Israeli innovations welcomed at Belgrade Expo 2027 - opinion

For decades, major Israeli investors in the fields of real estate and renewable energy sources have identified Serbia’s business potential. Serbia, the most populated country in the Western Balkans, has come a long way from a phase of economic rehabilitation to one of accelerated development. It has become a destination for investment companies from Europe, North America, and the Far East. Serbia has been discovered not only by business investors but also by experts in innovation ecosystems.  

A unique and exciting opportunity, in the face of the aforementioned progress, is the election of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, as the host of Expo 2027. Serbia was chosen in an international forum through the votes of different countries around the world. 

On February 23, the Serbian ambassador to France, Ana Hrustanovic, handed over the Recognition Dossier for Specialised Belgrade Expo 2027 to the Bureau International des Expositions. Organized under the theme of “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All,” Belgrade Expo 2027 is set to welcome 120 countries and 10 international organizations. 

The president of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that the government plans to invest €17.8 billion during 2024-2027 in various sectors, in order to be ready for this major event and the visit by three million participants. 

He added that the Belgrade Expo 2027 complex will necessitate the construction of 1,500 apartments; a national stadium; a stadium for swimming and water sports; a high-speed railway from the Belgrade airport to the Expo site; a dock on the Sava River, which will be used for transportation; and the Expo complex itself, which will house a new Trade Fair.

One of the ecosystems for which Israel is especially famous in Serbia is sports innovation. Israeli companies, such as HYPE and Colosseum, have already built an extensive network of partners in Serbia, such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia; and the science and technology parks in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, and Cacak.

Serbia's high reputation in sports

Serbia has an excellent reputation in the area of sport – with globally famous figures such as tennis player Novak Djokovic and basketball player Nikola Jokic, in addition to a long list of champions in almost all branches of sports – and the Belgrade Expo 2027 will create great opportunities for cooperation between Serbia and Israel. 

The friendly relations between the Republic of Serbia and the State of Israel are reflected during the current tragic days of war, and in the fact that the basketball clubs Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv, as well as Hapoel Jerusalem, play their European matches in Belgrade. 

Recent conversations between President Vucic, a proven opponent of revisionist history and antisemitism throughout Europe, and President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the visit to Belgrade of a high AIPAC delegation, led by its President Michael Tuchin, confirm the mutual understanding between the two peoples. 

Consequently, close cooperation in projects such as the BIO4 campus, a unique multidisciplinary project that will enable Belgrade to become a renowned and recognized bioeconomy center in Europe, the planned exhibition of the Nikola Tesla Museum from Belgrade at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem, and finally the Belgrade Expo 2027 exhibition, will be a natural continuation and enhancement of the diverse and important collaboration between the two countries. 

Shai Bazak is a former Israeli consul general in the US, and a private diplomacy and business consultant. Aleksandar Nikolic is an honorary consul of the Republic of Serbia to Israel.