Opposition slams "Belgrade on Water" land expropriation law ahead of elections

Opposition members in the Serbian Parliament have strongly condemned a proposed law aimed at accelerating land expropriation for the controversial "Belgrade on Water" project. Mila Popović of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) argued that while the ruling party can pass the law immediately, they will face legal defenses rather than decisions on urban expansion after the upcoming elections.

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What will happen if the law starts to apply on the eighth day, not the next? Will the Sava stop flowing? Will your project, which has been ongoing for a decade, fall apart?

Popović criticized the bill's provision for the law to take effect the day after its publication in the official gazette, bypassing the constitutional eight-day waiting period. She questioned the urgency, stating, "What will happen if the law starts to apply on the eighth day, not the next? Will the Sava stop flowing? Will your project, which has been ongoing for a decade, fall apart?" She accused the government of seizing citizens' property with public funds to gift it to an "Arab investor."

Radomir Lazović from the Green-Left Front coalition labeled the "Belgrade on Water" project as part of a "criminal octopus" that serves only the regime and its associated investors. He urged citizens to resist the government through all means, including institutions, street protests, and ultimately, at the ballot box, predicting the ruling party's defeat.

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Seizure from citizens, payment with our money, to give to some Arab investor as a gift.

In response, Finance Minister Siniša Mali presented photographs of the area before the project's development, blaming former Belgrade Mayor Dragan Đilas and his associates for leaving the area in disarray. Mali asserted that the land was not sold but contributed as capital, with the investor providing the funds. He highlighted that 900,000 square meters have been built, challenging claims that an investor could construct this volume with only an 80 million euro investment, stating the actual investment is much higher, around 2.2 billion euros.

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You can vote for the law to be valid tomorrow, but you cannot stop time that is coming. After the elections, you will no longer decide on any new expropriation, parcel, or expansion of "Belgrade on Water." You will only decide on your defense in court.

Opposition MPs countered Mali's accusations against Đilas, suggesting that if he had evidence of illegal enrichment during his mayorship, it would have been presented to the court. The debate underscores deep divisions over the project's legality, economic benefits, and the government's methods of land acquisition.

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The project "Belgrade on Water" belongs to a criminal octopus that presents itself as the government.