Tag: besimi
Economy 04.01.24 | 16:16

Besimi clarified that there are no plans to increase officials’ wages in 2024 as it is not part of the budgetary provisions

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi stated on Thursday that the 2024 Budget does not accommodate any increments in officials’ wages. Addressing queries during a press conference, Besimi emphasized the absence of provisions in the Budget for raising the salaries of elected and appointed officials, aligning...

Macedonia 22.12.23 | 17:01

Ahead of the elections, the Government removes major obstacle to reckless public sector hiring

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi announced a major change in the way public administration hirings are conducted. Instead of going to the Finance Minister for approval, in the future, managers of public institutions will simply have to inform that they have provided the needed funding, and can go ahead...

Macedonia 24.11.23 | 08:19

Besimi: We are still working on our assignments, but the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans now has a reform program with solid foundations

It seems like there’s a significant push for reforms and alignment with the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, as highlighted by Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi. The focus is on expediting these reforms to ensure that citizens and businesses can reap the benefits swiftly. Besimi emphasizes the...

Macedonia 02.11.23 | 18:34

Finance Minister: The 2024 budget does not include any new taxes

In 2024, the budget projections do not include new or increased taxes, according to Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi. The draft budget is being finalized and will be submitted to Parliament by mid-November. Growth and fiscal consolidation are expected to continue next year, with a decrease in the deficit....

Economy 25.10.23 | 14:45

Besimi has reported real wage increases since April, but the impact of the crisis is still evident, and challenges persist

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi revealed that real wages have been on the rise since April. He noted that the repercussions of the crisis are not exclusive to the citizens of the country but are being felt in Europe and around the world. Besimi also highlighted the persistence of challenges, particularly...

Macedonia 17.02.23 | 20:34

Data breach left most doctors and nurses without salaries, Finance Ministry plans an emergency transfer of funds

The Finance Ministry is preparing a legal short-cut to pay the salaries of public healthcare employees, after an apparent hack crashed the computer system of the FZOM healthcare fund. All electronic data processing in the public healthcare system is affected, an salaries can’t be paid out. Finance...

Macedonia 16.05.22 | 18:25

Tetovo hospital director – and brother of the Finance Minister – will be charged over the deadly Covid ward fire

Tetovo hospital director Florina Besimi, who is brother of Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and an influential figure in the ruling DUI party, is going to be charged with the devastating fire in the improvised Covid hospital in the city on September 8th 2021. The fire killed 14 patients and their relatives. State...

Economy 17.03.22 | 17:11

Finance Minister Besimi claims that the Government managed to stabilize food prices

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi said that the Government has succeeded in stabilizing food prices, after it removed the VAT tax from food products. Nobody said it will be easy, but we in the Government will fight to protect the citizens from the fallout of the Russian – Ukrainian conflict. We also...

Economy 15.03.22 | 10:08

Finance Ministry will again cut infrastructure spending as economic crisis deepens

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi announced that the coming changes to the 2022 budget will include the typical move of the Zaev – Kovacevski governments – further cuts in infrastructure spending. It is clear that the key infrastructure projects, whether it is roads, railways, healthcare projects,...

Macedonia 14.03.22 | 22:46

Finance Minister Besimi agrees that the economic measures will not be enough

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi agreed that the measures which his Government has introduced are not enough, because the economic crisis is far too deep. I think that we had an all encompassing package pretty quickly, and we won’t stop there. But what we need to know is that what the Government...

Economy 07.03.22 | 14:07

Finance Minister Besimi insists that Macedonia has sufficient strategic reserves

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi assured the public that Macedonia has enough strategic reserves of basic commodities, and insisted that there is no need for concern. Through the Agriculture Ministry we have clear indication in the reserves we have and what reserves the merchants hold. There is no room...

Economy 22.02.22 | 09:36

Energy crisis: Finance Minister Besimi asks for EU help, warns prices are about to spike

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi warned that the crisis in Ukraine could further increase the energy prices. Besimi is in Brussels where he discussed the crisis with commissioners Varhelyi, Hahn and Gentiloni, and presented the dire energy crisis in Macedonia that predated the latest escalation in Ukraine. We...

Economy 13.11.21 | 11:27

Amid the growing political crisis, Finance Minister Besimi asks the Parliament to approve the 2022 budget

As the Zaev Government is left without an effective majority in Parliament and was apparently reduced to forcing an opposition member of Parliament to avoid the vote of no confidence on Thursday, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi said that the Parliament must find the votes to adopt the 2022 budget. Failure...

Macedonia Economy 02.09.21 | 17:03

Finance Minister still projects growth of 4.1 percent in 2021

Despite dismal economic results so far in 2021, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi insists that Macedonia will still grow at a rate of 4.1 percent. Besimi also assured the public that the inflation rate will be relatively under control, at 2.1 percent. This won’t be an easy year, and we are aware of...

Macedonia Economy 24.07.21 | 13:47

VMRO-DPMNE: The Government brags about paying back a half a billion EUR loan, while adding 1.5 billion

Macedonia will add 1.5 billion EUR in new debt only this year, and it will reach dizziying 66 percent of GDP at 8.5 billion EUR, said the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party in a press release. The statement is to respond to Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi, who was boasting about paying off the final tranche...

News 12.06.21 | 10:06

VMRO: New fuel tax will be used to cover the cost of Zaev’s corruption

The plans to permanently hike diesel prices by four denars per liter (currently 60 denars, or 1 EUR) are the result of the rampant corruption in the Zaev Government, said the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party. Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi made the announcement recently, when discussing the proposed changes...

Macedonia Economy 25.03.21 | 10:50

Finance Ministry denies mistaken media report that it plans to hike taxes

The Finance Ministry and Alsat-M TV moved to deny a mistaken report that they are planning an increase in both the VAT value added tax and the income tax. The report came out of the interview Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi had with Alsat, where he announced an increase in the share the municipalities...

Macedonia Economy 25.02.21 | 10:22

Minister Besimi is asking for EU funds for the railway link to Bulgaria

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi met with the EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi in Brussels to discuss EU funding for infrastructure projects. One of them, Besimi said after the meeting, is the planned railway line between Kriva Palanka and Deve Bair. This would be the final stretch of the long...

Macedonia Economy 24.11.20 | 22:32

Finance Minister Besimi confirms that the 2021 budget will rely on the sale of strategic public companies

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi confirmed that a major source of revenue in 2021 should be the sale of publicly owned companies or shares the state holds in largely private companies. Faced with an enormous deficit and a declining economy, the Zaev regime announced attempts to sell off even strategic...

Macedonia Economy 11.11.20 | 21:52

Everything must go: Finance Minister Besimi says major publicly owned companies will go on sale in 2021

Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi said that the Government will try to reduce the huge deficit it plans for next year by selling off a number of fully or partially publicly owned companies. Most iconic among them is the Macedonian Post Office, whose sale was already announced by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. The...

Повеќе