Official talks between International Monetary Fund mission and Serbian delegation begin

A plenary meeting was held today at the National Bank of Serbia between the IMF mission and the delegation of the Republic of Serbia led by NBS Governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic, who also serves as the Serbian Governor to the IMF. Talks were also attended by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, with their associates, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) announced.

The IMF mission, led by Annette Kyobe, new mission chief, will be staying in Belgrade from May 28 to June 11.

The talks that began today are part of the first review of the implementation of the economic program supported by the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI), approved by the IMF to Serbia on December 9, 2024, as well as consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement.

The goals of the program are to preserve macroeconomic and financial stability, maintain fiscal discipline and a downward trajectory of public debt, further strengthen the resilience of the energy sector and create room for meeting investment needs in that sector, as well as to encourage inclusive and sustainable medium-term growth through structural reforms, the NBS says in the press release.

During the mission, current macroeconomic trends and short- and medium-term projections will be thoroughly examined, along with the implementation of the goals of the agreed economic program and progress in pursuing the reform agenda. In addition, consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement will be conducted, which are regularly held with all member countries as part of the supervisory function of this international financial institution. The previous consultations with Serbia were successfully conducted in 2023.

The PCI is advisory in nature and does not involve the use of financial resources. It is approved for countries that are committed to reforms and implement strong and credible economic policies.

Narodna banka Srbije Beograd

Međunarodni monetarni fond-MMF Beograd

National Bank of Serbia

NBS

International Monetary Fund

IMF

talks with IMF

Policy Coordination Instrument