Mali pointed out that Serbia attracted foreign investments during the crisis years, when the European economy was in recession and when, after the pandemic, the energy crisis, disruptions in the supply chain, and war conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza alternated.
We do not differentiate between domestic and foreign investors, he said, expressing the hope that investors from the USA will find projects and opportunities in Serbia that will interest them in investing.
The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that last year’s Serbian GDP growth was 2.5 percent, with 3.8 percent in the last quarter alone, and 5.9 percent in February this year, based on exports and investments, and that the official statistical data of the Republic of Serbia show that every economic branch records growth.
He repeated the words of the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgijeva, spoken recently in Washington, that Serbia deserved the results it is recording, i.e. that it is a “bright spot” of the economy, and pointed out that our country’s praise and recognition from international financial institutions are an incentive for it to continue on its path economic policy, reforms and development.
Thanks to the “Serbia 2027” plan and EXPO, Serbia will become the largest construction site in Europe. Approximately 18 billion euros will amount to total investments in the entire country in all sectors, said Mali.
The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that all this will bring further growth, raise the quality of life and the quality of infrastructure, since nine highways and traffic roads are currently being built, and the plan is for a high-speed railway to reach Nis, North Macedonia and the Bulgarian border.
All this, as he emphasized, attracts investors and gives us the desired results, so we have lowered unemployment from the former 25.9 percent to today’s 9.1 percent, we have record gold reserves and a stable exchange rate.
Mali also presented that Serbia has a stable public debt at the level of 47.6 percent of GDP, while the world public debt has grown from 84 percent to 93 percent of GDP in a few years, and the average indebtedness of the Eurozone is 89 percent.
He also stated that the budget deficit of the Republic of Serbia is 2.2 percent, despite the original projections of 3.3 percent, and that even 63 percent of direct foreign investments in the region come to Serbia.
Investors, after the visit of the Serbian delegation to Washington on the occasion of the spring session of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, arrived in Belgrade in order to learn more about all the parameters of the Serbian economy.
