The Philippines-based company IMI has opened an electronic automotive parts factory in Niska Banja, in the presence of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Over 33 million EUR has been invested in the plant which will produce electronic parts for automotive and IT industry in Europe and other countries where IMI has production plants and business partners. The official opening was also attended by IMI CEO Gilles Bernard, IMI Director in Nis Radoslav Georgiev, Regional Director for EU Operations, Eric Serge de Candido, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and other guests.

Vucic said that by having the kind of factories that IMI has opened Serbia in this way opened the door to the future and joined global trends. He also said that he was proud of the fact that after two years of the construction the work was finally done and that 74 people were already employed there, mainly from Nis and the surrounding area. The plan is to employ a total of 1,200 workers but that number could be higher. “We will try to transform Nis into a regional industrial center”, said the President of Serbia and expressed his gratitude to the people of Nis, who have been excellent hosts to foreign investors. Vucic also told IMI’s management that they would always have the support of the state and local self-government, because, generating higher profit and having higher salaries and higher employment was in everybody’s best interest. He also added that IMI was an innovative company that needs highly educated people, which signals to the state that the education system had to be reformed to be in accordance with the latest trends.

IMI’s CEO, Gilles Bernard, believes that the company will be a driving force behind new foreign investments in the field of advanced technologies in Serbia. Representatives of the company donated the first products from the IMI factory in Niska Banja, the remote garage door opener, to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the mayor of Nis. Bernard also says that the company produces new technologies and is also involved in manufacturing unmanned autonomous driving systems. He adds that IMI designs and manufactures electronic modules for the auto industry, but also aeronautics, and is present in 10 countries. “IMI operates in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, and South America and we really have conquered the whole world, and this is important for Serbia. In the past 10 years, our company recorded a huge growth, and last year we celebrated exceeding the revenue of one billion dollars. We will have an even higher growth this year, “said Bernard.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatović pointed out that with the opening of two factories in Nis in 24 hours, that is, a total of six factories in the last few years, the city raised itself on the map of investments, it reduced unemployment and thus contributed to further development of the city and changed the whole image of the south and the whole of Serbia. “We raise all the capacities of the city, we make the business environment more competitive, in order to attract new investments, for even greater growth and development,” Bulatovic said, adding that it would not have been possible without the huge support of the state, the Government and President Aleksandar Vucic to whom he was particularly grateful for everything he had done for Nis and the south of the country.

The international lighting company Zumtobel Group officially opened a new luminaire and component production facility in NiS, Serbia, with a ceremony on 28 September. Alfred Felder, CEO Zumtobel Group, Jürg Zumtobel, Chairman Supervisory Board Zumtobel Group, and Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, jointly opened the new production facility. From the political side, the opening ceremony was attended by Gernot Blümel, Austrian Chancellery Minister for the EU, Art, Culture and Media, Nikolaus Lutterotti, the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Serbia, Erika Teoman-Brenner, Austrian Trade Commissioner in Serbia and Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatović.  “Our new plant in Niš, located in the heart of Central Eastern Europe, plays a vital role in paving the company’s way to the future and get back on track. We are convinced that Niš contributes to strengthening our competitiveness while at the same time allowing us to react more flexibly to changing market requirements and to better supply our core European markets as well as the emerging markets in this region,” says Alfred Felder, CEO Zumtobel Group.

“I congratulate the Zumtobel Group to its impressive new production facility in Niš. The company’s decision to choose Serbia for a major investment of 30 million Euros certifies the efforts of the government of Serbia to establish the country as an attractive investment location. Such investments also strengthen the close relationship between Serbia and Austria. Companies like Zumtobel are the business card of Austria and help driving progress in the countries in which they operate. As one of the biggest Foreign Direct Investors, Austria will continue its efforts to further deepen the close political and economic ties with Serbia as well as its support in the EU-accession process,” states Gernot Blümel, Austrian Chancellery Minister for the EU, Art, Culture and Media.

On the occasion of the opening of the plant in Nis I would like to thank the Zumtobel Group management and all colleagues from Austria and Serbia. Thanks to the efforts of our Austrian friends, as well as the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Niš plant was completed only within one year and today officially opened,” concludes Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia.

