Dimitrovgrad Planning Construction of Cross-Broder Industrial Park for IT Companies, First in Serbia – Greek Coca-Cola Producer Eyeing Future Zone Beles 2

The Municipality of Dimitrovgrad has published the tender for the preparation of the plan of the development of the cross-border industrial park Gradinje.

As the president of the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad, Vladica Dimitrov, said for eKapija, the park, the first of its kind in Serbia, would be located in the zone of the border crossing Gradina with Bulgaria, on a piece of land of 2 hectares.

According to him, this is the most exclusive part of the municipal land along the border crossing, in addition to some 8-10 ha along the right-hand side of the road toward Bulgaria, on which, according to the Detailed Regulation Plan, the Commercial Center Gradina would be built, with commercial zones, industry zones, customs…

– Within the Commercial Center, we plan to build a cross-border industrial park with Bulgaria, where the parcels would be offered to investors, mostly from the IT sector. We have already had international talks and there is an interest, so we have published the tender for the research part of the whole story on which the further development of the project depends – Dimitrov reveals.

He estimates that it could all last several years, but that it would be the first cross-border industrial park in Serbia. He adds that it is a good opportunity for the development of the small and medium IT sector, considering that the Bulgarians, as he says, have a far more developed IT industry than us.

When it comes to financing the construction Dimitrov says that they are counting on European cross-border funds, and the private sector would be involved as well. The tendering documentation says that the project aims to attract direct investments to the municipality, to accelerate the development of the existing facilities and to form new companies and employ new people, along with the implementation of new technologies.

The location is marked as one of the priorities in the policy of an evenly distributed regional development of Serbia. The development plan, it is said, should contain economic analyses, the scope of the planned investments in the area of the park, the activities which will be carried out, an estimate of the value of the goods that will be exported, the number of employees, the use of the free zone regime and the manner of cooperation with the Bulgarian side on the forming of a joint cross-border industrial park in the Kalotina location in Bulgaria.

Bids may be submitted until October 14.

Bulgarian investment soon to start in Beles zone

The president of the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad also said for eKapija that the Bulgarian company Megainvest Holding had bought the parcels of three companies which had not started production activities in the Dimitrovgrad Industrial Zone Beles for several years and that the Bulgarian investor planned to initiate the investment there not long after.

– Those companies were facing having their land taken away from them, but an agreement was reached for the Bulgarians to buy out their rights and the new investor is now in the procedure of forming a customs-free zone in order to be able to import the materials from which to build halls. One part will be meant for the production and packing of snack seeds, peanuts and pistachios, one for the production of custom-made furniture, and one for the drying and packing of fruit and vegetables from the territory of the municipality. As soon as the zone becomes customs-free, the realization of the investment will start, no later than next spring – Dimitrov says.

He adds that it will be the only investment in the Industrial Zone Beles for a while, but that the municipality was in the procedure for the forming of the Industrial Zone Beles 2 on around 12 ha in the extension of the existing zone.

– The project is close to completion and we should get around a hundred million dinars from the state for the equipping of this new zone for which we already have an interested Greek investor. It is a company which makes LED lights for Coca-Cola’s refrigerators in the territory of the whole Europe and it is interested in moving a part of the production here. They also want a commercial zone, some 1.5 ha, which is not owned by the municipality, but is defined by the spatial plan, and by the end of the year, it will be defined in the General Regulation Plan as well – the head of Dimitrovgrad says for eKapija.

Waste water treatment facility “on hold”

Vladica Dimitrov also told us that the municipality was waiting for the state to finally give the green light for the opening of the tender for the construction of a waste water treatment facility.

– We have a finished project and EUR 3 million secured from the state and we are only waiting for the new government and the cabinet of the Ministry for Environmental Protection to be formed, because we have a problem with moving the power line due to which we have not been able to start building the facility for two years now – our interviewee says.

Of the remaining large infrastructural investments in Dimitrovgrad, he highlights the expansion of the capacities for water supply:

– The projects for new wells will be completed by December, because next year we plan to work on the expansion of the springs and the increase of the capacities of the drinking water tanks.

B. Petrovic

Opština Dimitrovgrad

Megainvest Holding Bulgaria

Coca Cola

Vladica Dimitrov

cross border industrial park Gradinje

cross border industrial park Kalotina

industrial zone Beles

industrial zone Beles 2

Commercial Center Gradina

border crossing Gradina with Bulgaria

LED lights for refrigerators

investments

waste water treatment facilities

water supply

expansion of springs