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🇷🇸 Serbia /Energy & Infrastructure

Vučić regrets building Belgrade-Niš high-speed railway with EU: “Procedures have crushed us”

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Aleksandar Vučić said construction of the Belgrade-Niš high-speed railway has progressed painfully slowly and called his decision to pursue EU financing a mistake.
  • He said the roughly 20-kilometre Đunis-Stalać section should begin construction in March next year.
  • The approximately €2.8 billion project is largely financed by the EU and must use international tenders and greater transparency.

Aleksandar Vučić says Serbia’s Belgrade-Niš high-speed railway is being built “like Skadar on the Bojana,” a phrase used for a project that seems endlessly delayed. He also said the situation was his fault because he wanted EU funding to keep the burden off Serbian citizens.

Speaking while visiting a local road construction site near Odžaci, Vučić said the project had instead been overwhelmed by procedures. “I made a mistake because I wanted us to get more money, free of charge, so it would not cost the citizens of Serbia, but in the end the procedures crushed us, and you lose both the money you were counting on and everything else,” he said.

He said construction of the roughly 20-kilometre Đunis-Stalać section should begin in March next year. Vučić also discussed the possible cost of rebuilding old railways and constructing new lines in Vojvodina and elsewhere in Serbia. After swearing while estimating that the total could reach at least €2 billion, he apologized, saying the remark was unbecoming of a president.

It is like building Skadar on the Bojana. But I made a mistake. I made a mistake because I wanted us to get more money, free of charge, so it would not cost the citizens of Serbia, but in the end the procedures crushed us, and you lose both the money you were counting on and everything else.

· Aleksandar VučićThe Serbian president criticized delays and procedures surrounding the EU-backed railway project.

The Belgrade-Niš railway stretches about 230 kilometres and has an estimated total cost of €2.8 billion. The EU is expected to provide €2.2 billion, including about €600 million in grants. The European Investment Bank is set to lend €1.1 billion, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide €550 million, matched by Serbia’s contribution.

Because the EU is financing much of the project, it will not follow Serbia’s previous practice of relying on intergovernmental agreements and classified contracts. An international tender has instead been issued for a public infrastructure project. Vučić said he would also discuss infrastructure with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his visit to Serbia.

I apologize, something slipped out that is unbecoming of a president.

· Aleksandar VučićVučić apologized after swearing while discussing the cost of railway construction.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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