Serbian Opposition MPs Seek More Funding for Pensioners, Students, Agriculture

Serbian Assembly (Photo: Beta/Milan Obradovic)

Serbian opposition MPs requested during an Aug. 26 debate on amendments to a new budget rebalancing act increased funding for student and pupil welfare, the payment of pensions withheld from 2014 to 2018, and the allocation of 10 percent of the state budget to agricultural producers.

The Free Citizens Movement’s MP Anna Oreg said the debated revision of this year’s budget produced another pre-election budget that made no adjustments to education, culture or environmental policies. She said the Movement had submitted an amendment providing for a RSD 2 billion increase in a student welfare allocation, and as much for pupils.

The Freedom and Justice Party’s MP Dusan Nikezic said that from 2014 to 2018, Aleksandar Vucic's government had unlawfully taken pensions from the country's oldest citizens and that an amendment had been submitted seeking repayment of those pensions to all pensioners. He added that a guaranteed monthly income of RSD 20,000 should be provided for people over the age of 65 who have no income.

Miroslav Aleksic, a representative of the People's Movement of Serbia, said Serbian citizens had been burdened with a debt worth EUR 42 billion during the Serbian Progressive Party’s rule, asking  for an estimate of the public debt by the end of the year and whether the 45-percent threshold would be exceeded.