"Important part of European Union funds will be directed to Serbia"

Photo: Tanjug/Dragan Kujundzic

The head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi, stated today that the EU budget for the period from 2021 to 2027 provides 12.5 billion euros for pre-accession funds intended for countries in the enlargement process, of which an important part will be directed to Serbia.

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"It is considered that Serbia is the largest economy in the Western Balkans in terms of size, and an important part of the funds will be directed to it," Fabrizi told RTS.

As he stated, Serbia is not yet a member of the EU, but it is close to it, so it is expected that a much faster economic recovery of the EU will affect the economy of Serbia as well.

He recalled that 67% of Serbia's foreign trade is directed towards the EU, as well as that most foreign investments in Serbia come from the EU.

"The sooner the EU economy recovers, the better off Serbia will be," said Fabrizi.

He added that the EU budget is oriented towards the digital agenda and the green economy, which will also reflect on Serbia.

Asked whether Serbia can expect additional support from the EU, in addition to the 93 million euros announced for the fight against Covid, Fabrizi said that 15 million euros have already been spent on emergency medical care, that an agreement on financing employment of medical workers has been signed, and that the EU is open to new demands coming from the Serbian government.

He also recalled that it was agreed at the Summit in Zagreb that the EU would present a package of economic recovery for Serbia and the Western Balkans, and that additional funds that Serbia would be able to use for economic recovery would be considered.

Leaders of EU's 27 member-states reached an agreement yesterday, after several days of marathon negotiations, on a multi-year joint budget and a recovery fund.

The total amount of the recovery package is 1,824 billion euros, of which 1,074 billion is within the joint budget for the period from 2021 to 2027.

The EU Recovery Fund amounts to 750 billion euros, and consists of 390 billion in grants and 360 billion in loans.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)