Kamenicky: Major Changes to Consolidation Package in Parliament Not Recommended

Bratislava, 16 September (TASR) - Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) rejected the possibility of making major changes to the government's consolidation package after Tuesday's tripartite session, saying that the agreement reached by the coalition is fragile and could be disrupted. The government approved the consolidation package last week, but Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) said that additional changes could be adopted by Parliament, which is already discussing the package. "We're willing to accept minor changes, which could be made, for example, by Parliament," said Kamenicky. Even though he intends to discuss every amendment, major changes are not recommended. He reiterated that consolidation is necessary due to the poor condition of public finances caused by previous governments. However, he also rejected the social partners' proposals to abolish social benefits, such as 13th pensions or across-the-board energy subsidies, saying that social reconciliation needs to be preserved. To date, Kamenicky hasn't specified how individual ministries will contribute to the consolidation effort, but his ministry is currently processing their proposals in order to incorporate them into the upcoming state budget. He said that he understands employers' repeated concerns about Slovakia's economy losing its competitiveness, but he stated that other countries, including Slovakia's main trading partners, are facing problems as well. The consolidation package, as proposed, aims to reduce the general government deficit to somewhere between 4.1 and 4.3 percent of gross domestic product, according to Kamenicky. jrg/df