July 29^th

Philippines based company IMI announced in Nis on July 30, that it would start building a facility for the production of electronic car components in the Lozni Kalem location in Niska Banja in August. Eric de Candido, Managing Director of IMI Bulgaria, pointed out that the 12,000-m2 facility would be completed in July 2018.

“The production facilities in the location will be built in three stages. The second one will entail the construction of a 8,000-m2 facility, and a facility with 4,000 square meters will be built in the third stage”, De Candido said at the Nis City House, at the official handing over of the building permit for the Lozni Kalem location. De Candido stated that more than 1,500 people would work in the facilities in Niska Banja in the next ten years. According to him, the production of electronic car parts in the new facility would meet all the requirements of the European Union.

Minister of Economy Goran Knezevic pointed out that 1,250 people would work in IMI Serbia as soon as July 2018. Mayor of Nis Darko Bulatovic pointed out that the local self-government had made maximum efforts in order for IMI to get a building permit as soon as possible.

July 29^th

The leading European producer of cables and cable systems for the automotive and other industries, Leoni, opened its third factory in Serbia on Saturday, July 29, 2017, in Nis, in the presence of President Aleksandar Vucic. The value of the investment is EUR 22 million, and the factory will employ 2,200 people. By pressing a button, Vucic initiated the first phase of the production in the new factory. The factory, which takes up over 22,000 square meters, will produce cable sets for BMW cars.

Leoni has been present in Serbia since 2009, when the BMW cable system factory in Prokuplje started operating. In 2013, a factory for the production of car cables for Land Rover and Jaguar opened in Malosiste near Doljevac. The total value of Leoni’s investments in Serbia so far amounts to EUR 75 million, and the newly raised factory in Nis will soon turn Leoni into the biggest employer in the production sector in Serbia with nearly 8,000 employees.

“Our goal is not just to be the biggest employer in Serbia, but to be the best employer – said Clemens Sachs”, director of Leoni in Serbia.

In the first quarter of the current year, the Leoni Group had net revenues of EUR 33.6 million, three times as much as in the corresponding period of 2016. Leoni is a global producer of wirings, optical fibers, cables and cable systems and similar components for the automotive industry and other related industries. The company has around 80,000 employees in 90 factories in 32 countries. Last year, Leoni had sales revenues of EUR 4.4 billion. The company was founded in 1917 in Nuremberg and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The official ceremony of putting the factory into operation was also attended by Minister of Economy Goran Knezevic, Clemens Sachs, executive vice president of Leoni, Ralf Maus, standing deputy ambassador of Germany, Alexander Jung, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Marko Cadez, and Mayor of Nis Darko Bulatovic.

July 28^th

In the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, the Minister of Economy in the Government of the Republic of Serbia Goran Knezevic and a representative of the Austrian company Zumtobel signed an agreement on the construction of the company’s factory in Nis.

Later on the representatives of the Austrian lighting group Zumtobel Group and of the government of Serbia marked the start of construction work on a new production plant at a groundbreaking ceremony in Niš. Within the next two and a half financial years the plant is to be built on a site in the southern industrial zone of Nis. When the facility is complete, it will cover 40,000 square metres at a cost of EUR 30 million. The first products are due to come off the production line at the new factory in the 2018/19 financial year. The plant will be built in two phases covering the next two and a half financial years.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Zumtobel Group CEO Ulrich Schumacher was joined by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Austrian Ambassador to Serbia, Johannes Eigner. The entire Management Board of the lighting group was also present in Nis, along with representatives of the Supervisory Board.

“I am delighted to be marking the start of construction of our new plant with today’s groundbreaking ceremony. This investment is one of the most important strategic steps in the redirection of the Zumtobel Group’s production network. The plant in Serbia will enable us to position ourselves successfully on the market in the long term and further improve our competitiveness. Construction of the plant forms part of our global strategy and the new facility will make the ideal complement for our existing production network. Serbia is at the heart of the region of Eastern Europe and offers numerous additional strategic advantages that will help make this project a success”, said Zumtobel Group CEO Ulrich Schumacher.

The plant in Serbia is primarily to handle the additional production volumes planned for the coming years. In a market environment marked by high pressure on prices, this new site will offer the Zumtobel Group the opportunity to supply its core European market at optimal cost. At the same time, this move will reinforce the lighting group’s presence in the dynamic growth market of Eastern Europe.

July 24^th

The opening of a new Startup Center in Nis planned for September this year will provide the conditions for job creation and the development of innovative entrepreneurship in this city, said Nenad Popovic, Minister of Innovation and Technological Development in the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of today’s Public Call to Use Services and Networking at the Center for Innovative Youth Entrepreneurship (Startup Center) at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Nis.

