On May 11th, 2026, sixteen Members of the German parliament submitted a Kleine Anfrage (minor interpellation (inquiry)) raising 32 questions to the German government on legal infringement, corruption and security risks associated with EXPO 2027 Belgrade and the consequences for German participation.
A Kleine Anfrage is a formal parliamentary scrutiny instrument that allows at least 5% of parliament members or a parliamentary group to submit written questions to the government on a specific topic. Per parliament protocol, the German government has 14 days to respond.
The interpellation follows Germany’s February 2025 confirmation of participation in Belgrade EXPO 2027 and comes after active tendering for the German pavilion in November 2025, with construction contracts valued at €7.5 million. The questions come after Germany confirmed participation, but while pavilion construction is still in the tendering phase, meaning the commitment is real but not yet irreversible. Formal parliamentary questioning of EXPO participation is unusual. This interpellation arrives not as preventive oversight but as a direct challenge to a commitment already in motion.
Questions hit the mark
They raise the same concerns that Serbian civil society has been raising for years. The following questions we also documented on this website:
- Questions 4 to 8 address legal risks introduced by Article 14 of the Special Law, which opened the door to non-transparent procurement and to hundreds of millions of euros awarded with very low competition intensity.
Question 7: “What knowledge does the Federal Government have regarding the volume of EXPO-related contracts already awarded outside the regular procurement law, and from which sources does this knowledge derive? “
- Questions 14 to 17 address construction safety risks, and whether the employees of government authorities or subordinate institutions who were involved in the renovation of the Novi Sad railway station prior to the canopy fall in Novi Sad in November 2024 also hold positions in EXPO construction projects.
Question 15: “What is the German Government’s assessment of the collapse of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024 (16 fatalities) and of the resulting allegations of governance failures and corruption in Serbia, and what conclusions does it draw from this for its assessment of governance, procurement and safety risks in connection with EXPO-related projects?”
- Question 30 addresses the dimension of labour regarding work permits and social security of the workers:
Question 30: “What knowledge does the Federal Government have of reports from the Serbian Labour Inspectorate regarding the lack of work permits for foreign workers and the employment of Serbian workers without registration with social security and without a contract of employment, which were/are active on the EXPO grounds?”
- Questions regarding wider political changes are also addressed, pointing to the political context of the EXPO 2027.
Question 31: “What knowledge does the Federal Government have regarding the content, procedures and criticisms of the Serbian judicial package (Mrdić Laws, adopted on 28 January 2026), including the EU assessment and the consideration by the Venice Commission; what documents does the Federal Government hold on this matter?”
German involvement and exit strategy
Beyond these, the document contains numerous questions about the involvement of the German Government and businesses. Among other things, they ask whether the German Government is aware of the issues related to the Belgrade EXPO 2027, what measures they are taking to examine whether German public funds or liability risks could be affected by EXPO-related business of German companies, and guidelines and recommendations that the Federal Government provides to German companies in the context of the EXPO.
Question 28:”What options is the Federal Government considering in the event that it is unable to ensure compliance with minimum standards regarding transparency, the rule of law, building safety and environmental protection (e.g. adjusting, restricting or terminating the involvement)? “
Formal notice
The first two questions ask if the Federal Government is aware of the ‘Formal Notice’ or comparable submissions to the BIE, and if the Federal Government raised the issue in BIE bodies. The document mentioned is likely a letter of the “Stari Grad” community (Serbian zbor), dated July 2025, addressed to BIE. Expo 2027 Exposed portal is running an ongoing outreach campaign asking citizens worldwide to send this letter to their country’s officials. You can participate here. If we do not have your country mapped and you are interested in helping us raise similar questions there as well, contact us here. Your activism matters!
- You can find the original inquiry by the German MPs on the parliament’s website
- You can find our translation of the inquiry in English here
You can also read the forbes article.