By the middle of next week, all ministers will have to develop a proposal for a concrete savings plan in the soon-to-be-rebalanced state budget. – We did not order that ministers must reduce costs by 300 or 500 million kuna, but if they do not meet our expectations by next week, they will have to go for a retake – Prime Minister Sanader categorically stated after a meeting attended by all ministers, state secretaries, and directors of administrations.
The extent to which the budget will shrink will depend on the revenue projection, as well as estimates of GDP decline, šwhich leading economic analysts will communicate to Minister Šuker next week. – We do not know how it will be in the fall; we may find ourselves in a situation where we go into deficit, and for that, savings are needed – says Sanader. From this, it can be inferred that the rebalancing, for which a proposal will be made by the end of March, aims to completely close the deficit.
However, there is no abandonment of infrastructure projects, such as the Pelješac Bridge. Where will the money for their financing come from? From concessions or public-private partnerships, Šuker and Sanader indirectly convey, as this is the flywheel that can keep our industry alive. They draw conviction for such a claim from the examples of countries that, despite the crisis, have not abandoned public works. The question is only who would allocate money for such a thing today (besides IGH)?
