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FUND FOR TALENTS SCHOLARSHIPS

June 29th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Government of Serbia Vanja Udovicic, today, awarded the scholarships to the best students of the University of Nis, who received Fund for Talents scholarships. This year, the scholarships will be awarded to a total of 1,300 students in Serbia, with 400 of them being at the postgradute studies. In Nis, 197 most talented students from Nis University received the scholarship, 30 of them with an average grade of 10. “It is very important that, from year to year, the scholarships from the Ministry of Youth and Sports are getting bigger and more srudents are being awarded. Following the activities of the Ministry and the Government of Serbia aimed at young talented people, the local self-government, strives to, in the true sense of the word, valorize the gem that it has, seeks to enable the opening of new jobs so that these young people can stay here. As a significant project that we are implementing with the state, I would also like to mention the construction of the most modern Scientific Research Center in the Balkans, and, by the implementation of this project the state shows how interested it is in the future of our young pople who are the future of us all”, Mayor Bulatovic said. He stressed that the City of Niš was also trying to allocate more funds from the city budget for scholarships for a larger number of secondary school and students. Minister Udovicic stressed that the Ministry had made enormous efforts to provide adequate scholarships for the most talented young people in Serbia. “I am extremely pleased that, today, scholarship amounts to 30 thousand dinars and that this amount is bigger than last year”, Minister Udovicic said. On this occasion Minister praised the activities of the City of Nis in the field of youth policy.




NIS ENERGY BALANCE PRESENTED

June 29th

Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur met today with the Assistant Minister of Mining and Energy Mr. Miloš Banjac who attended the presentation of the energy balance of the City of Nis for 2017 and awarded the certificate to the course participants regarding the application of information systems in the city’s energy management. The City of Nis established the institution of the Energy Manager in 2017. The two officials discussed the measures that could contribute to the efficient use of energy and their realization. It is estimated that cooperation and exchange of experiences on the establishment of an organized energy management system with other municipalities and cities from the country and abroad, with scientific institutions and public enterprises is very important.




PUBLIC HEARING ON GENDER EQUALITY DRAFT LAW

June 29th

The public debate on the draft of the new Law on Gender Equality was held today attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Veterans and Social Affairs, Ms. Stana Bozovic and Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur.  Preventing discrimination against women in employment, the right to equal pay, promotion and improvement, banning the media from promoting prejudice and stereotypes towards women, are only part of what the new Law on Gender Equality offers. The draft law has also raised the rankings for political parties, as it is predicted that at least 40% of the candidates of the less represented sex should be included in the electoral lists. Also, public authorities are obliged to take special measures to ensure gender representation when proposing permanent Serbian delegations in international bodies and appointments of the collegial republic and other bodies. An important segment is dedicated to suppressing violence against women, which, thanks to the activities of all competent authorities, is no longer a “taboo” topic in our society. The draft law devotes a great deal of attention to the suppression of gender discrimination in the field of labor, which provides equal opportunities for employment, promotion, and training.




DISCUSSION ON EU PERSPECTIVE

June 26th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic welcomed the participants of the discussion devoted to the prospects for enlargement of the European Union during the presidency of Bulgaria. On this occasion he said that the entry of Serbia into the EU is a strategic goal of the Republic of Serbia and that the City of Nis, as a local self-government, was doing everything to support the efforts of our government, by incorporating reform measures into its decisions. “Through the adoption of strategically important documents and action plans that are in line with the documents of the European Union, we want to contribute to accelerating of the reform process and show that we are a good partner to the Government of Serbia in its efforts to bring us closer to EU membership,” said Mayor Darko Bulatovic. Ambassador of Bulgaria to Serbia H.E. Radko Vlajkov said that Serbia and Nis were Europe and that Bulgaria strongly supported Serbia’s progress towards EU membership. He stressed that for this reasons the Sofia Declaration wasimportant, not only encouraging accession, but also because it put major joint projects in the field of infrastructure into the forefront, which, not only established cooperation among the countries of the Western Balkans, but also connected people, and that was the essence of the European Union.




SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NIS BEST PUPILS AND STUDENTS

June 20th

The City of Nis, with its decision on encouraging the development of talented secondary school and university students, envisaged scholarships as one of the types of incentives, for talented secondary school and university students which achieved top results during their previous previous education. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic presented the scholarship contracts to talented secondary school and university students today. “Being the best is the privilege of a small number of people, and the path to success is filled with great work, dedication and sacrifice. Ambition, with the awareness of the goal to which it is pursued, as well as the enormous work and effort, inevitably leads to success, with great contributions made by your teachers as well as your parents. The City of Nis is proud of your success and wants you to continue this way. Today, we are awarding ther scholarships to 29 secondary school students and 67 university students. I hope that these numbers will be bigger next year, and I am convinced that the good news that we are receiving about your successes will be more noticeable in the future because you are the true capital of this city and our state, “said Mayor Bulatovic on the occasion of the awarding of the scholarship contracts. He congratulated all the awardees. The City of Nis has allocated 7.5 million dinars for schoalrships for talented secondary school and university students this year. The monthly amount of the scholarship is 6,500 dinars. According to the Mayor, the City of Nis will allocate 50% more funds for scholarships for the next year, compared to this year.




ZORANA MIHAJLOVIC: THE FIRST ASPHALT IN SICEVO GORGE

June 19th

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic, today, together with the directors of the companies Corrdor and Roads of Serbia, the heads of Nisava and Pirot districts and the mayors of Nis and Pirot visited the works on the construction of Corridor 10, a section from Bancarevo to Crvena Reka, where works on the asphalting of this road section began. “Sicevo Gorge, beside Grdelica Gorge, is one of the most difficult sections on Corridor 10. It is the sections on which we have been working day and night, and I want the citizens of Serbia to be acquainted with what we are doing and how much we are moving forward. After finishing this, then tunneling will be completed and by the end of the year we will have complete Corridor 10 “Mihajlovic said. The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that in comparison with 2014, when 34 million cars passed through Serbia, by the end of this year, this number would be 54 million. “This year we will have 20 million more vehicles compared to four years ago. Serbia has a great position and we need to use it, “Mihajlovic said. Mihajlovic added that with the completion of Corridor 10, the number of fatal traffic accidents will be reduced by 10 to 20%. In addition, the time of transport of passengers and goods will be shortened, and the costs reduced. All this contributes to the greater economic growth of our country, “Mihajlovic said. Dragana Sotirovski, Head of the Nisava District, emphasized the importance of the state investing in this part of Serbia. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that Corridor 10 was one of the most important projects on the territory of the City of Nis, which opened this part of Serbia for new investments.




MESSAGE FROM NIS CITY MAYOR DARKO BULATOVIC

 

In the last ten days, and after the celebration of the city festivities – the Days of St. Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen, but also after numerous manifestations before and after that, city leadership received numerous official responses, letters and congratulations from our country and abroad. On this occasion Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovis said:” Dear fellow citizens, I am particularly pleased to convey to you, the citizens of Nis, the messages that came from Greece, from the City of Serres, our twin city, but also from Austria, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria and other countries from which hundreds of guests stayed in our Nis at the time of the traditional celebration of the days of the city’s patrons – the Holy Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen.
All those thank-you notes, all the greeting cards received from our guests, were sent to you – to the citizens of Nis – for a warm welcome, great hospitality and, as almost every letter highlights, for the unforgettable days and pleasant moments spent in our city at the traditional city festivities. I especially emphasize that I feel, and that I share with you my dear fellow citizens, extreme pleasure for receiving the official letter from the Mayor of the Russian City of Kursk, Mr. Nikolai Ivanovich Ovcharov, who, besides everything else, emphasized “he believed that by participating in the event by which we marked the traditional city festivities, the City of Kursk contributed to the preservation of the historical and cultural tradition of Nis and further strengthened the deep spiritual and inseparable connection that exists between the Serbian and Russian people. ”
Mr. Ovcharov also pointed out that “Nis was a modern city that was developing dynamically and was surely going forward, while maintaining the recognizable spirit of Orthodox culture”, especially emphasizing that “historians had the right in calling Nis the Imperial City – the place of the birth of Emperor Constantine during the reign of whom more than 1,700 years ago, Christianity has acquired the legal right to exist and further developed ” In the end, the Mayor Kursk wrote, I quote “that after the unforgettable events in Nis, he firmly believes that with the new impulses for his work and the inexhaustible energy he had the opportunity to see with the citizens of Nis, our city will develop even more quickly and become a real European metropolis “.
I express my great and sincere satisfaction and gratitude both on my own and on behalf of all of you, for this friendly and sincere message that came from Kursk, a city in Russia known at every point of the planet Earth for the legendary Kursk Battle during the Second World War in which one of the greatest victories over fascism was won, Mayor Bulatovic concluded.




