Vucic: I discussed Serbia's EU path with European leaders in Tivat

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he had discussed the future of the EU and Serbia's European path with the leaders of the EU and chief EU member states at a recent summit in Tivat, Montenegro.

Vucic said this in response to an Informer TV request to comment on a report by Croatia's Jutarnji list paper that Brussels planned to "reward" Serbia for "softening a set of judicial laws" to motivate Belgrade to halt a "democratic regression."

Speaking to the TV station by phone, Vucic said he tried not to comment on reports by Croats or Croatian media outlets because "everything they have written has always been untrue."

"That discussion was very good and quite open. I had an opportunity to speak with the most powerful and the most important leaders in Europe. And we did not discuss any rewards or anything else - we discussed what needs to be done, we discussed the future of the European Union, but above all, the quality of Serbia's path and what Serbia wants. I think that something good might come as a result of that good discussion, but whether it will or not, we will see in the time that is ahead of us," Vucic said.

He added that, even when they argued amongst themselves, Croats needed to keep mentioning him and Serbia.

Vucic: Serbia has nearly 5 bln euros in state coffers, budget review possible due to higher revenues

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday Serbia currently had nearly 5 bln euros in state coffers and noted that any budget review would be a result of higher revenues, rather than higher expenditures.

"Usually, budget reviews have been done because all the governments always inflated non-existing revenues while underestimating expenditures. We do not do that - we have been very conservative. I believe that better revenues will bring us an opportunity to conduct a budget review and see how to spend the extra money," Vucic told Informer TV.

He said Serbia's debt-to-GDP ratio was 43.7 pct - half of the EU average. Vucic added that Serbia was a low-indebted country and that its budget deficit was under control and always up to 3 pct, compared to 5-7 pct in some EU member states in the neighbourhood.

Vucic: We must strengthen Serbian companies to be ready for EU single market

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday much stronger efforts would have to be made to develop Serbian companies to make the national economy more prepared for the EU single market.

"We must work more strongly on Serbian companies taking part in a reindustrialisation of the country, which is a new economic policy we will have to establish in the months ahead to further strengthen Serbian companies," Vucic told Informer TV.

He said this was not a matter of subsidies or incentives, or not exclusively that, at least.

"Above all, it is a matter of how we ourselves should change and how to understand that we cannot depend all the time on FDI, which we have been depending on essentially - or for a good part - be they from the EU, the West, or China or other countries," Vucic said.

He said that, in a very good discussion with EU representatives on Tuesday, he had had to address a difficult question regarding the EU single market.

"Once you enter the EU single market, you are exposed to competition from 27 countries. I am not talking about EU membership, but a single market. As soon as you become a part of a single market, which brings many good things, cheaper goods, cheaper services, there is a question of whether our economy can adapt to that and can we deal with the competition. That is where we are not sufficiently strong yet," Vucic said.

"That is a challenge for Serbia," he added.