This business conference “EU-Serbia 2018: Investments, Growth and Job Creation” which opened today under the patronage of President Tajani and Prime Minister Brnabić shows the exceptional relation between the European Union and Serbia.

The European Union is by far Serbia’s main trade partner, finance provider, investor and donor. In short: the EU is Serbia’s best support for growth and job creation.

Several hundreds of SMEs from the EU and from all over Serbia have come to this event to meet, find new business opportunities and build partnerships and it is a great demonstration of the vitality of our relation.

We have also witnessed today the signature of two very important projects:

  • First, the reconstruction and modernisation of the railway line between Niš and Dimitrovgrad. It is a flagship project. Not only because of the financial effort – over EUR 200 Million of loans and grants for the European Union – but for the impact it will have on the economy and citizens of Serbia.
  • The electrification of the section means cleaner and faster transport : no need to change the locomotive any more to connect to the rest of the network; the by-pass of the city of Niš means more secure transport and better quality of life for its residents; and all of this means economic growth – almost doubling freight and passenger transport by 2050 – and jobs – 7.500 jobs created during the construction phase and 200 stable jobs after that.
  • The project is a step further for the completion of the Connectivity Agenda, which develops transport and energy connection across the Western Balkans and with the European Union. The investments in transport only are estimated to boost regional GDP growth by one percentage point per year over 15 years and help to create more than 200.000 jobs. This requires investments, but through the Western Balkans Investments Framework, the EU and its partners can secure the knowledge and the financing for all of it, including EUR 1 billion non-refundable grants from the EU budget.
  • Another strong commitment of the European Union is helping the countries of the region, including Serbia, to address the needs of displaced persons and to provide durable housing to the remaining refugees from ex-Yugoslavia.
  • Besides numerous national programmes financed under the IPA, the European Union is the biggest donor to the Regional Housing Programme with EUR 232 million.
  • Serbia is the biggest beneficiary of the programme: today, we have signed a new EUR 18 M tranche, which brings the total to EUR 105 million euro in grants for the provision of almost 6.300 housing units in Serbia. Very concretely, it means providing a roof and giving decent living conditions to close to 6.300 families who lost everything in tragic moments of their lives. This is what European solidarity is about.