Serbian Parliament Adopts 2025 State Budget

National Assembly of Serbia (BETAPHOTO/ANA SLOVIC)

The Serbian parliament’s session ended on Nov. 27, after adopting the budget for 2025 and the accompanying laws, together with more than 50 other laws and agreements.

Among other things, the parliament adopted the amendments to the Criminal Code and to the laws on games of chance, on energy and on pension and disability insurance.

The MPs also adopted the Law on Services, the Law on the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment and the laws on the prevention of money laundering, excise duties, infrastructure and energy projects, incentives in agriculture, utility services and on the control of risks from major accidents that include hazardous substances.

The session of the parliament began on Nov. 25, but was interrupted several times after incidents and scuffles between the ruling majority and the opposition, who demanded that the agenda included the motion for a confidence vote to the government because of the tragedy at the Novi Sad railway station, where 15 people were killed in the collapse of a concrete canopy.

During its brief session on Nov. 27, held without the opposition MPs, the parliament adopted the state budget for 2025, with 144 votes in favor of the 150 MPs present. MP Miroslav Aleksic of the People’s Movement of Serbia stated at a news conference that the opposition would not take part in the work of the parliament because it believed that the authorities had usurped the parliament. He stated that Speaker Ana Brnabic was acting outside the law, that the opposition sought her dismissal, and announced that a criminal report would be submitted against her for abuse of office.