European Bank for Reconstruction and Development appointed a new director
The Green Agenda is defined as an absolute priority.
Source: B92
Today, the Minister of Finance in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Siniša Mali, met with the new Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for the Western Balkans, Matteo Colangeli, as well as with the former Director of that international financial institution, Zsuzsanna Hargitai.
Mali welcomed the new director and pointed out that he was looking forward to the continuation of cooperation with the EBRD, and thanked Zsuzsanna Hargitai for the cooperation so far and for everything she has done for Serbia.
He also pointed out that in cooperation with that financial institution, the green agenda was defined as an absolute priority, as well as that the support that the EBRD provides to Serbia in that sense is of great importance. In addition, the Minister pointed out that he hopes that the EBRD will continue to support and strengthen the private sector in our country.
Matteo Colangeli said that the priority in the coming period is to strengthen the private sector, i.e. economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, then the green economy and thus building greener and more inclusive economies in the region. In that sense, the EBRD will continue to support Serbia, Colangeli emphasized.
Mali also pointed out that Serbia was successful on the international capital market last year, and that the issuance of green bonds is also planned, in order to additionally implement important projects in the field of environmental protection. He added that the green agenda will also be an important part of the arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He also said that in the first quarter of this year, better results were recorded than projected, and that it is expected that the annual GDP growth will be even higher than the projected 6 percent. Minister added that the budget is well structured, especially having in mind that as much as 7.2 percent goes to capital investments, which further contributes to higher economic growth. As he pointed out, part of the projects are precisely those "green projects", which are also important because they can attract private investments.
Minister also emphasized that unemployment was 9% last year, and that it was lower than in the period before the coronavirus pandemic, as well as that, thanks to comprehensive support packages, jobs and production were preserved. He added that Serbia is the absolute champion in attracting foreign direct investments in the Western Balkans.
The interlocutors concluded that they believe that they will continue successful cooperation, all with the goal of transition to a green economy, more efficient environmental protection and a more resilient private sector.
