European Commission praises reforms in transportation

In its annual report on the progress in 2016, the European Commission gave the highest grade to harmonizing regulations in road, air, rail and water transport, the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure reported.

As stated in the report, the EC especially praised the reforms in the area of railways, and Serbia was also praised for opening the railway market, harmonizing the legislature in all areas of transportation, and for the progress made in the area of accident investigation.

Minister Mihajlovic emphasized that she was proud that the EC had given one of its highest grades for chapter 14, pertaining to transport policy, and said that the Government of Serbia would continue to bring the legislature in line with the European regulations.

According to her, the aim is to increase safety in all types of transport and to enable a better life for people of Serbia.

– The highest grades in the EC report for chapter 14 prove that Serbia is heading towards its main goal – the introduction and implementation of European standards and the membership in the EU – Mihajlovic said.

Serbia got a very good grade for reforming railway companies. It is noted that the Serbian Railways have turned into a holding company comprised of four companies. The report also says that the Serbian Railways opened for international operators for the first time in 2016.

Regarding road transportation, the EC notes that the legal framework has been brought in line with the European one to a large extent and that Serbia has also considerably harmonized its regulations with the European legislature regarding water transport.

The EC also praised the efforts made regarding chapter 21, dealing with trans-European networks, above all thanks to measures undertaken in line with the Berlin Process, the report concludes.

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Železnice Srbije a.d. Beograd

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bruxelles

Zorana Mihajlovic

transport policy

railway reforms