Venko Filipçe, leader of SDSM, said citizens would face a difficult autumn, while living standards are expected to decline further.

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.

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University professor Bashkim Selmani believes that without a clear strategy, the country is not expected to see significant changes, while stressing that the main challenge remains the high level of public debt.

“We are only seeing changes of individuals, but strategy, obsolescence, citizens’ public debts, and the economic crisis are factors that the government is neither removing nor easing. This makes it the basic problem with which any individual, any government that comes, or any minister, is not something from which we can expect any effectiveness as far as the state is concerned,” said university professor Bashkim Selmani.

Addressing also the transfer of the ministries of justice, culture and inter-community relations to VLEN, Selmani stressed that there is no concrete platform on how action should be taken.

“Albanians have not built a basic platform on which institutions have priority and what should be done. Therefore, I see it more as a personal reshuffle or one involving certain political entities. However, on the other hand, we have no measurement of results as to what we would change for citizens, because within two years we are seeing certain partisan changes of political entities, while on the other hand citizens’ obligations, rights and commitments are not being given comfort, and the institutions are not functional because each one of them has public debts,” said university professor Bashkim Selmani.

Meanwhile, the proposal for the reshuffled government cabinet is expected to be put to a vote in parliament by around the middle of the month.

Under the new division, VLEN will lead the Ministry for Political System and Inter-Community Relations with Agon Ferati. Until now, this post was held by Ivan Stoillkoviq, who will move to the position of minister of local self-government.

VLEN has also taken over the Ministry of Justice, which will be headed by professor Jeton Shasivari, while it has lost Social Policy. That portfolio has gone to VMRO-DPMNE and will be led by the current deputy minister, Gjoko Vellkovski.

VLEN has also been left without the health portfolio. In return, it has taken the Ministry of Culture, where Sedat Sulejmani will serve as minister.

There will be no changes to VLEN’s кадres in European Integration, Ecology and Economy, namely Bekim Sali, Muhamet Hoxha and Besar Durmishi. /tvm2

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