Mali meets with Pavlova

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President for the Western Balkans Lilyana Pavlova agreed on Thursday joint projects were progressing well and were being carried out without problems.

Mali and Pavlova discussed projects underway in Serbia in collaboration with the EIB and the dynamics of their implementation.

Mali thanked the EIB for supporting the construction of a Railway Corridor 10 high-speed line from Belgrade to Nis - which will allow trains to run at speeds up to 200 kph - as the EIB has earmarked a total 1.1 bln euros for the project, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

"The construction of the rail line is enormously significant for Serbia, for development of Serbia, especially the south of Serbia, and for attracting new investors. New rail lines and roads mean further progress and growth for our country," Mali said, announcing that a Surcin-New Belgrade expressway would be opened to traffic soon.

The parties also discussed joint projects envisioned by Serbia's 2023 budget, including projects aimed at road rehabilitation, improvement of traffic safety, reconstruction and construction of clinics, as well as a smart electric meter project and other projects.

The meeting also addressed Serbia's energy system and implementation of green agenda projects.

Mali noted that a transformation of the Serbian energy sector was underway and that major investments in the sector were ahead in the years to come as an absolute priority of the Serbian government.

He said that, in spite of the three years of the global economic crisis, Serbia's macroeconomic indicators remained very good and that public finances were fully stable.