The site consists of two production areas: Production Area 1 for components (Tridonic) started serial production with one line by the end of July 2018; Production Area 2 for luminaires started the ramp-up at the beginning of September. With a total investment volume of EUR 30 million on a surface of 40,000 square metres, the new Zumtobel Group plant is an important addition to the existing group-wide production network. The production facility in Nis will be supplying products such as LED luminaires and LED drivers. The products that will be produced in Serbia will mainly be intended for Central and Eastern Europe as well as Middle East export markets.

The construction of the Zumtobel Group factory in the southern industrial zone of Niš started in mid of 2017. Currently, the Niš plant employs around 260 people. The Zumtobel Group has developed a long- term plan for its investment in Serbia that will involve the gradual build-up of the local workforce to 1,100 employees according to the growth plans of three to five years. The headquarters in Dornbirn will stay the heart of the company with its R&D centre and the biggest workforce (currently around 2,100 employees) of the group-wide production network.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that this was another wonderful day for the City of Nis, and that in the last two years there were many such days. He pointed out that the City of Nis as local self-government provided full support to the state policy and that the introduction of measures for incentives for micro, small and medium enterprises, and employment subsidies, whereby Nis was leading in Serbia, were the contribution of the city to the state. “The state is helping the City of Niš through projects with 50% or 100 %t grants and direct help to the budget. We all invest our efforts and capacities, and we will continue to invest in order to build the city and south of Serbia, “Bulatovic said. The mayor points out that the magnificent Zumtobel plant will provide earnings for 1100 families, as well as that the revenues to the budget of the City of Nis.

Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic met today with the Austrian Minister for EU, Culture and Media Gernot Blumel in Nis and expressed her expectation that Serbia would open at least three chapters in the process of joining the Union by the end of the year, during the Austrian presidency of the EU. The two ministers discussed the European path of Serbia, as well as the further improvement of economic relations, since the Zumtobel factory, which opened today in Nis, was another Austrian investment in Serbia. Blumel stressed that good relations with Serbia were important for Austria, and that Zumtobel was an important signal as it promoted the cooperation of the two countries. He added that Austria raised three main issues in the focus of its EU presidency, in the second half of this year – the fight against illegal migration, long-term stabilization of the EU and the accession process, as well as the accession of Serbia. He thanked Serbia for its cooperation in combating illegal migration in the previous period. “The opening of Zumtobel is a clear signal that Serbia is one of our main partners in the long run,” Blumel said. Minister Joksimović pointed out that Austria was the country with which Serbia has very good, stable and comprehensive bilateral relations. “Austria has included the topic of enlargement to the Western Balkans among the priorities of the EU Presidency, “she underlined.

 His Excellency Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia Mr. Amr Aljowaily and Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today at Nis City Hall on the occasion of the Ambassador’s visit to Nis and participation at the Round Table organized at Nis Regional Chamber of Commerce as the part of the activities within Week of Egyptian economy. The Ambassador presented to the Mayor details related to this round table which would be dedicated to the possibilities of economic cooperation between business communities in Egypt and Serbia. It has not been a month since the first meeting between the Ambassador and the Mayor and some initial steps in cultural cooperation had already been made with the organization of the guest lecture by well-known Egyptian painter and expected visit of the well-known Egyptologists and experts for the ancient history of Egypt. The Ambassador also invited the Mayor of Nis for an official visit to Egypt on the occasion of the biggest economic fair which was held every March in Cairo.

Within the European Mobility Week, the City of Nis, like previous years, took an active part in an international campaign whose motto this year was “Mix and Move”. European Mobility Week 2018 is focusing on ‘multimodality’ – the mixing of transport modes within the same journey or for different trips. Embracing the concept of multimodality means rethinking the way we move about our cities, and having the willingness to try out new forms of mobility. From a city’s perspective, it requires the political will to support alternative transport methods. On this occasion a Day without Car event was held at the main city square and along main city roads. Many athletes took part in the event as well as children of pre-school and school age. The Deputy Mayor Prof. Dr. Milos Bandjur spoke at the event on the behalf of the City of Nis. At the official opening of the event, besides the Deputy Mayor, the people gathered for the event were addressed by Joakim Vaern, Deputy Ambassador of Sweden in Serbia, and Klara Danilović, Advisor for Urban Planning and Housing at the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. The recreational cycling ride from the main city square along the streets of the wider city center back to the main square was held. This traditional event was organized by the EU Info Corner and the City of Nis.

