French Expertise to Boost Serbia’s Railway Modernization
A partnership Agreement was signed today between Infrastruktura Železnice Srbije (IZS), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and SNCF (the French national railways).
IZS, SNCF and AFD have collaboratively inked a partnership aimed at modernizing Serbia’s railway infrastructure. This tripartite agreement, mobilizing a €500,000 grant from AFD, was ceremonially signed today at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade, in presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, and the French Minister for Foreign Trade, Olivier Becht.
In line with the priorities identified for the successful development of the Serbian railway network and services, SNCF experts will support their IZS peers sharing their experience on infrastructure maintenance and enhancement of railway stations’ management. This collaboration will go hand-in-hand with the implementation of the Serbia Railway Sector Modernization Project, a €400 million multi-annual investment and technical assistance program jointly supported by AFD and the World Bank.
H.E. Ms Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, stated during the ceremony: “This agreement exemplifies Serbia’s commitment to sustainable and efficient transportation. We’re thrilled to have both French expertise and financial support on this journey towards a modernized and efficient railway system, serving our citizens and companies’ needs.”
In his speech, H.E. Mr. Olivier Becht, French Minister for Trade, replied, “By undertaking the launch of an ambitious investment program for the modernization of its railway infrastructures, Serbia prioritizes an efficient and carbon-efficient mode of transport. Serbia’s choice reflects France’s solid expertise in the transport sector.” Through the partnership signed today, he confirmed the full mobilization of AFD, SNCF, and all actors in the French railway sector, to support Serbia in this virtuous dynamic.
Mr. Arnaud Dauphin, Director of AFD’s Western Balkans office, added that this signature marked another significant milestone in AFD’s mission to support Serbia in its Green Agenda. It clearly echoed IZS CEO Mr. Nebojsa Surlan’s priority of bringing Serbia’s rail infrastructure up to European Union standards, enhancing both safety and efficiency. “Peer-to-peer exchange is a great tool for learning from each other and improving our daily ways of doing things”, finally summed up Mr. Jean-Christophe Rouja, Director for Europe and Africa at SNCF International.
