River Information System put into operation on the rivers Danube and Sava

The river Danube has obtained the latest river information system, which is to considerably improve navigation on international Corridor 7 through Serbia, it was emphasized on the occasion of the completion of a three-year EU project, in which 11 million euros from IPA funds have been invested.

On behalf of the Serbian government, Minister of Transportation Milutin Mrkonjic thanked the head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, for his efforts to have EUR 180 million provided from the IPA fund for resolving problems in road, railway, water and air traffic in Serbia.

The system will ensure a much safer and faster navigation along the Danube as boats can now communicate with each other, but also with port authorities and institutions. The position of vessels will be known at every moment. The way it has been conceived makes this system one of the most complex and comprehensive ones along the entire flow of the river Danube.

The head of the EU delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, emphasized that the EU had a developed transport policy as the sector employs 5% of the overall number of employees and constitutes 7% of the total budget.

He underlined the importance of the liberalization and security of transport and added that Serbia was an important part of that framework. He stressed that transport on the Rhine is ten times more intensive than on the Danube and that Serbia should make use of the Danubian Strategy.

As he explained, Serbia was granted EUR 180 million from the EU for the purpose of modernization of traffic, EUR 100 million of which were spend on projects on the Danube.

- Serbia has the latest communication systems on some 600 km of the Danube’s flow and on 200km on the river Sava - Degert said and assessed that the project iss contributing to Serbia’s competitiveness in the field of traffic and also to the promotion of its economy and tourism.