LJUBLJANA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia needs structural reforms, including reforms of the national pension and health systems, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday.

       Donal McGettigan, head of the IMF's mission to Slovenia, which completed its 13-day visit to the country on Tuesday, said that the IMF expects Slovenia's gross domestic product (GDP) to rise by about 2 percent this year.

       Risks to growth remain high and include conflicts in the region, unstable global prices of raw materials and lower-than-expected economic growth in Slovenia's main economic partners, McGettigan told a news conference.

       Bank of Slovenia Governor Bostjan Vasle told the same news conference that "we share the assessment that Slovenia is in a relatively good position at present and that the expected economic growth will remain above the eurozone average."

       Vasle said that although inflation has decreased over the past year the future movements of inflation remain uncertain, mainly due to numerous public sector demands for higher wages.

       At present doctors and dentists, as well as administrative officials are on strike, demanding hefty wage hikes. Prosecutors will strike on Wednesday while judges held a strike earlier in January.

       Slovenia's annual inflation fell to 4.2 percent in 2023, down from 10.3 percent in 2022.

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