NEWS

Prime Minister Janez Janša: The Government is to cut privileges and tighten its belt

The first meeting between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the coalition party deputies was held today in Ljubljana. In a statement to the media on the margins of the meeting, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, said that the coalition partners had been informed that the measures prepared by the Government would serve as a platform for negotiations with the social partners and as a basis for the preparation of documents regarding the budget revision, which would be submitted to the National Assembly in the coming weeks.

 

The Prime Minister explained that he was not in a position to elaborate on the measures in detail because the Government would first present them to the social partners. He stressed that the measures would be wide ranging. Some would certainly be implemented because there are no other options, whereas others would be subject to some "allowable variation".

 

He also pointed out that the Government's intended measures resulted from the standpoint that the first to be targeted would be disbursements and public expenditures for privileges and for officials, the Government's own costs, and existing reserves "including public procurement". In his view, more stringent cost-cutting measures would not be required if sufficient reserves could be found in the first two areas.

 

The Prime Minister resolved that the Government and the social partners would reach the highest possible level of consensus on the envisaged measures. He also said that the coalition deputies, who are to decide on the measures required to exit the crisis, bore the greatest responsibility for their adoption.