PM Luksic: Government continues to support pensioners

Prime Minister Igor Luksic met with pensioners’ asssociations representatives, where he underlined that the Government will continue to support pensioners through subvention programmes for the most voulnerable groups, through recreation and leisure services and distribution of commodity surpluses. He reminded on that occasion that the average pension in Montenegro amounts to EUR 268, and that, according to this indicator, Montenegro is ahead of other countries in the region, save Croatia, and ahead of the Baltic countries as well.

The Prime Minister acquainted pensioners’ representatives with current economic and international events that have had an impact on growth of inflation and increase in staple foods prices in the world. "Montenegro is not isolated from global developments and the Government has no influence on these phenomena, but we will do our best to, through the communication with manufacturers, reach the most reasonable solution in order to curb or mitigate price increase and preserve the standards of all citizens, including pensioners'', noted PM Luksic.

In the context of resolving the housing problems of pensioners with lower social status, the Prime Minister expressed the Government’s readiness to assist in solving problems through designing appropriate models particularly referring to the stimulation of the construction that would not imply full ownership, as well as the exploitation of already existing schemes in the trade union fund.

Commenting on the new Law on Amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance, PM Luksic stressed that the Government has reached an unpopular and painful, but responsible decision, which has been positively assessed by international financial institution, primarily by the IMF. "The Law we have adopted is in line with European practices, with the long term aim of providing safe and stable incomes for all Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance beneficiaries and it will also reflect positively on our economy'', he concluded.