Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Djelic requests extraordinary government session

Belgrade, 28 March 2008

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic has sent a request to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica to call an extraordinary government session at which the concessionaire for the Horgos-Pozega motorway would be given a 90-day extension to the deadline for submitting the bank guarantee.

Djelic said that this deadline should be enough to negotiate all financial and technical terms for the motorway's construction to begin.

He stressed that the issue of concession for construction of this road is not political but economic.

At a session yesterday the Serbian government rejected, by majority vote, the proposal to begin the construction of the Horgos-Pozega motorway, submitted by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

If an agreement to hold the session is reached, it would have to take place before March 31, when the concessionaire’s deadline to submit a bank guarantee expires.

Djelic said that he is convinced that all necessary guarantees for the public and the state can be obtained during a period of 90 days, and all technical preparations for beginning construction in this construction season can also be completed.

Djelic explained that if the contract is terminated, Serbia would need up to two years to implement a new tender for the construction of the Horgos-Pozega motorway.

It is a fact that the concessionaire did not provide the financial and technical conditions which were demanded, but this is not reason enough to take extreme action and terminate a project of such importance, said the Deputy Prime Minister.

He said that at the Serbian government’s session yesterday he presented a proposal to solve the issue in this way, but the proposal was not included on the agenda because it was not presented formally.

Djelic said that the concessionaire is willing to resolve all disputes, and expressed his conviction that this problem will be solved in the best interest of the Serbian people.