Slovak Finance Minister: Consolidation is Helping Public Finances, Deficit Improved by Over 2% of GDP

Slovak Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický has strongly defended the government's fiscal policies, pushing back against recent reports suggesting that consolidation efforts are failing to improve public finances. Speaking at a press conference, Kamenický asserted that the deficit has actually improved by more than two percentage points of GDP compared to the state inherited from the previous administration.

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Tvrdenia o tom, že konsolidácia súčasnej vlády nepomáha verejným financiám, nie sú pravdivé.

Kamenický specifically addressed a report from the Budgetary Responsibility Council (RRZ), which indicated a slight worsening of long-term fiscal sustainability last year, placing it in a high-risk category. He argued that this deterioration is largely due to external shocks, including the war in Ukraine, global trade tensions, and the conflict in the Middle East, rather than domestic policy failures. He even suggested that without the current government's "healing measures," the long-term sustainability indicator would be significantly worse.

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Oproti stavu, v akom ich prebrala od predchodcov, sa zlepšil deficit o viac ako 2 % hrubého domáceho produktu (HDP).

The minister also pointed to increased spending on teachers' and healthcare workers' salaries as a necessary social policy measure that has impacted the figures. He criticized the RRZ for not adequately factoring in these external crises, contrasting it with their past focus on the pandemic and energy crisis. Kamenický's remarks highlight a clear divergence in how the government and independent fiscal watchdogs interpret the current economic situation and the impact of policy decisions in Slovakia.

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Ak by sme nekonsolidovali po darebákoch, ktorí tu spôsobili rozvrat verejných financií, mali by sme dnes dlhodobú udržateľnosť 6,5 %. To je výsledok, to je účet za bývalú vládu.