European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during her visit to Serbia that the country will get 160 million euros of direct budget aid in order to combat the effects of ongoing energy crisis.
Accompanied by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Von der Leyen visited the construction site of gas interconnection between Serbia and Bulgaria, saying that the interconnector is a perfect example of cooperation between Serbia and the EU. She said that crisis support for Serbia is necessary in order for the country to help its most vulnerable consumers, as well as small and medium enterprises.
President Vucic thanked the EU for financial help, as well as for all the help in the construction of gas interconnection with Bulgaria, which should be completed by the end of next year.
The new gas pipeline will enable an additional 80 % capacity increase compared to the current an- nual needs of Serbia, which is around 2.4 billion cubic meters of gas a year. The interconnection is key to Serbia’s diversification of energy sources and reducing dependence on Russian energy imports.
