Macron hands Serbia metro line, AI powerhouse, and Rafale firepower

(The country signed a landmark €2.7 billion ($3 billion) contract in August 2024 with France’s Dassault Aviation for 12 Rafale F4 multirole fighters, marking its largest-ever weapons purchase since independence in 2006.)

The talks, held on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris attacks, also addressed Serbia’s EU path, Ukraine peace prospects, and the escalating U.S. sanctions on state-owned oil firm NIS, with Vučić revealing a Serbian delegation’s meetings with U.S. officials on 14 November  to avert fuel shortages.

The summit underscores France’s strategic outreach to Serbia amid domestic unrest, including student-led protests, controversial real estate deal linked to Jared Kushner – Trump’s son-in-law, on a NATO-bombed military site, and broader anti-corruption demonstrations.

Vučić described Macron as a “sincere ally,” emphasizing France’s support for Serbia’s “European destiny” despite its military neutrality and ties to Russia and China.

Urban mobility leap: Belgrade metro contract imminent

A centerpiece was the pledge to finalize a commercial contract with Alstom by 15 December for Belgrade’s Line 1 metro, spanning 21 km along the Sava River from Makish to Mirijevo. Vučić projected completion in 2.5–3 years, with Alstom providing trains, signaling, and electromechanical systems, while China’s PowerChina handles civil works under a €715 million tripartite deal (30% French, 70% Chinese financing). This fulfills a 50-year-old vision, easing congestion for 2 million residents and symbolizing Serbia’s modernization.

Tech frontier: supercomputer powers Southeast Europe’s AI hub

Vučić announced Serbia’s acquisition of a €50 million BullSequana XH3000 supercomputer from Bull SAS (Eviden Group), deploying by late 2025 at Kragujevac’s National Data Center with 25 petaflops, 300 GPUs, and 2.5 petabytes of storage. This “National AI Factory” – the Balkans’ first, will drive applications in healthcare, energy, transport, and smart cities, building on Serbia’s existing NVIDIA system and positioning it as a regional leader in European AI autonomy.

The deal, part of a Franco-Serbian intergovernmental pact, includes €14 million for AI projects, with a third supercomputer eyed for 2026.

Military modernization: from helicopters to Rafale armaments

Discussions advanced military-technical ties, including final assembly of Airbus H125 helicopters in Serbia, expanding on nine H145s already in service, to create a maintenance hub and sustain French industrial presence.

Talks covered Mistral missiles, salvo-firing rockets, and munitions for Rafale jets, Serbia’s €2.7 billion flagship purchase signed in August 2024 during Macron’s Belgrade visit.

Serbia leads Balkan military spending at  roughly 2% of GDP, balancing Western integration with neutrality.

EU momentum and geopolitical juggle

Vučić reiterated optimism for EU progress in 2026, crediting Macron’s support for reforms in rule of law and economy.

Building on Macron’s 2019 and 2024 Belgrade visits, bilateral trade hit €1.9 billion in 2024, surpassing €2 billion projections, including projects in agriculture, health, energy, critical minerals, and nuclear research, France becomings Serbia’s top EU investor (€3.63 billion FDI stock).

On Ukraine, Vučić said Macron offered “hope for peace,” focusing on diplomacy over arms. Yet, U.S. sanctions on NIS, effective 9 October after successive waivers expired, threaten the country’s fuel supply, while peace in Ukraine remains elusive.

Domestic backdrop

The Paris trip coincides with unrelenting domestic turmoil. Until now, Vučić has deftly balanced East and West, extracting benefits from both. The substantial results from his Paris visit appear to suggest that in spite of domestic unrest, he still has powerful allies in the EU.

Thousands formed a “human shield” around the bombed 1999 General Staff ruins on 11 November, protesting a €500 million Kushner-linked project (via Affinity Global Development, 77.5% stake) for a 99-year lease on luxury hotel, offices, and residences.

Parliament’s “Lex Kushner” law, passed 8 November, fast-tracks demolition by May 2026 despite forgery probes and cultural heritage revocation.

Critics decry it as corruption and national betrayal, fueling student rallies since the November 2024 Novi Sad station collapse (16 deaths). Vučić clarified it’s a lease, not sale, to attract U.S. investment amid tariffs and NIS woes.

Sources: Press releases of the Presidencies of Serbia and France, BETA, Le Monde,  BGNES

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Caption: The President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić attended a dinner in Paris organised in his honor by the President of France Emanuel Macron. [Facebook account of the President of Serbia]