EXPO Complex in Surcin to Be Built According to Lex Specialis – State to Accelerate Expropriation and Issuing of Permits Through Special Law

The Government of Serbia has adopted the Bill on Special Procedures for the Purpose of the Realization of the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO BELGRADE 2027. According to the bill, “the realization of the EXPO BELGRADE 2027 project is a general interest of importance to the overall economic development of the Republic of Serbia.” Therefore, it is added, all the procedures which are carried out in line with the stipulations of the bill are to be considered urgent and all the state organs and the organs of the local self-government units, companies, as well as other organs and institutions which have public authorizations are obligated to issue acts within their field of competence without delay.

Companies are also to be founded for the execution of the EXPO project, a company which will coordinate all the activities in the realization of the EXPO project, as well as individual special-purpose companies which will be in charge of the construction of residential facilities.

The explanation of the bill says that, based on the experience in the realization of the projects so far, the conclusion is that, in the process of the realization of projects, a lot of time is taken up by the solving of property-legal relations before the issuing of the necessary permits and that this is why the realization of the works is often late. This pertains to the preparation of the parcellation and re-parcellation projects, the carrying out of the procedures in the land register according to those projects and, finally, the expropriation process itself, which takes a lot of time because, as added, “facilities are planned, designed and built on several cadaster parcels.”

– Considering the deadlines taken on in line with the internationally taken on obligations of the Republic of Serbia as the host of the international specialized exhibition EXPO BELGRADE 2027, the adoption of this kind of a legal solution would accelerate the realization of projects, whereby the Republic of Serbia would be able to fulfill its internationally taken on obligations on time and successfully organize said event. The necessity of the adoption of a special law is reflected in the fact that the realization of the Project will begin simultaneously in several different locations, which requires a systemic solving of all the issues and the overcoming of all the potential problems that could occur in the realization itself – the explanation says.

The indicator of the effectiveness of the law will be the degree to which the facilities and the accompanying structures are built in line with the obligations that the Republic of Serbia has taken on based on the Bid Dossier and the Recognition Dossier, in the sense that the exploitation permit for the construction of the pavilion will be issued according to the degree the facility is finished to the “gray phase” level. In other words, this requires for the structure of the facility, the facade, the roof, the façade joinery, the exterior water and thermal insulation, all the necessary connections and the primary installation distribution within the facility to be finished and for the accredited participants to file the requests for the equipping of individual pavilions within the deadlines proscribed in the bill.

In order for that kind of a time deadline to be complied with, the locations will be handed over to the participants by December 1, 2026, and the moving in of the items to be exhibited will be allowed from March 1, 2027 in line with the documents (the Bid Dossier and the Recognition Dossier), which are prepared in the process of candidacy and candidacy confirmation.

Upon the closing of the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO BELGRADE 2027, the building land in the open residential block which is in public use will be transferred, without compensation, to the local self-government unit in whose territory it is located, and the complex of the pavilions is to be given for management and use to the Belgrade Fair company by the Republic of Serbia or the investor.

Let us remind that the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that the entire EXPO needed to be finished by December 1, 2026 and that a lex specialis would be adopted in order to build EXPO quickly.

I. Z.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Beogradski sajam doo Beograd

Government of Serbia

Belgrade Fair

Bill on Special Procedures for the Purpose of the Realization of the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO BELGRADE 2027

lex specialis EXPO

lex specialis Expo 2027

national stadium