Vucic regrets EU arrangement for Belgrade-Nis high-speed railway

Aleksandar Vucic says Serbia's Belgrade-Nis high-speed railway is being built “like the Building of Skadar,” a phrase that conveys a project moving painfully slowly. The Serbian president also acknowledged that choosing the European Union-backed arrangement was his mistake.

Speaking during a visit to a road construction site near Odzaci, in northern Serbia, Vucic said he had wanted the cooperation to bring in more grant money and reduce the burden on Serbian citizens. Instead, he said, the project had been overwhelmed by procedures. Construction of the roughly 20-kilometer Djunis-Stalac section is expected to begin in March next year.

“We are building it like the Building of Skadar. But that is where I made a mistake,” Vucic said. “I made a mistake because I wanted us to get more money, for free, so that it wouldn't cost the citizens of Serbia, but in the end they destroyed us with procedures, and you lose both the money you were counting on and everything else.”

“

We are building it like the Building of Skadar. But that is where I made a mistake.

The Belgrade-Nis railway stretches about 230 kilometers and has an estimated total cost of 2.8 billion euros. The EU is expected to provide 2.2 billion euros, including about 600 million euros in grants under a 2023 agreement. The European Investment Bank is to lend 1.1 billion euros, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is to provide 550 million euros, matching Serbia's expected contribution.

Vucic also discussed potential projects to rebuild old railways and construct new lines in Vojvodina and elsewhere in Serbia. He estimated that their combined cost could reach at least 2 billion euros. An international tender has recently opened for the public infrastructure project, replacing the previous practice of using interstate agreements and contracts classified as secret. Vucic said infrastructure would also be discussed during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to Serbia.

“

I made a mistake because I wanted us to get more money, for free, so that it wouldn't cost the citizens of Serbia, but in the end they destroyed us with procedures, and you lose both the money you were counting on and everything else.