With the traditional handover of the city’s keys to the actors and the screening of the movie South Wind directed by Milos Avramovic, the Festival of Acting Achievements in Domestic Feature Film Nis 2018 started. After the reception held at Nis City Hall, the actors, the guests of the festival and the members of the film crews, together with the Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur walked the red carpet to the Summer Stage at Nis Fortress.  Мy fellow actors, the fortress is ours! It was heard for the 53^rd time at the festival opening ceremony. The keys to the city were handed over to the president of this year’s jury Ms. Ana Sofrenović by Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur. On this occasion Deputy Mayor emphasized that he was proud that the City of Nis has been cherishing the tradition of the oldest film festival in Serbia. “The view from the Summer Stage obliges all actors to be as good as possible every year. For 53 years now, you are the ones who give us support, the power, watching us in the rain, which I personally witnessed a few years ago. You are the one who gives reasons for the actors to come to Nis every year. Thank you for that.” as the president of this year’s jury Ms. Ana Sofrenović said.

At the press conference held at Nis City Hall Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic that the companies Zumtobel and IMI would open their factories in Nis in the following two months and that the construction of the first phase of the apartments for members of the security forces would start. “We are expecting new jobs because we have the opening of IMI and Zumtobel. President Aleksandar Vucic will attend the opening of these factories as well as the beginning of construction of apartments for members of the Army and the Police. This two-year period was marked by the strong support of the Government of Serbia and President Vucic to the City of Nis because without state aid we would hardly be able to realize such significant investments, “Bulatovic said. Mayor Bulatovic pointed out that the new employment would further reduce the unemployment rate in our city. At present, there are about 26,000 unemployed people in Nis, according to the mayor, and the number of newly employed increased by 16,000. Bulatovic stressed that the number of tourists has increased by almost 100 percent, and that this was the result of the overall economic environment and the atmosphere in the city. When it comes to the housing construction project, Nis and Vranje are the first cities in Serbia where the implementation of this state project will begin. “We are fully committed to the first phase in which 198 apartments will be built, and we are also working on the preparation of a new location for apartments,” Mayor said. He said, referring to the report he submitted to the members of Nis City Assembly, the previous two years were difficult and that the City managed to repay 2,6 million debts inherited from the previous period, stabilize public finances, regularly service current obligations without any new borrowing. The Mayor pointed out that the state gave 330 million dinars to the City of Nis, that the money was in the city’s account and that it would be used in the event of unforeseen expenses. Mayor Bulatovic reiterated once again the City Hall was open to all citizens for their questions, proposals and suggestions.

The City of Nis, on the basis of the Local Economic Development Program, implemented by the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects, announced measures aimed at subsidizing and assisting micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs registered in the territory of the City of Nis. For these purposes, from the Budget of the City of Nis for the year 2018, about 40 million dinars have been allocated, which is a significant increase in relation to 18 million, which the city allocated last year, when these measures were applied for the first time, as it was said by Mihajlo Zdravkovic, the Member of Nis City Council in charge of economic issues at the press conference held at Nis City Hall.  He emphasized that the goal was to double the amount of funds, reaching the number of about 500 business entities from the territory of the City of Nis, which would be granted some kind of assistance.

The city has launched two public calls. The first is a public invitation to banks interested in short-term lending to commercial entities from the territory of Nis with the participation of the city in subsidizing interest rates on loans. Credit beneficiaries may be micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs with regular business operations and which are registered in the territory of the City of Nis. The City of Nis will subsidize interest on loans for the purchase of fixed assets purchasing machinery and equipment, modernization of the production process, stabilization of production, investment in new modern means of labor and production for the purpose of developing entrepreneurship, construction, reconstruction and adaptation of business premises and new employment. The funds with which the City of Nis will subsidize the interest on approved loans amount to 9,362,409.00 dinars. The measure is implemented as a state aid of low value (de minimis state aid), and these funds will include twice as many micro, small and medium enterprises from the territory of Nis compared to the numbers last year. The second call refers to granting of incentives for Measures of Internationalization and Competitiveness. The priority should be given to the companies in the field of information technologies – IT, electronics, mechanical engineering, logistics, food processing and textile industries. All measures are implemented as low-value state aid (de minimis state aid).

