PM Marković: There is no dialogue on basis of personal perception and populist statements from parliamentary questions

Montenegro, Podgorica (18 July 2018)-- Prime Minister Duško Marković said during today's Prime Minister's Question session in the Parliaement that the gross domestic product in Montenegro per capita in the previous year amounted to EUR 6,810 and that it is the highest GDP in the region of the Western Bakans. He continued by noting that the standard of living of a Montenegrin citizen measured by this parametre is today at the level of 46 % of the EU average, meaning that Montenegro has progressed a lot given the fact that it was about 33% of the EU average in 2006, and that the real earnings in Montenegro increased by 34% compared to 2006 in 2018.

"When it comes to real wage growth, we must bear in mind the overall economic trend, which is positive. The same applies to the growth of pensions, which we have aligned, and whose height has doubled in the last 12 years. These are the facts, which are public and available to our international partners, and therefore are irreconcilable arguments for any discussion of this type," Prime Minister Duško Marković said answering a question by Ranko Krivokapić, MP, from the Social Democratic Party.

PM Marković underlined that the Government is aware that there are still many challenges ahead of the Government in order to achieve high rates of economic growth.

"But we cannot establish a serious political dialogue based on personal perception and populist statements from parliamentary questions. The Government will continue to pursue an economic policy based on a combination of measures to strengthen fiscal stability and enhance competitiveness, with the aim of achieving sustainable economic development and economic growth. In line with the Fiscal Strategy, we will preserve the key principle to finance current spending from the original income, and achieve a budget surplus in 2020 as we projected. So, this year, we did not fund current spending from borrowing. We will increase the revenues of the budget by further fighting the informal economy on the labour market and the market of goods and services, expanding the sustainable tax base. On the expenditure side, through reforms aimed at optimising the state administration and generally the labour market, we will contribute to further productivity growth," the Prime Minister Duško Marković concluded.

As an example of progress and valorisation of resources, the Prime Minister Marković referred to the Portonovi project saying that during yesterday's visit he was convinced that it is a project where hundreds of young people from that partr of Montenegro who are now working in the most renowned world tourist centers will be hired.

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that "the Montenegrin resources are not and will not be destroyed, and the development of the country, while I am at the head of the Government, will not be brought into question due to daily political interests, nor will it be under a shadow of self-centered and prepotent politicians."

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO