Mali: We Will Continue Struggling with the Price Growth in the Coming Months as Well, Because We Import a Good Part of the Inflation

The pension raise percentage will be in the double digits this year, and the exact amount will be known by the autumn, stated the minister of finance of Serbia, Sinisa Mali.

Mali said for the Vecernje Novosti daily that, in September, in agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Serbia “will have the exact calculation, harmonized with the Swiss formula,” which will take the wage increase and the inflation levels as the parameters for the pension raise.

When asked whether the inflation was expected to slow down from March, as announced previously, Mali answered that the inflation was “imported” and that “the global economic problems have spilled over to the market of Serbia, which is tightly connected with the economy of the European Union, which is the biggest foreign trade partner.”

– I am optimistic, but in projections and plans, I am always guided by pessimistic prognoses, so as to annul the additional negative effects of the potential worsening of the parameters. We are all suffering the consequences, it’s inevitable – Mali said and added that “Serbia is managing to reduce the effects of the inflation for the citizens of Serbia by raising the salaries and pensions.”

Regarding the professionalization of public companies, which is part of the agenda with the IMF, Mali said that a law on company management was being prepared, that it had gone through the public discussion process in December and that it was now being harmonized.

– I expect the draft law to be put before the government in the first half of this year, and upon its final adoption, we will finally, I hope, solve this important question – said Mali.

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Međunarodni monetarni fond-MMF Beograd

Ministry of Finance

International Monetary Fund

IMF

Sinisa Mali

salary raise

Swiss formula

inflation

imported inflation

professionalization of public companies