Delay in structural reforms and election gifts At the end of 2015, Serbia recorded a budget deficit of 3.8% – a surprising decrease compared to previous years and a value that was 2% below that forecast by the IMF, among others. There were three main reasons for the decline: increased tax revenue as a result… Read More »
Serbia Economy & Development Estimated GDP: US $ 53.0 billion (2019) Per capita income (purchasing power parity): US $ 7,503 (2019) Human Development Rank (HDI): Rank 63 (from 189 – 2019) Proportion of poverty (less than $ 2 per day): 9.2% (2011) Distribution of income (Gini coefficient): 34.0 Economic Transformation Index (BTI): Rank 27 (of… Read More »
Historical legacy Serbia’s economy is on the path of transformation and modernization. It is still characterized by a double inheritance. On the one hand, from the socialist legacy, a socialist economic structure and economic policy, the transformation of which, due to the Balkan wars, in contrast to the Central and Eastern European countries, only started… Read More »
After the regime change in October 2000, the transformation and modernization of the Serbian economy and economic policy began with the support of the EU, IMF and other international institutions. Economic legislation was modernized, foreign trade and money and foreign exchange markets were liberalized. Administrative prices and wages have been abolished. Most of the banks… Read More »
The global corona crisis also changed the economic development dynamics in Serbia in March 2020 almost overnight. The shutdown of public life, the closure of restaurants, retail and traffic routes, the sending of workers home or, in some cases, to the home office all contributed to the drastic collapse in economic output. However, the forecasts… Read More »
Development goals, national development efforts The development goals of the national and international actors in Serbia are largely based on the UN Millennium Development Goals, and beyond that, within the framework of the EU integration process, on the level of development in the European Union. The national development efforts of the individual government ministries have… Read More »
Map of Serbia Impact of the Great Depression The effects of the Great Depression that reached Serbia at the end of 2008 were noticeable, but could be kept limited by economic policy measures and international support measures. In 2009 the gross domestic product lost 3%, exports collapsed by 12%, and inflation rose by 8.1%. At… Read More »
Healthcare The healthcare, like the rest of the social systems in Serbia, has come under severe economic pressure since the 1909s. Serbia had taken over a state health system from Yugoslavia, in which all workers and employees as well as the majority of the self-employed paid a fixed portion of their wages (12.3%) into the… Read More »
Education Serbia’s education system consists of an eight-year compulsory primary school; this is followed by the secondary level – the general secondary schools, grammar schools, lead to general higher education entrance qualification in four years; various vocational secondary schools last up to four years and end with different degrees or entitle the holder to study… Read More »
Location and size Serbia lies in the heart of the Balkans region, which is now also politically referred to as the Western Balkans. According to politicsezine, Serbia is a country located in Southern Europe. It is at the same time an important transit country between Asia Minor and Western Europe / the EU, important motorway… Read More »
Language The multi-ethnic character of Serbia also shapes the language landscape. The main official language in Serbia is Serbian, which is spoken virtually everywhere in the country. In the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, Hungarian, Croatian, Russian, Slovak and Romanian are recognized as official languages in addition to Serbian. Albanian is spoken in parts of… Read More »
Serbia society Proportion of literate adults: 97.8% most important religion: Serbian Orthodox 85% Urban population: 56% (2011) Life expectancy: 73.2 / 79.2 years (male / female, 2019) Gender Inequality Index: Rank 37 (out of 160) (2018) Number of births: 1.48 / woman (2017) Infant mortality: 5.6 / 1000 live births (2019) Population structure Serbia had… Read More »
Since 2014, the issue of flight and migration has become increasingly important in Serbian society, initially due to increasing migration from the Western Balkans to the EU, and finally Serbia became one of the key countries of the European refugee crisis in 2015, when hundreds of thousands were due to the collapse of the EU… Read More »
The music in Serbia can look back on a rich history. The oldest musical evidence goes back to ritual songs and dance melodies of the Slavs who came to the Balkans in the 7th century. Sacred music, which was largely influenced by Byzantine art, has prospered since the 10th century. In the High Middle Ages,… Read More »
