With its cooperation programs, Switzerland is among the most important bilateral donors, investing around 20 Mio. Swiss Francs in public aid every year. Special attention is also paid to cooperation with local authorities in Serbian municipalities in order to strengthen the performance of public administration and improve citizen access.

Switzerland also has a very special relationship with the city of Belgrade. About 20 years ago, the first tramcars from the city of Basel reached Belgrade. Since 2001, a total of 65 tramcars and 48 trams have been shipped from Basel to Belgrade. These 113 trams still make up to one third of Belgrade’s tram fleet. The donation, worth 4.5 million Swiss Francs, marked the beginning of a great success story: despite their advanced age, the Swiss trams still function excellently and transport the citizens of Belgrade every day. It is simply impossible to imagine Belgrade city life without them.

Deputy Mayor Vesic and Ambassador Schmid agreed that this 20 years anniversary of Swiss trams in Belgrade must and will be duly celebrated this year. A public event for the citizens of Belgrade in late summer will be organized. The aim is not only to celebrate the successful partnership of Switzerland and Belgrade in the past, but to also show that trams as a sustainable and clean means of transportation represent an important contribution to achieve the goal of Belgrade becoming a green city by 2030.