Venko Filipçe, leader of SDSM, said citizens would face a difficult autumn, while living standards are expected to decline further.
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Commenting on the country’s economic and social situation, he said the Government had not prepared a plan to protect citizens from the new wave of price increases expected to begin in September.
According to Filipçe, instead of adopting measures to safeguard living standards, the authorities are leaving citizens to cope on their own with rising food prices, high fuel prices and the continuously increasing cost of living.
He raised concerns that regional and global developments could further worsen the economic situation. Nevertheless, according to him, the Government is not taking action to prevent the coming wave of price hikes.
Filipçe said he expects a major crisis in September, citing the exceptionally low water level in the Danube and the declaration of a state of crisis in Serbia and Hungary. He added that Hungary is shutting down part of its nuclear capacity due to a lack of cooling water, which could affect energy prices in the region.
As another source of uncertainty, the SDSM leader mentioned the war in Iran. According to him, it is still unclear how the situation will develop and, if it does not calm down, fuel prices will continue to rise. Filipçe reiterated that there are no measures to support citizens and that he expects a major crisis.
He stressed that household budgets would feel the greatest impact in September, when back-to-school expenses also begin. At the same time, the Government has announced neither wage increases nor measures that would mitigate the effects of rising prices.
Filipçe raised the question of what would happen to fuel prices and whether an increase would trigger a new price spiral. Referring to prices in supermarkets, he said they would rise again following the latest increase in fuel prices. According to him, no one is monitoring prices or taking measures, and the country is therefore facing a major crisis.
Finally, he accused the Government of using “administrative tricks” to conceal the true state of living standards instead of providing citizens with genuine support.
