Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Tuesday that the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat has confirmed what he said are Serbia’s excellent economic results.

A ministry press release quoted him as saying that, according to Eurostat, Serbia ranks first among 38 European economies in terms of GDP growth in the first quarter of this year. He added that the five percent GDP first quarter growth rate is the result of efforts invested in reforming public finances and economic development.

  “This is the best response to everyone who doubted us and our resolve to be number one… In conditions of the biggest economic crisis to date, we are number one in Europe on the basis of the most important economic indicator,” he said.