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Radicova: People Can't Be Constant Victims of Irresponsible Governments
Monday 19 July 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, July 19 (TASR) - Slovakia experienced severe austerity measures in the late 1990s and at the beginning of the new decade, when 10 percent of GDP went to reviving the banking sector and Slovakia was close to bankruptcy. The new Government doesn't want to introduce similar drastic measures in order to consolidate public finances, therefore, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) said after meeting her Czech counterpart Petr Necas on Monday.
"Not again, people can't constantly be the victims of the irresponsible policies of individual governments," said Radicova.
The first measures to be adopted must be applied in spheres most prone to excessive expenditures and theft. "That's the sphere of corruption, clientelism and bribery - in short, public procurement processes. The Government has already passed the first measures to drastically change the way in which these enormous finance packages are dispensed, and those will be the first austerity measures for us to carry out," she stressed.
According to both premiers, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are interested in sharing experiences in reviving their economies in order to avoid mistakes. "Sharing our experiences with reforming public finances, social systems and healthcare is useful. I always say that reinventing the wheel is pointless. If someone applies a measure that proves its worth, it's good for us to be inspired. And, conversely, if something proves to be a dead-end street, it's good to avoid it rather than repeat that mistake," said Necas.
However, each country will go its own way, in light of the current state of its economy and respective development priorities.
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