NEWS

Prime Minister Janez Janša: The golden rule will facilitate sustainable development

After today's meeting where the parliamentary party presidents, parliamentary group leaders, and deputies of the national communities continued their discussions on the issue of amending Article 148 of the Constitution by incorporating the golden rule, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, confirmed in a statement to the media that consensus had been reached between the political parties on the formal initiation of the procedure for amending the Constitution to incorporate the golden rule.

 

In the Prime Minister's view, the formal decision taken to amend Article 148 of the Constitution is an important step forward. Such a decision taken at the state administering level, which is that of political elites, means that the state has decided to opt for sustainable development "that provides for a stable socio-economic environment" and will have a "direct positive impact on the public finances". In his view, the incorporation of the golden rule into the Slovenian Constitution represents an additional reference point for the Slovenian Constitutional Court in its assessment of the admissibility of referenda on legislative acts aimed at reaching this constitutional objective.    

 

The Prime Minister went on to emphasise the importance of incorporating the golden rule into the Constitution as soon as possible – and certainly by the end of April. In early May, the European Commission is to assess the situation in the EU's Member States, which will have an impact on the ratings issued by the credit rating agencies and, in turn, the cost of borrowing. In any event, a decision must be taken as soon as possible "if we want to get value added in terms of reducing budgetary costs for interest payments, and if we want to send out a signal that Slovenia is becoming a stable environment for foreign investment".

 

With regard to the partnership for overcoming the crisis, which was proposed to the opposition parties, the Prime Minister said that this would contribute a measure of stability and lasting value to the structural reforms and would thus help us avoid "constant reform"; however, no steps have yet been taken on signing such a partnership with the opposition. "Nevertheless, the opposition parties have expressed their willingness to continue talks in this direction," the Prime Minister added.