The bill on the budget for next year, which the Government will adopt by the end of the month, will be sustainable and developmental, announced Prime Minister Duško Marković and added that the executive power will continue with the plan of financial consolidation and ensuring the stability of public finances.
Marković said that the Government, by law, must submit the budget to the Parliament by mid-November.
"The budget for next year will be based on three elements. The first is that we must continue with the plan of financial consolidation and ensuring the stability of public finances. This means that you cannot borrow for consumption, but only for development," Marković told Radio Montenegro.
When it comes to the capital budget, Marković stated that only those requests for which there are projects will be accepted.
"The capital budget will no longer be a list of wishes from local governments or from any other address, but a project must be in place. I believe that we will have a good, sustainable and development budget for the next year," Marković believes.
He also reminded that the government is implementing the rehabilitation plan that was adopted with this year's budget.
"Until September 29, we collected over one billion euros in revenue, which is three percent more compared to the same period last year, and nominally over 32 million euros," specified Marković.
Revenues, as he said, are being realized above the plan.
"We had economic growth of 3,2 percent in the first quarter, and 5,1 percent in the second, in conditions of a 66,5 percent drop in electricity production due to severe droughts," explained Marković.
He added that the employment rate is increasing, while the unemployment rate is decreasing at the same time.
"All indicators show that we have stabilized public finances, encouraged investments, increased growth and that we are getting new jobs. In the third quarter, I expect a higher growth of five percent", announced Marković.
He said that the government's goal this year is to keep the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) from falling below four percent.
"Montenegro is embarking on the path of development, growth of the economy and realization of resources. We will do everything to ensure that Montenegro's resources are used in the right way and in the interest of our economy," said Marković.
Commenting on media reports that the Smokovac interchange was not included in the project assignment and bid for the construction of the priority section of the Bar-Boljari highway, Marković announced that it will be built.
"We will discuss whether it is an integral part of the contract or not, but without the Smokovac interchange there is no highway and it will be built." It is indisputable that the construction of the project of that interchange was contracted, but that there are different interpretations as to whether the contract also entails the obligation of the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to construct the interchange. CRBC does not agree with us here, they think it is not foreseen, we think it is", said Marković.
As he reminded, the Ministry of Transport has already formed a commission that started a dialogue with representatives of CRBC.
"If the CRBC is adamant that it is not their responsibility, then there is an international commission dealing with it. If that doesn't provide a solution either, we will go to arbitration, but I still expect that we will come to an agreement," said Marković.
He added that assumptions are already being made that with the completion of the first priority section, work will continue on the next section Mateševo-Andrijevica and Andrijevica-Boljari.
When it comes to the construction of the second block of the Thermal Power Plant (TE) Pljevlja, Marković said that the procedure for securing financing for that project is taking a long time.
"The government is not giving up on the valorization of that energy resource in Pljevlje, and I believe that we will find a good and quality solution," concluded Marković.
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