Austria signed in April 2026 and is running an EU-wide two-stage tender for its pavilion — jointly financed by the economy ministry (75%) and the Austrian Economic Chamber (25%), with an unusually explicit business agenda in Serbia.
| Concept | Innovation, creative diversity, economic strength — playful, open visitor experience [source] |
|---|---|
| Status | Agreement signed 17 Apr 2026; EU-wide two-stage tender running [source] |
| Commissioner | Philipp Gady, Government Commissioner [source] |
| Financing | 75% Federal Ministry for Economy, Energy and Tourism / 25% WKÖ [source] |
| Economic context | >€400M unused export potential to 2029; 800+ Austrian companies in Serbia [source] |
Austria signed its Expo 2027 participation agreement on 17 April 2026 — Government Commissioner Philipp Gady, Serbia's General Commissioner Jagoda Lazarević and Expo Director Danilo Jerinić were the signatories. Participation is jointly handled and financed by the Federal Ministry for Economy, Energy and Tourism (75%) and the Austrian Economic Chamber WKÖ (25%).
An EU-wide, two-stage procurement procedure is under way for the conception, design and implementation of Austria's contribution. The pavilion is planned to present Austrian innovation, creative diversity and economic strength, with a visitor experience emphasizing playfulness, creativity, openness and internationalism, complemented by an accompanying programme of business, tourism, sport and cultural events.
Austria frames its participation in openly economic terms: Serbia is one of its most important trade partners in Southeast Europe, with unused export potential the ministry puts at over €400 million through 2029. Austria is the third-largest foreign investor in Serbia, with more than 800 Austrian companies active in the country.
National pavilions sit in the International Participant Area of the 25-hectare Expo site at Surčin, in the western part of Belgrade — the zone that becomes the city's new Belgrade Fair after the event. The site is about 5 km from Nikola Tesla Airport and roughly 13.5 km southwest of central Belgrade (official planning figures), so if you fly in, you land closer to the Expo grounds than to town. Exact positions within the zones haven't been published yet; we'll add the location when the site plan lands.
Austrian innovation, creative diversity and economic strength, through a visitor experience emphasizing playfulness, creativity, openness and internationalism — complemented by an accompanying programme of business, tourism, sport and cultural events.
Participation is jointly financed by the Federal Ministry for Economy, Energy and Tourism (75%) and the Austrian Economic Chamber WKÖ (25%). An EU-wide, two-stage tender for the concept, design and implementation is under way.
The economy ministry frames it economically: Serbia is one of Austria's most important trade partners in Southeast Europe, with unused export potential put at over €400 million through 2029. Austria is the third-largest foreign investor in Serbia, with more than 800 Austrian companies active there.
More on the Expo: participant tracker · all pavilion profiles · who's coming to Expo 2027 · the full Expo 2027 guide