Sakova: Hundreds of Requests Received When Preparing Stabilisation Measures

Bratislava, 3 June (TASR) - When preparing pro-growth measures, the Economy Ministry received hundreds of requests from employer and business associations, the Trade Union Confederation, the University of Economics and Business and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, said Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) after Wednesday's session of the cabinet, which approved a bill on stabilisation measures for businesses. "We've addressed all of these requests, filtering them down to be able to categorise them into five segments, such as energy, the tax and levy burden, investment, the labour market, and streamlining the business environment," said Sakova, adding that weeks and months of work were devoted to conducting a constructive and professional dialogue with individual stakeholders. She recalled that it was made clear right from the start that whenever a measure would have an impact on the budget, it would be discussed separately. "At the same time, we've always said that if a measure would have lowered people's social and living standards, it would be regarded as inadmissible, while we'd also keep a very close eye on how these measures will be addressed," stated Sakova, adding that many proposals received from businesses weren't in line with European Commission regulations. "We're ready to continue discussing these measures on a professional and constructive level, and we'll absolutely support identifying measures that will actually stabilise Slovakia's economy," said Sakova. She confirmed a plan to ease the administrative burden and to simplify the provision of services to employers, emphasising that the government will make sure that this doesn't reduce people's living standards. At its session on Wednesday, the government approved a package of 49 measures designed to help stabilise the business environment, of which 11 are legislative measures in the form of a draft law, while 32 measures will be implemented by the end of the year in the form of legislative or non-legislative proposals, and six measures are already in the legislative process. The changes concern, for example, electricity prices, the use of the modernisation fund, reducing red tape and increasing the funding package for energy-intensive businesses from the proceeds of emissions-allowance sales. The government has also asked Parliament to discuss the proposal via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. jrg/df