Serbia’s short-term macroeconomic perspectives are good, but the risks and structural economic challenges still remain – said today the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after its delegation, with James Roaf at the helm, concluded its official visit to Serbia.
In a press release, the IMF says that the economic programme implemented by Serbia did bring good results because the national GDP grew by 2.8% in 2016, as did investments, export and employment. The IMF forecasts the growth rate in 2017 to be around 3%, while the inflation will probably remain unchanged.
“However, risks remain and structural economic challenges persist. In this context, the mission stressed the need to fully implement the authorities’ reform agenda to cement hard-won macroeconomic gains, reduce fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises, further strengthen financial stability, and boost Serbia’s medium-term growth and employment”, the press release reads.
The IMF also underlines the importance of the full implementation of public administration reform, which includes health sector, education sector and tax administration, as well as measures to enhance public investment management.
“It also assessed ongoing plans to resolve or restructure problematic state-owned enterprises, particularly in the mining and energy sectors, and the effectiveness of measures to eliminate arrears in the energy and health sectors. The mission also discussed the status of the financial sector reform agenda, including the implementation of the NPL resolution strategy and the strategy for state-owned banks”, the press release says.
(Blic, 06.03.2017)
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