VMRO-DPMNE Vice President Aleksandar Nikoloski said that the five million EUR pledged to support the economy are woefully inadequate for the expected hit aimed at the Macedonian economy.

It’s ridiculous to think that five million EUR will make a dent in the situation. Neighboring countries are preparing aid packages worth hundreds of millions of euros, even billions. We need to help the worst hit industries, such as transportation, which nobody is talking about, Nikoloski said.

The official of the opposition party said that the Government must use its emergency powers to freeze all outstanding payments for companies that are in industries that are hit hard by the crisis. All companies should be exempt from paying back loans at least for March, and if the crisis persists, for April too. Another proposal from VMRO-DPMNE is to cover payrolls to the most affected companies to the tune of 50 percent of their gross salaries.

We were proposing measures at least a month ago. We urge that these steps are made today, to save the Macedonian economy. We saw the incompetence of the Government that is deeply involved in crime and we pay for it in lost lives and jobs. We have incompetent amateur running the country but they must do everything possible to mitigate the consequences, Nikoloski said.