Ceremonial Opening of the 46th International Building Trade Fair

From the 27th to the 30th of April in halls 1, 1A, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and in the open space of the Belgrade Fair the main Fair event in the construction industry in the Southeastern Europe region will take place, and this year’s motto is “Future in Building”.

At the ceremonial opening of the Building Trade Fair, the Minister of Construction, Traffic and Infrastructure Tomislav Momirovic has expressed his satisfaction that he is opening this event in the jubilee year of the Belgrade Fair, the 85th anniversary of existence.

“There is no more important event which will show the economic development and progress of Serbia than this fair. And the motto of this year’s Fair “Future in Building”; speaks of the state of mind and the ambition, which all of us in this sector have. Two though years are behind us during which the construction in Serbia has shown that it can withstand the challenges and show a high level of efficiency and work, and most importantly, to provide a secure income of investments”, stated the minister.

“We are laying the groundwork for the future and the continuation of the historical wave of investments in the Serbian construction sector. This is an opportunity to see what the domestic and foreign construction, architects, designers have to offer, for us to learn and implement the most professional and modern standards of planning, design and building”, he stated. “The Government will do everything in order to allow the functioning of the sector to flow without obstacles. We have an extraordinary foundation, and the construction of the fast railroad Belgrade – Novi sad confirms that. For that opportunity a large number of engineers was required, the railroad was built by around 150 companies, from which 120 from which 120 from Serbia, and around 10.000 workers from Serbia were hired to work on this project. The epilogue are the references for participation in other similar projects in the country and abroad”;

“The government will”, highlighted Momirovic, “continue the construction of the fast railroad to Budapest and towards Nis, the highways throughout Serbia, to elevate the capacities of port infrastructure. As a part of the construction plan of the communal infrastructure, in the next 5 years we should build 7.000 kilometers of sewerage infrastructure and more than 250 plants for wastewater cleansing. All of which we will accomplish through the implementation of modern and ecologically sustainable construction projects”.

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia Joost Reintjes reminded that “When we think about construction and building we create images of tall buildings, flats, glass, steel, concrete and stone, as if it were the 50 shades of gray”

He reminded that in the Netherlands, a country that leads in the refinement of landscape architecture, “Implemented in that image plants and flowers, green walls, roofs and facades, and this because the biggest challenge of the 21st century – climate change and air pollution. These are the main challenges which we are facing today and which we must oppose through new construction materials and sustainability of constructed space. The influence of all this will primarily be local, will be felt in Belgrade, Nis or Smederevo, but also in Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Hague”.

The Ambassador stated that “At this event the visitors will be able to see one green segment, where Dutch companies showcase the way in which green landscaping can elevate life quality, and the benefits we will have from green cities will be felt at both the health and overall benefit in regards to city temperature and pollution, it will increase biodiversity, and even the value of real-estate will grow.

The Netherlands will in May start a project “Green Cities in Serbia” in regard to which one large delegation will travel to the Netherlands, together with the representatives of the international community. The goal is to make the cities of Serbia more beautiful, sustainable and pleasant for living”.

Ivan Vujisic, the representative of Wienerberger Serbia, the general sponsor of the Building Trade Fair, the leader in system appliance for modern construction, the highest quality in all of Europe, has expressed satisfaction that he can help in the successful holding of this event and stated that Wienerberger will offer all those innovative things that exists on the global level. “Because all that exists in the world today is possible to find at this Fair”.