NEWS

Formal conditions for social dialogue have been fulfilled, says Prime Minister Janez Janša

At a press conference following the Government's third regular session, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, spoke about the ministries' handover reports, especially in light of their financial situation, and starting points for a new social agreement.

 

On the subject of the ministries' financial situation, Prime Minister Janez Janša said that the gap between the budget adopted for this year and the funds that will be available was almost EUR 1 billion. In this respect, he pointed out that this mainly reflects the difference between the obligations assumed and the budget funds available. "It is clear from this rather large figure, which represents over 10% of the budget, that the budget document for this year cannot provide a realistic basis for the preparation of the revised budget," he stressed, "which is why the Government will instead use the previous year's budget outturn as a basis". He went on to explain that the discovery of the large deficit is important, as it is a clear indication of how far a country can fall without a functioning government, crippled by months of political deadlock. He warned that such situations must be avoided at all costs in the future. In this regard, he drew attention to the proposals made for amendments to the Constitution of Slovenia.

 

He further said that, on Monday, the Government would provide a broader macroeconomic and fiscal picture of Slovenia and the European environment to social partners and present starting points for a new social agreement. He explained that they would take a different approach to signing a new social agreement, enabling social partners to propose individual points of the content of the agreement. A working group will then produce the first draft of the agreement, which will have many versions and will be discussed during the first stage of negotiations. "We will then try to bring the agreement to a point where all these dilemmas are addressed, to find some solutions in specific areas, and to attempt to finalise the text of the agreement."

 

The Prime Minister also said that it was the Government's aim to conclude the social agreement before the expiry of the Intervention Act, which lays down a freeze on certain public finance activities.

 

He stressed that the Government would invite opposition party representatives to Monday's session of the Economic and Social Council, where they would together appraise the situation in which Slovenia finds itself and then, in partial separation from reaching the social agreement, attempt to get political agreement on the key steps that need to be taken by Slovenia in order for it to exit the crisis and structurally adjust to the changes time has brought.