THE FOUNDATION – EXPO 2027
In June 2023, the International Bureau of Exhibitions (Bureau International des Expositions – BIE) announced that the Republic of Serbia will host the International Specialized Exhibition, Belgrade EXPO 2027. The event is scheduled to take place in Belgrade from May 15 to August 15, 2027, under the key theme “Play for Humanity – Sports and Music for All.”
To compete for this opportunity, Serbia, like other candidate countries, submitted a Recognition Dossier, detailing the exhibition program and financing methods. However, this dossier has not been made available to the Serbian public, despite massive public funding being involved.
Serbian authorities have classified it as a business secret, asserting that its publication could impact operational success.
The project’s goals claim to lead to economic growth across Serbia, but there is no publicly available feasibility study or cost-benefit analysis. Similar exhibitions globally have proven economically unviable.
The exhibition area is fully constructed by the organizer, while participants are allocated space in pavilions that they can customize based on their interpretation of the exhibition’s focused theme. According to BIE regulations, a specialized international exhibition is limited to a maximum of three months and a space of up to 25 hectares.
However, the total planned area of the EXPO project currently covers 813.65 hectares.
Primarily, the Belgrade EXPO2027 project
- has become a basis for land expropriation (including privately owned land)
- has led to environmental degradation
- has allowed for the derogation of the Planning and Construction Law
- has allowed the misuse of massive public funds through non-transparent procedures and insufficient justification of national significance and public interest.
Given that the lex specialis enables interventions throughout Serbia’s territory based on the same principles when it comes to “other contents related to EXPO,” it can be stated that this constitutes a systemic threat.
The International Specialized Exhibition Belgrade EXPO 2027 is promoted as a catalyst for development in Serbia. However, an analysis of public resource usage reveals systemic deviations from the principles of legality, transparency, and public interest behind the notion of a “national development opportunity.“
The project is not clearly defined regarding its content, scope, or legal framework, allowing for uncontrolled expansion and non-transparent use of public funds. There’s a trend of centralized decision-making and overriding existing laws with ad-hoc solutions applied selectively, which undermines democratic control and public participation. This creates a concerning framework for questionable interventions, particularly impacting the Surčinsko polje water source and the Sava levee.