Europe’s biggest border crossing station to be built between Hungary and Serbia

Hungarian FM Péter Szijjártó paticipated on a business forum in Belgrade where he talked about the benefits of the new border crossing, the upgraded Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway line, and the success story of bilateral trade with executives of more than 150 businesses.

Hungarian, Serbian business leaders meet in Belgrade

Corporate executives from companies in Hungary and Serbia met at a business forum in Belgrade on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

Opening the event, Szijjártó said the representatives of 47 Hungarian companies from the energy, automotive, metalworking, construction, water management, farming and food industries were participating at the forum and more than 150 business meetings were slated to take place.

Bilateral trade between Hungary and Serbia reached EUR 5bn in 2025, he said, highlighting the presence of MOL on the local motor fuels market and the role of MVM in gas trade.

Szijjártó noted that the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) operated a regional office in Belgrade and the Hungarian business chamber had recently established two information centres in Serbia.

He said a decision had been taken on building Europe’s biggest border crossing station.

Szijjártó mentioned the start of freight traffic on the upgraded Budapest-Belgrade rail line, a new interconnector between the power grids of Hungary and Serbia that would go online by 2030, and a crude pipeline that would be completed by 2027 or 2028.

Hungary, Serbia to build diesel pipeline

In addition to a new crude oil pipeline, Hungary and Serbia will build a diesel pipeline as well, Szijjártó said in the Serbian capital. Serbian oil company NIS is ready to deliver around 25,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to Hungary in March, Szijjártó added, at a joint press conference with Dubravka Dedovic, Serbia’s energy minister.

According to a statement issued by his ministry, Szijjártó said “the past weeks have shown that some in Central Europe are using the issue of energy supply and energy security for political blackmail as Ukrained has not resumed oil shipments to Hungary for almost a month now, for solely political reasons.”

The minister said preparations for the construction of a new crude oil pipeline between Hungary and Serbia will be accelerated so “it is realistic that a new oil pipeline will connect Serbia and Hungary by the end of next year,” he said.

Hungarian branch of the Druzhba pipeline

“We will build between the Százhalombatta (refinery) and the Hungary-Serbia border, then increase the capacity of the Hungarian branch of the Druzhba pipeline, and of course the Serbs will build their own section,” Szijjártó said.

He then added that “we are ready to build another pipeline, …, an oil product pipeline that will allow us to transport semi-finished oil products for motor fuels, petrol and diesel, between the two countries as soon as possible.” This will increase the motor fuel supply security of both Hungary and Serbia, he added.

If you missed our previous articles concerning energy issues in Hungary:

• PM Orbán: Hungary attacked by Ukraine
• Upgraded Budapest-Belgrade high-speed rail line started operation – photos