Serbian parliament passes 2024 budget bill

BELGRADE - The Serbian parliament passed the 2024 budget bill on Thursday.

Under the bill, budget revenues will total 2,040.9 bln dinars and expenditures will amount to 2,238 bln dinars.

One hundred and forty-five of 189 MPs in attendance voted in favour of the bill and 31 voted against, there were no abstentions and 13 MPs did not take part in the vote.

Compared to the 2023 supplementary budget, revenues are up by 136.9 bln dinars, or by 7.2 pct, with expenditures up by 5 pct.

The fiscal deficit amounts to 197 bln dinars, or 2.2 pct of GDP, down from the 2.8 pct projected in the 2023 supplementary budget.

The Serbian government has said the budget was development-minded and implied continued large capital investments and investments in construction of motorways, high-speed rail lines, schools and hospitals and a continuation of a policy of wage and pension increases and protection of the citizens' standard of living.

A total 598.8 bln dinars - or 6.8 pct of GDP - has been set aside for capital investments.

(1 euro = 117.18 dinars)