Serbian Finance Minister Siniša Mali declares Serbia the region’s fastest‑growing economy and already EU‑integrated

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Siniša Mali told a Brussels conference that Serbia is the largest and fastest‑growing economy in the Western Balkans. He noted that in the first quarter Serbia’s GDP rose 3.2% while the eurozone grew 0.3%, making Serbia the fourth‑fastest growing economy in Europe for that period.

Mali highlighted macro‑stability: public debt stands at about 43% of GDP, far below the eurozone average of roughly 82%, and unemployment has fallen from 25.9% in 2012 to around 8.8% now. Net average wages have passed €1,000 for the first time, and Serbia attracts about 60% of all foreign direct investment directed at the Western Balkans. It is the only Western Balkan country with an investment‑grade credit rating and contributes over 50% of the region’s total GDP. The EU remains Serbia’s largest trading partner, with German firms employing more than 80,000 people in the country.