Jorgovanka Tabaković: Overview of recent monetary and macroeconomic trends in Serbia

Speech by Dr Jorgovanka Tabaković, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, at the presentation of the Inflation Report - February, Belgrade, 19 February 2020.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the press, dear colleagues,

Welcome to the presentation of the February Inflation Report, where we will give you an overview of recent macroeconomic trends, set out our new inflation and economic activity projections, and explain our monetary policy decisions in the period since the previous Report.

Looking at the year behind us, I am pleased to say that 2019 as well was marked by positive economic trends and prospects, despite the slowdown in global economic growth and ongoing trade and geopolitical tensions.

This is first and foremost the result of an adequate and consistent economic policy that we are pursuing in Serbia. A policy which provided for the positive effects of many factors in the previous seven and a half years, contributed to the creation of a favourable business environment and turned our country into an attractive investment destination. In this way, in cooperation with the Serbian Government, we supported a vigorous rise in investment, which sustained a 4.3% economic growth on average in the previous two years.