Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski says that he encourages the growth of industrial production, which after a long time recorded growth last month and is a good indicator, because, as he said today, the business community has confidence in the institutions. He expects the GDP to move with the money from the loan from Hungary, which passed yesterday at the Government session and should soon be before the deputies.

After a long period of decline, industrial production increased in July, but this is already the third quarter. Today we expect the second quarter. It encourages us that we have a 3.8 percent increase in industrial production after several months of decline, said Mickoski, who after the start of the construction of a factory for lithium batteries in TIRZ Skopje, answered a journalist’s question about his expectations for GDP data in the second quarter this year.

He pointed out that the fall in May was double-digit, between 11-12 percent, and as he says, after several months of decline, we finally have an increase in July. He believes that this is a good indicator, because the business community has confidence in the institutions and a favorable business climate.

He emphasized that he expects this trend to continue in the third and fourth quarters, considering that at yesterday’s session of the Government, a decision was made for a 500 million euro loan from Hungary. He also expects these funds to be a kind of driver for GDP and to have a positive impact and in the fourth quarter, but also in the first quarter in 2025.

At today’s meeting in the Government with the Council for Foreign Investors, Mickoski says that their needs will be discussed and how their operations can be improved, because as he pointed out, it is important to increase exports and have a positive impact on GDP, which in turn will it also brings realization of new capital investments for the citizens.