Фото: Bela Szandelszky / AP Photo
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedović-Handanović has announced that Belgrade, Budapest, and Moscow have agreed to construct an oil pipeline connecting Hungary and Serbia. She made the announcement on her Facebook page following talks with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin.
According to Djedović-Handanović, the discussions focused on the next steps for implementing what she called “one of [Serbia’s] most important strategic energy projects.”
“For the first time, we are gaining an alternative route for crude oil supplies, which means greater energy security, less dependence, and a stronger position for Serbia in the region and in Europe,” she said.
She stressed that support from the Serbian government and the two partner states signals both political will and a concrete implementation plan for the project. Serbia is close to completing the technical design phase, and construction is expected to begin early next year.
Szijjártó had also mentioned negotiations over the project on his own Facebook page, saying that the planned 128-kilometer pipeline would run from the Hungarian village of Algyő to Novi Sad in northern Serbia.
Speaking to The Insider, Serbian political analyst Aleksandar Djokic said the project is technically feasible, as Hungary and Slovakia already receive Russian crude via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline:
“Ukraine has not yet stopped the transit of oil through its territory. At present, this oil is not subject to EU sanctions. The aim of the project is to provide Serbia with access to this branch of the Druzhba pipeline. However, the EU's plan to phase out Russian energy supplies by 2027 contradicts this project, which is currently in the technical preparation stage.
Serbia has made progress in developing the project and technical documentation, including the adoption of a spatial plan and ongoing design work. Hungary has completed a feasibility study, and the Hungarian oil company MOL has submitted it to the governments of both countries. Elections will be held in Hungary in 2026, with Orbán's party currently less popular than the opposition. The situation is similar in Serbia, but the next elections are scheduled for 2027. Therefore, there is a risk that the project will not be implemented.”
In June, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut expressed Belgrade’s interest in receiving Russian energy via the new pipeline, calling Russia a key strategic energy partner for Serbia.