Anti-crisis measures agreed upon

The Serbian ruling coalition has agreed on a package of measures aimed at tackling the economic crisis in the country, the media have reported.

A government session scheduled for Monday has been postponed until Tuesday, the government press office announced today.

The leading officials of the ruling coalition hashed out the details of budget cuts for individual ministries, including procurements, subsidies and investments, in a meeting which ran over three hours on Sunday night.

Vecernje Novosti writes that the meeting last night was attended by Prime Minister Ivica Dačić and ministers Zorana Mihajlovic, Verica Kalanovic, Mladjan Dinkic, Jovan Krkobabic, Goran Knezevic, and National Bank Governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic.

RTS said that First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was absent "as he was attending a party gathering in Zajecar," and that Mihajlovic took part in his stead.

According to reports, the government should have a budget balancing bill before the parliament in no more than two weeks.

It was clear even before Sunday's meeting that salaries in the public sector will not be frozen in October, and that the ruling coalition has agreed to a 0.5 percent hike, writes Vecernje Novosti.

Next year, salary hikes will be based on what the economy can afford and, going by present conditions, could amount to around two percent, according to Novosti.

Blic writes that a framework for a budget balancing bill, which requires savings of RSD 40 billion (around EUR 350 million), was also settled in Sunday's meeting, as well as an action plan for over 170 companies which are undergoing restructuring which should be completed no later than June next year.

The ruling coalition is headed by Vucic's Serb Progressive Party SNS), Dacic's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), and the United Regions of Serbia (URS), led by Dinkic.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Narodna banka Srbije Beograd

Ministarstvo finansija Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo za rad, zapošljavanje, boračka i socijalna pitanja Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo državne uprave i lokalne samouprave Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

anti crisis measures

Ivica Dacic

Jorgovanka Tabakovic

Mladjan Dinkic

Zorana Mihajlovic

Jovan Krkobabic

Verica Kalanovic

Goran Knezevic

Aleksandar Vucic

budget revision

NBS

crisis

crisis measures

measures against crisis

savings

budget of Serbia

national budget

subventions