At the International Conference on the Digital Economy in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, the Letter of Intent on strengthening the development of the Information Silk Road between City of Hangzhou and the City of Nis was signed. City of Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China and City of Nis, Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to the Parties), based upon an agreement on the significant role the digital economy has played in both economic and social development, has reached hereby a consensus that more cooperation with respect to digital economy shall be in demand as follows on the principle of equality, mutual respect, generally accepted rules of international law and mutual benefits. Mihajlo Zdravkovic, the Member of Nis City Council for Economy and Local Economic Development, signed the Letter on the behalf of the City of Nis.  “At a time when bilateral political relations between Serbia and China have reached the highest point of development in their history, through an extremely high level of cooperation in all areas, and when the relations of our two countries represent a comprehensive strategic partnership, it is my pleasure to have the opportunity to be here with you today in China and in Hangzhou and to represent the City of Nis at the First International Conference on the Digital Economy and Digital Silk Road”, as Zdravkovic said. He added that The Letter of Intent, signed with the representatives of the City of Hangzhou, for establishing a pilot zone of economic cooperation along the China-Serbia Digital Silk Road was a very important and useful project for the City of Nis, having in mind the capacities of our city in the fields of electronics, mechanical engineering and information and communication technologies and the fact that we strived to fully utilize these capacities in order to improve the quality of life in the city, as well as the services that the city and its institutions provide to citizens. Positive examples and experiences that we will gain through the cooperation with the City of Hangzhou, which is recognizable by its developed digital economy and successful IT companies, will be valuable for us.

The reception for the high delegation of the State Fire Protection Service University from St. Petersburg, which is part of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, was held at Nis City Hall. The guests from Russia were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor Prof. dr Milos Bandjur on the behalf of the Nis City. The delegation of the University was led by the Major Eduard Cizikov, who in 2014 led the Russian rescuers during the floods in Obrenovac and Igor Osipchuk the Rector of this university. In a friendly conversation with the representatives of this elite Russian higher education institution, the possibilities for cooperation in the field of education have been considered.  The representative office of this University will be opened in Nis in the premises of the Serbian-Russian Humanitarian Center. General Eduard Nikolaevich Cizikov, former Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations and Chief Military Expert of the Ministry of Civil Defense Affairs, Emergency Situations and the Mitigation of the Consequences of the Natural Disasters of the Russian Federation, today is the Rector of the State Fire Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations at St. Petersburg University and he  is well known to the public in Serbia because of the prompt action of arriving to rescue mission for people in Obrenovac in less than 12 hours.

After the recent visit of the Egyptian ambassador to our city the first cooperation between the City of Nis and Embassy of Egypt is realized through a joint workshop in the field of fine arts. On Wednesday, September 19, a lecture titled “Cooperation of Serbia and Egypt in the Field of Art” was held, and the lecture was be delivered by the Egyptian painter prof. Ibrahim Ghazala. Ibrahim Ghazala is an Egyptian visual artist, painter, professor of art and writer, known for his typical style and rich warm colors. His works of art faithfully depict the Egyptian landscape, the beauty he sees in nature, and his passion for color. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo; nowadays he is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Minya. Ghazala has repeatedly exhibited independently and participated in collective exhibitions in several European and Arab countries. His paintings have found a way to various museums in Egypt and private collections in Egypt and abroad.

The European Conference – The Initiative for the Unique Approach to the Treatment of Orofacial Clefts and Other Craniofacial Deformities is the first conference within the COST European Cooperation in Science & Technology project 16234, the Horizon 2020 Framework program. The conference was opened on behalf of organizer Julija Radojicic, MD who emphasized the importance of organizing such scientific meetings so that doctors could get acquainted with new methods in this field, but also exchange experiences with colleagues from other countries. On behalf of the City of Nis the audience was greeted by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, who welcomed all the participants of this prestigious gathering and emphasized that within the framework of European medicine, there was no common position on the treatment and socialization of children with certain craniofacial deformities, and that such gatherings were the opportunities to jointly adopt new knowledge and methods in treating.

Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur met today with the participants of the Art Colony Sicevo 2018. The Art Colony Sicevo is the oldest art colony in the Balkans. It was founded in 1905 according to the idea and with the advocacy of the Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic. Due to its unusual beauty Sicevo landscapes represent inspiration not only to painters, but also to writers and all lovers of nature. This year’s Art Colony Sicevo gathered 12 painters from the region. The participants of the colony presented themselves individually and spoke about their impressions of the beauty of Sicevo gorge.