At the sitting held on 30 September, the Committee on Transportation and Communications considered the information on investments into the road and railway network.

The sitting was chaired by Velimir Ilic, Committee Chairman and attended by the Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic, Director of Serbian Railways Milovan Markovic and Director of the Public Company “Serbian Roads” Zoran Drobnjak.

Talking about the planned activities, Minister Mrkonjic announced that the construction of a motorway from Belgrade to Cacak toward the southern Adriatic shall be one of the Government’s priorities next year. The motorway construction projects are expected to be prepared by 1 January 2010, so that the tender can be called by 1 March next year. A hundred million EUR shall be allocated for the construction of the first section of the road, between Belgrade and Cacak. Minister Markovic reminded the Committee that the Ministry’s idea is to have Serbia compete in the tender for the Port of Bar.

According to him, full project documentation for the remaining 250 kilometers of motorway on Corridor 10 through Serbia should also be completed by the same deadline, 1 March next year, as well as the expropriation of the land on the sections for which funds had been secured from the loans. In addition, the Ministry proposed that the 2010 budget secure 80 million EUR worth of funds for the construction of the motorway in the northern part of Corridor 10 through Serbia.

Minister Mrkonjic said that he shall propose a raise in next year’s funds for PC “Serbian Roads”.

Director of the Public Company “Serbian Roads” Zoran Drobnjak said that the company is in charge of maintaining 16 000 km of roads, but it lacks appropriate funds for such a considerable workload. He said that electronic tolls shall be introduced on the Belgrade-Nis motorway by the end of the year, and that the most dangerous sections shall bear a plastified white line so as to increase road safety. Drobnjak announced the upcoming reconstruction of Gazela Bridge which he believes shall not compromise normal traffic.

Director of Serbian Railways Milovan Markovic stressed that the railway is in dire need of investment and modernisation, adding that the economy itself should recognise the importance of this mode of transportation.

The Committee members asked the guests various questions and volunteered suggestions significant for the improvement of this mode of transportation.

At the sitting, the Committee members endorsed the Decision Proposal on the Election of the Council of the Republic Agency for Postal Services.