BELGRADE (Serbia), February 10 (SeeNews) – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will visit Serbia at the end of this month to discuss the country's tax reforms, finance minister Sinisa Mali said.
IMF representatives will also discuss Serbia's 2019 economic results, the expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates, as well as the reform of pay grades, Mali said in a statement on Saturday.
"Not only have we consolidated financially, but in the previous period, through the construction of new highways attracting foreign investments, construction of bridges, construction of tunnels, investments in new infrastructure and the opening of new factories, we were able to reduce unemployment," Mali said.
In July 2018, the IMF approved a Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) of Serbia, aiming to maintain macroeconomic and financial stability, while advancing an ambitious reform agenda to foster rapid growth, job creation and improved living standards.
In a statement following completion of the third review of the PCI in December, the IMF said the implementation of Serbia's economic programme is on track and quantitative targets for end-September 2019 were met.
The IMF also said that Serbian authorities remain committed to advancing structural reforms in 2020, needed to boost potential growth and improve the private investment climate. These include implementation of delayed reforms of the public wage system and public employment framework, introduction of new fiscal rules for 2021, as well as measures to strengthen state-owned enterprise (SOE) management and corporate governance.