Karanfilova Panovska: At this growth rate, it will take 75 years to reach the EU average
SDSM says the World Bank report shows stagnation and missing structural reforms, contradicting the prime minister's economic claims.
Opposition party SDSM said the World Bank's latest report contradicts the prime minister's optimistic claims about the country's economic progress and points to stagnation and insufficient structural reforms in North Macedonia.
In a video statement, SDSM representative Karanfilova Panovska warned about the long-term consequences of slow growth and sharply criticized current policy. She said: "At this rate of growth, it will take us 75 years to reach the EU average."
SDSM's diagnosis and political implications
The party highlighted that the World Bank report documents delayed economic and political development and slow progress toward European Union integration. SDSM argued that the findings undermine the government's narrative of transformation.
SDSM officials said the report "gives only the diagnosis that there are no reforms" and stressed that the absence of structural change harms both economic development and the country's political alignment with the EU.
The opposition called on the government to present a concrete reform plan and timelines to accelerate growth and the accession process, saying verbal assurances are insufficient given the World Bank's assessment.
Photo: press material from the event
