Serbia awards over €450 million in public contracts for Expo 2027 amid transparency concerns

For the upcoming Expo 2027 in Serbia, public procurement authorities have allocated more than €450 million (52.87 bn dinars) to contracts and framework agreements. By 3 June, 99 individual contracts were signed worth 42.79 bn dinars (≈ 365.7 m €), and 24 framework deals added 10.08 bn dinars (≈ 86.15 m €). The total value of awarded agreements therefore reaches 52.87 bn dinars.

The procurement process operates under the 2023 “lex specialis” amendment that suspends the regular Public Procurement Law, a move criticised by Transparency Serbia and the European Commission for reducing oversight. The main contractor for the national stadium and other Expo sites is the Chinese firm PowerChina.

Economist Danilo Šuković warns that, while the project may attract short‑term attention, many of the large facilities – such as the stadium and housing complexes – could remain under‑utilised, leaving the state to bear ongoing costs. President Aleksandar Vučić has projected a €1.1 billion economic impact, a figure the economist calls unreliable and politically driven.