TIRANA, Oct  3 /ATA/ Minister of Finance and Economy, Delina Ibrahimaj, stated on Monday that the final consumption of the population in the second quarter, which constitutes about 70% of the GDP in the country, increased by 8.95%.

“Certainly, the consumption of the population is a reflection of the policies that the government implemented in the second quarter. We decided to subsidize increased price for all categories at risk with the price increase difference, in order to keep consumption at high levels,” the minister explained.

Unlike the consumption of the population, the consumption of the public administration has recorded a decrease.

Minister Ibrahimaj said that this indicator reflected the policies of the government, which decided to cut those expenses that were not a priority and that could be postponed for the next year.

Meanwhile, the minister emphasized that investments in the second quarter of the year decreased by 6.69%, which is reflected in the slowdown of construction sector.

According to her, exports of goods and services increased by 9%, while imports of this category increased by 17.6%.

Ibrahimaj announced that foreign investments at the end of the first 6 months of this year amounted to 634 million euros, with an increase of 8% compared to the same period of the previous year.

“The unemployment rate in the second quarter of the year was 11.1%, decreasing both compared to a year ago, and compared to the first quarter of this year and is below the level of 2019, as the year preceding the crisis,”, she said.

/j.p/sm/