Citizens and non-governmental organizations from Serbia are signing an initiative to send an official notification to the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) about systemic violations of the law, corruption, and security risks related to the international specialized exhibition Expo 2027, which is scheduled to be held in Belgrade.
The document, which will be sent to BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkences, members of the BIE Executive Board and all delegations of BIE member states, states that the official notification "warns of serious, credible and documented violations of the law" in connection with the Expo 2027 exhibition.
It states that the official notice is based on publicly available information, official documents, research reports and expert analyses and that the evidence presented is "a textbook example of state capture, where the government apparatus is systematically corrupted to serve private interests at the expense of public welfare."
"This does not represent isolated cases of corruption, but a comprehensive subversion of democratic governance and the rule of law. The integrity of the World Exhibition movement and the safety of millions of potential visitors depend on swift and decisive action by the International Bureau of Expositions. History has shown that international organizations that fail to respond to credible evidence of corruption suffer lasting damage to their legitimacy and effectiveness," the document states.
The document, which can be signed at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_0rwHXPVHzxgEknCxqyh-KTnYC7nBHSE6_rssaBwFYajyFw/viewform, also lists immediate risks: security, financial, environmental, reputational, and legal.
"Although the BIE has an oversight role and does not have direct operational control over the host country's activities, failure to act on credible evidence of corruption and violations of security and other regulations could lead to significant reputational and institutional risks. Such inaction could undermine the legitimacy of the BIE, challenge scrutiny by Member States and international bodies, and weaken the integrity of the World Expo movement," the document states.
It added that the issues raised are "extremely serious" and "require urgent attention and action by the BIE to prevent irreversible damage to the institution of World Exhibitions and protect public safety and resources."
"From the date of receipt of this notification, the International Exhibitions Bureau will not be able to claim that it was unaware of the aforementioned problems," reads the formal notification, copies of which will be sent to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Transparency International, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Council of Europe and relevant diplomatic missions in Belgrade.
The official announcement, among other things, states that the Serbian Parliament has adopted a special law (lex specialis) "that fundamentally undermines the rule of law", by allowing contracts worth up to one billion euros to be awarded without competitive bidding, suspending the application of basic laws and disabling legal protection for affected parties.
The Serbian government has not established any independent oversight mechanism for the Expo 2027 exhibition, certain entities have been awarded valuable contracts without public tenders, and evidence points to systematic mismanagement and misrepresentation of finances, the notice says.
It is also stated that the initial budget has been increased from one to 18 billion euros and that a special law allows construction work to be carried out without the necessary permits for more than two years, with technical inspections carried out by the contractors themselves.
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) issued an official warning in February 2025 stating that the Expo project poses a risk of "irreversible environmental damage" and threatens Belgrade's water infrastructure, the document states.
It is added that the area covered by the project has been increased by 684 percent - from 119 to 813 hectares, without justification, and that the state is purchasing land that was previously privatized at prices up to 100 times higher than the original sales price.
The document also states that, as of March 2025, more than 100.000 Serbian citizens had signed a petition demanding the cancellation of the Expo 2027 exhibition, and that opposition political parties had officially requested that the Bureau revoke Serbia's license to host the exhibition.
The signatories demand, among other things, that the International Exhibitions Bureau quickly begin consultations with member states to explore the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism for Expo 2027 in Belgrade.
They also demand that the Bureau enable the formation of an international expert panel of experts in law, finance, construction safety, and environmental protection for the purpose of a comprehensive assessment of the Belgrade Expo's compliance with international standards.
The Bureau is also required to engage with the Serbian authorities to seek the restoration of full implementation of public procurement laws, the establishment of independent oversight mechanisms, compliance with all safety and environmental regulations, and full transparency regarding all contracts and expenditures.
The document also states that the official notification is submitted in accordance with the Principles contained in the 1928 Convention on International Exhibitions, the United Nations Convention against Corruption, to which Serbia is a signatory, the fundamental principles of transparency, good governance and the rule of law, the BIE's mandate to ensure the integrity of world exhibitions, and the responsibility of citizens to inform international institutions of threats to the public interest.
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