NEWS
Prime Minister Janša: This is our last opportunity to prove we can solve our difficulties alone
After today's meeting between the parliamentary party presidents, parliamentary group leaders and deputies of the national minorities where, before the vote at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly on a Draft Constitutional Act Amending Article 148 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, they again exchanged their views on this very important decision for fiscal stability, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, explained in his statement to the press that they agreed at the meeting that, according to the principle which was proposed for the Partnership for Exiting the Crisis and Fostering Development, which, however, did not come to fruition, the following three issues would be in the process of harmonisation until 25 August: the constitutional act concerning the golden fiscal rule, the Slovenian Sovereign Holding Act and the act establishing an agency or fund for the external rescue or rehabilitation of banks.
According to the Prime Minister, all the parliamentary parties would participate in this, proposing their experts to be appointed to expert groups while all other procedures of harmonisation with social partners would be carried out as well. In the Prime Minister's opinion, the September session of the National Assembly where the harmonised proposals would be discussed by deputies, would be a moment of truth. In this connection, Prime Minister Janša said that "this is probably the last postponement Slovenia can afford in solving the three key issues".
He went on to underlined that with this postponement we were losing a month's time in connection with certain instruments, which would result in financial consequences that we would only be able to partly remedy if these solutions were adopted and not blocked as it was expected currently. The Prime Minister noted that "if this is the case, the damage will be repaired and this postponement would be worth the efforts made. However, in the event that we just delay the issue, the price will double". According to the Prime Minister, an assessment should be made regarding the amount of financial resources this postponement would require in case of a repeated blockade in autumn, mentioning, moreover, that "it is a fact that Slovenia's financial standing on the international markets depends on the confidence held in Slovenia to resolve its own difficulties".
He observed that "the message on the existence of a possibility to also achieve political consensus for solutions requiring a two-thirds majority is a positive signal which lasts as long as the hope is realistic," adding that Slovenia had already sent such a signal abroad at the beginning of this year. Some people changed their minds and this resulted in negative consequences. Prime Minister Janša went on to emphasise that "this is simply a question of Slovenia's credibility and the credibility of its political class, which has the last chance to prove that Slovenia is able to solve these difficulties on its own".