Serbia gets exit to Albanian port – Nis-Merdare-Pristina highway project to be completed by May 2017

Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic stated that the Nis-Merdare-Pristina highway project would be completed shortly.

She pointed out that the section in question was very important, as it would provide an exit to another Adriatic port – Durres in Albania.

It’s a part of a regional highway connecting Serbia with Tirana and the Adriatic Sea.

– This road is a priority for the European Union and is a part of the European transport network. According to all projections, the Albanian port has a better location than the Montenegrin one, which is important for us – Mihajlovic said for Politika.

– Together with the EU and the Western Balkans Fund, we are preparing the project-technical documentation, which should be completed between April and May – the minister said.

According to her, there have been negotiations with international institutions about the manner of financing the project, since Serbia is unable to pay for it on its own.

As she explained, a half-profile will most probably be built initially, costing around EUR 500 million, and the job will be put in charge of a private investor, which will get a guarantee, on behalf of Serbia, from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj

Evropska investiciona banka EIB

Ministry of Construction Transport and Infrastructure

Zorana Mihajlovic

Nis Merdare Pristina highway

Port of Durres

Tirana

Adriatic Sea

Western Balkans Fund

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

European Investment Bank

EBRD

EIB

European transport network