Public call refers to measures classified into five groups:

1. Internationalization is assistance to micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs to cover part of justified costs without VAT, for organized or individual performances at fairs or trade fairs, with a limit of up to 100.000,00 dinars per economic subject. The total planned amount of funds for these purposes is 3,000,000.00 dinars.
2. Internationalization of associations and economic associations – The measure of internationalization is also implemented as assistance to associations and economic associations, which organize international manifestations of economic and tourism character or group visits to events abroad, which promote the city’s economic and tourism potentials, to cover the part of justified costs excluding VAT, with a limit of up to 1,000,000 dinars per user. The total planned amount of funds for these purposes is 4,000,000.00 dinars
3. Improvement of the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs through the co-financing costs VAT excluded for the service providers for the following activities: operating business in accordance with the requirements of international business standards (standard implementation, certification, ) and labeling the product with “CE” mark; market research, necessary for the introduction of a new or existing product in the new market; testing new products; new design of products and packaging; improving existing and developing new products/services; electronic presentation of the company. Funds are allocated to cover up to 50% of eligible costs excluding VAT with a limit of up to 300,000.00 dinars per business entity. The total planned amount of funds for this purpose is 10,000,000.00 dinars.
4. Improving the competitiveness of the companies using the Startup center and Coworking space by co-financing the costs without VAT for the following activities: operating business in accordance with the requirements of international standards business (standard implementation, certification, recertification) and labeling the product with “CE” mark; market research, necessary for the introduction of a new or existing product in the new market; testing new products; new design of products and packaging; improving existing and developing new products/services; electronic presentation of the company. Funds are allocated to cover up to 50% of eligible costs excluding VAT with a limit of up to 300,000.00 dinars per user. The total planned amount of funds for this purpose is 5,000,000.00 dinars.
5. Improving cooperation between the economy and scientific and educational institution by the funds allocated in order to connect the economy, education and scientific and educational institutions directly, to establish dual education and to improve production processes and procedures through the implementation of scientific achievements and the improvement of scientific education processes. Projects will be supported up to 1,000,000 dinars per project, in which at least three companies and one scientifically accredited institution will take part together. The total planned amount of funds for this purpose is 6,000,000.00 dinars.

Deadline for submission of applications is 01/10/2018. The first opening of the received applications will be 15 days after the announcement of the Public Invitation, and then, every 15 days the decisions will be successively made until the expiration of the deadline on 01/10/2018 or until the exhaustion of the funds. Information about these public calls can be found on the site of the City of Nis (www.gu.ni.rs) and on the website of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects (www.investnis.rs).

August 13^th

As the part of the International Youth Day, which is celebrated on August 12^th, the City of Nis Youth Office presented its work so far in the presence of delegations from the Norwegian city Saltdal. After the presentation, the possibilities for further cooperation between two cities in the field of youth policy were discussed. City of Nis Youth Office is one of 150 offices in Serbia which provides a certain package of services related to improving the quality of life of young people in the city. By providing logistic and financial support to youth actions and projects, the Youth Office has positioned itself as a reliable partner for young people in solving problems and respecting their needs. In addition, through the organization of various seminars and education, young people are given the opportunity to acquire non-formal education. The Youth Office is particularly focused on encouraging youth employment and strengthening their capacities in order to find a job. Independently, or in cooperation with other institutions of the city, it organizes internships and thus provides young people with the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge. Every year a competition for financing and co-financing projects for young people is announced and this year the allocated amount for these projects is 4,000,000RSD. Of this amount, 1,000,000 RSD is allocated for the establishment of the Resource Center, which will have the task of gathering informal youth groups and helping them realize their ideas. During this week, a list of approved projects and the name of the association which will act as a Resource Center will be completed. Another novelty this year is the announcement of a competition for financing youth events.

