The IMF Mission starting official talks with the Government of Serbia

The Mission of the IMF is starting, on Monday, June 13, the official talks with the representatives of the Government of Serbia and the National Bank of Serbia about the fourth review of the arrangement with Serbia. The visit of the delegation headed by James Roef began on June 9 and should last two weeks.

The main topics of the discussion between the representatives of the IMF and the Serbian authorities will be the state of the budget and the reformation of the public sector and public enterprises.

In February 2015, the IMF signed a three-year cautionary stand-by arrangement with Serbia worth EUR 1.2 billion. The previous three reviews of the arrangement were favorable, and the fourth one was carried out this February, prior to the snap parliamentary elections, which is why the Mission of the IMF decided for it to be finalized before the formation of the new government of Serbia.

It is expected that Serbia will be commended on the state of its public finances, but also that it will have to give an explanation as to why it is late with discharging a surplus of employees in the public sector and carrying out the reorganization of big public enterprises.