At the sitting held on 19 April 2021, the members of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending considered, in principle: the Bill amending the Republic of Serbia 2021 Budget Bill, with its accompanying Proposal of the Decision to grant consent to the Decision amending and modifying the Republic Pension and Disability Insurance Fund 2021 Financial Plan, Proposal of the Decision to grant consent to the Decision amending the Republic Health Insurance Fund 2021 Financial Plan, Proposal of the Decision to grant consent to the Decision amending and modifying the Fund for Social Insurance of Military Insured 2021 Financial Plan and the Proposal of the Decision to grant consent to the Decision amending and modifying the National Employment Service 2021 Financial Plan, Bill on Provisional Register of Adult Citizens of the Republic of Serbia to whom Financial Assistance is Paid to Mitigate the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Virus, Bill amending the Law on Establishing a Guarantee Scheme as a Measure of Support to the Economy for Mitigating the Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic Caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Virus, Bill on Establishing Another Guarantee Scheme as a Measure of Additional Support to the Economy Due to Prolonged Negative Impact of the Pandemic COVID 19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 Virus, Bill amending and modifying the Personal Income Tax Law, Bill amending the Law on Contributions for Mandatory Social Insurance, Bill on Electronic Invoicing, Bill amending the Law on Deadlines for Settlement of Financial Liabilities in Commercial Transactions, and the Bill amending and modifying the Insurance Law, all submitted by the Government.
The Committee also considered the Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Mutual Recognition of the AEO Programme of the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia and the Corporate Loan Management Programme of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, Bill on the Confirmation of the Investment Incentive Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the United States of America, and the Bill on the Confirmation of Annex 1 of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of France on Cooperation in the Implementation of Priority Projects in the Republic of Serbia, submitted by the Government.
Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali presented 12 legislative proposals, emphasizing that the importance of the budget rebalance for the continued fight against the pandemic, accelerating economic growth and minimizing the negative impact of COVID-19.
He briefed the Committee members on the planned third support package for the citizens and the economy. He stated that the state will provide 3 times 50 percent of the minimum wage for all micro, macro, medium and large companies. Assistance is also to be provided for trucking companies, city hotels, caterers, tourist guides, car rental agencies, athletes and independent artists. According to plans, in June, all the unemployed who were registered at the unemployment office on April 15 are to receive 60 EUR in assistance.
What is important, the Minister said, is that the state has also earmarked assistance for our fellow citizens in Kosovo-Metohija in the rebalance, in the amount of 100 EUR each, including children, and 200 EUR for the unemployed.
The Minister of Finance said that the third support package includes assistance to all adult citizens of Serbia in the amount of 60 EUR, as well as additional assistance to pensioners in the amount of 50 EUR.
Minister Mali highlighted the Serbian leadership’s successful fight against the coronavirus pandemic caused adding that in four months two COVID hospitals have been built and another one is planned to be built in Novi Sad. In terms of revaccination, the Minister said Serbia ranks first in Europe and is among the leading countries in the total number of vaccinated citizens.
Sinisa Mali went on to say that the second part of the rebalance concerns an aggressive investment plan, adding that according to the Serbia 2020-2025 program, investments will continue, an additional 14 billion EUR are planned by the end of 2025. The budget revision envisages the continuation of the construction of four highways, which are already being built in Serbia. He also pointed out that this rebalance envisages twice as much money for the field of ecology. Last year, the gross amount of foreign and direct investments amounted to over 3 billion EUR.
The President of the Fiscal Council Pavle Petrovic also spoke at the sitting, talking about three blocks of measures, emphasizing that increasing investments in infrastructure is the Government economic policy’s best weapon, boosting economic growth. He also pointed out the excellent trend of investing in ecology and environmental protection. According to Pavle Petrovic, the anti-crisis package should be applied selectively, that is, assistance should be provided to companies at risk, unemployed citizens and citizens and pensioners with lowest incomes. The Director of the Republic Statistical Office Miladin Kovacevic also spoke at the sitting.
Following a constructive discussion, the Committee members unanimously proposed that the National Assembly accept all the bills.
The sitting was chaired by the Committee Chairperson Dr Aleksandra Tomic, and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Viktor Jevtovic, Zoran Bojanic, Nikola Jolovic, Dusko Tarbuk, Olivera Pesic, Sonja Vlahovic, Goran Kovacevic, Boban Birmancevic, Bratimir Vasiljevic, Ana Carapic, Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic, Ugljesa Markovic, Zoltan Pek, Rozalia Okresz, Vojislav Vujic, Milorad Mijatovic and Dr Muamer Bacevac.
