2nd April 2018, Skopje – The day of adopting the first Budget of independent Republic of Macedonia, 2nd April 1992, has been celebrated for the first time today. At the occasion thereof, Ministry of Finance organized the First Annual Conference, at which Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Zoran Zaev, President of the Assembly Talat Xhaferi, Minister of Finance Dragan Tevdovski, World Bank Country Director for Western Balkans, Europe and Central Asia Linda van Gelder and former Ministers of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia had their address.
As Prime Minister Zoran Zaev stressed, celebration of this day speaks in favour of strong continuity of the statehood, paying tribute to the operations of the financial institutions of the state, regardless of the political and objective turmoil Republic of Macedonia went through when building democratic institutions.
-When forming the present Government of the Republic of Macedonia, we strived to base our work upon open, transparent, reliable and efficient government institutions that communicate and cooperate with the citizens – Prime Minister pointed out.
Prime Minister stressed that transparency, accountability and responsibility are the key values of this Government. He pointed out that within the most significant reform document – Plan 3-6-9, the realized measures were aimed precisely thereto.
Commitment to transparency and accountability is best reflected in the public finance management, in particular when preparing and executing the Budget, Prime Minister said.
Zaev underlined that when it is a matter of Budget transparency and accountable budget operations, the broader public will be consulted when preparing the budgets- as promised. As Prime Minister pointed out, NGOs, experts, chambers, unions, as well as representatives of international financial partners of the Republic of Macedonia participated in the 2018 Budget-related debate. In addition to public debates, to the end of greater transparency, as for this year’s Budget, Citizens’ Budget was also published, and Citizens’ Budgets for all ministries separately were prepared as well.
-This Government will hold on to the commitment for the citizens’ money to be returned to them and the business sector, after being previously injected in projects aimed at enhancing the Macedonian economy and providing better life and health of citizens – Zaev said, pointing out that the Government will continue to strive for the Budget to provide for conditions for realistic boosting of the economy through higher capital investments and significant state support for new investments, enhanced competitiveness and export growth.
As Minister of Finance Dragan Tevdovski stressed, the budget is the blood stream of the functioning of the state, having direct effects on the quality of life of Macedonian citizens.
-Budget is the blood stream of the functioning of the state, since. salaries of teachers of our children, equipment used in the public health sector, employment measures, social assistance, support for businesses when creating jobs and investing, construction of sewerage, irrigation systems, schools, hospitals, roads and energy facilities depend thereon. And many other matters surely depend on the Budget, having direct effects on the quality of life of the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia – Tevdovski said.
He also mentioned the 2018 Budget, which, as he said, reflects the key priorities of the Government, such as: economic growth, higher living standard and greater social justice, as well as intensification of the integration processes in NATO and the EU. Therefore, as Tevdovski pointed out, this year’s Budget included greater support for domestic enterprises creating jobs and investing, as well as more funds for capital investments, education, health and defense.
However, as Tevdovski pointed out, the projecting and planning on the short run should be stopped in Macedonia.
-Ministry of Finance has commenced longer-term forecasting. For the first time since the independence, Ministry of Finance has developed Public Financial Management Reform Programme. It covers the period from 2018 until 2021, including all significant elements of the system, starting from fiscal transparency, by introducing medium-term budgeting and changes in the public procurement system, all the way to improvements in the functioning of the public internal financial control, PRO and the Customs Administration. It is aimed at medium-term improvement of the public finance system in line with the EU Standards – Tevdovski said.
As President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Talat Xhaferi said, by adopting the first Budget of the Republic of Macedonia, we have shown to the domestic public, above all to the economic entities, as well as to the international public and the international financial organizations that we, as a state, are capable of projecting and executing a Budget, without which not even a single function of the state can be performed.
-In a modern democratic world, above all within the European Union, assessment and valuation of the democratic capacity of certain ruling parties, and generally the level of democracy in a country, is based exactly upon the budget adoption and the government spending.
President of the Assembly talked about the role of the Assembly in the Budget adoption. As he pointed out, as regards the norms, i.e. the respective laws, as well as the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the possibilities it provides for parliamentary control over the Budget, we do not lag behind the developed democratic countries. He said that the Assembly also carries out control over the Budget when considering the Annual Report, as well as through the parliamentary questions.
First Budget of the Republic of Macedonia was adopted on 2nd April 1992. Metodija Tosevski was the Minister of Finance who has proposed the First Budget, whereas the document was signed by then-President of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia Stojan Andov and then-President of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov.
You see the photos from this event at the following link:
https://www.finance.gov.mk/mk/node/7144
