Filipce: Citizens are becoming poorer, but the debate is focused on thousand-year-old relics

The leader of the SDSM, Venko Filipce, said in an interview with Sitel that citizens’ welfare and standard of living should be the priorities, rather than historical discussions.

“I would like us to talk more about the state and the standard of living. While we debate the relics of Tsar Samuel, which date back one and a half thousand years, citizens are sinking into poverty,” Filipce said.

According to him, many citizens are barely managing to survive, and their salaries are not enough to support their families. He claimed that food prices are higher than in Germany, while purchasing power in the country remains extremely weak.

Filipce pointed out that European countries are moving forward, focusing on standards, technology and development. He said that a responsible government should work toward good relations with neighboring countries and better living conditions.

Speaking about agriculture, he described the difficulties faced by farmers. According to him, in meetings with livestock farmers, grape growers, rice growers, apple producers and dairy farmers, the main concerns are related to low purchase prices, reduced subsidies and rising production costs.

“This year, people took out loans and now have no way to repay them. They are on the verge of poverty, while Mickoski is presenting himself as a great patriot,” Filipce said.

He warned that farmers fear they will not be able to continue production next year because they lack the funds for investment. For this reason, Filipce called on the parliamentary majority to vote for the SDSM’s draft law on financial support for agriculture, which provides for additional subsidies for each kilogram of produce and per hectare of land.