| "Agreement with IMF depends on pensions" |
| 30 October 2009 | 16:12 -> 21:13
| Source:
B92, Beta, Tanjug |
BELGRADE --
The final agreement between the Serbian government and the IMF will depend on Serbia's readiness to reform the pension system, B92 has learned.
Our government source said on Friday evening in Belgrade that the only point that has been resolved thus far concerning the pension system is that the retirement age for women will not change.
Unless there is concurrence on this issue by next week, there will be "no economic policy agreement", which, our source said, is the key element of the whole deal.
But they also expressed optimism that the final agreement with the IMF would be achieved.
Earlier this evening, reports said that the Serbian and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had agreed on the 2010 budget.
Serbian state broadcaster RTS said that negotiations with a visiting IMF mission ended in agreement that VAT duty would not be increased, while the budget deficit ought to be at four percent of the GDP – half a percent less than this year.
The IMF mission will be here until November 4, and details of individual items, the arrangement itself, as well as mid and long term plans for the public sector reform will be discussed in the talks with Serbian officials.
Official negotiations on the second and third revision of the IMF loan approved earlier this year, worth USD 2.9bn, started on October 26.
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