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GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA AND EIB – PARTNERS ON NEW PROJECTS

January 31st

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, prof. Dr. Zorana Mihajlovic, today spoke with EIB Vice-president Dario Scannapieco about current and new infrastructure projects implemented with the support of the EIB. The meeting, held in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, was attended by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic. Vice President Mihajlovic at the meeting thanked Scannapieco for good cooperation with the EIB on important infrastructure projects that, primarily in the field of road and railway infrastructure.

At a press conference in Belgrade at the end of a two-day official visit to Serbia, EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco presented last year’s results in Serbia and the Western Balkans, as well as the 2018 objectives and strategy under the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI).

At the same event, the loan in the amount of EUR 134m for Railway Nis-Dimitrovgrad was signed. The Railway Nis-Dimitrovgrad project encompasses the reconstruction, modernisation and electrification of the existing Nis-Dimitrovgrad railway line and the construction of a railway bypass around Nis, in Serbia. By facilitating rail transport, the project falls under the Connectivity Agenda of the Berlin Process. It will contribute to the competitiveness of the country’s economy and will increase the quality and availability of rail services in Serbia, also contributing to the modal shift from road to rail. The EIB financing for this project is blended with EU funding under the EU-sponsored 2015 Connectivity Agenda.