SNS leader presents future cabinet's program

SNS leader presents future cabinet's program

”This means that we will maintain a policy good for the young although this may not be the best policy when it comes to our results in some future elections,” Vučić said following the session of the SNS Presidency on Saturday and underscored that the party would conduct a courageous, difficult but also the only possible policy which would focus on cuts in the public sector and strengthening of the private sector.

The government is about to face serious tasks and make drastic savings in the public sector, but pensions will not be reduced, Vučić said.

The private sector will strengthen considerably and the program of the future government will comprise three parts of structural reforms.

”This means that all the vital reform laws would be adopted by the end of June, such as the labour law, bankruptcy law, privatization law, insurance law, law on planning and construction and the law on office for prompt responses, as well as 13 laws in the justice system sector,” Vučić said.

The second section of the structural reforms will focus on solving the problems in restructuring companies which means that investors would be brought wherever this proves possible and the third sector which should see the biggest changes will be a drastic change in the attitude and behavior in public companies.

Where the management structure is assessed as insufficiently competent, the company will undergo a privatization process and dramatic cuts will be made in the number of employees in the public sector because the government seeks to build a healthy and well-functioning economy which will serve as the guarantee for the future of the coming generations, Vučić said.

Vučić announced that the talks with all relevant political factors in Serbia would be held next week and added that these would primarily focus on the government plan and program and the steps that need to be carried out.

He said that he would first confer with (leader of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians) Istvan Pastor on Monday, followed by a meeting with (leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia) Ivica Dačić on Tuesday and added that the New Democratic Party (NDS) would also be invited to the talks but this does not necessarily mean a coalition would be closed with them.

”I do not know how many ministers in the government would come from SNS lines, this is not so important, but there will certainly be a number of experts in the government,” he said.

Noting that the electoral promises would be fulfilled, Vučić said that this does not mean Serbia would immediately become a land of milk and honey and that it instead implies difficult reforms.

”We need reforms and drastic savings will be made in terms of budget expenses and by this I am referring to everything that people are rightfully annoyed by, such as the fact that EUR 40 million are spent on daily wages in public companies, but I can promise that nothing will remain the same,” Vučić said after the session of the SNS presidency which covered the plan and program of the future government.

"Hard work"

"We will draw up a system following the model of well-developed countries like Austria and Germany, which is marked by no miracles, only order, hard work and discipline, and we won the support for such a policy by the party presidency on Saturday and the Main Board will also hold its session," leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Aleksandar Vučić stated.

”I know this will cost us popularity,” he said and added that the talks would be conducted as of Monday with all political representatives which may appear in the future parliament.

Vučić underscored that it is an obligation for the future government to carry out tangible measures and employ people currently working on freelance contracts and the young who are still jobless.

We expect a major increase in the number of employees in the private sector and the main point is for a part of the public sector employees to be transferred to the private sector which will from now on serve the public sector and not the other way around, Vučić said and added that the public sector should make financial transfers to the government instead of being rather well-off and amassing wealth without giving anything to the state.

Now we will assume a different attitude toward the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) and all other companies, Vučić said and added that he will not tolerate companies which maintain such a loose attitude.

“There are no more feudatories in the government and I will interfere in the work of any minister as the feudal system has become a part of history, this I can guarantee to you,” Vučić said.

If Serbia has a 29 percent ownership stake in NIS, then it holds a claim to the proportional part of the profit, he said.

It is my duty to claim the funds for the people and pay back the debts and other dues, Vučić said and noted that this is a courageous and difficult policy but it is the only one which can get Serbia out of the crisis.

The SNS leader reiterated that Serbia wishes to close an agreement with the International Monetary Fund and conduct serious reforms, and that it is willing to prepare the best packages of incentives to attract both local and foreign investors.

When asked if such an aggressive public sector reform would entail dismissals, Vučić said that all those doing their job well will not get fired but not even one hundred people doing their job poorly can be sustained any longer.