Pendarovski: In these unpredictable times, our economy depends on internal reforms
This year we need more than a vision for the progress of our common homeland, something that is usually offered by the summits of "Macedonia 2025". In these unpredictable times, the success of the Macedonian economy will depend not only on external factors that we can not influence, but above all on the commitment to internal reforms, said President Stevo Pendarovski at the closing of the Summit of the NGO "Macedonia 2025" yesterday and today. held in Skopje.
When people stop believing that they can change something, they simply come to terms with fate. The biggest danger is not the crises themselves, but the attitude towards them. The dilemma is whether we will seek solutions or we will indulge in a line of lower resistance after the events, said Pendarovski.
He pointed out that resistance to crises is not only material but also mental.
- If we want to replace collective helplessness with collective hope, we will have to reach for the key resource, and that is the will. "Macedonia 2025" since its inception to date has managed to help Macedonian business overcome several national and global crises, inspire new generations of business leaders, attract numerous foreign investors and maintain the hope that we can change the reality regardless of the context , stressed Pendarovski.
With such confidence, as he said, at the beginning of his term he initiated the development framework "MKD 2030" as a common platform for long-term vision for the development and future of the country.
- The goal was to build on party national consensus on the priorities necessary for accelerated growth and better life of citizens. "We started the project in much more favorable conditions than the current ones before the pandemic, at a time when our NATO integration was being completed and when the European perspective seemed much closer," the head of state said.
Now, after three years, he added, the world looks dramatic.
- The pandemic caused a global recession, energy crisis and price shocks in global markets. In 2024, the global economy will be at least 2,3 percent smaller than it would be without the pandemic. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also led to a European energy and food crisis. At the same time, we are facing blockades of European integration and emigration of young people, said Pendarovski.