Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH and Minister of Finance and Treasury Nikola Špirić met in Sarajevo today with Ambassador of Greece in BIH Carlos Gadis.
They stressed that BIH and Greece have good bilateral cooperation that needs to be enhanced also though economic ties. Ambassador Gadis announced holding of a business forum that might improve economic cooperation and strengthen business links between two countries.
Minister Špirić briefed Ambassador Gadis on the activities concerning adoption the BIH Budget for year 2012, which will be a restrictive one, in compliance with the defined Global Fiscal Framework 2012-2014, and in line with Conclusion of the BIH Fiscal Council.
“A conservative approach to public finances in BIH is the best one, for the reason of overwhelming crisis. There is a ruling opinion that more money means more State, so lower levels of authority and citizens rightly insist on cheaper and more effective state administration ”, Špirić said.
Špirić underlined that the Draft Budget for 2012 is at present a major challenge ahead of the Council of Ministers of BIH, and that the council of Ministers opts for painful cuts in public spending, which is an approach that all in BIH should adopt so as to preserve macroeconomic stability over the next three years.
Gadis reminded that Greece too is a country facing economic problems due to overspending in public sector, and he supported embracing necessary reforms in order to avoid adverse consequences.
“In Greece there was a piece of legislation under which it was possible to retire after only 15 years of service, which proved to be an unsustainable practice”, stated Gadis.
The Greek Ambassador said that his country will support BIH on its road to the EU, in line with the Thessaloniki process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkan countries, and that it will continue to be a priority in the foreign policy of Greece.
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