Miroslav Aleksić, a member of the Serbian National Movement, expressed that the revised national budget for this year includes an additional eight billion euros in borrowing. He warned that Serbia may face a severe economic crisis beginning in 2027 when “all loans will come due.”
Aleksić explained that this budget revision involves eight billion euros in new debt: 2.2 billion euros will be allocated to cover the fiscal deficit, while six billion euros will be used for refinancing old loans and repaying principal amounts. He made these remarks during a discussion in the Serbian National Assembly regarding the 2024 budget revision.
He criticized the budget’s allocation, stating that funding is “abnormally” directed toward capital investments that primarily benefit the government and companies involved in construction projects.
“By taking on expensive loans with high interest rates, public debt will exceed 38 billion euros this year, and it could rise above 40 billion euros next year. The interest rates we are paying are around six percent,” Aleksić noted.
He also targeted Finance Minister Siniša Mali, calling him “one of the biggest deceivers in the Serbian government,” who claims that Serbia is a “great power” whenever the budget is discussed.
In light of a recent traffic accident in Kraljevo, which resulted in the deaths of five people in a collision between a military and a passenger vehicle, Aleksić suggested that Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić should resign following this tragedy.
“Gašić is absent from today’s session, likely due to the incident. I believe it’s time for someone in a leadership position to step down after such a tragedy, as it reflects basic accountability,” Aleksić concluded.
