20th March 2026, Skopje - In an interview with “Dnevnik” on Macedonian Radio Television yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska, stated that, amid global uncertainty, some adjustments to the budget projections may be needed. However, the priority remains to be preserving the fiscal stability and protecting the citizens’ standard of living.
As she emphasized, the Ministry of Finance remains focused on maintaining the budget deficit as per the projections, with funds being allocated to key priorities - regular payment of wages, pensions and social protection.
“The Ministry of Finance’s main focus is to ensure the budget deficit stays within the projections set for this year. Our approach will certainly be to identify savings where feasible and allocate the funds to priority areas. Still, I must emphasize that the priority will always be to ensure timely payment of wages, pensions, social protection, i.e. everything that is essential to safeguard the citizens’ standard of living”, the Minister underlined.
The Government is closely monitoring the developments and will make decisions in response to the evolving crisis.
The Minister highlighted that the uncertainty about how long the crisis will last is the key challenge, as other governments are likewise taking cautions and conditional approach.
“It is a fact that we have over two billion euros in liabilities to be serviced this year, and this must be done without any delay. Just like any household, when you take out a loan - whether a housing loan or a consumer loan, you are required to repay it. Failing to do so undermines the credit rating and the financial stability. Therefor, not servicing these liabilities is simply not an option.
To that end, as she emphasized, part of the funds is obtained through refinancing, with a strategic decision being made this year to increase foreign borrowing, thus reducing the crowding out effect.
The Minister went on by saying that this approach is in line with the previously set budget projections, and has proven justified amid rising global uncertainties.
She stated that the Government will continue to closely monitor the economic trends and make decisions aimed at securing economic stability and protecting the citizens.
