Opposition Describes Belgrade’s Budget as Non-Developmental

Belgrade City Assembly (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

Belgrade’s 2024 Budget is not developmental, and allocations for environmental protection, transportation, primary education and culture have been reduced, opposition representatives had cautioned ahead of a July 1 session of the Belgrade City Assembly, at which it was passed.

Pedja Mitrovic, secretary general of the Freedom and Justice Party, said to reporters that the developmental component of this year's budget had been reduced by 16 billion dinars. According to him, the budget bill provided 3.2 billion dinars less for environmental protection, 8.7 billion  less for transportation, 1.5 billion less for primary education, and 1.3 billion dinars less for culture.

Mitrovic listed some of the projects that the Serbian Progressive Party, as he put it, "decided to erase from the budget." Namely, a social housing allocation has been reduced by RSD 900 million, there will be no infrastructure projects in suburban areas, and no funding has been provided for the construction of cultural institution, the opposition official warned.

The Serbia Center (SRCE) party’s commissioner for Belgrade, Bosko Sindic, said that more than 10 billion dinars "will be used to pay an interest on loans taken by the Progressives." "It is clear that this regime does not care how about the development of this city, but is rather interested in opportunities to rob the citizens," said Sindic.