The purchase of the port of Bar is a strategic issue for Serbia, but the Serbian Government should not engage in any financial arrangements in that regard, but just to support the businessmen who wish to participate in this privatization, Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic has stated for the International Radio Serbia. The Montenegrin Government has decided to extend the deadline for the tender to sell the port by March 31, considering that February 1 was the deadline for the opening of submitted offers. Zorica Mijuskovic has prepared the interview.
“Serbian companies should take part in the tender for the privatization of part of the port of Bar in Montenegro, because it is in the interest of our economy and opening the access to the Adriatic Sea”, said minister Milutin Mrkonjic. The port has excellent spatial capacities for expansion and improvement of the container transportation. For the Serbian companies it means the renewing of once important route for the transport of merchandise and services. “Today, this line is used by 20% of the total exported goods”, estimated Mrkonjic. The Montenegrin port is currently not in full use, because the capacities have been outdated, and the services are lagging behind other Adriatic port, such as Kopar, Rijeka, Ploce and Drac, i.e. Konstanz in the Black Sea or Thessalonica in the Aegean.
The Italian Government is financing the making of a study on the technical-economical feasibility of the modernization of Belgrade-Bar railroad, which might be part of the new European Corridor 11. It has been agreed that the Italian side will promote this new corridor in the EU, which should connect Timisoara in Romania with the Italian port of Bari. This rout would go across Serbia, i.e. via Vrsac, Belgrade, Cacak, and then through Boljari and Podgorica in Montenegro all the way top the port of Bar. “It would be the inter-modal railway route, because it runs across land and partially across sea. Therefore, it is important that Brussels declare it a European corridor, in order for Serbia to be able and apply for credits of the international financial institutions”, explained minister Mrkonjic. He believes that Serbia, Montenegro and Italy would all benefit greatly from the joint investments in the modernization of the Belgrade-Bar railroad, which is important for central and southeastern Europe.
Mrkonjic has criticized statements of certain economy experts, saying that the renovation of the railway to Bar would cost billions of euro. The experts of the Belgrade Traffic Institute CIP have estimated that the realistic amount is approximately 250 million euro for the works in the Serbian territory, while the renovation of the entire section would cost around 370 million. It is a single line railway and there is no need for expansion of the existing tunnels, as they had been projected for the biggest sizes already. Also, there are no changes to the curved elements, but only the tracks and cables need to be replaced.
Let us remind, in October 2009 the Montenegrin Government has opened concourse for the sales of 54.05% of shares of the port company “Container terminal and general cargo”, as well as for the assigning of concessions to 30 years, with the obligatory investment in the port capacity. The Serbian Government made decision in late 2009 to establish a company to buy the majority package of the shares of the Bar port, and 500 million dinars has been earmarked for this purpose, so that the privatization could be approached in consortium with Serbian companies. The tender documents has been bought so far by the enterprises from Lebanon and United Arab Emirates.
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MILUTIN MRKONJIC ABOUT PORT OF BAR
The purchase of the port of Bar is a strategic issue for Serbia, but the Serbian Government should not engage in any financial arrangements in that regard, but just to support the businessmen who wish to participate in this privatization, Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic has stated for the International Radio Serbia. The Montenegrin Government has decided to extend the deadline for the tender to sell the port by March 31, considering that February 1 was the deadline for the opening of submitted offers. Zorica Mijuskovic has prepared the interview.
“Serbian companies should take part in the tender for the privatization of part of the port of Bar in Montenegro, because it is in the interest of our economy and opening the access to the Adriatic Sea”, said minister Milutin Mrkonjic. The port has excellent spatial capacities for expansion and improvement of the container transportation. For the Serbian companies it means the renewing of once important route for the transport of merchandise and services. “Today, this line is used by 20% of the total exported goods”, estimated Mrkonjic. The Montenegrin port is currently not in full use, because the capacities have been outdated, and the services are lagging behind other Adriatic port, such as Kopar, Rijeka, Ploce and Drac, i.e. Konstanz in the Black Sea or Thessalonica in the Aegean.
The Italian Government is financing the making of a study on the technical-economical feasibility of the modernization of Belgrade-Bar railroad, which might be part of the new European Corridor 11. It has been agreed that the Italian side will promote this new corridor in the EU, which should connect Timisoara in Romania with the Italian port of Bari. This rout would go across Serbia, i.e. via Vrsac, Belgrade, Cacak, and then through Boljari and Podgorica in Montenegro all the way top the port of Bar. “It would be the inter-modal railway route, because it runs across land and partially across sea. Therefore, it is important that Brussels declare it a European corridor, in order for Serbia to be able and apply for credits of the international financial institutions”, explained minister Mrkonjic. He believes that Serbia, Montenegro and Italy would all benefit greatly from the joint investments in the modernization of the Belgrade-Bar railroad, which is important for central and southeastern Europe.
Mrkonjic has criticized statements of certain economy experts, saying that the renovation of the railway to Bar would cost billions of euro. The experts of the Belgrade Traffic Institute CIP have estimated that the realistic amount is approximately 250 million euro for the works in the Serbian territory, while the renovation of the entire section would cost around 370 million. It is a single line railway and there is no need for expansion of the existing tunnels, as they had been projected for the biggest sizes already. Also, there are no changes to the curved elements, but only the tracks and cables need to be replaced.
Let us remind, in October 2009 the Montenegrin Government has opened concourse for the sales of 54.05% of shares of the port company “Container terminal and general cargo”, as well as for the assigning of concessions to 30 years, with the obligatory investment in the port capacity. The Serbian Government made decision in late 2009 to establish a company to buy the majority package of the shares of the Bar port, and 500 million dinars has been earmarked for this purpose, so that the privatization could be approached in consortium with Serbian companies. The tender documents has been bought so far by the enterprises from Lebanon and United Arab Emirates.
