New Serbian Finance Minister says he has big plans

Serbia’s new Finance Minister Sinisa Mali told the state TV (RTS) on Tuesday that he has big plans but will take care of every dinar.

“The goal of the finance minister is not just to keep the treasury safe but also to secure money for development projects,” he said, adding that money has to be found for infrastructure investments, new factories and new jobs.

Mali said the most important thing is for the public debt to drop below the level of 50 percent of the GDP.

He said he would continue the government’s responsible fiscal policy and support macro-economic stability. “The government’s responsible fiscal policy leaves room to raise salaries and pensions this year. I think it’s only fair for the people who bore the brunt of the reforms to see benefits from those reforms,” the new Finance Minister said. “The measure of everything we are doing is the quality of life in the country and the increase in the standard of living,” he said.

Mali said his goal is to make the Serbian budget as big as possible, adding that “the biggest challenge is to keep the economic growth rate as high as possible”.

Sinisa Mali was elected Finance MInister by majority vote in the Serbian parliament on Tuesday.