The Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović, the Minister for European Integration Tanja Miščević, the director of Elektromreža Srbije Jelena Matejić and the director of the office of the German development bank KfW in Belgrade Rudiger Hartmann signed the Agreement on the donation of 8.5 million euros from the European Union, through the Investment Framework for Western Balkans, which will be used for the fourth section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor.
Minister Đedović emphasized that the construction of the 4th section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor for the transmission of electricity is another step towards increasing the energy stability and security of our supply to citizens and companies.
“Another important day for Serbia’s energy system. By signing the Agreement on the donation of 8.5 million euros from the European Union, an additional step was taken in the process of realizing the Trans-Balkan Corridor for the transmission of electricity and new 83 kilometers of transmission lines in our country. With the completion of the project, not only we will improve the safety and quality of electricity supply in western and central Serbia, we will enable greater integration of renewable energy sources into our system, including the reversible hydroelectric power plant Bistrica, but also become an inevitable energy corridor of Europe and connect with Romania and Italy,” she wrote Đedovićeva on her Instagram account.
The director of the Belgrade office of the German Development Bank, Rudiger Hartmann, thanked the relevant ministries, the EU Delegation in the Republic of Serbia and the EMS for the effective cooperation in the implementation of the previous phases of the construction of the Trans-Balkan Corridor.
According to Rudiger Hartmann, the Trans-Balkan Corridor will significantly strengthen the European energy network and the critical pan-European electricity corridors in Southeast Europe.
The signing of the contract in the Government of the Republic of Serbia was attended by the head of the European Union delegation in the Republic of Serbia, Emanuel Giofre, and the German Ambassador H.E. Anke Konrad.
The head of the European Union delegation, Emanuele Giaufret, compared the Trans-Balkan Corridor to a highway for electricity transmission between Serbia and the EU.
“The EU continues to be Serbia’s largest donor. The Trans-Balkan Electricity Corridor is an example of good cooperation and continuous productive work on common goals, such as greater energy efficiency, better security of energy supply and maximum use of renewable energy sources. This is connected to our overall efforts to let’s support the energy sector in Serbia. Since 2000, Serbia has received more than 835 million euros for the energy sector alone,” said Giaufret.
Ambassador Konrad said that the Trans-Balkan Corridor is a leading development cooperation project between Germany and Serbia that connects the Western Balkans with the EU and increases energy security.
“This shows that in the time of Russian aggression against Ukraine, there cannot be individual solutions and that a strong community and a European approach, based on trust and solidarity, are needed in order to achieve energy security and independence together,” Ambassador Konrad concluded.
Photo: europa.rs