N. Macedonia unveils 662 mln euro package in support of citizens, firms

The new anti-crisis package includes financial aid for students, single parents to children with special needs, retired citizens, farmers and public administration employees, the government said in a press release on Tuesday.

"We help everyone to overcome difficulties in the conditions of increased costs of living, as well as in conditions where we have prolonged effects of the energy crisis. At the same time, through economically justified policies, we ensure the macroeconomic and fiscal stability of the state," prime minister Dimitar Kovacevski said in the statement.

The package also includes targeted support for households for investments in energy efficiency projects, as well as subsidies for electricity and heating bills.

The government will also support the private sector by providing favourable loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and female entrepreneurs. It will also subsidise salary contributions of employees to facilitate wage increases.

The package also encompasses aid for the public sector in the form of favourable loans to municipalities and support for energy efficiency projects.

North Macedonia's average consumer prices went up 3.5% year-on-year in October, after increasing by an annual 6.6% in September.

($ = 0.910025 euro)