Serbia will extend its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund for at least two years. This was announced by Finance Minister Sinisa Mali after his meeting in Washington with International Monetary Fund Director Kristalina Georgieva.
The agreement that is still in effect expires at the end of the year, but I would like to continue cooperation. According to the Minister of Finance, Georgieva praised the reforms in Serbia. According to Mali, Serbia thus demonstrates its commitment to continuing reforms, but it is also a message to citizens and potential investors.
He noted that by analyzing the global economic outlook, the International Monetary Fund estimated that the Serbian economy is growing at a faster rate than the European and global economic average. Girogieva pointed out that public debt has increased in most countries, but in the case of Serbia it is constantly decreasing, as it currently stands at 47.6 percent of the gross domestic product. According to the International Monetary Fund's assessment, Serbia's GDP may rise by 3.5 percent this year after the 2.5 percent increase recorded in 2023, and a 4.5 percent increase is expected in 2025.
The Minister of Finance also met with representatives of the international credit rating agency Standard & Poor's in Washington. Then he expressed his hope so
The credit rating agency will rate Serbia as recommended for investment at the end of the year.
Standard & Poor's will publish its next report in October, and Mali is expected to be upgraded. On April 5, Standard & Poor's raised Serbia's debt rating from stable to positive. Standard & Poor's explained in a statement that despite the crisis and challenges, Serbia has maintained its economic stability.
