Matej Zakonjšek, Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community, stated that Serbia is the most advanced among the six Western Balkan partners in aligning its transport sector with EU legislation. However, he emphasized that Serbia still needs to adopt over 90% of relevant regulations. So far, the country has partially harmonized 34% of transport-related legislation, covering road, rail, air, and water traffic.
Speaking before the Serbian Parliament’s Committee for Spatial Planning, Transport, Infrastructure, and Telecommunications, Zakonjšek presented a progress report highlighting both accomplishments and areas needing improvement. He noted that priorities and action plans for 2025–2027 have already been outlined at the Council of Ministers’ session in December 2024.
Progress has been made in areas like the drafting of a new Law on Railway Traffic Safety (2024–2026) and improved road safety data collection, which now follows EU methodology. Serbia has also launched joint traffic controls with Hungary and signed a memorandum on green lanes. Yet, several key legal frameworks still need adoption, including safety certificates for road vehicles and directives tied to road traffic safety.
Zakonjšek stressed that the Transport Community does not merely monitor regional progress but provides expert and technical assistance for EU-corridor-based projects extending into the Western Balkans. Two major corridors—the Western Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean corridors—now integrate the region into broader European transport networks.
He called for urgent investment in the railway sector, noting decades of underfunding. For example, the Belgrade-Bar railway, once a five-hour journey in the 1970s, now takes over 11 hours. Serbia is currently rehabilitating 237 km of railway lines across six major projects.
Road infrastructure is in relatively better condition, with Corridor 10 efficiently linking Serbia to Hungary and Greece. Still, road maintenance remains a pressing issue throughout the region. On water transport, Serbia has nearly adopted all EU legislation, though airport-to-rail connections remain a challenge, particularly in Belgrade and Tirana.
Truck delays at border crossings are another major “bottleneck,” prompting the establishment of green lanes at 11 key regional points. Zakonjšek mentioned that Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are collaborating on the Jelenice corridors, with completion expected by 2030.
In response to a parliamentary question about a new border crossing with Bulgaria, Zakonjšek clarified that the Transport Community focuses on main corridors, leaving bilateral projects to individual countries.
