Serbia in talks with EIB for financing of Nis-Merdare motorway project

The project has a vital importance for the Serb community in Kosovo and the construction of the first section, from Nis to Plocnik, is planned to start next year, the government said in a statement on Wednesday following a meeting of infrastructure minister Zorana Mihajlovic and the head of the EIB Regional Representation for the Western Balkans, Dubravka Negre.

The EIB plans to provide financing of 30 million ($35.7 million) to the countries of the Western Balkans until 2020, with half of the amount to be invested in Serbia, Negre said in the statement.

The construction of the Nis-Plocnik section will cost 200 million euro, while the total investment in the project will amount to 850 million euro, Mihajlovic said last month.

In September 2016, Mihajlovic said the Nis-Merdare-Pristina motorway, which is part of a bigger project stretching to Albania's capital Tirana and the Adriatic port of Durres, is planned to be completed by 2020.

($ = 0.840409 euro)