According to The Serbian Economist, the remains of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, have been transported from Serbia to Israel for reburial on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The reburial in Jerusalem is scheduled for August 5—the 77th anniversary of the transfer of Herzl’s own remains to Jerusalem. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to attend the ceremony.
Shimon and Rivka Herzl were buried for nearly a century and a half at the Jewish cemetery in Zemun, which is now part of Belgrade.
According to Jacob Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization, the reburial fulfills Herzl’s last wish, as he wanted his family to be laid to rest within the borders of the Jewish state once it was established.
Following the reburial of his grandparents, the graves of nearly all of Herzl’s closest family members will be located next to his. The remains of Herzl himself, his parents, and his sister were transported from Vienna to Jerusalem in 1949. His two children were reburied there in 2006, and his only grandson in 2007.
Theodor Herzl was born in Budapest in 1860. In 1878, his family moved to Vienna, where he studied law but later turned to journalism and literature.
In 1896, Herzl published the book *The Jewish State*, in which he outlined a political program for the creation of an independent state for the Jewish people. In August 1897, he convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, at which the World Zionist Organization was founded. Herzl led the organization until his death in 1904.
Herzl died 44 years before the proclamation of the State of Israel in 1948. In accordance with his will, he was initially buried next to his father in Vienna, but on the condition that, once a Jewish state was established, the family’s remains would be transferred to its territory. In August 1949, Herzl was reburied in Jerusalem on a mountain that was later named after him.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3376
According to “Serbian Economist”, Ukraine ranked 28th among Serbia’s trading partners in the first half of 2026.
Total trade between the two countries amounted to 275.9 million euros, compared to 194.6 million euros a year earlier. Thus, trade volume increased by approximately 41.8%. This is according to data from the Republic of Serbia’s Statistical Office, published on July 31, 2026.
Serbian exports to Ukraine rose by 80.2% to 161.3 million euros. Imports of Ukrainian goods increased by 9% to 114.6 million euros.
As a result, Serbia shifted from a deficit of 15.6 million euros in the first half of 2025 to a surplus of 46.7 million euros in January–June 2026.
Ukraine accounted for 0.9% of Serbia’s total exports and 0.5% of its imports.
Despite rapid growth, the volume of trade remains modest compared to the potential of both countries. Serbia’s trade with Ukraine is nearly 19 times smaller than its trade with Germany and approximately 16 times smaller than its trade with China.
According to Experts.news, global production of humanoid robots has moved from isolated prototypes to the first mass-produced batches; however, the industry remains highly concentrated: Chinese companies accounted for about 85% of shipments in 2025.
According to estimates by the Chinese research center CCID, in 2025, Chinese manufacturers shipped approximately 14,400 humanoid robots, accounting for 84.7% of the global market. Thus, the global total was approximately 17,000 units. Other studies estimate global shipments at approximately 18,000 units.
According to IDC, the number of humanoid robots shipped worldwide in 2025 increased more than sixfold—by approximately 508%. However, statistics from various research organizations differ significantly, as some count only bipedal robots, while others also include wheeled humanoid platforms and general-purpose robots with artificial intelligence.
China remains the only country where humanoid robots are already being produced by the thousands by several manufacturers simultaneously. There are over 140 companies in the country working on humanoid robots, and the number of models available exceeds 330. AGIBOT, Unitree, and UBTECH have become the largest manufacturers.
TrendForce expects Chinese production of humanoid robots to grow by another 94% in 2026. Unitree and AGIBOT are expected to maintain their leading positions thanks to their well-developed supply chains, access to low-cost actuators, batteries, and sensors, and their capacity for mass assembly.
China’s advantage lies not only in artificial intelligence but also in its ability to rapidly reduce the cost of hardware. Some of Unitree’s entry-level models are already priced below $6,000, while most American and European systems are geared toward more expensive industrial pilot projects.
The U.S. lags significantly behind China in terms of the actual number of robots produced, but it has the largest announced manufacturing projects outside of China.
Figure has launched BotQ, a facility whose first production line is designed to produce up to 12,000 humanoid robots per year. In April 2026, the company announced its transition from prototypes to the production phase and that it had reached an assembly rate of one robot per hour.
