Opposition blocking budget review debate

Parliament has yet to begin its debate on the 2008 budget review, after SRS MPs spent the day citing breaches of the Code of Procedure. Serb Radical Party’s (SRS)MPs announced that they would not allow the parliament to discuss the budget review today, and that they would ask once again for their MP mandates to be returned to them. Opposition blocking budget review debate Before the beginning of the session, the Financial Board accepted the draft budget review, which increases the deficit from EUR 484mn to EUR 544mn. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic told the Board’s session that the draft budget review was the result of a government consensus and its choice of new priorities. “These priorities include raising pensions, money for completing Corridor 10, and agricultural subsidies,” the minister said. She said that the budget deficit was 0.2 percent up on the original 2008 budget plan, so that total budget deficit was 1.7 percent of GDP. Spending has increased from EUR 8bn to EUR 8.2bn, mostly because of the 10 percent increase in pensions, states the draft budget review. The draft states that revenue should increase by 1.6 percent, from EUR 8bn to EUR 8.18bn. The session on the budget review started on Thursday afternoon, but the debate on that item of the agenda never started because opposition MPs cited breaches of the Code of Procedure, stating that the Board of Finances had not given its opinion on the budget review.

Opposition blocking budget review debate

Before the beginning of the session, the Financial Board accepted the draft budget review, which increases the deficit from EUR 484mn to EUR 544mn. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović told the Board’s session that the draft budget review was the result of a government consensus and its choice of new priorities.

“These priorities include raising pensions, money for completing Corridor 10, and agricultural subsidies,” the minister said.

She said that the budget deficit was 0.2 percent up on the original 2008 budget plan, so that total budget deficit was 1.7 percent of GDP.

Spending has increased from EUR 8bn to EUR 8.2bn, mostly because of the 10 percent increase in pensions, states the draft budget review.

The draft states that revenue should increase by 1.6 percent, from EUR 8bn to EUR 8.18bn.

The session on the budget review started on Thursday afternoon, but the debate on that item of the agenda never started because opposition MPs cited breaches of the Code of Procedure, stating that the Board of Finances had not given its opinion on the budget review.