The public hearing was attended, in addition to members of the Committee and MPs, by representatives of the Government and the relevant Ministry of Finance, the National Bank of Serbia, Fiscal Council, State Audit Institution, OSCE Mission to Serbia and the National Convention on the EU.

Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali, as representative of the submitter, presented the 2026 Budget proposal, stressing that macroeconomic stability and economic growth have been preserved despite the challenges. The GDP growth projection for the coming year is 3%, he said, adding that the proposed deficit is also 3% in line with the agreement with the IMF.

Minister Mali emphasised that the two main pillars of the 2026 budget, as in previous years, are: raising the citizens’ living standards (increase in salaries, pensions and minimum wage) and continuing capital investments, which, by improving the quality of infrastructure, will boost both the quality of life of the citizens and the attractiveness of our economy.

The Minister of Finance also pointed out that the so-called "green budget" has been prepared in the appendix to the budget for the coming year, which lists all projects related to environmental protection, as well as a Citizens' Guide, aimed at better informing citizens about the method of preparing and spending of the state budget. He also noted that a month ago, an interactive portal began operating at the Ministry of Finance with the aim of improving transparency and closer relations with the citizens of Serbia.

The Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Dr Jorgovanka Tabakovic, assessed that the 2026 Budget Bill is based on a macroeconomic framework that reflects current trends and growth prospects of the Serbian economy. "We support the projection of fiscal revenues while respecting the principle of prudence, as well as the planned expenditure structure that supports the preservation of financial stability, strengthening energy security and the implementation of infrastructure projects," Tabakovic said. She added that this Budget Bill was prepared in significantly changed geopolitical and geo-economic circumstances, in which the challenges of conducting economic policy are increasing.

Fiscal Council President Prof. Dr Blagoje Paunovic opined that the proposed budget for 2026 maintains the continuity of the 2025 fiscal policy. The proposed budget foresees a fiscal deficit of 337 billion dinars, he said, adding that the share of the fiscal deficit in GDP will remain at the level of 3%, and that it does not exceed the limits that would negatively affect the macroeconomic and fiscal stability of the country.

The President of the Council of the State Audit Institution, Ivica Gavrilovic, presented the 2024 Budget Final Financial Statement. He said that, to complete the audit of the final budgetary account, 22 audits were conducted, stressing that this covered 75% of expenditure. He then presented the audit findings in detail.

This was followed by a discussion in which the participants of the public hearing exchanged their opinions and views.