Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić inaugurated the first kilometers of the Peace Highway, which is expected to connect Niš to Merdare, Pristina, Tirana, and Durrës.
“I am proud that this highway will connect us with the Albanians,” he said, emphasizing that trade between Serbia and Albania has increased by 35 percent in recent years.
Vučić added that this road, which he considered the backbone of the Western Balkans, will be one of the busiest highways in the next 20 years. The European Union Ambassador to Belgrade, Emanuele Giaufret, shared the same sentiment.
“This road will connect the south of Serbia with the Western Balkan network and enable the free flow of people, goods, and capital, from Niš, via Pristina to Tirana and Durrës,” he stressed.
He mentioned that the road should be a “road of peace, stability, and reconciliation”, which is why it has been named the Peace Highway.
“The 5.5-kilometer section we opened is the first segment of a much larger project that will connect Niš and other cities in this part of Serbia with the Adriatic Sea via Durrës,” he pointed out.
The total value of the project is expected to be around 650 million euros. The cost of the 33 kilometers long Niš-Pločnik section estimated at 255 million euros is financed through a grant from the European Union worth over 40 million euros.
The contract for this first section of the highway was signed in September 2021 during the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Over 180 million euros have been secured through favorable loans from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while the rest will come from the Serbian government’s budget.
The “Peace Highway” is one of the main projects within the framework of the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.
The Peace Highway was also part of the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo signed at the White House in 2020, and the construction of which will be assisted by the EU and the US. The part that connects the border point between Kosovo and Serbia, Merdare to Pristina, with a length of 27 km, has a cost of around 240 million euros, according to the Government of Kosovo.
“Great news! With the inauguration of the first part of the Niš-Merdare section of the Peace Highway, we connect people and business of south Serbia. This is a flagship project of the 30 billion euros Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. The EU delivers! More is coming,” wrote European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi in a Twitter post.
Great news!
W/ the inauguration of 1st part of Niš-Merdare section of the Peace Highway, we connect people & business of S Serbia.
This 🛣️ is a flagship project of the €30b Economic & Investment Plan for #WesternBalkans.
The EU delivers! More is coming! https://t.co/yZdNDgec9t— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) July 26, 2023