The culture of Serbia is considered to be one of the most diverse of the Slavic peoples who came to the Balkan Peninsula in the 6th / 7th centuries. It initially developed under the influence of Byzantine culture. The first evidence of Serbian literature goes back to the second half of the 9th century and… Read More »
Travel and traffic Traveling through Serbia by public transport is possible by both train and bus. The rail network and trains are largely out of date. The construction of an express railway line is planned. The bus network is much better and more convenient. Local / regional buses go to practically every village in Serbia.… Read More »
Serbia Everyday life Currency: Serbian dinars Exchange rate: 117,210 RSD per € (December 2020) Time zone: CET Country code (phone): +381 Climate (for capital): continental Current corona restrictions With the declaration of a state of emergency and a far-reaching lockdown in mid-March, far-reaching restrictions in everyday life in Serbia are associated. Entry and exit to… Read More »
Working hours The normal working hours in Serbia are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Authorities usually work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Greeting The greeting in Serbia is a triple cheek kiss, which is given alternately on the left and right – starting with the left side. Shopping Shopping is… Read More »
Minefield in Donbas According to internetsailors, Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe. Ukraine has been grappling with serious ecological problems for decades. The greatest ecological catastrophe is the explosion of the fourth reactor at the Čornobyl nuclear power plant, after which large parts of the Ukrainian territories were contaminated. Numerous bodies of water… Read More »
Regional train Ukraine’s population has been shrinking continuously since the 1990’s. The country ranks 220th (out of 234) in the global ranking of population growth. Demographic changes are particularly rapid in rural areas. 70% of the Ukrainian population live in cities. Rural settlements are dying out due to high levels of migration. However, village death… Read More »
Ukraine History & State Independence Day: August 24, 1991 Head of state: Volodymyr Zelensʾkyj Head of government: Denys Šmyhalʾ Political system: Parliamentary-Presidential Republic Democracy Status Index (BTI): Rank 36 of 129 (2018) Corruption Index (CPI): Rank 126 of 180 (2019) From Kyїver Rus’ until 1918 According to hyperrestaurant, Ukraine is a country located in Eastern… Read More »
Administrative districts of Ukraine In November 2013, then-President Viktor Janukovyč refused to sign the long-planned association agreement between Ukraine and the EU. The failure of the association agreement sparked peaceful student protests in Kiev at the end of November 2013, which were violently broken up by the Ukrainian special police forces. The student protest was… Read More »
After the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Ukraine has been fighting since April 2014 against pro-Russian separatists and separatists supported by the Russian military in the Donec’k and Luhans’k areas (officially: Anti-Terrorist Operation, ATO). As early as March 2014, after the Euromaidan and the escape of Janukovyč, pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian demonstrations took place… Read More »
On January 23, the opposition resumed negotiations with Janukovyč. In the evening Vitali Klitschko announced that the President was ready to release the captured demonstrators. On that day the activist of the Automaidan Dmytro Bulatov disappeared. On January 24, protests spread across the west and central Ukraine. Several regional and city administrations have been occupied,… Read More »
On 21 November 2013, the then Prime Minister Azarov published the amounts authorized by Janukovyč decision on the failure to sign the Association Agreement with the EU in the summit in Vilnius in late November 2013. The rejection of a negotiated over years Agreement is directly related to the strong economic pressure from Moscow. The… Read More »
2019 was a super election year in Ukraine. The presidential elections took place on March 31st. The parliamentary elections were originally scheduled for October 27, 2019. After the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelensʾkyj, the parliament was dissolved. The early parliamentary elections took place on July 21, 2019. Volodymyr Zelensʾkyj Presidential elections 2019 After the first… Read More »
Corruption Corruption is far in Ukraine widespread and affects many areas of society, which negatively affects the economic and democratic development of the country effect. In 2018, Ukraine ranked 126th (out of 180) according to Transparency International’s CPI survey. According to statistical surveys, two thirds of Ukrainians have already faced corruption. Economic corruption and, above… Read More »