The last contract that the Hungarian company Utiber received in Serbia was concluded at the end of March 2026 - only 12 days before Viktor Orban lost in the elections, according to data from the Public Procurement Portal. Since then, it has not been concluded - none.
In Serbia, the Utiber company has been a representative indicator of how the political cooperation between the two populist regimes has survived economically as well Hungarian construction and engineering company which the media directly connects with the system of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán through the richest Hungarian, Lorinc Mesaros.
"New Third Way" researcher Mijat Kostić tells "Vreme" that it is companies like this that could be under the scrutiny of the new Hungarian government.
"It is important to understand that the new government in Hungary does not necessarily have to be against Aleksandar Vučić, but it will certainly be against Viktor Orbán," explains Kostić for "Vreme". "The new Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter the Magyar, has publicly said that he will put under scrutiny all the affairs of his predecessor and his rich financiers. The problem for Serbia is that precisely those financiers indirectly worked a lot in our country on capital projects, such as the reconstruction of the railroad or the canopy in Novi Sad."
If the Hungarian investigation reveals illegal money flows in these businesses, further cooperation between the two countries could stop, Kostić believes. At least the one that until now took place through the well-known channels of "friendly" companies.
Problems are coming.
Until April 2026, Utiber was quite busy. In two years, they concluded at least nine contracts with the state of Serbia, according to data from the Public Procurement Portal.
Years ago, the company received work from Serbian state enterprises and institutions, mostly in the field of construction, such as "Roads of Serbia" and "Railway Infrastructure of Serbia". They were engaged as well supervision of the reconstruction project of the Railway Station in Novi Sad, whose canopy collapsed and claimed 16 lives on November 1, 2024.
Perhaps someone would think that the timing of the last Utiber contract was just a coincidence, that numerous business problems between Belgrade and Budapest did not fly out like skeletons from the closet during the spring.
The first problems appeared first energy deal between NIS and MOL, which previously appeared to be a "fuse". He also appeared problem with Wizz Air, but also jointly by oil pipeline.
The latest news is that Hungary announces the revision of the high-speed railway contract, whose start has been delayed for several months.
Why don't we share now?
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić at the end of 2025, he took the Prime Minister of Hungary, Vikotor Oban, to a burek near Mićko, then to wine - to discuss the sale of NIS.
The president of the Serbian state thanked Orban for having such a wonderful relationship, and the latter responded appropriately - "what we have, we will share with you".
Nevertheless, in the middle of a complicated and politically orchestrated energy game surrounding the Oil Industry of Serbia - on April 12, 2026, the chair was drawn for Viktor Orban. Since then, there has been an instant media involvement of the Government of Serbia and Aleksandar Vučić regarding the NIS.
"Negotiations are not going well," said Vučić at the end of May.
Before that, she was the governor of the National Bank of Serbia Jorgovanka Tabakovic she stated that the basic issue of NIS is the issue of ownership and added that "love for love, but cheese for money".
On the other side of the table, MOL has a binding contract pledged to buy NIS until March 31, 2026, which did not happen. This deadline, the end of March 2026, as the last month of Viktor Orbán's safe rule, is repeated in several places in the business relations of the two countries.
photo: fonet/instagramPOLITICAL PARTNERS: V. Orban and A. Vučić
Where is the problem with Wizz Air?
The retrospect of statements to the media, as well as media headlines in state tabloids, shows the day-to-day fighting at the level of the Hungarian Wizz Air and the Serbian Directorate of Aviation.
Luka Popović, the founder of the "Ex Ju Aviation" portal, told "Vreme" that he thinks that this dispute has no direct connection with the change of government in Hungary.
"The change in these rules has been considered for a long time, and the changes to the regulations themselves were adopted a few months before the change of government in Hungary," Popović told "Vreme". "The reason the issue has now been brought up again is the fact that all airlines have to obtain individual licenses for each route and for each season separately."
The new regulation, according to which the Directorate of Serbian Aviation can deny Wizz Air work, entered into force at the end of March.
However, it is important to know that this problem is not new, it has existed with Wizz Air since the company came to Serbia. Jat himself complained to him many times, that the Hungarian company was in a privileged position. But Serbian state institutions have only now accepted to recognize it, even though everything has been working for years.
"The question arises as to why the Directorate did not have a problem with Wizz Air's business model during the fifteen years of its presence in Serbia, and now it does," adds Popović. "It should be recalled that back in 2010, Jat airways warned about exactly the arguments that the Directorate refers to today. However, at that time there was no hearing for such arguments."
Mijat Kostić explains the "hiccups" with Wizz Air by the potential investigation of the Serbian state.
"Even the government in Serbia is not sure how the future relationship with Hungary will work. It is possible that, through the case of Wizz Air, they are examining the field", Kostić thinks.
China
Another broader external problem is added to the already complicated situation - Chinese influence in Europe.
Numerous deals between Hungary and Serbia also had China as a common denominator. It is precisely the biggest infrastructure and energy parts that are in question. Peter the Magyar has already expressed sympathy for the European Union, for which China is one of the biggest fears, so it is precisely the jobs like the Belgrade-Budapest high-speed railway that could be opened first.
The new Prime Minister of Hungary announced that his government has made several important decisions, including the one to review the investment in the Budapest-Belgrade railway. He did not provide details, but his minister previously stated that the project was followed by a series of bad decisions from the beginning - from the choice of the route to connect the two capital cities, to the technical solutions that will allow the railway designed for 200 kilometers per hour on certain sections to be used at a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour, while at the same time multiplying the costs.
There was also talk about how this deal could be declassified, which the Chinese are expressly against.
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