RECEPTION FOR CULINARY MASTERS

June 15th

The reception for the participants and organizers of the 5th International Gastro-Tourism Festival was held last night at Nis City Hall. Mayor Darko Bulatovic welcomed the participants of the festival that attracted masters of cuisine and catering workers from 24 countries, to the city of Nis, which, besides its rich history and tradition, has been recognizable for hospitality and superior cuisine, which has been proven many times in cooking competitions around the world. The Mayor said that the city administration would fully support this manifestation and help technically and financially so that this festival would grow into biiger event the following year and become one of the brands not only of Nis, but of the entire southeastern Serbia. The organizer of the Festival is Association of Catering and Tourism Workers of Niš, and Zoran Mirasevic, from the Association, announced the most interesting event during the festival which was the preparation of a large 65 kg pancake and 3,000 liters of of famous dish from Leskovac. The work of the competitors would be followed by a team of judges composed of world-renowned culinary masters who would decide on the winner of the event, both team and individual winners in all categories. The reception was attended by Assistant Minister of Tourism Ms. Vera Trefald, and the Head of the Nisava District Ms. Dragana Sotirovski, who reminded that Serbian cuisine on the international culinary scene, was presented in the best way, above all thanks to the unselfish efforts of members of the Association of Catering and Tourism Workers.




FOREIGN GUEST DELEGATIONS VISITED SERBIAN ARMY LAND FORCES MEMORIAL ROOM

 

As part of the city festivity celebration, the days of the city’s patrons Holy Emperor Constantine and Empress Helen, the guest from the twin cities and friend cities of Serres (Greece), Kursk (Russia), Vienna (Austria) and Izmit (Turkey) visited the memorial room of the Serbian Army Land Forces. The delegations accompanied by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic were welcomed by the Commander of the Land Forces Lieutenant Colonel Milosav Simovic, and he introduced them to the idea of ​​establishing such a setting and the process of the creation of the Memorial Room. According to General Simovic, the purpose of the Memorial Room and Museum is to save from the oblivion all soldiers, officers and civilians who were killed during the wars, from 1804 to the present, and to pay tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives for the creation of modern Serbia and the preservation of its freedom. Apart from the setting that includes an overview of the activities of the units of the Land Forces since their creation, the whole process of the creation of the Serbian state and army from the Middle Ages to the present is shown. Uniforms, weapons, flags, coats of arms and features of all units throughout history, reviews of the war events and battles of the Serbian uprising until the last conflicts in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija are exhibited. All commanders and heads of military units throughout history have been recorded, as well as cooperation with other armies, local self-government, state bodies and citizens’ associations. The greatest attention of the guests was drawn, however, by the memorial room with more than 16,000 names and photos of dead soldiers and civilians who died in all wars since the beginning of the 19th century to the NATO aggression and the arrival of KFOR in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, among which there are the names of the Greek soldiers who fought with the Serbian army in World War I, as well as the names of British, Russian, French soldiers and civilians killed in this area in the struggle for the liberation of Serbia from the occupiers.




NUMBER OF TOURISTS INCREASES

 

Based on the results of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia dated 31/05/2018 a positive trend in the number of tourists in the first four months of 2018 was realized in Nis. The results show that in April 2018 the total number of tourists increased by 15.9%, with the number of domestic tourists increasing by 11.8%, while the number of foreign tourists increased by 21.8% compared to the same month of 2017. Also, in the category of overnight stays, the increase is recorded, with 17.5% more tourists in total than in April 2017, with the number of domestic tourist staying overnight increasing by 15.9%, while the number of foreign tourists increased by 19.8%.