August 10^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic submitted a two-year report on his work and the work of the City Council to the members of Nis City Assembly. The most significant result was the stabilization of city finances, regular settlement of all financial obligations, and repayment of debts from the previous period in the amount of 2.6 billion dinars without taking any new loans from the banks, neither for current liquidity nor for the allowed bank overdraft. Also, according to him, this period was marked by the great support from the President of the Republic and the Government, both in financial and investment segments, facilitating the city to become a major regional center of this part of our country, through the implementation of the projects such as: completion of highway corridors, reconstruction of the railway line, investment in the airport, completion of the Clinical Center, activities on the construction of a roundabout and reconstruction of the railway line from Nis to Dimitrovgrad, a new plant for wastewater treatment, 6 new factories, reconstruction of schools, support for reconstruction of facades. Bulatovic pointed out that both the President and the Government were in Nis several times, as well as numerous ambassadors, whose visits aimed at providing support for the development of this part of Serbia. “New jobs, employment, a better standard of our fellow citizens, more satisfied people, this is all what we striving for,” Bulatovic said. The Mayor said that there were things he was not satisfied with:” “The debts that we inherited from the previous period, which we had to return, burdened us, and at the same time we had to settle regularly the current bills and financial commitments.  Until this moment we have successfully dealt with this, and I am confident that we will continue to solve these problems successfully. Never before has the City of Nis had such big investments, big projects. In solving the communal problems for Hum, Brenica and other parts of the city, in the next year, we will allocate at least one billion dinars more than this year, and that is why we need more project designers. We have allocated 6.5 million dinars for projects design outside the jobs entrusted to the Institute for Urban Planning, so that we would be more prepared for the projects that are ahead of us,” the Mayor concluded.

August 10^th

The Member of Nis City Council for Culture Jelena Mitrovski and Assistant Mayor Nebojsa Randjelovic received the guest guests from Norway, the members of the Rognan Hornorkester who are the guests of Nis Jazz Festival Nisville. The reception was attended by the Mayors of Nis and Saltdal, Darko Bulatovic and Rune Berg, who took the opportunity to discuss the continuation of cooperation between the two twin cities. The orchestra was founded in 1908 under the name Rognan Hornmuzik and it has been one of the first members of the musical association in Northern Norway. It has 28 members. The guests thanked for the warm welcome and stressed that they were extremely pleased to present their music in Nis.  They were delighted with the festival and all accompanying programs. Assistant Mayor Nebojsa Randjelovic said that he was glad that he had the opportunity to listen to the performance of Rognan Hornorkester, wishing them many more successful performances and pleasant stay in Nis, expressing his hopes that the cooperation between the twin city of Nis and Saltdal would continue. On this occasion the orchestra from Saltdal performed together with local orchestra Impresija and announced the possibility of continuing cooperation.

Long-standing friendly relations and cooperation between the City of Nis and the Norwegian Municipality of Saltdal, which were also formalized in the 1985 by Twinning Protocol, are continuing to mutual satisfaction as the Mayor of the Norwegian Municipality of Saltdal Rune Berg said on the occasion of the visit of the official delegation of Saltdal Municipality to Nis. At the meeting between Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur and Mayor Berg the potentials of both cities were presented and the aspects of future cooperation were disused. According to Mayor Berg the cooperation could be directly continued in the field of education, culture and youth. Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur pointed out that he was pleased that guests of the City of Nis would have the opportunity to attend the Nisville international jazz festival and that their amateur jazz orchestra would perform at this festival. Deputy Mayor pointed out that humanity that Norwegian showed to the Serbian internees in the past.  The delegation of the City of Nis was in Saltdal last June where attending the celebration of 75 years since the first Serb prisoners from concentration camps were taken for forced labor.  “I was amazed to see how the Norwegian people care about the Serbian memorial complex-Serbia cemetery where a total of 1911 Serbs were buried, out of 2081 who were sent there for labor. The Municipality of Saltdal and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway will invest additional funds to reconstruct the memorial complex. Then came an idea and a need to cooperate again, and the Mayor of Saltdal was in Nis, “said Deputy Mayor Bandjur. Beside the Mayor with his associates, an amateur jazz orchestra from this city is staying in Nis performing at Nisville Jazz Festival.

