NEW YORK/BRATISLAVA, September 24, (WEBNOVINY) – In address to the sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Iveta Radicova stated on Saturday that leaders are expected to offer a line for seeking solutions to challenges that the international community currently faces. She referred to words from the opening speech of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who said that the main challenge of the upcoming years is “courage and honesty”. According to Radicova, to be courageous and honest is a challenge of today’s economic and debt crisis, too. “We have to openly say that we do not have appropriate solutions yet. We face shared risks,” she added. Radicova noted that most people expect economic growth, prosperity and a better quality of life. “Those millions who live in poverty, without work, without water or food, expect actual answers, fast reaction and results from political leaders,” she added.
The prime minister spoke about how a small country such as Slovakia can respond to these challenges. “Firstly, it has to do its homework and stabilize economy. This means through deep reforms, create a sustainable pension system. Secondly, a law on budgetary responsibility that will secure a responsible budgetary policy for future generations. This means a reform of the labor market that will support creation of new jobs, in particular for the most threatened groups. It also means reducing administrative burden and business barriers as well as a wider use of e-government services. And of course, it means eliminating corruption and increasing transparency, for instance with a law that each contract involving public funds will take effect only after being published on the Internet,” the prime minister said.
Europe, which has deep economic problems, needs courage and honesty, too, the prime minister said. “The financial crisis and its negative impacts on the banking system in the whole Europe have clearly displayed that the eurozone was not ready for a crisis. Most EU countries did not use a favorable economic period toconsolidate their budgets,” Radicova remarked. The eurozone needs to return to old principles that are inevitable for a successful international cooperation and integration. “We need stricter European and national budgetary rules. We need an institute of controlled default. We need new rules for a responsible management of the financial sector. We need sincerity in order to be honest to people,” she stated, adding that it is important to prevent that technical solutions to the debt crisis cause escalation of nationalism and populism. According to Radicova, there is a chance to save the eurozone on the economic level, but at the same time it is necessary to minimize the risk that “the project of European integration loses on the political level and devaluates in the eyes of our voters.”
Iveta Radicova addressed the UN General Assembly during a week-long visit to the U.S.A. During her stay in New York, she met with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Open Government Partnership forum and at a reception held for heads of national delegations. She is to meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday.
Press and information department of the Cabinet Office provided this information to SITA news agency.
SITA