Even 13 ministers and one state secretary are writing a recovery plan, yet no one is asking the real sector what they need

Capital public investments in railways and railway networks, road infrastructure, healthcare, efficiency of public administration and judiciary are in preparation, and these are the first projects that will be financed with the agreed 22 billion euros from the EU treasury. All of this is great, but where are the opportunities for entrepreneurs and the real sector?

With these words, those who do not depend on and do not rely on the public sector comment on the first announcements that trickle out about the possibilities that this grand amount, the 22 billion euros, offers to the domestic economy. Once again, the state has pushed itself to the forefront with its investments, entrepreneurs complain, who genuinely hoped that a larger portion of that money would be directed towards them, not just for the project of surviving the crisis but also for business development. And while entrepreneurs complain because no one is asking them anything, the Government assures them that there is no fear because all these projects will be implemented within the framework of public procurement.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) is in preparation, the Government announces, a document that will pave the way for drawing funds from the European Union. Although it needs to be approved by the European Commission and the European Council, the document is being polished, and the working group preparing it will elaborate on how we should spend EU money. The working group preparing this comprehensive plan is chaired by the Prime Minister himself, and it includes thirteen ministers and one state secretary, and there is no panic for the Government anywhere.

– The first drafts of the NPOO will be ready by October, and then consultations with the European Commission will continue – the Government announces.
There is no one from the real sector in the working group, no one from the academic community. No one to point out to the ministers and the Prime Minister the needs and desires of the real sector, to which, at least such signals suggest, a large part of those EU funds is intended.

It is not that there will be no money for the economy, they reassure in the Banski dvori, only that the realization of already started projects will be initiated first. And these are public investments that are important for recovery, construction of railway networks, airports, road and healthcare infrastructure.

– By announcing public procurement, our entrepreneurs also have an opportunity – they remind in the Government and note that part of the package is indeed intended for preserving the liquidity of companies and existing jobs, that is, the continuation of measures due to COVID-19.

What do they say in the real sector, entrepreneurial associations and chambers about the fact that no one is asking them anything and that they are not participating in any preparations for drawing that money from the EU, read in the printed and digital issue of the weekly Lider.