"Electricity price hike to be discussed in August"

"Electricity price hike to be discussed in August"

BELGRADE -- Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday he was "satisfied because of IMF's positive assessment of the situation in the Serbian economy."

He also announced "further talks with the international financial institution on the price of electricity," which he is confident does not need to be increased "until salaries and pensions are increased, something to be discussed in August."

Vucic told reporters that it was good that the IMF has made a new forecast and predicted GDP growth to be zero, but stressed that he believed that it would move again, to plus 0.5, as early as August.

Vucic said that Serbia and the IMF had discussed the price of electricity and the talks were not easy, but would be resumed.

He said he was not denying the IMF having good intentions to help Serbian economy and electricity market heal but, unlike them, he knew what the needs of Serbian citizens were and how much they could endure and he had to take that into account.

"As regards salaries and pensions, we agreed to talk about it at the end of the second quarter in August, when we see results of the fiscal consolidation measures," the prime minister said.