Skopje, 21 September 2024 (MIA) – The first indicators in the economy after the change of government are really surprisingly positive in terms of the growth of industrial production, the manufacturing industry, GDP growth, the reduction of inflation, etc., which is encouraging, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said, noting that he expects an increase in wages in the real sector. 

The central bank's decision to reduce the base interest rate by 0.25%, according to Mickoski, means that slowly but surely in these two to three months the situation is stabilizing and the economy is slowly recovering. 

Mickoski also said he expects even greater economic activity in the Q3 and Q4 as well as more intense GDP growth, and that the year will end better than forecasted by international financial institutions. 

"I expect it to continue like that, as the EUR 500 million loan has now passed in the Parliament. I expect it to be put into operation for the Macedonian economy in the second half of October or the first half of November, so Macedonian companies are able to use the EUR 250 million loan," Mickoski said after Saturday's visit to Kavadarci.  

He noted that banks' conditions in terms of using the loan are being analysed with the Ministry of Finance. 

"I call on the banks to show solidarity with the business and the Macedonian economy and to have the interest rate same with the interest rate for this loan, not to increase it and calculate with costs, because there are too many costs already being calculated anyway. If that is not the case, then we will go with the Macedonian Development Bank and with the mechanisms we have, we will start this project, because we do not want the Macedonian economy to be further burdened," said Mickoski.  

As regards wages, the Prime Minister said that the State Statistical Office and its data for July 2024 has refuted the thesis of the former SDSM and DUI government that wages increased with them, but will not increase with VMRO-DPMNE and the coalition. 

"The State Statistical Office with its data for July, not only refuted such thesis, but delivered two counter theses. First, we saw that wages in July, which was actually the first month since this government took office, continued to grow at the same and even accelerated pace, compared to what happened in the past period. But the difference is that at that time the budget was being looted on the backs of the citizens and inflation was in double digits, so the wage that the citizens received was devalued," said Mickoski.  

Today, he stressed, wages are growing rapidly again, and inflation is the lowest in the region in August, compared to the same month last year and is at a level of 2.2 percent, and since the beginning of the year, as of August, it is less than 3.5 percent.

Photo: MIA archive