Serbian parliament passes 2026 budget law

BELGRADE - The Serbian parliament passed the 2026 budget law on Wednesday.

Under the law, budget revenues will total 2,414.7 bln dinars, which is a 2.9 pct or 68.5 bln dinar increase relative to the 2025 budget.

Expenditures will amount to 2,751.7 bln dinars, resulting in a 337 bln dinar fiscal deficit equivalent to 3 pct of GDP.

The projected GDP growth rate is 3 pct.

Finance Minister Sinisa Mali has said 6.7 pct of budget funds, or around 740 bln dinars, would go to capital investments.

He said the budget was also development-minded and aimed to preserve the standard of living through a 5.1 pct increase of public sector wages, a 12.2 pct pension increase from December 2025 as well as a 10.1 pct minimum wage increase from January 2026.

Under an amendment tabled by Serbian Progressive Party MP Veroljub Arsic and subsequently passed by the parliament, an additional 164 bln dinars has been set aside for procurement of financial property for the purpose of ensuring energy security and stability in the country.

Also, 277 bln dinars has been earmarked for defence and 147.5 bln - or 7.1 pct of the total budget funds - will go to agriculture.

(1 euro = 117.4 dinars)