At a media conference at the Nis City Hall Minister Popovic said that the first startup companies will move to this center in September and that their work will be directed to export and to the domestic market. “These are new jobs, which will secure the stay of young talented people in Nis, but this is also a continuation of the tradition of this city as an innovation and technology center,” he said. Popovic pointed out that the Republic of Serbia Government recognized the opening of this innovation center as a great opportunity for employment of young people, the development of IT industry and digital economy in this region. “We see this as a chance that the economy of Nis and this region becomes high-tech again, capable of exporting its products to the world,” Popovic said. He expressed his gratitude to the most deserving people for this project, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. “The launching of this call and the opening of the center in September represent the direct result of the visit by President Vucicto Nis and his promise that this project will be realized, as well as the result of what Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out when she spoke about innovation and technological development,” concluded  Minister Popovic.

The importance of opening the Startup Center in Nis was also addressed by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and prof. Dr. Goran Djordjevic, Assistant Mayor for Science and Advanced Technology and Professor at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Nis.

July 18^th

The reception for participants of the 10^th International Student Folklore Festival was organized at Nis City Hall. The participants of the festival were greeted by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic. This traditional event in Nis brings together a large number of folklore ensembles from other countries who have the opportunity to show the most beautiful of their traditions and how customs are fostered in the countries from which they come. Gathering at the Festival every year, young people nurture old friendships, get new friends and at least once a year they hang out together in our city. This year there are ensembles from 10 countries: Argentina, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia. Performances will be held in Nis, as well as in Bela Palanka and Knjazevac. This is an opportunity for the people of Nis, as well as for the fans of ethno songs and dances in the surrounding cities, to enjoy a rich program. For many of the participants this is an opportunity to visit Serbia for the first time and get to know Nis and its surroundings, people, history of the famous culinary specialties.

July 14^th

The 10^th International Folklore Festival NIS 2017 will be held from July 16^th to 20^th. There will be ensembles from 10 countries: Argentina, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Serbia. Concerts will be held in Nis, Bela Palanka and Knjazevac. At the press conference held at Nis City Hall the Festival was announced by the director of the Students’ Cultural Center, Dragana Petkovic and Nis City Council Member for Culture Jelena Mitrovski. The opening is scheduled for July 16^th in Nis, with the promotional walk of the ensembles through Main Street and the concert. The closing concert is on July 20^th on the plateau in front of the Church of Saint Emperor Constantine and Empress Teodora in the park of Saint Sava in Nis.

July 14^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic together with the State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Dragan Stevanovic, visited the construction of a sewerage network for the new plant Leoni in Nis for waste water and atmospheric waters. The total value of the project is – RSD 36,421,138.60 without VAT, out of that amount, the Ministry of Economy allocated RSD 20,891,165.10, and the City of Nis provided the amount of RSD 15,529,973, 50. The sewage network for waste waters will be built along the section from Correctional Penitentiary Institute up to Leoni Factory in the length of 444m and the sewage network of atmospheric waters in the length of 714,50m. The deadline for the completion of these works is September 1, 2017.

July 13^th

The presentation of the Balanica Cave was held in Sicevo, and it was attended by the Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the members of Nis City Council. Seven years ago, in Balanica, a cave in the Sicevo George, the fossil of the ancestor of today’s man was found, for which the laboratories of the University of Bordeaux and Quebec, in Canadian Montreal, confirmed that it was half a million years old. The discovery was published by prestigious scientific journals Human Evolution and Plus One. Cave Balanica has thus become the third-oldest archaeological site in Europe, where the research of the international team of archaeologists has recently been continued. Before the archaeologist, gold diggers passed through this cave, which destroyed some evidence. Nowadays, the caves are explored rapidly, where, besides the jaws of our ancestors, many animal remains and stone tools from the Paleolithic were found. Experts say that it would not take a lot of money to prepare he site which is older than Krapina in Croatia and Petralona Cave in Greece.

July 7^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic with his associates visited the works on the reconstruction of the facades of the buildings of Nis National Museum and Nis National Library. This project is financed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia through the process of public procurement in three parts.

First part includes the construction works on the facades at the level of investment maintenance and the installment of the decorative lighting on buildings: Nis National Theatre, Nis National Museum, Nis National Library, Nis Symphony Orchestra, Endowment Building of Milorad Vasic.

Open public procurement procedure for works on the facades of buildings in Nis (I part) was launched on 23/02/2017. The contract with selected bidder Neimar Projekt doo Belgrade was signed on 26/04/2017. The value of the Contract is 42.073.390,00 RSD. The deadline for the completion of works is 120 days since the beginning of the works which is 22/5/2017.The scope of works includes: the repair of facade surfaces, removal of degraded, sub-assembled parts and reconstruction of façade surfaces with re-dyeing;   repairs of carpentry, replacement of sheet metal (gutters and gaskets); repairs of roof structure and roof cover with replacement of worn-out elements.

July 10^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today with Nis University Volleyball team that won bronze medal at the European Championship in Poland. “It was our goal to come back with the medal since we have tradition for the past few years to bring home medals”, said the team coach Milan Rasic. In addition to the bronze, two volleyball players won individual awards for the defense specialist and libero thus entering the ideal team of the championship. “The impressions are great. The only regret is that we did not win the gold medal. We played semi-finals against the hosts- Poland who had the support from the stands,” says Nemanja Opacic, the member of the team.