The Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, officially visited Serbia on September 5th that combines both protocolary and technical aspects relating to ongoing preparations for Specialised Expo 2027 Belgrade.

　　The BIE Secretary General met with the Minister of Finance, Sinisa Mali, at the future Expo site, where infrastructure works are already underway. Minister Mali handed the Secretary General an updated version of the Recognition Dossier, the document that presents a detailed plan for the implementation of the Expo. A first version of the Recognition Dossier was submitted to the BIE in February 2024 and has since been reviewed by BIE Member States and the BIE Secretariat.

　　The dossier, which includes chapters on the scheduled Expo calendar, legislative and financial measures, the Expo site Master Plan, the conditions for international participation and legacy plans, will be submitted for examination by BIE Member States. Its approval by the BIE General Assembly will allow Serbia to invite international participants and begin preparations in earnest.

　　The revised version of the Recognition Dossier was presented at the future site of Specialised Expo 2027 Belgrade

　　The Secretary General’s three-day visit also includes meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Ðuric, the Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Jelena Begovic, and National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic. Discussions are centered on the implementation of the Expo project, including the development of the Expo site and associated infrastructure, operational and communications plans, and the development of the theme,“Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All”.

　　The agenda also includes a visit to an exhibition on the Sava Promenade recounting Serbia’s longstanding participation in Expos, which opened on 18 August to mark the 1,000 day countdown to the opening of the Expo.

　　The BIE Secretary General indicated:“Serbia has made commendable progress since it was elected host country of Specialised Expo 2027 last year. In the road towards the formal recognition of the Expo, it has shown itself to be very attentive to comments by Member States and willing to work with all countries to make Expo 2027 Belgrade a global symphony where every nation plays its part”.

　　Serbia was elected as the host of Specialised Expo 2027 by BIE Member States during the 172nd General Assembly of the BIE on 21 June 2023. Organised under the theme “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All”, Expo 2027 Belgrade is set to welcome 120 countries and 10 international organisations between 15 May and 15 August 2027.

　　Expos are global events that explore a chosen theme through engaging and immersive discoveries. Among the different categories of Expos, Specialised Expos are designed to respond to a precise challenge facing humanity and may take place in the interval between two World Expos. Specialised Expos are limited in terms of duration - lasting up to three months - and space - with the exhibition area not exceeding 25 hectares. The site is entirely built by the Organiser, Participants being provided with pavilion space.

　　The most recent Specialised Expo, Expo 2017 Astana, took place in the capital of Kazakhstan under the theme “Future Energy”, and received almost 4 million visits.