Expo 2027 invites citizens to choose the names of the mascots of the exhibition and decide whether they will be called, for example, Milica and Rastko or Eci and Peci. However, they cannot find out how and how much someone is paid to create and design a boy and a girl in folk costumes.
Bearing in mind the recent fall of the canopy in Novi Sad and the way in which projects are carried out in Serbia, it is obvious that the current political decision-makers cannot guarantee the safety of the participants and visitors of the Expo exhibition, says the opposition
Jamie Patterson, the British expert who managed the organization of the world exhibition EXPO 2020 in Dubai, arrived in our country where he will participate in this year's Kopaonik Business Forum. In an interview with "Vreme", he compares the experiences of Belgrade and Dubai and answers our questions related to the numerous controversies surrounding this project.
Amendments to the special law, the lex specialis, for the construction of the "Expo 2027" complex are currently in the Parliament of Serbia and are awaiting the first session of the next parliament in order to be adopted. What is written in them and why do they cause great doubt among experts
Although Vučić feared that the consequences of the tragedy in Novi Sad could affect the future of Serbian construction, the Government of Serbia allocated more than 300 billion dinars for capital projects this year. Some of these projects are more capital-intensive than others, and first and foremost is the mezimche of the Expo regime
Almost 12 million dinars were given without a public tender to entrepreneur Dejan Mitov, who has a spatial design studio Modelart Architects for the production and servicing of models for the EXPO 2027 exhibition.
Since the state decided to spend more on projects related to EXPO 2027, roads and armaments, the budget deficit will increase to around three percent of GDP. The cost of building the National Stadium is estimated at 960 million euros
If the organizers' estimate is correct that EXPO 2027 will attract four million visitors, where should they all be accommodated? How many hotels and other accommodation facilities in Belgrade should be built in three years?
The company that was "engaged to beat citizens" in front of Banovina in Novi Sad in July 2022 was engaged in the Expo 2027 exhibition, while the criminal charges filed against them by the Novi Sad SSP board were dismissed
The company, which received a lucrative deal worth 1,69 billion euros for the EXPO, was owned by "I&F Holding AB" until mid-January of this year, and since then it has been owned by the Slovak "Across media holding".
The company Deloitte Advisory received a job worth 15,1 million dinars without VAT, i.e. about 128.100 euros for bookkeeping, accounting and tax consulting services for the needs of the specialized exhibition EXPO 2027
The companies "McCann", "Drive", "Two rivers" and "Studio for new media 12" will be in charge of creative, digital, PR and consulting services needed for the promotion of the specialized exhibition EXPO, i.e. until December 21, 2027
For more than two hours, the President of Serbia and his associates stated the figures that will allegedly be achieved in the next four years until the Expo. Serbia, they said on Saturday evening, flew into the future. They did not say how much
What is planned on the site of the current Fair? Apparently, a large number of buildings and Hall 1, unique in the world, which of those buildings would not even be seen
The draft law on special procedures for the implementation of the international specialized exhibition EXPO Belgrade 2027 (Lex specialis EXPO) fundamentally legalizes corruption and allows state money and loans for the construction of all facilities and line infrastructure to be spent bypassing all public procurement procedures
The European Commission (EC) expects Serbia to comply with public procurement rules when contracting works for the organization of the EXPO 2027 specialized exhibition.
The city of Belgrade announced a plan for the construction of a railway line to the area planned for holding the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO
Every year, Serbia loses around 50.000 construction workers, yet there is no fear for the Expo facilities - the country has a Law on the Employment of Foreigners
Two loans in the total amount of about 190 million euros will be taken for the works. The line infrastructure will be built by "Power Construction Corporation of China"
Why is it that instead of the stadium in Zaječar, on which twenty or more million euros will be spent, playgrounds for children, fitness tracks for recreational athletes and gymnasiums for physical education are not built at literally every school? Why do investors who build in Serbia have no obligation to provide space for the construction of sports fields in neighborhoods or at least parks where children could spend time outside in a safe environment?
The Zajedno party says that the government is deliberately not saying that this is not the EXPO World Exhibition and that the famous world exhibition will be held in 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
For that occasion, announced the President of Serbia, "as soon as tomorrow, big works will start not far from the national stadium". The previous Expo 2020 in Dubai hosted 25 million visitors from all over the world, and Vučić expects 2,6 million.
Who is the author of the mascot?
Although the official Expo website reports that the mascots of the exhibition are waiting for names, the statement does not say who the author of the mascots is, nor how much they cost the citizens of Serbia.
