President Victor Yushchenko held a meeting with regional governors and representatives of local authorities, dedicated to fighting economic crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking at the meeting President Yushchenko said that main cause for the crisis in the country had been populist and unreasoned policy of the Government.
He criticized implementation of this year’s budget and elaboration of the document for the next year. According to him in November budgetary deficiency amounted to more than 2 million hryvnyas. With regard to continuation of the crisis implementation of the budget in December would be even worse.
Speaking about draft budget 2009, that the Government presented today, President Yushchenko said that “it is a tragedy”. “This is the most irresponsible document that the Government could ever elaborate. This is a political recklessness that the country cannot live with. And this is direct responsibility of the Government”, - said Victor Yushchenko.
He urged the Government to revise the draft budget so it was based on real economic indices.
Addressing regional governors and local authorities President Yushchenko urged them to elaborate common practical steps on local level to minimize impact of the crisis.
Among the most important, President named covering such budgetary expenses as wages, payments for communal services and energy supplies, etc. Beside that addressed support should be increased to protect the most vulnerable parts of Ukrainian society.
President Yushchenko stressed again that the crisis could be an opportunity for the Government to conduct deep reforms of budgetary, fiscal and social policy, yet “the question remains whether the Government has political will to use it”.
