The Serbian government will today present new measures aimed at the economic and financial consolidation of the country, with the key message from high-ranking state officials being that the poorest segments of society will not be affected.
Prime Minister Ivica Dačić explained that these measures are not directly related to the visit of International Monetary Fund officials to Serbia, while the first Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić announced a reduction in salaries in the public sector, explaining that savings of 200 to 230 million euros are expected.
However, he also stated that this will not affect pensions, which will, as previously agreed, grow at the anticipated pace. Vučić reminded of earlier IMF demands for additional layoffs in the public sector, while the new Minister of Finance Lazar Krstić emphasized that the financial stability of the country and healthy economic growth can be ensured by progress in five areas.
The Minister of Finance also estimated that Serbia’s public debt, which was around 19 billion euros at the end of 2012, will reach 21 billion by the end of 2013, forecasting that a gradual reduction of public debt will take at least three to four years.