It is known that the visual identity (branding) of the Expo - including the logo and related elements - was designed by the Serbian designer Saša Vidaković with his London team SVIDesign, and the project won international recognition.
"The silver award was presented by the Graphis publishing house as part of the traditional annual Design Awards for 2025 and will become part of the 'GRAPHIS Design Annual' print edition, one of the most important global publications in the field," the company announced in July last year.
It is not known if the same design team was involved in the mascots.
Also, there is no indication on the Public Procurement Portal that a public tender was announced for the production of mascots, nor how much that work cost.
After all, there is no data that the company that made the company's logo was hired for it after the public procurement, but everything indicates that the work was contracted through a direct contract.
That would not be a surprise, because the special law for the Expo (full name: Law on special procedures for the implementation of the international specialized exhibition Expo Belgrade 2027) provides an exemption from the Law on Public Procurement.
According to the special law for the Expo, a public invitation to all interested economic entities will be published only in procurement procedures for goods and services whose estimated value is greater than 12 million dinars, i.e. in procurement procedures for works whose estimated value is over 24 million dinars.
For the sake of comparison, in the "ordinary" law, those thresholds are one million dinars for goods and services, or three million dinars for works.
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The mascots represent a boy and a girl in Serbian folk costumes, and the suggested pairs of names are: Rastko and Milica, Momčilo and Tamara, Beo and Bela, Zmaj and Lira, Viktor and Ada, Knight and Aria, Miha and Nika, Volt and Luna, Ringe and Raja, Eci and Peci, Rhythm and Dinamika, Sava and Nada, Zvrk and Čigra.
"It's not easy being a mascot without a name. They call you 'Hey, you,' 'It.' EXPO'... And you dream of becoming someone. That's why we're finally starting our search for names," Expo Belgrade wrote on its Instagram profile, along with an illustration of the exhibition's mascot.
The voting system involves several rounds in which citizens will choose their favorites from the pre-suggested pairs of names, via a link on the official Expo 2027 Belgrade website.
"Demons of Sleep Paralysis"
The Expo 2027 specialized exhibition mascots were presented back in April at the Expo 2025 World Exhibition in Osaka.
"Twinned by a game that gives them superpowers, they find fun wherever they find themselves. Their imagination pushes the boundaries, and with you they go on an adventure to Expo 2027 Belgrade! Your new friends are here!", the organizers of the event in Serbia said at the time.
However, aside from the animosity that is present in the part of the public critical of the government towards the Expo exhibition, people on social networks were not satisfied with the very appearance of the mascots.
"The mascots of EXPO 2027 in Belgrade are my demons of sleep paralysis. You can clearly see that ChatGPT made this for them, and they didn't know how to describe what they wanted," wrote one user of the X social network.
Another user stated that "to them, the mascots for the EXPO look like they escaped from Ćaciland."
Oh my... Msm, tastes are not up for debate, but thankfully, I'm pretty sure we have a consensus here - ouch, what the hell is this!? [Source: Official Mascots of EXPO 2027 https://t.co/nunRsy82C7] PS When they already have something similar to the Serbian costume, they could have at least put on the opanka?! pic.twitter.com/vL1PiejSqG
— Vladimir Savić (@firusvg) April 14, 2025
Who is the author of the mascot?
Although the official Expo website reports that the mascots of the exhibition are waiting for names, the statement does not say who the author of the mascots is, nor how much they cost the citizens of Serbia.
It is known that the visual identity (branding) of the Expo - including the logo and related elements - was designed by the Serbian designer Saša Vidaković with his London team SVIDesign, and the project won international recognition.
"The silver award was presented by the Graphis publishing house as part of the traditional annual Design Awards for 2025 and will become part of the 'GRAPHIS Design Annual' print edition, one of the most important global publications in the field," the company announced in July last year.
It is not known if the same design team was involved in the mascots.
Also, there is no indication on the Public Procurement Portal that a public tender was announced for the production of mascots, nor how much that work cost.
After all, there is no data that the company that made the company's logo was hired for it after the public procurement, but everything indicates that the work was contracted through a direct contract.
That would not be a surprise, because the special law for the Expo (full name: Law on special procedures for the implementation of the international specialized exhibition Expo Belgrade 2027) provides an exemption from the Law on Public Procurement.
According to the special law for the Expo, a public invitation to all interested economic entities will be published only in procurement procedures for goods and services whose estimated value is greater than 12 million dinars, i.e. in procurement procedures for works whose estimated value is over 24 million dinars.
For the sake of comparison, in the "ordinary" law, those thresholds are one million dinars for goods and services, or three million dinars for works.
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