Topic
Sanctions, companies, energy, budgets, and the market impact of official decisions.
Topic feed
N1 reports that Magna’s Aleksinac plant, which makes car-seat covers, has begun a “workforce adjustment,” confirmed by the company. No details or potential number of job losses were announced. The report notes workers’ concern and says the plant employs 850 people and matters to the local budget.
The Finance Ministry reported a January–June Serbian budget deficit of RSD 51.6bn, according to 021. June recorded a RSD 48.1bn surplus, with revenue of RSD 276.9bn and spending of RSD 228.8bn. The state-sector fiscal deficit published for the half-year was RSD 55.8bn.
Prime Minister Đuro Macut announced that, from 17 August, insured people in Serbia will be entitled to 18 more prescription medicines with state co-financing. The list includes 16 oral anticoagulants and two medicines for certain heart-failure patients. According to N1 and 021, the state will cover 70% of the anticoagulants’ price, reducing the co-payment to roughly RSD 600–1,100 per pack.
The Mining and Energy Ministry says that weeks of low Danube levels are keeping fuel-supply conditions difficult. NIS expects to raise crude processing in the second half of August, once already ordered deliveries arrive, from about 9,500 to about 13,000 tonnes a day. The authorities also plan to allow the company to make about 23,000 tonnes of operational reserves available to other oil companies; imports of about 20,000 tonnes of diesel by water remain uncertain.
The provincial emergency headquarters has banned users from drawing water from the Danube–Tisa–Danube system in the South Bačka, North Bačka and West Bačka districts. N1 says the level at the Bezdan 2 pumping station reached −164 cm on 3 August and RHMZ expects a further fall; 021 also reports that four vessels ran aground near Bogojevo and Bezdan, with crews safe.
N1 reports more than 350 layoffs at state-owned Srbija Kargo; two workers in Niš said they received termination notices on 3 August after 25 and 30 years of service. The notices cite redundancy, unprofitable operations and a weakening market position; the workers say selection criteria were not explained, and the report contains no company response to N1’s questions.
