The event is also serving as the main qualification race for the 2019 European Games in Minsk.

Leading names set to compete include Czech Republic's Martin Fuksa, who won last year's C1 500 metres event in a world best time of 1min 44.884sec. 

Frenchwoman Manon Hostens will also compete less than a week after taking gold in the women's K1 division at the Wildwater Canoeing World Championships in Switzerland.

Hungary's 18-time European champion Natasa Janica is also entered. 

Other eyecatching entrants include German duo Max Hoff and Tom Liebscher plus Rene Poulsen of Denmark.

"It is a great honour for us to welcome Europe's best paddlers after seven years," said Serbian Canoe Federation President, Mirko Nišović.

"A lot has changed since 2011 [when Belgrade last hosted the annual event]. 

"We have made progress in organisation, activities of the federation as well as in competition sense. 

"We won one medal then, but now we believe we can improve this result."

Action is due to begin tomorrow with 500m heats and semi-finals.

Paralympic VL, 1,000m and 500m finals are then scheduled for Saturday (June 9) before action concludes with 200m, 5,000m, remaining 500m and Paralympic KL medal races on Sunday (June 10).

Major Para-canoeists set to compete include Britons Emma Wiggs and Jeanette Chippington, Ukraine's Serhii Yemelianov and Austria's Markus Swoboda.