NEWS

Prime Minister Pahor: the crisis has not beaten us

In his address at today's state ceremony commemorating Slovenian Independence and Unity Day, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, emphasised that "the worst year yet has not beaten us and there are realistic chances for our overcoming the problems in the years to come." Mr Pahor then elaborated on the prospects for the future and the goals and visions of the country.
 

(Foto: Daniel Novakovič/STA)

 
In the passing year, when the crisis was a constant item on the political agenda, "the Government, from the very beginning, made all practical and strategic measures for overcoming the crisis subject to the ambition that the post-crisis Slovenia would feature greater competitiveness and more solidarity than it had when pulled into the crisis," said Prime Minister Pahor. After one year of combating the crisis, Slovenia's situation can be considered promising, "a situation allowing us to speed up economic recovery and strengthen social interaction," added Mr Pahor.
 
In his address, he also highlighted the importance of Slovenia's own development and said that "as regards development aspirations, we now hold the reins of our present and future much more firmly than before the crisis." Slovenia's future development depends on "our own ability to design common goals, as well as our capability and courage to realise these goals," Mr Pahor emphasised. The Government intends to proceed with the process of social dialogue and is currently drafting a package of practical and structural measures for the social partners, with the aim of producing positive economic growth, and the reduction of the budget deficit and unemployment.
 

(Foto: Daniel Novakovič/STA)

 
Prime Minister Pahor also drew attention to the significance of the environmental dimension of sustainable development, "becoming increasingly important for the very structure of the competitiveness of national economies." In the future, the cost of environmental pollution will be extremely high, and therefore, it is essential that "today, we must invest one euro in advanced green technologies, since this amount will in ten years be doubled due to the cost of operation of obsolete technology."
 
At the close of his address, Mr Pahor reiterated the importance of the signing of the arbitration agreement with Croatia related to settlement of the bilateral border dispute, which for fully 18 years has been aggravating relations between the two countries. "It was hard work, yet it needed to be done, and to be done in a manner providing a just and fair solution", he said. Prime Minister Pahor concluded his address by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before the upcoming holidays.