Agility Robotics operates the RoboFab plant in Oregon with a potential capacity of over 10,000 Digit robots per year. Actual output is currently significantly lower than the stated maximum capacity.
The U.S.-Norwegian company 1X has begun full-scale production of its NEO home robot at a factory in California. Tesla is setting up its first production lines for Optimus but has not yet disclosed confirmed data regarding mass production.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group plans to build a facility in the U.S. with a capacity of up to 30,000 robots per year by 2028. The facility is expected to produce, among other things, the Atlas humanoid robots developed by Boston Dynamics. The first Atlas robots are scheduled to arrive at Hyundai’s U.S. facilities in 2028.
One of the most advanced European projects is Germany’s NEURA Robotics, which has developed the 4NE1 humanoid robot.
The company calls it the first European humanoid robot ready for industrial production. NEURA is collaborating with Bosch and Schaeffler, planning to scale up production of robots for industry, logistics, and service tasks.
In 2026, NEURA announced that it had raised up to $1.4 billion to expand mass production and develop a network of centers where robots will be trained to perform real-world tasks.
In Serbia, AGIBOT and Minth Group are preparing to launch a facility in Šabac. The initial production volume is stated at 1,000–2,000 humanoid robots per year. The facility is expected to open in August 2026, although the timeline has already been revised several times. Therefore, Serbia should for now be classified among countries with announced but not yet confirmed mass production.
If the project is implemented, Serbia could become one of the first countries in Europe where Chinese humanoid robots will be mass-produced and adapted for regional markets.
Japan has many years of experience in developing humanoid robots, but so far has focused primarily on research, components, medicine, and elder care. Kawasaki continues to develop the Kaleido platform but has not announced mass production on a scale comparable to that of Chinese companies. TrendForce believes that Japan’s competitive advantage could lie in actuators, sensors, control systems, and solutions for elderly care.
In South Korea, Samsung has acquired control of Rainbow Robotics and intends to integrate its robotics developments with its own artificial intelligence and software technologies. Hyundai is simultaneously developing Atlas through its subsidiary Boston Dynamics, though the group plans to build a large factory in the U.S.
There is no comprehensive international registry of humanoid robot production. Companies disclose the potential capacity of their factories much more frequently than actual production volumes, and the term “humanoid robot” is applied to various types of devices.
The only reliably confirmed fact is China’s leadership, with a share of approximately 85% of global shipments in 2025. The remaining roughly 15% is accounted for primarily by the U.S. and small batches, prototypes, and pilot series from Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
In 2026–2028, the distribution may change following the launch of plants by Figure, Agility Robotics, Tesla, Hyundai, NEURA, and the Serbian AGIBOT project. However, for now, China retains a significant advantage in terms of actual production volume, component costs, and supply chain readiness.
According to the “Serbian Economist,” Serbia’s lack of progress in its EU accession negotiations could create additional challenges for Ukraine and Moldova, as some EU countries are insisting on maintaining a geographical balance between candidates from Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.
Euronews reports this, citing EU diplomats.
Ukraine has opened two of the six negotiation clusters in recent weeks, but further acceleration of the process may face demands to simultaneously advance Serbia’s application.
“Progress in one direction creates pressure to move forward in the other as well,” one European diplomat told Euronews.
In early July, the European Commission once again recommended opening Cluster 3—dedicated to competitiveness and inclusive growth—for Serbia. Negotiations regarding Serbia have effectively remained stalled since December 2021.
However, eight EU member states opposed opening the chapter: the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Croatia. Denmark, Luxembourg, and Latvia are also not yet ready to support this decision. The consent of all 27 EU member states is required to open a negotiation chapter.
Opponents of Serbia’s advancement point to Belgrade’s insufficient progress in the areas of the rule of law, judicial independence, and democratic standards. Another reason is Serbia’s refusal to join the EU’s sanctions against Russia.
The European Commission, on the other hand, believes that Belgrade has implemented some of the recommendations, repealed controversial changes to judicial legislation, improved cooperation with the EU on foreign policy, and strengthened ties with Ukraine. At the same time, Brussels acknowledges that Serbia needs to continue reforming its judicial and prosecutorial systems.
