Today, the Minister of Finance of Serbia, Sinisa Mali, in a conversation with the new director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the Western Balkans, Matteo Colangeli, pointed out that in cooperation with that financial institution, the “green agenda” was defined as an absolute priority.
Mali said that the support that the EBRD provides to Serbia in the implementation of projects in the field of environmental protection is of great importance, and that he hopes that it will continue to support and strengthen the private sector.
Last year, as the Minister said, Serbia was successful on the international capital market, and the issuance of green bonds is also planned, in order to implement important projects in environmental protection.
He added that the “green agenda” will be an important part of the future arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Minister said that in the first quarter of this year, better results were recorded than projected, and that the annual GDP growth is expected to be more than the projected six percent, and that the budget is well structured, especially bearing in mind that as much as 7.2 percent goes to capital investment, which further contributes to higher economic growth.
As he explained, part of those investments is in “green projects” which are important because they can attract private investments.
Matteo Colangeli stated that the priorities in the coming period are the strengthening of the private sector, ie the recovery of the economy after the corona virus pandemic, then the green economy and thus the construction of greener and more inclusive economies in the region.
“In that sense, the EBRD will continue to support Serbia,” Colangeli stressed, Danas reports.
