First steps towards construction of Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin: First show room planned along Zemun-Borca bridge

The company Serbia China Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin doo has submitted a request to the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure for a temporary construction permit for the construction of a pre-fabricated show room facility within the industrial park in Kovilovo, after their request for approval for the execution of works was previously rejected in March this year.

Namely, the relevant ministry rejected the company’s request for a decision on the approval of the execution of works on the construction of the show room. According to the Ministry’s decision, the request was rejected due to unfulfilled formal conditions, with the explanation that for the planned works it is necessary to submit a request for the issuance of a temporary construction permit in accordance with Article 147 of the Law on Planning and Construction, and not an approval for the execution of works.

This is a facility intended for presentations and events as part of the development of the Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin, which was previously designated as a project of importance for the Republic of Serbia.

The procedure also determined that the investor had not submitted complete documentation, including the approval of the waste management plan, a statement of compliance with environmental protection measures, and translations of certain documents into Serbian. The consent of the operator of the uncategorized access road to the site was also requested.

Additionally, the Ministry indicated that the plot on which the construction is planned is privately owned by the Agroindustrijska korporacija Beograd a.d. Padinska Skela, which was determined by reviewing the cadastral data.

The investor was instructed to align the documentation with legal requirements and submit a new application for a temporary construction permit.

Location requirements issued in January

This decision comes after location requirements were previously issued for the same project on January 15, 2026, which defined the possibility of building a temporary pre-fabricated Show Room facility on cadastral plot 548/9 KO Kovilovo, within the planned industrial park.

The document specified that it was a temporary complex for the presentation of the investment, which includes several buildings: a reception building, a conference room and two parking canopies with solar panels. The total gross developed construction area of the planned complex is 798.35 m2.

The location conditions then defined the purpose of the space as an economic zone within the framework of a special planning document, along with a number of technical, infrastructural and environmental conditions that the project must meet, including nature protection, fire protection, waste management and conditions of public utility companies.

First agreement signed in 2018

The construction of this park, a project jointly implemented by the Government of Serbia and the Chinese state-owned company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), has been announced for years.

The Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park "Mihajlo Pupin" is planned as one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Serbia. In 2018, the Ministry of Finance signed an agreement with the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation in Beijing on the construction of this park. Then, in November 2019, the authorities announced that the construction of the industrial park in Borca should begin at the end of March 2020, adding that the financing of the project was also discussed at a meeting with representatives of the Bank of China, which confirmed that it would finance all companies that come from China to the industrial park. But then came the corona virus.

Located on the left bank of the Danube, near the Pupin Bridge, the park will cover an area of 320 hectares, with an additional 180 hectares planned for supporting infrastructure, totaling more than 500 hectares. The project is the result of cooperation between the Government of Serbia and the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), and its implementation is planned in three phases.

The project of the Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin was the topic of a meeting between the Minister of Economy of Serbia, Adrijana Mesarevic, and representatives of the Chinese company CRBC almost a year ago.

As Mesarevic announced on her Instagram profile at the time, she had a “constructive conversation” with the Chinese delegation about the steps towards the realization of the project.

I. Z.

SERBIA CHINA INDUSTRIAL PARK MIHAJLO PUPIN D.O.O. BEOGRAD

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

AIK BEOGRAD AD PADINSKA SKELA

Serbia China Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin doo

Ministry of Construction Transport and Infrastructure

Agroindustrijska korporacija Beograd ad Padinska Skela

Serbian Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin

Kovilovo Palilula Belgrade