Swedish FinMin Official Discusses Reforms in Slovenia
Lindberg's talks with Janša and Šušteršič on Thursday focused on Slovenia's plans for structural reforms and measures to tackle the crisis, including pension system and labour market reforms and efforts to shore up public finances and banks, Janša's office said.
The trio agreed that both Slovenia and Sweden must continue pushing through reforms. While Slovenia is only beginning to undertake the restructuring of its economy through reforms, Sweden has had much experience, as the earliest reforms date back to the 1990s.
Lindberg presented Sweden's experience in fiscal consolidation and the restructuring of its economy at an event organised by Nordic diplomatic missions in Slovenia on Friday.
Lindberg stressed that, while the first set of reforms in the 1990s was aimed at fiscal consolidation and the country's tax system, Sweden was now trying to implement reforms to boost competitiveness and create new jobs.
He however noted that the first package of reforms, including a reform of the pension system, was not sufficient to stimulate the economy, with unemployment running high, this was tackled with the second refoorm package.
Head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Samo Hribar Milič meanwhile noted that he remained an optimist and that while Slovenia would be in recession next year, things would get better in 2014.
Slovenia's pension and labour market reforms as well as other measures will aid the recovery, he said, but warned that there was the danger of an even deeper recession.
The country will face even deeper recession should the government stick to the current social model instead of developing a model based on innovation and competitiveness, Hribar Milič said.