A recent analysis by the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) reveals that more than 50,000 properties owned by the Serbian state currently lack a legally resolved status. The organization emphasizes that formal registration of these properties in the real estate cadastre, in accordance with the Law on Public Property, could significantly enhance budget revenues through sales, leasing, and property tax collections. This process could also facilitate the initiation of new investment projects throughout the country.
The analysis highlights a critical concern regarding approximately 16,000 properties still classified as ‘socially owned’ in official records, a designation that is now obsolete under current legislation. Additionally, around 30,000 other properties—of which about 60% are commercial spaces—require further examination to determine their eligibility for registration as public property. This review is particularly urgent since the deadlines for transferring properties managed by local governments and public enterprises into the public property regime expired in 2021.
According to NALED’s findings, the initial step needed is to align the entries of state-owned properties with the categories recognized by the Law on Public Property. Following this alignment, a thorough inventory should be conducted to assess which properties should be sold, leased, or retained under state ownership.
Dušan Vasiljević, NALED’s Director of Competitiveness and Investments, addressed attendees at a joint session of the Alliance for Property and Investment and the Club of Cities and Municipalities with a Favorable Business Environment. He noted that ongoing reforms initiated in 2023—with support from the Government of Sweden—aim to enhance public procurement efficiency and governance for improved competitiveness. Previous efforts have led to significant proposals for reforming real estate management and disposal practices. Notably, the abolition of conversion has created opportunities for investments valued at hundreds of millions of euros and allowed for the registration of ownership rights on properties constructed without proper permits, resulting in approximately 2.5 million submitted applications.
The analysis further indicates that state-owned land represents one of Serbia’s most crucial development resources. Approximately 1.95 million cadastral plots owned by the state encompass over 15.6 billion square meters. The usage of this land varies regionally; construction sites are prevalent in Belgrade, agricultural land is primarily found in Vojvodina, while forested areas dominate Southern and Eastern Serbia as well as Šumadija and Western Serbia.
