Fiscal Council

Public procurement

10.June 2026 KS

Systemic circumvention of the law: The public sector spent seven billion euros at its own discretion

While Serbia's economic system is being formally harmonized with European rules, almost half of the contracts concluded by the state are still implemented outside of regular public procurement procedures, warns the Fiscal Council

Public finances

10.June 2026 MLJ

The New Economy: A stunning jump in the initial cost of capital projects

What does the Fiscal Council's analysis of the 2026 budget proposal show?

Fiscal Council

10.February 2026. B. B.

Fiscal Council: The salary grade reform did not fail in implementation, but in the conception itself

Instead of an objective evaluation of work, the focus was transferred to negotiations on the level of coefficients, the Fiscal Council assessed

Minister of Finance Siniša Mali visits the construction site at the Expo

Financial life and death

01.October 2025 Radmilo Marković

What do we owe to whom?

When evaluating the budget for 2025, the Fiscal Council warned that the item with the greatest growth in the proposed budget is precisely the one that should pay interest on the public debt. According to the budget for 2025, interest expenses have increased by as much as 19 percent, i.e. to 1,9 billion euros in absolute terms. What does that mean? This 2,1 percent of GDP that goes to interest is quite higher than the average of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, where they allocate around 1,4-1,6 percent of GDP for this purpose.

From the new issue

18.June 2025 RM

Vučković: More money would be in the system if we could have a more orderly state

"In the best days and the best periods, we 'revolve' around a growth rate of around four percent. This is also the case in this 'golden sub-period', and if we had better institutions, which include the issue of corruption and the rule of law, it would be five percent without any problems," economist Dr. Vladimir Vučković told the new issue of "Vremena".

Government of Serbia

27.May 2025. B. B.

New economy: What did the Government of Serbia take 94 million euros from state projects for?

The money will be redirected to the Ministry of Finance, i.e. the budget reserve, for "financing expenses and expenditures that were not known in the process of adopting the Law on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2025"

Fiscal strategy

06.November 2024 MJ

960 million euros for the National Stadium

Since the state decided to spend more on projects related to EXPO 2027, roads and armaments, the budget deficit will increase to around three percent of GDP. The cost of building the National Stadium is estimated at 960 million euros

Personal attitude

31.July 2024 Ljubomir Madjar

The double-edged sword of the thunderous explosion of public investment

The institutional maneuver of exempting numerous projects from valid control and selection procedures is simply a godsend for the appearance of corruption and its unhindered growth. This is where the most important factor in the architecture of factors that would try to clarify the massive expansion of public investments in Serbia from 2018 onwards is located.

Economy

24.July 2024 Milica Srejić

Uncertain fate of the custodian of the people's money

Since the establishment of the Fiscal Council in 2011, its president has been professor and academician Pavle Petrović. At the end of his mandate, he was not offered to continue in that position, and Aleksandar Vučić proposed professor Blagoj Paunović as the new president. Does this mean taming the last state institution "with a backbone"

Economy

23.July 2024 B. B.

In five years, as much as 2,6 billion euros were spent through the budget reserve

The maximum allowed amount of funds that can be diverted through the budget reserve without the approval of the Serbian Parliament is currently four percent of the republic's budget revenue, which in 2024 amounts to around 700 million euros

Professor of the Faculty of Economics and academic Pavle Petrović

Economy

18.July 2024 MS

Replacement of Pavlo Petrović: Who is the new president of the Fiscal Council

Pavle Petrović will no longer be at the head of the Fiscal Council, under his leadership the last state institution with a backbone. Aleksandar Vučić proposed economics professor Blagoj Paunović as his successor

Comment

18.July 2024 Radmilo Marković

Removal of Pavel Petrović: Once upon a time there was a Fiscal Council

The Fiscal Council was the only institution left with a backbone. It was headed by prof. Pavle Petrović. Vučić has now handed him his resignation. Enough with the criticism

State investments

19.June 2024 IM / Nova S / Beta

Pavle Petrović: An expensive picture of the success of large public projects

Due to the "sluggishness" of the administration, the state started implementing large public projects with the help of "shortcuts". Although many of them have been completed, there is no transparency in spending money from the budget, and the price of certain projects, such as the Moravian Corridor, has increased from 750 million to 1,6 billion euros.

Economy

11.February 2023. S.Ć.

State investment: Why the national stadium matters now

Minister Mali announced the start of the construction of the national stadium, and Minister Momirović is promoting it as part of Expo 2027, which will be more important than the ring road, the high-speed railway and Belgrade on the water. They act as if the Fiscal Council did not warn them that it cannot be done that way. "Together" requests that the Parliament set up a Commission of Inquiry because of this

Economy

24.October 2022 DP

Fiscal Council: New liabilities and non-transparent budget

The President of the Fiscal Council, Pavle Petrović, estimated that Serbia will have to borrow three to four billion euros in 2023 and that the republic's budget is non-transparent

News

08.October 2022 S.Ć.

Fiscal advice: That every third child receives child benefit

Now in Serbia, every fifth child receives child allowance. That is 3.569 dinars. The Fiscal Council proposes a reform that would increase the number of children with child allowance and increase the amount of this state aid. A new Government is waiting

Analyze

07.April 2022. Radmilo Marković

Public debt of Serbia: Patching the holes with excessive borrowing

Behind the exaggerated statistics about the reduction of public debt is an indisputable fact: the total amount of Serbia's public debt has increased by around 2021 million euros compared to December 300. At the same time, there is no longer any interest in Serbian securities, the foreign trade deficit could exceed 10 billion euros by the end of the year, and there are no direct foreign investments. The question is what will be used to pay the public debt, apart from new borrowing

News

08.February 2022. MN

Pre-election promises: And from Vučić another 100 euros for young people

Half in advance, half after the job is done. Aleksandar Vučić's announcement that young people will receive another 100 euros at the beginning of June at the latest sounds like that. Elections are scheduled for April 3

Analyze

10.January 2022 Radmilo Marković

Election Christmas of Bata: Buying citizens' votes with citizens' money

Just as an epidemic was needed to establish new forms of control over citizens, a new custom was also established: give people a few tens of euros before the elections, and they will give you good returns. This has already reached 30 billion euros of public debt, which someone will pay back with interest