„The Peace Highway“ will connect people, towns, but also businesses and is a chance for economic progress in the Southern Serbia, this is one of the conclusion after the start of works on the first part of the project. Once the project is completed, the time for travel between Nis and Merdare will be around 45 minutes.
The cost of the 33 kilometers long Niš –Plocnik section of the project is 255 million EUR, 40 million EUR coming as a grant from the European Union, while over 180 million EUR is secured through favourable loans from European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while the rest will be coming from the Serbian budget. The highway will continue to Merdare in the next phase the cost of the complete road is expected to be around 650 million EUR.
EU Ambassador to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said that this project is part of a more global approach by the EU.
„The Peace Highway is not an isolated project. It is the first expression of the EU’s new Global Gateway approach. It is thus part of a wider EU concept for which we need to see the full picture. Regionally and globally. So Serbia is in a way the forerunner in this initiative. Successful economic integration within the region and with the EU will only be possible with enhanced connectivity. The Peace Highway will have also an economic dimension for growth and jobs“, said Ambassador Giaufret.
„The name speaks for itself: this is indeed a peace project which is meant to help foster good relations, free travel, free flow of goods and services – in the EU spirit. The “Peace Highway” is one of the bridges for the peace and reconciliation in the Western Balkans“, the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia concludes.
“This is a big step forward for our country,” the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic emphasised and thanked the European Union for the financial assistance for this project.