Citizens’ outrage, expert opinions, and even international appeals have all been ignored by Aleksandar Vučić’s regime, which decided to demolish the famous Generalštab building to make way for a private commercial-residential complex owned by the US president’s son-in-law.
This is not the first time the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has pushed projects despite clear legal, professional, or public opposition. Similar controversies arose with the Rio Tinto lithium mining project and the Belgrade Waterfront development, each benefiting foreign interests while serving the regime’s political or personal gain.
According to sociologist Ivan Živkov, the driving factor is the self-interest of Vučić and his political organization:
“Aleksandar Vučić has never given anything to a foreign actor without gaining personal or at least party benefit.”
Widespread Opposition Ignored
- Experts and the public have warned for years that Generalštab is a protected cultural monument, and demolishing it would violate Serbian law and the Constitution.
- Citizens repeatedly protested the plan to replace this cultural heritage with a residential-commercial complex for a foreign investor tied to the Trump family.
- Conservators refused to recommend lifting the building’s protection, prompting resignations in Serbian heritage institutions. When they could not find anyone to legally approve the demolition, authorities reportedly falsified the necessary documentation.
Despite these violations, Vučić’s government passed a lex specialis through the Serbian parliament, specifically allowing the demolition of Generalštab. As conservator Estela Radonjić Živkov noted, this puts Serbia among only three regimes worldwide in the 21st century to destroy a cultural monument: Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, the Islamic State in Iraq, and now Serbia—for private profit.
Vučić Prioritizes Personal and Foreign Interests
- Vučić allegedly balances his own and foreign interests, ensuring that both he and his political-criminal network profit.
- Compared to the lithium project in Jadar Valley, the Generalštab case is simpler, as it primarily involves a direct deal with the US president’s family, rather than EU or multinational stakes.
Historical Parallels: Belgrade Waterfront
- The Generalštab case mirrors the Belgrade Waterfront project, where a lex specialis bypassed public and legal oversight to transfer prime urban land to private foreign investors from the UAE.
- Experts warned that handing public land and heritage over to a private entity threatened citizens’ rights and urban integrity. Masked workers demolished buildings overnight to pave the way for the project, which has been criticized as a “cancer spreading through the body of Belgrade” by art historian Irina Subotić.
Vučić’s pattern is clear: national resources—whether natural, urban, or cultural—are exploited for personal enrichment, foreign deals, and political survival.
