Mali: Serbia is one of Europe's fastest-growing economies

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Monday that, at 4.3 pct, Serbia's GDP growth in the first half of this year was the second-highest in Europe and that, slowly but surely, Serbia was becoming one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe.

Explaining a bill amending the 2024 budget law in the Serbian parliament, Mali said the bill reflected the present state of the Serbian economy and was defined by goals outlined in the Serbia 2027 programme.

He noted that, in the first half of the year, Serbia had been the second best performer in Europe when it comes to GDP growth, "right behind Malta."

"That means that, slowly but surely, we are entering the circle of the fastest-growing economies in Europe. Our economy is in the top five of Europe's fastest-growing economies. Therefore, that is the way our main desired objective - accelerated growth of our economy and accelerated approximation to EU standards - is being accomplished," Mali said.

He noted that Serbia's GDP would be worth around 76 bln euros in 2024.

"Let me remind you: in 2012, the GDP - the value of everything our economy produces - was 33.4 bln euros. I expect a 3.7-3.8 pct growth rate until the end of the year, so we will remain one of the top two or three economies in Europe. That is very, very important because the faster and the more we grow, that will also be our foundation for salary and pension increases, minimum wage increases and further investments in agriculture, culture, ecology, health care and in everything that, at the end of the day, is a part of this supplementary budget," Mali told MPs.