Mickoski: consumer basket is real, debt figures are being disputed
Mickoski says calculations follow Eurostat criteria and expects the basket to be debated at the next Economic‑Social Council session.
Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski defended the consumer basket announced by the Economy Ministry, saying the government makes “policy on the basis of numbers, not policy on the basis of feelings” while responding to opposition claims that public debt rose by €4 billion.
Mickoski said public and state debt has now increased by slightly less than €1.4 billion, while GDP rose by €4 billion — figures he contrasted with the 2018–2023 period under SDSM and DUI, when debt increased by €3.7 billion and GDP by €3.9 billion.
Dispute over methodology and oversight
The prime minister said the consumer-basket calculation presented by Economy Minister Durmishi will be discussed at the next session of the Economic-Social Council. He argued the computation follows Eurostat criteria that apply internationally and warned that some domestic institutions prepare their own baskets without clarity whether they reflect minimum or average needs, only to be later contradicted by experts.
The opposition SDSM accused the government of raising the debt by about €4 billion in two years and of producing a basket “tailored to its needs” rather than reflecting reality. SDSM said the government invented a new, lower basket and that it does not match citizens’ everyday costs.
SDSM stated: "Two minimum wages do not even cover their invented, lower basket. More than 10,000 denars are missing. The minister says only 2 percent take the minimum wage. And over 70% of people earn less than the average wage. The consumption basket is not filled by the growth rate of the third economy, but by the prices that citizens pay every day."
Trade unions also reacted. The Union of Trade Unions (PAK) said it was surprised the government published an average basket without the consent of the Economic-Social Council. According to the unions’ calculation for August, the basket was 68,675 denars — some 10,200 denars higher than the figure announced by Minister Durmishi.
Photo: press material from the event
