According to Serbian Economist, Chinese heavy vehicle manufacturer SHAC (Shanghai Huizhong Automotive Manufacturing) plans to build a plant in Novi Sad. This will be the company’s first European plant, and it is expected to open by the end of 2025.
The investment is estimated at around €40 million. The plant will be located in the CTPark Novi Sad East industrial zone and will produce chassis for European automotive giants, including BMW. Initially, around 200 jobs are planned, of which around 50% will be for highly qualified local specialists.
Serial deliveries to European markets are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
This project is part of efforts to attract foreign direct investment to the regions and increase industrial production in Serbia.
The official name of the investor is Shanghai Huizhong Automotive Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (SHAC). The company was founded in 1992 (although the company’s roots in automobile manufacturing date back to 1958, when the first truck of this type was assembled in China).
The company’s products include heavy trucks, buses, minibuses, chassis, components, and accessories for the automotive industry. The company has multiple production facilities in China (several factories), two R&D centers (one in Shanghai and a sub-center in Ningbo), and partnerships with major brands such as GM, Volkswagen, and others.
The leader of the European Parliament’s largest party, the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, has announced the initiation of a procedure to expel Serbian ruling SNS party of Aleksandar Vucic from the right-wing conservative party group. This is reported by Euractiv.
It is reported that Weber’s initiative is related to the ongoing anti-government protests in Serbia, provoked by the tragic collapse of the canopy at the train station in November 2024. Sixteen people died as a result.
Symbolically, the SNS party was an associate member of the EPP, which means establishing cross-party ties with limited rights and without full membership. Serbia, meanwhile, remains a candidate country for EU accession.
After announcing the procedure, Weber emphasized: “The EPP is not turning a blind eye to what is happening in Serbia.”
https://t.me/relocationrs/1394
Serbia’s ElevenEs (Subotica) continues to develop its industrial production project for lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries: the current line in Subotica operates as Europe’s first LFP cell production site, and the company is finalizing plans to build a “mega-factory” with a target capacity of 1 GWh per year and is working on further expansion to 8 GWh. This is evidenced by company and management announcements for 2023-2025, as well as recent industry reports.
The launch was reported in April 2023: the company specializes in prismatic LFP cells and was the “first” operating industrial site of this type in the EU. At launch, the company declared an output of 300-500 MWh/year, with ramp-up in 2024-25.
The corporate website states that the team has 100+ employees; in May 2025, a new type of prismatic “blade” cell EDGE574 for transportation and industrial applications was introduced.
In an interview on February 11, 2025. ElevenEs CEO Nemanja Mikač said the company is “finalizing the project” to build a 1 GWh/year plant; 2026 is described as a “key year” for scaling. At the end of May 2025, the company confirmed a 1 GWh “mega-factory” target and plans to build an 8 GWh gigafactory in Serbia. Timing and sources of financing were not disclosed.
Recycling/disposal. In June 2025, ElevenEs announced an agreement to establish a JV for LFP waste/spent cell recycling, tying the initiative to future scale-up of production.
Nickel- and cobalt-free LFP chemistry is valued for its safety, resource and cycle cost – these are the niches ElevenEs is targeting (energy storage, commercial transportation, “industrial” applications). For Serbia, the project means the formation of a link in the European battery supply chain, and for the EU it means diversification of LFP production in the region.
A number of strategic figures in the public space (e.g. possible transition to tens of GWh by 2030) are indicative and depend on financing and signed off-takes; industry studies separately note the risk factors of European battery projects. We rely on confirmed near-term targets (1 and 8 GWh) and the actual operating site in Subotica.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1395
An earthquake struck Serbia on September 5, with tremors also felt in Montenegro. According to the Seismology Sector of the Montenegrin Hydrometeorological Institute (ZHMS), the signal was registered at 14:43 local time, with the epicenter approximately 15 km east of Senica (Golija district) with an estimated magnitude of 3.7 on the Richter scale and a depth of about 7 km. The agency notes that such a tremor “could have caused only minor material damage in the epicenter zone.”
The Serbian Seismological Service clarified the parameters: according to its assessment, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 occurred in the Golija area, approximately 20 km east of Senica, with an estimated intensity of up to VI points on the MSK-64 scale at the epicenter.
No serious damage or casualties had been reported at the time of publication; reports of tremors were received from border areas of Montenegro.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that Budapest and Belgrade have agreed to speed up the construction of an oil pipeline between the two countries. The 190 km Hungarian section is planned to be completed by the end of 2027, according to the Serbian Economist Telegram channel.
“We have agreed with Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic to speed up the construction of the oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia. The 190 km Hungarian section should be completed by the end of 2027,” he said on social network X, emphasizing the importance of energy cooperation against the backdrop of Ukraine’s attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplies oil to Hungary and Slovakia, among other countries.
Why the project is important for these countries and the entire Balkan region
Increased energy security and diversification of routes
The new oil pipeline will reduce Hungary and Serbia’s dependence on traditional routes, especially in the context of instability caused by damage to Druzhba. This increases the reliability of supplies and reduces energy risks.
Regional energy integration
The construction of infrastructure connecting the Balkan and Central European regions helps strengthen economic ties and stimulates the growth of the energy market in the region.
Strategic independence
Independence from single transit routes provides greater flexibility in times of crisis and allows countries to respond more quickly to external challenges.
Economic impact and infrastructure development
The project creates jobs, contributes to the development of transport and energy infrastructure, and attracts investment for both Hungary and Serbia.
Geopolitical stability in the Balkans
The Balkan region has traditionally been at the crossroads of geopolitical interests. The new route strengthens its strategic importance and helps reduce dependence on external factors.
The Hungarian-Serbian oil pipeline project is not just a technical initiative. It serves as the foundation for a new energy architecture in the region, creating a sustainable, independent, and mutually supportive security system, which is particularly relevant in light of current geopolitical realities.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs
Luxembourg-based OCSiAl, a global leader in the production of graphene nanotubes, continues to develop its first European production facility in Serbia. Based on official company data and information from the investment community, Serbian Economist presents the latest news about the company and its development.
This unique plant is located in Stara Pazova, northwest of Belgrade, on an area of approximately 10,000 m², equipped with nanotube synthesis lines, dispersion and concentrate production facilities, a research center, and quality control laboratories.
The facility’s current annual production capacity is 60 tons of nanotubes, with plans to double that to 120 tons by the end of this year. The plant already provides jobs for more than 200 employees, including engineers, operators, and application specialists. The €40 million project is the largest investment from Luxembourg in Serbia.
OCSiAl emphasizes the logistical advantages of the location, which allows it to supply nanotubes to Europe, Asia, and the US and strengthen the sustainability of the global supply chain.
OCSiAl plans to double production by launching a second synthesis line as early as 2026 and retains the option to rapidly scale up this modular complex.
Nanotubes manufactured under the TUBALL™ brand are used in batteries, coatings, and composites.
