PM Cvetkovic: European integration, economic recovery goals for 2011
31. December 2010. | 09:39
Source: Emg.rs
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that Serbian citizens have reason to be optimistic about the forthcoming year 2011 and that they should believe in themselves in an effort to provide a better life, whilst the state will support them in doing so.
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that Serbian citizens have reason to be optimistic about the forthcoming year 2011 and that they should believe in themselves in an effort to provide a better life, whilst the state will support them in doing so.
Cvetkovic said in an interview with Beta news agency that pessimism and dissatisfaction are by no means an ally in the fight for a better life.
He said that there is no doubt that the whole next year will be difficult for the government and for the citizens, because we simultaneously have to work on meeting two important and achievable goals, namely the EU integration and economic recovery.
Economic trends are going in a positive direction and it is possible to deal with inflation that is higher than expected, said the Prime Minister and added that he is most afraid of the possible consequences of unfavorable developments in the region.
Cvetkovic said that before the end of next year, Serbia should be where it was before the outbreak of the economic crisis, when citizens will already feel an improvement.
The Prime Minister announced a new round of talks with businessmen on the measures that the country could take to help faster economic recovery.
Incentives from the budget, to a lesser extent, will be retained until an economic growth of over 3% is reached, said the Prime Minister.
He pointed out that electricity price increase is inevitable in 2011. However, the poorest citizens will not be endangered.
The sale of majority stake in Telekom Srbija and duty free import of petroleum products are in line with government plans to abolish state monopolies, said the Prime Minister.
Jat Airways is in the process of preparing for a strategic partner, he said, adding that the state will keep Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and Zeleznice Srbije in its ownership for some more time.
The government has not decided what the means from the sale of Telekom will be spent on, but these revenues will be transparent.
He said that the Greek company OTE, that owns a stake of 20% in Telekom, has not informed the government about whether it will sell its shares and noted that there is a greater interest of investors in Telekom than was initially assessed.
Cvetkovic said that he hopes that the sale of 51% of the offered shares will supersede the set minimum price of €1.4 billion.
As for the "guillotine of regulations", he said that this is a long process that takes place under the pre-set plan, noting that the government is determined to carry out this process until the end.
He stressed that Serbia has made a huge progress in the fight against corruption and noted that no one is untouchable, which is shown by the arrests of a number of criminal groups and people who abused their positions.
Cvetkovic announced that the government in cooperation with the central bank will support plans to make the dinar stronger, noting that this cannot be achieved in the short term.
When it comes to higher taxation of wealthier citizens, the Prime Minister said that this will be done through higher property taxes, but there are other proposals that have yet to be developed.
Tax on corporate profits is a sensitive matter which can negatively affect the economic environment, said the Prime Minister.
He said that the basis of the proposed economic development strategy of Serbia until 2020 is a new model of economic growth that the best economic experts in Serbia prepared based on realistic parameters.
Cvetkovic noted that everyone is invited to participate in a public debate about this document and give their suggestions.
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