September 18^th

Within the Local Economic Development Program of the City of Nis for 2017, implemented by the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects of the City of Nis, a public invitation was sent to banks interested in short-term lending to business entities from the territory of the City of Nis, with the participation of the City through subsidizing interest on loans for procurement of working capital, costs of purchasing machinery and equipment. The Commission for the allocation of funds in the framework of the realization of this program, according to the criteria from the public call, chose the most favorable bid, submitted by Banca Intesa. The City Council accepted the recommendation of the Commission and today the Business Cooperation Agreement between the City of Nis and Banca Intesa was signed. The agreement was signed by the Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic on behalf of the City, and on behalf of the bank, the Director for the sale to small business in the Regional Center Nis Milan Bogdanovic and the regional director for business with individuals and small businesses in the Regional Center Nis Violeta Marjanovic.

“For the City of Nis, it is very important that such programs are implemented in order to stimulate the development of entrepreneurship and thus contribute to the further reduction of the unemployment rate in our city. Local self-governments need reliable partners for the realization of these plans, and I am therefore pleased that we will implement this program in cooperation with Banca Intesa. The city allocates 5 000 000 dinars for interest subsidy on loans that will be allocated to business entities and I sincerely hope that they will be interested in this kind of assistance, Mihajlo Zdravkovic, the Nis City Council Member for Economy said at the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation. “The agreement that Banca Intesa today signed with the City of Nis would enable us to provide legal entities and entrepreneurs in the territory of this city, which is a very important regional business center of our bank, to provide even more favorable loan terms and thus help them to improve their business and increase their competitiveness. The development of entrepreneurship is a key factor of economic growth, increased employment and a better quality of life of citizens not only in Nis, but also throughout our country, and it is therefore important that banks support this segment of the economy, Violeta Marjanovic, Regional Director of Banca Intesa Sector for individuals and small businesses in the Regional Center Nis said. The minimum loan amount for which the interest will be subsidized is RSD 100,000 and the maximum RSD 1,500,000.

September 14^th

Last night, the 27^th Literary Colony was officially opened in the beautiful ambient of the village of Sicevo near Nis. This year, 13 Serbian writers are taking part in the colony. The colony was officially opened by this year’s Ramond Serbika Prize winner Vladimir Kopicl. Kopicl is one of the most prominent and most respected Serbian poets. He has won numerous awards. Jelena Mitrovski, the member of Nis City Council for Culture, said on the occasion of opening the colony said that it was the event of special importance which has been confirmed by the years of its existence as well as a serious approach to the organization of this colony. “Many important figures of Serbian and world literature has taken part in the work of the colony during all those years. As a local self-government, we strive to nurture literature, to encourage young people to love it, but also to develop speech culture, thanks to events such as this.

September 12^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the Nis City Council Member for Culture Jelena Mitrovska met today with Predrag Perunovic who has traveled 16,000 km from Nis to Vladivostok city on the Russian coast of the Pacific Ocean for 43 days. Perunovic spoke about his impression while passing through Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia. On this occasion, the Mayor Bulatovic said that the City of Nis would be happy to support one of the following undertakings of this fellow citizen, and not only financially. He said that the City of Nis had good cooperation with many cities in the world and that Perunovic represented his country in the best possible way.

September 9^th

Neda Jovanovic from Nis is the 18^th child in a row who received the help from the initiative Collect Corks – Bring Smiles within which the funds were collected for the purchase of children’s wheelchair and a bathing chair for this little girl. Little Neda suffers from cerebral paralyses and microcephaly, and this aids will make everyday life easier for her. Deputy Nis City Mayor Milos Bandjur said that every responsible government had an obligation to support an action that promotes goodness, humanity and solidarity. “The value of this action is much higher than the material value. It looks at promoting goodness in society, in activating all potential, and in raising awareness that we need to help each other,” Bandjur said. Vanja Petkovic, the president of this association, pointed out that it was necessary to collect 4 tons of caps and corks for the purchase of supplies for Neda, and that the activists of this association and the citizens of Serbia have so far collected 100 tons and helped many more children in need. She emphasized that the essence of this action was to unite everyone and through ecology and environmental protection, teach children to have empathy towards others, to people with disabilities, and to learn how to help each other.

