Belgrade only European capital to organise New Year celebration, official says

The head of the Belgrade Communal Militia, Ivan Divac, appealed on Tuesday to people not to abuse the fact that Serbia's capital was "the only in Europe that can organise a New Year's Eve celebration".

Some estimates say that at least 100,000 people will arrive in Belgrade ahead of December 31 to spend the 'craziest' night on the plateau in front of the Parliament or one of the capital's cafes and restaurants.

Divac said the Militia would control whether people had COVID passes and punish those without them. He said that some 30 Militia patrols would tour the city.

Earlier, Deputy Mayor Goran Vesic said that no one forced anyone to come out to celebrate. "That's a personal choice," he answered criticism over the organised celebration amid raising the number of coronavirus cases.