IMF agreement, Ahmetaj: “In 2017, only advisory”

21/10/2016 15:15

The Minister of Finances, Arben Ahmetaj, revealed for Top Channel what
will happen after the IMF agreement is concluded by February 2017.

“We will not have a new agreement with imposing conditions. We would prefer an agreement with monitoring and advises, since the macro-fiscal reform now has recognized its successes”, Ahmetaj said.

The government wants more budget space for 2017, since it should finance the program of reforms. “There is the justice reform, the decentralization reform, the water reform, the public administration reform, which also includes raised salaries and pensions”.

According to Ahmetaj, the new relation with the IMF doesn’t change the government’s determination to strengthen finances and reduce debt.

“It is not by chance that in an electoral year, the government has not ignored the law for the budget, has not ruined public finances, has even lowered the debt, has kept the primary surplus, has established the lowest deficit for the past 10 years, and guarantees an economic growth of 3.5%”, Ahmetaj said.

In parallel, they will also pass a law for pardoning obligations for businesses, by pardoning debts that have not been collected before December 2010. It also establishes a scheme for facilitating payment of debts created from 2011 to 2014.

For obligations created after December 31st there will be no pardoning.

Top Channel