Amid ongoing protests and a decline in public trust following the collapse of a canopy at the revamped Railway Station in Novi Sad, a segment of the Miloš Veliki highway was ceremonially inaugurated, despite being technically incomplete and lacking a usage permit.

On July 5, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić claimed the section was “completely safe” for public use and expressed pride in its completion “despite obstacles both externally and internally.”

“No one in Serbia is more knowledgeable on this matter than (Minister of Construction) Aleksandra Sofronijević. She is the most skilled professional who has witnessed everything—just look at the outcome,” Vučić told reporters during his tour of the section, stating he could not address those “who wish harm upon their country.”

The day prior to the opening ceremony, the president acknowledged that there was always “some paper missing,” and citizens were given personal assurances from the director of the public company Roads of Serbia regarding safety.

After the official inauguration, the segment is slated to open to traffic on July 6.

Technical Inspection Report Unavailable

According to the publicly accessible CEOP construction permit database, no occupancy permit has been issued for the Pakovraće – Požega highway segment.

The last document available in this database concerning the construction of this highway section is a completion report dated July 2, 2025, indicating that while all rough construction works are finished, the road is not ready for use.

Procedures dictate that following approval of the completion application, a technical commission must be established to verify compliance with design and regulatory standards.

Only if everything is satisfactory can the Technical Inspection Commission propose a trial operation, not exceeding one year, instead of issuing a permit.

In this highway section’s case, the Commission’s findings, and the timing and conditions of the trial permit issuance remain unknown.

These inquiries, along with Radio Free Europe’s request for the technical commission’s report, were not addressed by the Ministry of Construction or the public company Putevi Srbije, the project investor, before publishing this text.

“Engineers Were Hesitant, Yet They Signed”

Doubts about whether all procedures were adhered to were heightened after Insajder television reported that the engineers responsible for technical oversight collectively refused to sign documents needed to certify the section as completed and suitable for a favorable report from the Technical Inspection Commission.

This was validated by the director of Serbian Roads, Zoran Drobnjak, who noted that engineers were apprehensive “due to the canopy incident,” but that the issue had since been resolved.

“The engineers overseeing contractors, along with those supervising, all signed. Is it safe, is it not safe—no. They were merely tasked with documenting what had been accomplished and what remains. They outlined necessary tasks, and we will complete them. What’s the issue?” stated Zoran Drobnjak, who personally guarantees the road’s safety.

Drobnjak also confirmed the highway would open, despite one of its tunnels lacking an automatic safety monitoring system.

Although the implementation of such a system is mandated by the Regulation on Minimum Safety Requirements for Tunnels, amendments adopted by the Serbian Government on June 21 effectively negated these regulations.

The new regulation permits round-the-clock on-call duty instead of an automatic monitoring system during the trial phase.

“Personnel will be on duty there, ensuring safety until we complete necessary tasks,” Drobnjak said, denying political motivations behind the expedited opening.

The current administration has made several announcements regarding the completion of this highway section.

Construction commenced in 2019, initially projected for completion by the end of December 2021, but deadlines have consistently been extended.

Recently, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić mentioned that the road “must be available by Monday,” July 7.

“I’m consumed with the urgency to open the route to Požega; each day, I’m told ‘tomorrow.’ It seems there’s always some paperwork or signatures missing. There’s a growing sense of obstruction,” Vučić remarked.

Chinese Financing and Unclear Costs

The primary contractor for the Preljina – Požega highway segment is the Chinese entity China Communications Construction Company.

This company was also a principal contractor for the high-speed railway construction from Novi Sad to the Hungarian border, which included the Novi Sad Railway Station refurbishment.

However, the station construction itself was delegated to various subcontractors.

Similar to the railway project, the contract for this highway section was awarded to a Chinese firm without a tender process, based on an Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation in Infrastructure between Serbia and China.

The Serbian government has designated this highway segment’s construction as a project of public significance, securing a $445 million loan from the Chinese EXIM Bank for its realization.

Some funding also originated from the Serbian budget, with a total agreement price of $523.5 million with the Chinese contractor, according to the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure.

However, these costs are not final.

Reports from the Serbian Government indicate that eight contract amendments have been signed over the last five years, with at least half relating to price adjustments.

The project description on the Ministry of Construction’s website currently cites the investment at $650 million.

The Preljina – Požega segment spans 30.9 kilometers.

As of January 2022, approximately 11 kilometers from Preljina to Pakovraće were opened for traffic.

Completion of the remaining stretch, namely the Pakovraće – Požega section, has been delayed for years, partly due to challenging terrain, with nearly one-third of the route consisting of bridges and tunnels.

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