Fico: We'd Like to Approve Package of Pro-growth Measures at Next House Session

Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The first package of measures aimed at supporting the economy is expected to be approved during the next session of Parliament, which begins next Tuesday (26 May), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced at a press conference on Thursday. Fico said that he couldn't yet specify whether the measures would take the form of a single law or several partial legislative amendments. "The fact is that the Slovak government wants to submit to Parliament a draft law or laws introducing a range of pro-growth measures. These measures are aimed at supporting business without any impact on the state budget and, of course, without affecting people's living standards," said Fico. The prime minister confirmed that the Government Office had sent a working draft of the measures to the social partners for review and that the tripartite council could discuss them next Tuesday. The government could then address the measures at an away-from-home cabinet session next Wednesday (27 May). "If we approve them in substance, we can instruct legislative experts to draft them into a bill or bills and submit them to Parliament," added Fico. According to Fico, a second package of measures, which would affect public finances, might be presented alongside the draft state budget, probably at the end of September. He said that these measures should also have no impact on living standards, adding that the government intends to seek funding for economic support in other areas. Fico referred to his press conference as an update on positive developments for Slovakia. Among the positive news, he cited the latest unemployment data, which showed a decline in April despite the economic slowdown, as well as nearly 30-percent growth in construction output in March, figures confirmed by the Statistics Office in the first half of May. According to the prime minister, another piece of positive news was that household energy prices in Slovakia, after state subsidies, remain among the lowest in the European Union. mf/df