March 2 (SeeNews) - Serbia's prime minister Ana Brnabic said the government targets economic growth of 3.9% in the first quarter of 2018, given its objective for a full-year gross domestic product (GDP) expansion of 3.5%.
Serbia's budget balance showed a surplus of 18 billion dinars ($187.7 million/152.5 million euro) in January and if the good performance continues throughout the year, pensions and wages in the public sector will be increased by the end of 2018, Brnabic said, as quoted in a statement by the government on Thursday.
The central government debt currently is equivalent to 57% of the projected GDP for 2018, while a payment of 500 million euro by French company Vinci Airports for the concession of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is expected by the end of the year, Brnabic said.
Serbia's state budget for 2018 envisages a deficit of 28.4 billion dinars, or 0.6% of the estimated GDP. The budget envisages an increase in salaries in the public sector by 10% and of pensions by 5%, the government said back then.
The country's budget swung to a surplus of 33.9 billion dinars in 2017 from a deficit of 7.9 billion dinars in the previous year, according to finance ministry data.
(1 euro = 117.997 dinars)