Framework Agreement on “Vojvodina Smile”, Commercial Agreement on Highway Between Belgrade, Novi Sad and Zrenjanin, as well as Agreement on Five Fast Trains Signed in China

The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure signed contracts and agreements in Beijing today which pertain to the construction of infrastructure in Serbia. The value of those agreements amounts to nearly EUR 4 billion, for around 300 kilometers of new roads, the ministry says in the press release.

The first document pertains to the fast route “Vojvodina Smile”, and it is the framework agreement for the project of this future fast route, the 021.rs portal reminds.

– That traffic route will begin in Backi Breg and go through Sombor, Kula, Vrbas, Becej and Novi Becej, Kikinda and finally to Srpska Crnja. The length of that road will be 186 kilometers, plus the extension to Srpska Crnja, so it will amount to nearly 200 kilometers when we’re done. It will be a very important road which will connect not just the north of Serbia, but also Hungary and Romania, which is why we expect it to be very busy – said the minister of construction, transport and infrastructure of Serbia, Goran Vesic.

He points out that the works on the fast route will begin in the next month and that the building permits for the first 5.5 kilometers have already been issued.

The agreement on the construction of the highway between Belgrade, Zrenjanin and Novi Sad was signed as well, and the highway will be 105 kilometers long. The planning of that highway is being completed and the works are expected to start next year, Vesic said and pointed out that Novi Sad would thereby be connected to the third highway, making the city very well connected in terms of traffic.

– These two traffic routes mean that Banat, which has been neglected, will now be connected in terms of traffic, which is important for the development of traffic infrastructure. The total value of these agreements will be EUR 3.5 to 4 billion. We are building nearly 300 kilometers of the highway and the fast route, which is a great contribution to the continuation of the construction of the traffic infrastructure – Vesic pointed out.

The agreement on the purchase of five Chinese fast trains was signed as well, with CRRC, the company which Ivan Bulajic, the acting director general of Srbija Voz, also announced as the most likely new supplier of trains for speeds of up to 200 km/h for the fast railroads in Serbia.



– We have negotiated about this agreement with our friends from China for a long time. For EUR 54 million, we got five trains, which means that we will now have fast trains, Chinese trains, which will operate the Belgrade-Budapest railroad. Some of those trains will be operational as soon as early 2025. By the end of 2024, we will complete our part of the fast railroad to Subotica and in 2025 already, after the railroad is tested, we will have a fast train from Belgrade to Subotica. A trip will take an hour and ten minutes – the minister said.

He said that all the trains Serbia was buying from China complied with all the European standards and that they would be suitable for EU railroads. Vesic points out that that was Serbia’s condition and that “it wasn’t a problem for our Chinese friends to fulfill that.”

– They truly have the highest number of fast railroads in the world. China has more of them than all other countries combined, they have over 40,000 kilometers of fast railroads, and on some of them, trains run at up to 350 km/h – Vesic reminded, as announced by the ministry.

He pointed out that, that morning, he had also signed an agreement with the Ministry of Transport of China.

– It is the Agreement on the Coordination of All Activities in Infrastructure. So, my colleague and I will, from now on, have a meeting each month with all the Chinese companies which work in Serbia, go through the status of all the projects and thereby take care for all the projects to be executed on time. Also, we have agreed to create a program in which Chinese companies which work in Serbia will take part, within which students from technical faculties in Serbia, which already have an agreement signed with the ministry I’m running, will go over to China for professional practice – Vesic said.

The minister of trade, Tomislav Momirovic, signed the agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), the protocol on cooperation for the development of the external infrastructure of the Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park “Mihajlo Pupin”, the minister of agriculture, forestry and water management, Jelena Tanaskovic, signed the agreement for harmonizing the export of apples from Serbia, and the director of Telekom Srbija, Vladimir Lucic, signed the commercial agreement on the modernization of the landline network with Huawei. The ministers of culture of Serbia and China, Maja Gojkovic and Hu Heping, signed the agreement on preventing the theft, secret excavations and unlawful import and export of cultural goods.

Vlada Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo kulture Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo unutrašnje i spoljne trgovine Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srbije

Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd

China Road and Bridge Corporation Serbia ogranak Beograd

Huawei Technologies d.o.o. Beograd

Grad Beograd

Grad Novi Sad

Grad Zrenjanin

Grad Sombor

Grad Subotica

Grad Kikinda

Opština Kula

Opština Vrbas

Opština Novi Bečej

Opština Bečej

European Union

Republic of Serbia

Ministry of Construction Transport and Infrastructure

Ministry of Culture

Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Trade

Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Water Management

Ministry of Transport of China

CRBC

CRRC

Huawei

Serbian Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin

Telekom Srbija

Vladimir Lučić

Maja Gojković

Tomislav Momirović

Jelena Tanasković

Hu Heping

City of Belgrade

City of Novi Sad

City of Zrenjanin

City of Sombor

City of Subotica

City of Kikinda

Municipality of Kula

Municipality of Vrbas

Municipality of Novi Becej

Municipality of Becej

Bački Breg

Srpska Crnja

beijing

Budapest

Banat

Vojvodina Smile

Belgrade Zrenjanin Novi Sad highway

traffic infrastructure

fast trains

fast railroad

Belgrade Budapest railroad

EU standards

Chinese companies