Transfers from the government for the next year have been reduced by 4.7 billion dinars, or 48 times, compared to the revised city budget for this year.
The total funds on the consolidated treasury account of the City of Belgrade are planned to be around 171.6 billion dinars. The majority of the city’s income will come from various taxes, fees and rents.
There is about 1.57 billion dinars remaining in the city’s account from transfers from other levels of government.
The proposed 2025 budget does not specify the reason for the drastic reduction in state transfers, but the expenditure plan for 2025, 2026, and 2027 reveals that there are projects with significantly higher costs expected in 2027—just when all the EXPO-related works are expected to be completed, according to Nova Ekonomija.
No funds have been allocated for roads leading to the “Prokop” railway station in the next two years. Only in 2027 is a budget allocation of 35 million dinars planned. The three-year spending plan was included in the current budget, but the original plan allocated 468 million dinars for this project.
Another project that did not fare well is the bus and railway station complex in Block 42, New Belgrade. For this project, only 29 million dinars are planned for next year, 66 million in 2026, and significantly more—around 353 million dinars—in 2027.
Under the current city budget, the investment plans were different. For this complex, more than 241 million dinars were initially planned for 2025.
Another example is the extension of the Batajnica Boulevard, for which no funds are allocated in the city’s budget. However, 480 million dinars are planned for 2027. The previous plan had allocated 150 million dinars for next year.
State transfers have not only been reduced for Belgrade but also for Vojvodina, as Nova Ekonomija pointed out. Provincial revenues total 69 billion dinars, which is 36 billion dinars less compared to the revised budget for the current year.
Although most budget revenues for next year are planned to be approximately the same as this year, a significant difference is observed in transfers from other levels of government—particularly from the Republic.
The state budget will allocate around 10.5 billion dinars to the provincial treasury. Last year, these transfers were much higher, amounting to nearly 50 billion dinars. In other words, the state will pay Vojvodina about 38.5 billion dinars less—almost five times less than this year.
Although there is no official explanation for the drastic reduction in state transfers to the province, it can be inferred from the budget details that someone is paying the price for what is clearly the most important project—the specialized EXPO 2027 exhibition.
