The students and professors from the Dutch city of Lermond, who were staying in Nis as guests of the Law and Business Secondary School as the part of the traditional student exchange between schools, were welcomed today at Nis City Hall. The students were welcomed by Nis City Council Member in charge of education Mirko Zecević who welcomed the guests from the Netherlands and briefly informed them about the rich cultural and historical tradition of our city. Within this student exchange there are 17 students from Lermond and two professors visiting Nis. Lermond is the city that is located in the far south of the Netherlands near the Belgian and German borders. As the director of the Law and Business School announced, Milorad Gavrilovic, during the seven-day stay, the students from the country of tulips, would be able to get acquainted with our educational system and see some of the projects that this school was implementing. The students will also attend the classes during which the business operations of a company are simulated. The Delegation from Nis had already been in Lermont last year, and there were plans for another study visit in March the following year.

“The European Union provides continuous support to local development with investment of 300 million EUR so far, and the financing of the development of business infrastructure will enable the improvement of the overall business environment in Serbia and attracting investments, and thus a better life of the population”, as it was said by the Head of EU Delegation Sem Fabrizzi, congratulating the representatives of 34 local governments who have been granted a total of 40 projects worth six million Euros through the development program of the EU PRO. He recalled that the EU PRO Program worth 25 million Euros over a three-year period had been launched in March with focus on developing the economy and infrastructure. The program aims to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of micro and small enterprises, improving the business environment and improving social cohesion in 99 local self-governments in two regions: Sumadija Region and Western Serbia and the Region of South and East Serbia. Field activities are carried out by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The local self-governments will thus implement 12 projects related to the preparation of project-technical documentation, 19 projects for the preparation of planning documents and 9 business infrastructure projects, which will contribute to creating conditions for improving economic activities and attracting investments. The City of Nis is one of the local self-governments whose projects are financially supported by the EU PRO program. € 30,000 was approved for the development of projects for the execution of works for the multifunctional EXPO center, to be built at the location Lozni kalem in Niska Banja. Mihailo Zdravković, Nis City Council Member, thanked the representatives of the European Union and the EU PRO Program for the support in the realization of this extremely important project, whose main goal is to solve the problem of the lack of adequate fair space and to ensure that Nis could be suitable host for a wide range of events, such as fairs, congresses, meetings, shows and sports events. “The EXPO Center will generate gradually new economic activities in terms of consumption, jobs, income and tax revenues for the community. This will attract the participants to the new business area in ​​Nis and serve as a catalyst for other potential development initiatives, facilitating the development of private sector like new hotels, improving the overall quality of life of the population and contributing to the overall life and vitality of the community,” Zdravković said.

The round table on the topic of how to make the city budget more participatory and transparent was held at Nis City Hall.  The organizers of this meeting were the Center for Development of the Civil Society Protekta and the City of Nis. The idea of ​​this round table was to bring together the representatives of city and municipal institutions, civil society organizations and the media in one place so that all together could look at the problems of drafting and spending the city budget, the existing activities and the dynamics of drafting the budget for 2019. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that such meetings were one of the ways to hear the opinions of all those who want to get involved in the process of budgeting. “I spent two months with my associates visiting the citizens in the farthest villages to hear their proposals when it comes to the budget,” the Mayor said, and announced several other public hearings before passing the most important city act. The idea of ​​this round table was to create new mechanisms for involving citizens in proposing and civic monitoring of the city budget expenditures. The examples of good practice from Serbia on the topic of citizen participation in budgeting were presented.

The Secretariat for Property and Legal Affairs of the City of Nis Administration, announces the public call for the alienation of undeveloped building land owned by the City of Nis for the construction of the sports and recreational center Aqua Park at the location of Lozni Kalem in Niska Banja. The starting price is one dinar. The first phase of the General Regulation Plan for the area of ​​this city municipality envisages that, on the area of ​​5,4 hectares of the location Lozni Kalem, a potential investor will build an aqua park with at least 7 indoor and outdoor swimming pools with slides and other entertainment  equipment for the children, spa and wellness complex. Also, one of the conditions is to employ at least 40 workers for an indefinite period, to keep the number of part-time employees should be minimum 80.  Another obligation of a potential investor is to invest at least EUR 9 million in fixed assets and obtain the documentation necessary for the construction of the facility in accordance with current regulations, to prepare an urban planning project and provide utility infrastructure connections. Also, the potential investor should, within 30 days from the date of conclusion of the contract on the land property alienation, submit a bank guarantee in the amount of the market value of the land, issued by a bank registered as a joint-stock company with headquarters in the Republic of Serbia and with the license for operations issued by National Bank of Serbia. The bidder is obliged to submit a proof of payment of the deposit in the amount of 20% of the total market value of the cadastral parcels along with the bid. All legal entities and natural persons have the right to participate in the submitting bid procedures. Untimely and incomplete bids will be discarded. The location information package can be obtained at the Secretariat for Property and Legal Affairs of the City of Nis Administration, at the Office No 21, every working day, from 7.30 to 15.30, to which the bids are also submitted. The Office for Local Economic Development and Projects invites all interested potential investors to submit their bids. The deadline for submission of bids and deposit is December 10^th.

