BELGRADE – About half an hour’s drive outside of Belgrade, major construction work is under way. In addition to a new national sports stadium, Serbia is constructing a town to house and manage EXPO 2027, an international exposition the Balkan country is looking forward to hosting.
Serbia’s preparations for EXPO 2027 are well under way, and according to President Aleksandar Vucic, the international event will not only showcase the country’s cultural and technological achievements but also reshape its economic and infrastructural landscape in transformative ways.
“People in today’s world are fed up with big projects,” he told The Jerusalem Post last week in Belgrade. “We have all become more superficial… not having any kind of strategic focus. But this EXPO is something that is changing our country.”
EXPO 2027 is set to be hosted in Belgrade under the theme “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All.” It will be the first specialized exposition held in Europe in decades and the first ever in the Western Balkans.
Organizers expect more than 140 countries to participate, surpassing the 117 nations that attended EXPO 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, making it potentially the largest specialized expo to date.
For Vucic, however, the significance of EXPO 2027 lies less in symbolism and more in substance.
“This EXPO is not only about the site, which is unbelievably huge,” he said. “It’s about building a new national stadium, a block of apartments that will later serve healthcare and security workers, and critically, it’s about building new railroads that connect the site to Belgrade’s airport, city center, and suburban areas.”
Indeed, infrastructure development tied to EXPO 2027 is rapidly taking shape. One key project is a high-speed rail link from Nikola Tesla Airport to the exposition site and central Belgrade.
Vucic described the project as being part of a broader urban redesign.
“It will totally be a new city, and what we want to do is change the face of the other parts of Serbia beyond Belgrade,” he said.
To that end, Serbia is also accelerating work on a high-speed railway between Belgrade and Niš in the south, the country’s third-largest city. The rail line, which is expected to allow travel speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, will connect Serbia with Sofia, Bulgaria, and extend south to North Macedonia.
Another railway to Subotica, near the Hungarian border, is expected to open in July.
“You will be able to reach the center of Budapest in two hours and 40 minutes,” Vucic said, citing the improved regional connectivity.
New pipelines with Hungary, and more
Serbia is also working on new energy and logistics corridors to support the country’s expanding economic needs.
“We are building new oil pipelines with Hungary, gas interconnectors with Romania and North Macedonia, as well as increasing our gas and oil storage capacities,” Vucic said.
A new harbor and marina, equipped with autonomous vehicles to shuttle guests to the EXPO site, is also in development. Technological parks, road networks, and upgraded digital infrastructure are being bundled into the broader EXPO 2027 initiative.
In total, the EXPO construction site alone accounts for €1.5 billion in investments, but the full scope of associated national infrastructure projects is expected to reach €15b.-€16b., Vucic said
“It’s going to be the new face of the country,” he said. “That’s why many people who don’t like this fast growth of our country [and] don’t like to see it.”
Despite some speculation that a few Scandinavian or Baltic nations may opt out, Serbia anticipates participation from a diverse range of countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The United States and Israel have already announced their participation.
Israel has close sporting ties with Serbia, which hosted several Israeli soccer and basketball teams for European competition after the October 7 massacre and deteriorating security situation.
With the global attention the event is expected to attract, Vucic views EXPO 2027 as an unprecedented opportunity for tourism and business.
“I think this will be another game-changer,” he said. “Not only for Serbia’s image, but for investment, travel, and our political position as well.”
EXPO 2027 is scheduled to take place between May 15 and August 15, 2027, and is expected to draw millions of visitors from across the world.