Cooperation between the City of Nis and the French municipality Montsegur started in October 2012 in the framework of decentralized cooperation with the Council of the Department of Gironde, and at the initiative of the French Embassy in Serbia, with the agreement that this cooperation would be dedicated to youth, culture and sustainable local development as it was

Lavern and Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur. He emphasized the importance of this cooperation which was primarily reflected in the exchange of experiences in the field of culture. At the same time the Deputy Mayor thanked Mr. Lavern, who, on his arrival to Nis, emphasized the importance of Nisville Jazz Festival, at the same time mentioning that the festival would be opened by mixed young jazz band composed of 17 musicians from our city and 23 musicians from Montsegur. He praised the jazz festival and stressed that it meant a great deal to him that he was in Nis on this special occasion to support the joint jazz band and that he could learn about the organization of the festival because the Montsegur had their own jazz festival they were very proud of.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovc visited today the Nis fortress where the final preparations for the start of the main program of this year’s International Jazz Festival Nisville were in progress. The mayor, together with the Director of Nisville, Ivan Blagojevic, visited the newly opened Jazz Museum in the building of the former Turkish Bath where the history of the Festival and the development of jazz culture in Nis was exhibited. On this occasion the Mayor emphasized the great importance this museum had, as well as Nisvillle in general, in creating a more complete and richer tourist offer in Nis. “The city recognized the significance of Nisville and included it among the public events supported by the city, the Jazz Festival was a cultural treasure and unique brand of Nis, after which this city became recognizable and far beyond the borders of our country. This can be seen at every step. The city is crowded with people from all over the world, and I expect estimated 200,000 people to see some of Nisville programs during these ten days, which will be a huge success for the city, “Bulatovic said. Nisville Director Ivan Blagojevic expressed satisfaction with the support provided by the city to the festival without which Nisville could not have been one of the top ten music festivals in Europe, according to the British Guardian. Blagojević hopes that the ministries of culture, youth, and tourism will also recognize the significance of this event, and provide support that will enable Nisville to progress, both technically and program related, primarily through the arrival of the world’s greatest names in the world jazz scene. Mayor Bulatovic emphasized that the support from the city increased from 20 million in 2016 to 28 million dinars this year, which testified that Nis was aware of the value of this festival and was ready to support it in the coming years and in the future.

Mayor of Nis Darko Bulatovic met today with the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E.Mr Amr Aljowaily, the first diplomat from this friendly country who visited our city after more than 15 years. The meeting, agreed a few months ago, coincided with the evening performance of the modern ballet ensemble of the Cairo State Opera at Nisville Theater Festival, so the issue of expanding and enhancing cultural cooperation was imposed as one of the main topics of discussion between Mayor Bulatovic and the Ambassador. The Ambassador said that cooperation should not be limited to Belgrade and Cairo, as the two main and largest cities. On this occasion he also invited Nis folk ensembles to be guests at one of the numerous ethno festivals in Egypt. Also, the initiative for closer connection, and the twinning of Nis with some of the larger cities in Egypt, was initiated, which was accepted mutually. Mayor Bulatovic pointed out that Nis was a city with a rich but insufficiently investigated archaeological heritage and there was the need for establishing cooperation with Egyptian experts who had vast experience in the field. He emphasized that the National Museum in Nis was ready to connect and collaborate with some of the Egyptian museums or archaeological institutions. Ambassador Aljowaily said that he was familiar with the rapid development of Nis Airport Constantine the Great and pointed out that it would be good to launch an airline, regular or charter, between Nis and airports in Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, and that this would be important not only for citizens of this part of Serbia, but also Bulgaria and Macedonia, and would enable a much larger tourist exchange in both directions.