The Serbian Central Bank said Thursday that the International Monetary Fund has positively evaluated Serbia’s economic program and released a EUR373 million loan installment.

“Based on that positive evaluation Serbia will on Dec. 27 withdraw some EUR54.5 million, or approximately 15 percent of the sixth installment,” the central bank said in a statement, putting the total amount withdrawn so far at EUR1.54 billion.

The IMF’s executive board approved the release of the loan installment after completing a sixth review of Serbia’s economic performance under a loan originally agreed in January 2009, and subsequently raised to EUR2.98 billion in May that year.

The positive review came after Serbian government sent to the parliament a 2011 budget draft agreed with the IMF.

December 23, 2010
AFP

• A Permanent Economic Emergency