Transport

Serbia gets its biggest ever EU grant for Belgrade-Nis rail revamp

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Serbia is set to receive a EUR 600mn handout from the EU towards its around EUR 2.2bn reconstruction of the 230km Belgrade-Nis railway link, which will drastically cut journey times in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Spanning the country from north to south, Belgrade-Nis is a key travel route and delivery hub for Serbia and CEE as a whole, and connects Western Europe to the Western Balkans, Greece and Turkey.

The line is likewise an important part of the Western Balkans Investment Framework, which supports the economic development of the Western Balkans. 

According to Euractiv, European Investment Bank has also approved a loan of EUR 1.1bn for the reconstruction, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allocated EUR 550mn, with the remaining cost to be covered by Serbia. The project is scheduled for completion by 2029.

The grant for the strategically important Transeuropean transport network is the largest single grant that Serbia has ever received from the EU. Earlier this month the EU candidate country also received a EUR 165mn energy support package from the bloc.

CET Editor

Recent Posts

North Macedonia president loses big in first election round

No candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of the Presidential elections…

7 days ago

Czech FM visits Budapest, as Hungary prepares for EU presidency

Hungary will focus on key issues for central Europe during its upcoming EU presidency, Hungarian…

7 days ago

Westinghouse increasingly central to CEE’s shift from Russian nuclear industry

US nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Company has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with 17 Bulgarian…

1 week ago

AI will transform Adriatic economies – Microsoft

By 2030 Artificial Intelligence could be contributing as much as 11.5%, or USD 700bn (EUR…

2 weeks ago

CEE countries register EU’s highest, lowest inflation

Lithuania had the lowest annual inflation rate of 0.4% in the EU in March 2024,…

2 weeks ago

Lithuanians to vote on joint foreign citizenships next month

Lithuania will hold a constitutional referendum on whether its citizens can hold dual and multiple…

2 weeks ago