Vučić announces Belgrade–Vršac–Timișoara Highway: "We have secured two major investors for Pančevo"

“When we were facing our biggest challenges, we managed to secure two major investors, CTP and Brose, and lay the foundations for Pančevo’s future. But people think these things just fall from the sky. We put a great deal of effort and commitment into making this happen,” Vučić told citizens gathered in Pančevo.

According to Vučić, CTP employs 1,280 workers, while Brose employs more than 700.

“Projects are now underway to introduce sewage and wastewater systems in many villages and settlements around Pančevo, and I would like to highlight two major projects for southern Banat. One of them is the final road connection by highway between Belgrade and Timișoara. I recently spoke with the Romanian president about it, and we agreed to start work on the Timișoara–Vršac–Belgrade highway,” Vučić said.

Vučić said the Romanian authorities are extremely interested in improving infrastructure connections with Serbia.

“You know that I am committed to building roads. I promise you that we will build the road from Belgrade to Vršac, and from there onward to Timișoara. This will boost tourism in Pančevo and Vršac, and the air will be cleaner and traffic safer,” he said.

According to him, the highway will connect Serbia with the beautiful Baroque city of Timișoara, which is also home to a significant Serbian community, while opening Serbia’s gateway to the east.

Vučić added that the highway would contribute to strengthening tourism, particularly in the areas around Vršac, Bela Crkva and Kovin. He also stressed that Pančevo, Vršac and the surrounding towns would become much safer for traffic, with far fewer trucks passing through city centers, cleaner air and a more pleasant living environment.

Railway to Budapest to open by the end of the month

Vučić announced that the railway to Budapest would be opened by the end of the month.

“Another important thing is that we have started talks with the Chinese, Uzbeks and Russians as well. This is one of my biggest dreams. I believe the railway to Budapest will be opened by the end of the month, and it is very important to me that all people in northern Serbia are connected, both for cargo transport and passenger travel. We want to build the Banat railway to Zrenjanin and Kikinda and then connect it with Subotica. And later, when we have the money, we will build the Subotica–Bogojevo line and connect it to Belgrade,” Vučić said.

Vučić added that a huge amount of money would be needed.

“A 100-kilometer road will cost between €1.5 billion and €2 billion. This railway will cost around €1.5 billion to €2 billion as well. But it will bring new investors and new jobs. After that, my great wish is to connect the municipality of Bela Crkva with Veliko Gradište, to connect the north and Vojvodina, and build a magnificent bridge. The Danube is at its widest and most beautiful between the two Serbian banks: Bela Crkva and Veliko Gradište,” Vučić said.

Vučić stressed that these projects change everything and improve people’s lives.

“I hope we will continue on this path of success and keep our economy moving forward. People think this has been given to us forever. We fought to make sure Serbia had the highest growth rate in Europe, and we fought so that we could increase wages and pensions. All of this is now under threat, but Serbia has a stable dinar — that was not the case in the past,” Vučić said.

“A lot has been done in Pančevo”

Vučić said a great deal had been done for Pančevo in recent years, but added that more could and should have been done.

“Alongside everything I know is better, I also know that we could always have done more. I accept countless things that I personally got wrong, as well as things we failed to accomplish even though we should have,” Vučić said, addressing supporters at an election rally of the list in Pančevo.

Vučić said that due to negligence and a poor decision by the provincial government, Pančevo still does not have an MRI scanner.

“We ordered an MRI scanner for Pančevo General Hospital a year ago. A year ago. And then the process somehow stalled in the provincial government because some provincial secretary said, ‘Not there, put it somewhere else.’ So now we have a situation where Vršac has an MRI scanner, which is good and perfectly normal, while Pančevo does not,” he said.

He stressed that such things must not happen again and that they can occur only when there is not enough concern for people.

“Only then — only if you don’t care whether a large city like Pančevo, which is now the eighth-largest city in Serbia, has an MRI scanner. And Pančevo doesn’t have one not because there is no money in the budget, not because it wasn’t approved, but because someone simply didn’t care — because they weren’t from Pančevo — whether that machine would be in this city or not,” he stressed.

He said that this must change.