EU Grants Serbia EUR 223.7 Million for Seven Projects Worth EUR 885.4 Million

The European Union granted Serbia non-repayable funds in the amount of EUR 223.615 million for investments in seven projects, three of which are in the transport sector, two in the energy sector and one in the digital and social infrastructure sectors each, announced the minister for European integration and the national IPA coordinator, Jadranka Joksimovic, according to the website of the Government of Serbia.

These funds, as said, were approved within the sixth call for project proposals from the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) of the European Union, and the total estimated investment value of the approved infrastructure projects amounts to EUR 885,413 million.

Joksimovic explained that all these projects are designed to contribute to the growth of investments in Serbia and to deepen the overall trade and economic cooperation of Serbia with the region of the Western Balkans and with the European Union.

Projects from the transport sector, for whose implementation funds in the total value of EUR 135,740,290 have been approved, include rail and water transport and are aimed at the modernization of the railway line Nis-Dimitrovgrad-border with Bulgaria.

They are also aimed at the reconstruction and modernization of the existing track and the construction of a second track on the Stalac-Djunis section, which is part of the Belgrade-Nis railway, as well as at ensuring safe navigation on the Danube through the project of retrieving the sunken German war fleet from the Second World War - sector Prahovo.

In the energy sector, the approved amount of EUR 17,038,367 of non-repayable EU funds will be used for the implementation of the Trans-Balkan Corridor through the construction of a transmission line interconnection between Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Also, funds will be allocated for the development and modernization of the electricity distribution network by introducing an advanced system for reading electricity meters and controlling electricity consumption (the so-called "smart" electricity consumption measurement system).

In the social infrastructure sector, specifically in the health sector, non-repayable funds were approved for the construction of a new building of the University Children's Clinic "Tirsova 2" in the amount of EUR 36,428,571.

This will modernize, to a great extent, the internal organization of the operations of this institution, which is of exceptional importance for the youngest citizens of Serbia, considerably improve the conditions for controlling infectious diseases and provide better accommodation for children undergoing treatment and their families.

In the digital infrastructure sector, a project called "Rural Broadband Internet" was approved, for which EUR 34,408,163 were granted and it will ensure the introduction of fast Internet in rural areas for nearly 700 households and for more than 1,500 public facilities, including schools, in two phases.