Annual Consultations with Groups of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

The Port Governance Agency held its ninth regular annual consultations on May 20 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. The conference gathered more than 100 participants, including representatives of ministries, state and educational institutions, port operators, shipping companies, the tourism sector, and local self-governments.

The Director of the Agency, Vuk Perović, opened the event by highlighting that the increased visibility of the port sector and waterway transport in Serbia is among the greatest achievements. “Waterway transport has approached other modes of transport in terms of public awareness and interest. When we reflect not only on the past year but also on the past decade, we can confidently say that through joint efforts, we have completely transformed the picture on Serbia’s rivers. From a country that did not utilize the potentials of the Danube, Sava, and Tisza, we now have a legal framework, infrastructure, major projects, investments, and a reputation in the European transport system,” he said.

Perović stated that 2023 was successful for both cargo and passenger waterway transport. “In cargo transport, we recorded 15.36 million tons of transhipped cargo, which is 0.2 percent more than in 2022. I am particularly pleased that in the first quarter of this year, we recorded 10 percent more cargo than in the same period last year. Serbia is the second country in the Danube region in terms of cargo transshipment volumes, after Romania, and we aim to maintain this position and in the coming years talk about a transshipment volume of 18 million tons of cargo annually,” said Perović.
"When it comes to cargo transport, the most important news for Serbian ports is certainly the expansion of the TEN-T network. In recent years, the Agency has intensively lobbied for more Serbian ports to be included in this network, and we are extremely proud of this outcome," he emphasized, adding that the port of Pančevo will be included in the core TEN-T network, alongside the existing ports of Belgrade and Novi Sad, while the comprehensive network will include the ports of Sremska Mitrovica, Smederevo, and Prahovo.

"For our ports, this means better connectivity with other European corridors and the possibility of financing infrastructure projects from European funds," Perović underscored.

According to him, passenger transport continued to grow, with the previous nautical season ending with a 35 percent increase in passengers. He added that the goal of intensive investments in new international passenger terminals is for our country, currently third in the region in terms of cruise ship passenger numbers, to surpass Hungary. He reminded that there are currently ten international passenger terminals open in Serbia-seven on the Danube and three on the Sava. He announced that four more international passenger terminals will be opened in the coming period, which will fully complete the cruising infrastructure in Serbia.

Speaking about the "Sail through Serbia" project, Perović emphasized that the project has been successfully implemented for a year and that the most important instances of our country are participating in its realization. He announced that the project will build the missing nautical infrastructure, primarily marinas, considering that they represent the A-class of nautical tourism. He added that the project has also been included in the "Leap into the Future – Serbia 2027" program, which prepares our country for the upcoming EXPO exhibition.

Given that Europe's focus is on the decarbonization of the transport sector as a response to climate change, the Agency has initiated the launch of the "Green Ports" project, consistently following the guidelines of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. "The goal of the “Green Ports” project is to introduce clean energy into ports and terminals in Serbia. We will implement it through three segments: an accident monitoring system (measuring stations), solar energy, and onshore power supply for cruise ships. This will reduce the carbon footprint of waterway transport, relieve the pressure on Serbia's power system, and meet the power supply needs of cruise ships," he said, adding that, in addition to environmental protection, digitalization will be one of the priorities in further work.

Perović stated that the Agency, as always, remains open to all questions and providing expert support. "The fact that the number of conference participants grows each year and that more sectors besides water transport are increasingly involved indicates a comprehensive approach to improving our rivers. This demonstrates our shared readiness and commitment to continuously develop the port sector and waterway transport in general," he concluded.

Assistant Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Predrag Petrović highlighted that waterway transport in Serbia is achieving significant success. "The good results are the merit of all of us. In addition to projects and investments, the commitment of people is crucial for competitive water transport. I would commend the work of all institutions in the sector, including the Port Governance Agency, for their efforts to regulate this sector. The key to success lies in good communication and cooperation, and therefore, the Ministry will continue to support institutions and companies within waterway transport," Petrović emphasized.

The presidents of the Port and Terminal Group and the River Shipping Group stated that their members are open to cooperation and a joint approach to solving all business challenges to ensure that trends in waterway transport continue to grow. Dejan Trifunović from the Danube Commission noted that the previous year was good for ports in the Danube region. He reminded that the Agency currently chairs the Expert Group on Ports and Port Operations and announced a series of conferences and workshops to be held throughout the year, aimed at strengthening ports in the Danube countries.

During the conference, the Head of Center for Port operations, Srđa Lješević, presented the results in cargo and passenger water transport for 2023. Additionally, Saša Jovanović, on behalf of the consortium implementing the Green Inland Ports project, presented the project's goals, with a special focus on possible solutions regarding the digitalization of the port sector.