September 9^th

The hotel capacities in Nis will be increased from next year as the reconstruction of the Hotel Park and the Hotel Ambassador will be completed, as it has been announced by the owners of these facilities on the occasion of Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic visiting the construction sites. Both of these hotels were previously owned by the Company Srbijaturist, but due to the unsuccessful privatization of that company for years they were without guests and in a very bad condition. Andrija Radojicic, the new owner of the Park Hotel, announced that this hotel, which was built in 1936, would be returned to the old splendor most likely by the end of this year. He also announced new contents such as spa center, congress hall, sightseeing and panoramic elevator and this will be five-star hotel. Ivan Spasic, the owner of the company My Place Group who is the new owner of the Ambassador Hotel, emphasized that the reconstruction of this hotel would be completed next year, by the end of April, and that the opening was planned for May. It will be five-star hotel. Out of the former 140 rooms, after the reconstruction there will be 58 studios, 10 apartments and two presidential suites of 85m2. It will also have new facilities, such as a spa center, conference facilities and a billiard room, as well as a parking plot with 35 slots. According to the announcements of the owners, the renovation of both hotels will cost five million euros and will provide the opening of 200 new jobs. On the occasion of visiting the construction sites, Mayor Bulatovic said that the city needed new hotel capacities because Nis was the center of this part of Serbia. He pointed out that the local government helped with the construction permit for the Hotel Ambassador, because the usage permit was never obtained for the old building.

September 9^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic signed today the contracts with 11 refugees from Bosnia and Croatia on grants in the amount of 200,000 dinars for starting their own business. The value of the project to help refugees and displaced persons is 4 million, and the city provides 10 percent. The signing of the contract was preceded by the competition, after which these 11 persons were selected because at this moment their projects were the most realistic ones. According to the Nis City Council Member for Social Policy Tijana Djordjevic Ilic the City of Nis is doing everything to help these people, and what is happening today is an indicator of these efforts. Today, we are implementing projects that were signed in 2015. We are implementing them today thanks to the good will of the Commissariat that has annexed all contracts so that persons who are in the status of refugees or IDPs will get a roof over the head.  This kind of assistance has been provided to 80 beneficiaries so far.

September 8^th

The City of Nis, in partnership with the Red Cross City Organization, has provided more than 500 hygienic packages as well as school accessories for pupils from the first to the fourth grades who attend classes in schools in the rural area. Nis City Council Member for Social Care Policy Tijana Djordjevic  Ilic visited the children and handed them this modest gift on behalf of the City. According to her, packages and school supplies were divided into 31 schools in the countryside. “Children and young people are the most important resource of society and we will try to help whenever we can and whenever there is need”, Djordjevic Ilic said. She pointed out that this year the choice fell to schools from the rural area, some of them were more 180 years old. “We wanted to visit these schools and students who get their first knowledge from their teachers in the surroundings that reflect the authenticity of the Serbian village,” said Tijana Djordjevic Ilic, adding that she hopes that next year, with the help of her permanent partners and associates from the Nis Red Cross, the city would able to provide an even larger number of packages for the youngest students, thus helping them to spend their first school days in a nice atmosphere.

September 7^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, and Help Senior Program Manager for Economic Development, Masa Bubanj signed the Contract for the realization of the project “Support to Socio-Economic Stability in the Region”. In this way, the successful cooperation between the City of Nis and this German NGO is continuing. “This agreement is the basis of a partnership agreement that already exists and we are committed to effectively implementing the project today and thus achieving the planned results,” Mayor Bulatovic said. The project value for Nis is 120 000 Euros, and the City participates with 48 000 Euros. The project will enable 50 micro and small enterprises to receive grants in equipment. The project will include, according to the Mayor’s words, unemployed women, convicts, persons with disabilities and socially disadvantaged Nis citizens. They will individually get help in equipment in the amount of 2,400 Euros to start their own business. He stressed that he hoped the project would be successful and that we would all be able to visit future successful entrepreneurs together. The Mayor thanked the Government of the Republic of Germany for providing part of the funds, as well as the organization Help that recognized the potential of City of Nis as a partner on the project.