France, Spain, and a group of countries calling themselves the “Friends of the Western Balkans” advocate for preserving Serbia’s membership prospects. They fear that Ukraine’s rapid progress against the backdrop of Belgrade’s prolonged stagnation will be perceived as the application of double standards.
Euronews emphasizes that the negotiation processes for Ukraine and Serbia have not yet been formally merged. However, as Kyiv and Chisinau push to open the remaining clusters by the end of the year, demands for equal treatment of the candidate countries may intensify.
According to Serbian Economist, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reaffirmed that the country’s accession to the European Union remains Belgrade’s strategic goal and expressed hope to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a bilateral visit.
Vucic made these remarks in an interview with Rainer Novak, editor-in-chief of the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, published on July 23.
“The European path is our strategic goal. There are no other paths for us. This means that we must cooperate closely with all candidate countries,” said the Serbian president.
According to him, it is in the European Union that he sees his country’s future.
Speaking about relations with Ukraine, Vučić stated that he sees no reason to abandon cooperation with Kyiv. He reiterated that Serbia supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provides it with financial, medical, energy, and humanitarian aid.
“I hope we will be able to welcome him to Serbia on a bilateral basis,” said Vučić, referring to Zelenskyy.
Vucic also announced that Serbia is ready to participate in the reconstruction of one of Ukraine’s smaller cities. In addition, the parties are discussing the development of a road and rail route from Trieste through Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Moldova to Ukraine.
The Serbian president had previously reaffirmed his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, but did not sign the final declaration, which condemned Russian aggression and called for increased sanctions pressure on Moscow.
Commenting on criticism of cooperation with Kyiv, Vučić stated that Ukraine had not taken any action against Serbia and had not recognized Kosovo’s independence.
“We cannot oppose someone just because someone else opposes them. I see no reason why we should not cooperate with Ukraine,” he said.
At the same time, Vučić emphasized the need to take into account Serbia’s relations with Asian countries and Russia and reaffirmed the country’s military neutrality.
Serbia was granted EU candidate status in March 2012, and membership negotiations began in January 2014. In recent years, the opening of new negotiation chapters has effectively stalled, despite Belgrade’s statements that it is ready to meet the technical criteria for membership.
According to “Serbian Economist”, Serbia is gradually becoming one of Ukraine’s most prominent Balkan trading partners. According to data from the Experts Club analytical center, in the first half of 2026, Serbia ranked 33rd among the country’s 50 largest trading partners, with bilateral trade totaling $345.9 million.
Serbian exports to Ukraine totaled $243.2 million, while Ukrainian exports to Serbia amounted to $102.7 million. In June alone, trade between the countries totaled $55.8 million. The balance currently favors Serbia: Ukraine’s bilateral trade deficit reached $140.5 million.
The trend toward Serbia strengthening its position became apparent as early as late 2025 and early this year. In the first quarter of 2026, Serbian exports to Ukraine doubled compared to the same period last year, while Ukrainian shipments to the Serbian market increased by 5%. About 900 Serbian companies are involved in trade between the two countries, of which approximately 670 purchase Ukrainian products.
One of the factors contributing to the development of these ties was the full restoration of Serbia’s diplomatic presence in Kyiv. The embassy, which had suspended operations in 2022, returned to the Ukrainian capital at the end of 2024 and officially resumed operations in new premises in the fall of 2025. The mission is currently headed by Ambassador Andon Sapundži.
The opening of the embassy alone does not determine the volume of trade, but a permanent diplomatic mission facilitates contacts between companies, chambers of commerce, and government agencies. It can also help organize business missions, resolve logistical and consular issues, and prepare new intergovernmental agreements.
The next important step could be the resumption of free trade negotiations and achieving a breakthrough on this issue. For Serbia, Ukraine remains a large market with high demand for food, industrial products, equipment, and reconstruction supplies. For Ukrainian companies, Serbia could become not only a sales market but also a logistics hub for expanding into other countries in the Western Balkans.
Data on all of Ukraine’s major trading partners is available here — https://www.experts.news/posts/analiz-naybilshykh-torhovelnykh-partneriv-ukrayiny-v-pershomu-pivrichchi-2026-roku
