The head of the World Bank Office in Serbia, Steven Ngdeva, recommended two priorities for the new Serbian government – the consolidation of the health system and the continuation of reforms.
In the RTS daily, Steven Ngdeva pointed out that the health care system should be consolidated first so that it can respond to the pandemic as last time.
Then, Ngdeva said that it is necessary to continue with the reforms, in order for Serbia to return to high growth rates.
He specified that the reforms should refer to small and medium enterprises, ecology, Tax Administration.
The director of the World Bank Office in Serbia said that we should work aggressively towards the results, because, as he says, some things were a little late in the previous government.
“Reforms should be forced with the new team so that Serbia can continue to grow,” Ngdeva said.
He says that the economy is slowed down, but that Serbia has recorded better results than the countries of the Western Balkans and that it has strong bases because the situation is fiscally healthy.
“Now is the opportunity to move to the next level,” Ngdeva said.
The World Bank estimates that Serbia will begin its recovery next year and that it will return to the path from earlier by 2022.
He said that the government with a limited deadline is a challenge, but that it can also be a motivation to do some things faster because the new cabinet in Nemanjina is waiting for a set of new laws and reforms.
When asked about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, he answered that citizens and the economy need credible action and stability over time.
“While these issues are being resolved, it gives the right signals to the economy and citizens,” Ngdeva said.
When it comes to the help of the World Bank, he stated that some programs for providing faster loans have been reformulated since the beginning of the pandemic, and mentioned the Covid emergency loan for the economy.
He also announced programs related to railway modernization, budget assistance for key reforms, as well as a new program related to environmental growth, Beta reports.
