with disabilities, for social compensations and compensations for the unemployed, as well as for active measures for employment of young people, people with disabilities, etc.

Kovacevski added that it is planned to continue the harmonization of the minimum wage with the average and the cost of living, in accordance with the system-determined solution.