Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said yesterday that the country’s economic recovery is a national priority, and that all other key objectives such as European integration, resolution of political issues, the fight against crime and corruption, will depend on the country’s ability to ensure economic viability.
Speaking at the 4th Southeast Europe (SEE) Management Forum themed “How to Improve Competitiveness in Southeast Europe: Context, strategies, economic policies and the role of business leaders,” held in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS), Dacic said that the fall of the national economy must be stopped.
He said that Serbia needs a plan for the stability of the national currency, which must be the result of coordination and joint work of the Serbian government, monetary authorities and industry.
He added that the elements of the plan should be an efficient use of monetary policy, foreign investment, preventing the outflow of foreign exchange, discouraging unnecessary imports and encouraging exports.
The government is ready for a partnership with the financial sector, said Dacic.
The Prime Minister said that the state cannot pursue economic austerity policy and said that the launch of a new investment cycle the key to economic recovery.
According to him, with the lowest wages and pensions, we can hardly introduce economic austerity policy measures. The problem is to find an economic model that will represent the reality of our situation.
He added that half a million pensioners have the pension of less than RSD 15,000, while nearly one million pensioners have a pension smaller than RSD 20,000 and therefore freezing or reducing pensions would not yield good results.
Dacic stressed that the benefits of Serbia are its agriculture, food industry and energy, adding that a new investment cycle in those parts of the domestic economy will be launched.
The two-day forum in the PKS gathered chief economist of the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Indermit Gill, head of the World Bank Office in Serbia Brefort Loup, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia Jorgovanka Tabakovic, President of the Association of Economists of Serbia Aleksandar Vlahovic and PKS President Milos Bugarin.
Source Serbia Gov.
