Serbia: a motorway to lead out of the crisis

Thereby the focus is on the expansion of the motorways, for which the Balkan state has been granted international loans worth millions. The government hopes to make the country more attractive for further investments by expanding its present motorway network of some 520 km, at the same time securing thousands of jobs.

Priority lies with the pan-European Traffic Corridor 10, which leads from Salzburg via Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia to Greece (Thessalonica). In Serbia it has not been completed yet. The whole corridor covers a length of some 2.300km.

According to information issued by the Serbian minister for National Investments, Verica Kalanovic, Serbia plans to construct about 100 km of motorway in 2010. Almost 26 billion Dinar (€ 277 m) shall be provided for this by the Serbian budget. A section of 50 km has been completed this year.

International loans guaranteed

In addition Serbia has already received some stand-by credits from international financiers. According to Milutin Mrkonjic, Minister for the Infrastructure, the following banks have promised financial means: the World Bank – USD 388m (€ 263m), the European Investment Bank (EIB) – EUR 600m, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) – EUR 150m and Greece – EUR 100m. But for obtaining the money Serbia has to complete certain preliminary tasks such as financing the planning and exploration of the layout of the motorways.

Beside the expansion of the pan-European connection of Central - with South-eastern Europe the construction of the motorway from Belgrade in direction of the Montenegrin Adriatic port Bar is also accelerated. According to the minister for the infrastructure work on the 75km long section Belgrade – Ljig (direction Montenegro), representing a contract value between € 300 and 350m, shall be started in March 2010, being completed within two years. € 100m have been provided for this in the Serbian budget. Preliminary work is said to have already been completed and the invitation to tender is expected for the beginning of 2010.

During the two-day-visit of the Turkish President Abullah Gül, who was accompanied by 50 business representatives, Serbia’s President, Boris Tadic, solicited for Turkish investments in this motorway section. The motorway leads through the Serbian region of Sandschak, which has a large Muslim population and is economically underdeveloped. Tadic explained that the project therefore was most important.

Starting signal for Montenegro’s first motorway
 
On visiting the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in the middle of October, Serbia’s Minister for the Environment, Oliver Dulic, who is in charge of the preliminary work for motorway construction, stressed that Serbia wants to speed building the motorway links to all neighbouring countries. He also pointed out that Montenegro had recently started the construction of the motorway from the Adriatic port Bar in direction of the Serbian frontier.

Near the Montenegrin capital Podgorica the starting signal was given for the construction of the almost 170 km-long motorway which shall connect the Adriatic port Bar with Boljare, a small town on the border to Serbia. In spring a Croatian syndicate headed by the construction company Konstruktor was assigned the building project, which is worth € 2,7 billion.