Serbia – Visit by M. Jean-Noel Barrot, minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (16 January 2026)
Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, was in Serbia on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 January, at the invitation of his Serbian counterpart, Marko Đjurić. It was the first official visit to Belgrade by a French foreign minister in eight years.
In a joint statement, the Minister and Siniša Mali, Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, welcomed the importance of the signing, in line with the strategic partnership agreement of 7 December 2011, of the contract and financial protocol helping to fund the first phase of the Belgrade metro project on 19 December 2025. This important stage in Franco-Serbian economic cooperation, which comes on top of our security cooperation, is a sign of renewed mutual trust between France and Serbia. The two ministers emphasized the goal shared by our two countries of providing the more than 1.4 million inhabitants of the capital, Belgrade, with an efficient, modern, reliable metro system that guarantees residents a better quality of life and becomes an asset for the country’s attractiveness. Given the challenges of climate change and urban growth, the metro is an environmentally friendly transport solution.
The Minister also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of a wastewater treatment plant for the city of Belgrade. Belgrade actually has no such system that meets the city’s needs. Significant investment is planned, including the construction of a wastewater treatment facility and its collectors in Veliko Selo.
Finally, the Minister announced that France is funding a regional programme to combat trafficking in synthetic drugs, their precursors, and explosives in the Western Balkans, since the security of the region and of the European Union are inseparable. The programme announced is regional (Serbia and the five [other] Western Balkans countries) and interministerial, aimed at tackling risks related to synthetic-drug trafficking, particularly with a view to the States in the region joining the European Union. It is part of the drive by the European Coalition Against Drugs (ECAD), launched at the EPC summit in Copenhagen on 2 October 2025.
During his discussions, the Minister was keen to express to his interlocutors France’s deep support for Serbia’s prospective EU membership, in keeping with the French Strategy for the Western Balkans, and the importance of speeding up reforms along the path towards accession. He stressed the excellent bilateral relationship, which is rooted in shared memory and takes concrete form in practical projects beneficial to our two countries. The Minister was also keen to meet Serbian civil society and the local French community.
The Minister had the opportunity to speak to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Siniša Mali and Speaker of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić. The Minister and his Serbian counterpart also paid their respects at the Monument of Gratitude to France, inaugurated in 1930 in the heart of Kelemegdan Park and a symbol of the historic friendship between France and Serbia.