Monday, 4 April 2011, Brussels
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, MR. TRAJKO VELJANOSKI AT THE CONFERENCE OF THE SPEAKERS OF THE PARLIAMENTS OF THE EU
Distinguished Chairman
Ladies and gentlemen
We are witnessing an economic crisis of historic dimensions that has occurred and spread with enormous speed, in every country, somewhere less and somewhere more. Its existence is undeniable, as well as the negative and defeating result, our awareness and defeating fact that it is our obligation to devote ourselves to finding a way out of the crisis. Our responsibility is to neutralize, or at least decrease the negative consequences of the crises over the citizens' lives. Its consequences have a individual as well as a global dimension. This is the way we should act and deal with the crisis.
If we are discussing on serious and dedicated approach, I would undoubtedly share the manner on which the Republic of Macedonia has resisted the stoke of the world economic crisis. The Government of the Republic of Macedonia has managed to reduce the consequences, using four packages of anti-crisis measures, which resulted in fall of the economy of only 0.6 to 0.8%, which provided us with the third best result in Europe. In the same time we have had a budgetary deficit lower than the deficit of the European states. The IMF reports concluded that the Republic of Macedonia handled with the crisis best on a best manner of all countries of South Eastern Europe, which is confirmed with the fact that even in the in the peak of the economic crisis the salaries were not decreased, nor the employees were fired.
The measures from the first package referred to both, companies with disturbed liquidity and piled problems from the past, and which work well, through facilitation of taxes of income, decreased custom expenses, social incomes, decrease of the taxes for the farmers.
These measures prevented collapse of many economic entities and firing of many employees.
These measures were followed by the second package, which projects 8 years program on infrastructural projects in the road and railroad infrastructure, energy sector, sports infrastructure and other capital projects.
The third and the forth package are comprised of a total of 94 measures on the taxation policy, credit policy, land policy, property and legal issues, agriculture, construction, social policy as well as measures in the area of regulatory guillotine.
The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia was actively included in the process of amending the regulation required for the enforcement of these measures, through and efficient and fruitful parliamentary debate.
The success of the anti-crisis measures is a result of the serious and continuous dialogue with the business sector, owners, bankers, economic experts and other stake holders, as well as a result of the preparedness and openness for the opinions and proposals for new measures which would contribute in facing the challenges of the crisis which are still present.
The projections for 2011 are based mainly on the expectations for acceleration of the economic growth in the European Union, as our most significant trade partner. In the same time it is expected that the growth of the Macedonian economy will be supported by the domestic policies: high growth of capital investments which will provide strong support for the industry, construction and services. In the same time the coordinative decrease of interest rates and the increased liquidity of the banks are expected to result in higher economic growth of the credit activities of the banks as one of the generators of the growth of the public sector.
Successful finalization of the process of integration in EU and gradual achievement of the national income of the European Union, in a manner which is fiscally and socially sustainable remains to be the main priority for the Republic of Macedonia. This is why the Republic of Macedonia is dedicated on fulfillment of the criteria for membership in the European Union. Certainly the state is focused on accomplishment of the economic criteria aiming to integrate the Macedonian business community in the single European market as our most significant partner.
In this sense, I hope that the measures and models which have proved to be successful and useful in some courtiers will be shared in order to heal the national economies and to achieve the expected goals on global level. In the same time I believe that the European Commission's measures dedicated to the stability of the Euro and the Euro zone will provide long-term stability and will timely detect the inefficient and harmful entities in the European economy avoiding repetition of the harmful consequences and mistakes from the past.
Distinguished,
The European Union is founded on mutual trust and providing misleading information for long period of time undermines the foundations of the European Union.
Thank you.