September 7^th

The participants of the 52^nd Sicevo Art Colony visited Nis City Hall where their hosts Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Nis City Council Member for Culture Jelena Mitrovski welcomed the guests and reflected on the great significance of the colony itself, which represented a kind of Nis brand and they expressed great satisfaction with the number of participants of this year’s colony and wished the artists to come back to Nis again. The participants presented their impressions of Sicevo and emphasized that the quality of the artwork that was being created there was at an exceptional level and that it deserved a space for permanent exhibition. The Art Colony in Sicevo was founded in 1905, and Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic inspired by the beauty of the Sicevo Gorge gathered her Slovenian and Croatian colleagues for the first time.

September 7^th

Dance Caravan aimed at presenting and promoting artistic dance through artistic, creative, and above all interactive programs in 15 cities in Serbia, was presented today in Nis in the presence of Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who was the sponsor of the project. The caravan is realized by the National Foundation 4 Artistic Dance and the Belgrade Dance Festival, supported by the Art Mentor Foundation from Lucerne and the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia. During the next four months, until December, the citizens of  Nis, Kragujevac, Pirot, Subotica, Vranje, as well as the citizens of Novi Pazar, Negotin, Kraljevo, Vrsac, Valjevo, Strpce, Uzice, Cacak, Zrenjanin and Smederevo will have the opportunity to participate in the Dance Caravan.

The director of National Foundation 4 Artistic Dance Aja Jung explained that the idea of the Dance Caravan was to offer numerous activities through a three-day program each city, popularize classic ballet and modern dances to all interested participants and visitors. The youngest will have the opportunity to get involved in educational workshops, talk to their peers who attend professional ballet schools in Belgrade and Pancevo, while parents will be able to consult with pedagogues and experts. All content is free, and the goal is to involve at least 3,000 citizens through three-day activities.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic pointed out that it was very important to start generating generations that will be creative and widely educated and would have developed political thought. “Research has shown that the main reason for moving people from smaller communities to larger cities, besides the economic, is the lack of cultural content. For this reason, the decentralization of culture, i.e. allowing access to cultural content in all areas, is of great importance for the Government of the Republic of Serbia. For these reasons, we are trying to bring the culture closer to everyone, and that is why we support projects like Dance Caravan. Brnabic added that culture and the creative industry had huge potential for economic development, employment and promotions around the world, and that the Government and the line ministry had several important cultural projects of national importance. “One of the priorities of the Government of Serbia is, opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art, in October, finally, after 10 years of waiting and the opening of the National Museum in the spring of next year. Their rich treasuries will again be available to the public, and young artists will eventually get space to exhibit their work. It is also important that the Museum of Contemporary Art will have its own space for children. For Serbia, it is also important that the City of Novi Sad is chosen to be the Capital of Youth in 2019 and the Capital of Culture in 2021. This will greatly help in the promotion of the culture of our country, “the Prime Minister said. She added that the Government would continue to support cultural projects because culture was an important segment of our society and perhaps we did not pay enough attention to it.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that this was a good opportunity for Nis to run  for a new, future capital of culture: “I thank the Prime Minister who is supporting all significant projects for Nis and South Serbia. I want this project to be successful and I promise that as a local self-government we will support projects in the field of culture within the limits of our possibilities and give a contribution to our country progressing in a cultural sense. The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Mayor and Swiss Ambassador to Serbia, Philip Ge, visited the exhibition of photographs and thus opened officially the Dance Caravan. Nis will be the first city in Serbia, to have free ballet and modern dance classes for children, performances, lectures, as well as the film program. The caravan then moves to Pirot and Vranje.