PM says his cabinet unanimously behind measures

BELGRADE Ivica Dacic has made it clear that the entire government backs the financial and economic measures that have been announced on Tuesday, Tanjug says. This is because "their implementation is in the best interest of Serbia's future," the prime minister was quoted as saying. PM says his cabinet unanimously behind measures "These measures got clear political support. In that sense, it is important that everything that is about to be done be understood as the government's wish and resolve to tackle the problem which no previous government resolved, as was the case with the Kosovo issue," Dacic said at an open government sitting. "Serbia has almost spent its future in an economic sense, so now it is the time to take the state's fate into our own hands, so that our children and state have the future," he said. The government has been intent upon introducing the measures that will have the smallest possible effect on the poorest citizens, and appeal to citizens' sense of justice by placing the greatest burden onto those who have the most, the prime minister underscored. "The entire government backs these measures, and now this is not a creation of the finance minister or his sole responsibility. On the contrary, the government has to embark on the process with resolve, as without that we have nothing to hope for in the coming years," Dacic said. He notes that the decisions that led to the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina were also risky ones, but they helped Serbia move forward, and that is the principle on which the government's economic policy will be based. "Someone had to this. Otherwise, Serbia would not have survived… We tackled this and ran every possible kind of risk, but we did what is best and will continue doing the best for our state," Dacic said. An insufficient rise in the GDP is the key problem, the prime minister noted, adding that in circumstances of the crisis, it is almost impossible to achieve better results. Major world economies' emergence from the crisis will also affect Serbia in a positive way, so the restrictive measures will not have to be implemented for a series of years, he voiced hope. The announced measures will be translated into a set of concrete laws and regulations in the weeks and months to come, Dacic said. Dacic and his first deputy Aleksandar Vucic attend the government session on Tuesday (Beta) Tanjug

PM says his cabinet unanimously behind measures

"These measures got clear political support. In that sense, it is important that everything that is about to be done be understood as the government's wish and resolve to tackle the problem which no previous government resolved, as was the case with the Kosovo issue," Dačić said at an open government sitting.

"Serbia has almost spent its future in an economic sense, so now it is the time to take the state's fate into our own hands, so that our children and state have the future," he said.

The government has been intent upon introducing the measures that will have the smallest possible effect on the poorest citizens, and appeal to citizens' sense of justice by placing the greatest burden onto those who have the most, the prime minister underscored.

"The entire government backs these measures, and now this is not a creation of the finance minister or his sole responsibility. On the contrary, the government has to embark on the process with resolve, as without that we have nothing to hope for in the coming years," Dačić said.

He notes that the decisions that led to the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Priština were also risky ones, but they helped Serbia move forward, and that is the principle on which the government's economic policy will be based.

"Someone had to this. Otherwise, Serbia would not have survived… We tackled this and ran every possible kind of risk, but we did what is best and will continue doing the best for our state," Dačić said.

An insufficient rise in the GDP is the key problem, the prime minister noted, adding that in circumstances of the crisis, it is almost impossible to achieve better results.

Major world economies' emergence from the crisis will also affect Serbia in a positive way, so the restrictive measures will not have to be implemented for a series of years, he voiced hope.

The announced measures will be translated into a set of concrete laws and regulations in the weeks and months to come, Dačić said.