Serbia's Parliament to Vote on Rebalance, 6,000 Dinar Aid

Members of Serbia’s National Assembly will vote on Monday, August 31, at 10 a.m., on all 59 items on the agenda of the extraordinary session that has been running since August 24. Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic set that time after the detailed debate on every item, including the proposed 2026 budget rebalance, wrapped up on Friday, August 28.

According to a report by Radio 021, debate on amendments to the last few items, including changes to the Planning and Construction Law and legislation on state borrowing for highway and expressway construction, did not take place before the allotted time ran out. The session was nonetheless closed in the evening hours, with the vote on all items scheduled together for Monday.

The rebalance increases the state budget by 112.45 billion dinars, bringing the total to 2,527.15 billion dinars. Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said in his explanation that around 780 billion dinars, or seven percent of the budget, would go toward capital investment, and that Serbia currently holds 600 billion dinars in reserves. He said gross domestic product would reach 95 billion euros by the end of the year, and that public debt would not exceed 45 percent of GDP.

A 980.6 million euro aid package

Part of the rebalance is the Law on Mitigating the Consequences of the Energy Crisis and Rising Cost of Living, which provides for a one-time financial support package worth 980.6 million euros. Pensioners are set to receive between 20,000 and 35,000 dinars, paid out in three installments of 20,000, 27,500 and 35,000 dinars depending on the size of their pension. Recipients of cash social assistance, child allowance and veterans’ benefits will get 25,000 dinars each, while roughly 90,000 remaining war veterans are due 10,000 dinars each. Every adult citizen of Serbia is set to receive a one-time payment of 6,000 dinars.

Sources differ on the payout dates. Tanjug quoted Mali as saying applications for the 6,000 dinar payment open on September 7, with the oldest citizens paid on September 14, provided the Assembly passes the law. In remarks to lawmakers carried by Pink, Mali gave a different schedule: pensioners, social assistance recipients, families receiving child allowance and veterans get their payments on September 14, while the 6,000 dinar payment to all adult citizens is planned for September 22 to 25.

In his closing remarks, the minister thanked citizens for their trust in President Aleksandar Vucic and said:

Instead of hatred and violence, we offered peace, stability and a hand of reconciliation.

Besides the rebalance, lawmakers will vote Monday on the Law on the Judicial Academy, amendments to the Anti-Corruption Law, the “Svoj na svome” law, state borrowing for highways and expressways, and an item concerning the Belgrade Waterfront project. Srpske vesti previously reported that all 166 amendments filed during the rebalance debate were rejected, making Monday the final formal hurdle before this year’s budget is adopted.