Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic and French State Secretary for Foreign Trade Anne-Marie Idrac stated last evening that France will offer Serbia expertise and will invest in the transport sector.

The French government helped Serbia climb up to category six from seven on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranking lists, said Djelic, after talks with Idrac.

We discussed matters of joint interest, including the purchase of an Airbus for Jat Airways. The Serbian government has formed a working group to examine this issue and after this visit we expect that a decision will be reached soon, said Djelic.

The construction of road and rail Corridor 10 was also discussed as France has expertise in this field, he said.

The potential of the Danube River was also discussed. France is interested in building river port infrastructure as well as water cleaning projects in Belgrade and other places, said Djelic.

Djelic and Idrac talked about the Belgrade metro project and stated that joint work will be done to find the best model, as well as on financial aspects.

Idrac said that France will help Serbia in the EU integration process.

France will also focus on specific areas regarding which it possesses expertise, transport being one of them, she said.

French businesses are ready to cooperate for the construction of the metro technically as well as financially. They are also interested in projects related to the Danube, said Idrac.