Nis National Theater in cooperation with the Student Cultural Center and the City of Nis organized the special ceremony Whose Are You, Small Nation of Serbia to mark the Armistice Day. In the presence of numerous officials and representatives of the army, police and church officials, the ceremony was opened by the City of Nis Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur, who, in his speech, evoked memories of the days of glorious Serbian history and reminded of the role of Nis in the First World War. The ceremony and the programme was dedicated to all our ancestors who sacrificed their future for the generations that came after them. The end of the First World War is the end of a complete madness. After the First World War and all the wars through which we passed, we now live our free life, “said the director of the Nis National Theater Spasoje Milovanovic. The actors from Nis National Theatre and Academic Theatre of Student Cultural Center gave their best performances to the texts of Bishop Nikolaj, lyrics by Dobrica Eric and Ms. Lisinac. Academic Choir of the Student Cultural Center of the University of Nis, under the conductor’s baton of artistic director and conductor Zoran Stanisavljević, the Ethno Vocal Group of the Academic Women’s Choir of the Student Cultural Center, the Academic Folklore Ensemble ORO of the Student Cultural Center and the Student Cultural Center National Folk Orchestra Nis performed during the ceremony.

“With a great pleasure, and I sincerely believe that I share this satisfaction with all fellow citizens, I want to proudly emphasize that, in these days when the world is celebrating the end of the First World War, our city, has a special place in history of the 20^th century beginning. Certainly, the significant events in Nis between 1914 and 1918, related to the beginning of the Great War, but also its ending, must never be forgotten. First of all, I want to say that less than a month after June 28 and Sarajevo assassination, already on July 25 1914, the state leadership ordered the evacuation of the inhabitants of Belgrade and transferred the government to Nis, which became the war capital of Serbia. And only a few days later, a telegram arrived in Nis by which the Austro-Hungarian declared the war against Serbia. During the first year of the war bur also during 1915, Serbian National Assembly held its sessions in Officers’ Mess Building in Nis where on December 7, 1914, Nis Declaration was adopted, which explained the objectives of the liberation war and announced unification of the South Slavs – Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in one state. Therefore, Niš is also called “the birthplace of Yugoslavia”. By October 1915, in Officers’ Mess Building in Nis, besides the Nis Declaration, many important decisions were made. Here, on May 6, 1915, the Yugoslav Congress was held, during which Nis Declaration was adopted which emphasized the struggle of the Balkan peoples for the liberation and unification, and  the position against the London Treaty was proclaimed, which gave a part of the Adriatic coast to Italy. It should also be said that after years of suffering and immediately after the break-up of the Thessaloniki Front, Nis was the first city that the Serbian Army, headed by the Duke Peter Bojovic, liberated exactly one month before the cease of fire and ending of World War I.

I would also like to point out that the symbol marking the Armistice Day is the flower Natalija’s Ramonda and the famous Albanian Retreat medal. Dr. Sava Petrovic, personal doctor of the King Milan Obrenovic, discovered this flower in 1884 near Nis. It is specific because of the fact that when it is completely dried, it can revive after watering. It is on the list of rare, threatened and endemic plants of Europe, and it is strictly protected species in Serbia. The flower was named after the wife of King Milan, Natalija. This “flower phoenix” was chosen in the memory of Serbia which has risen from the ashes of the Great War to continue its path despite the great suffering and catastrophic losses in the Great War. All this is just one part why the Serbian history and the history of Nis are directly connected, and must never be forgotten, and why we can and should always be proud of the people of Nis.”

Mayor

Darko Bulatovic

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at the exact time when a hundred years ago when hostilities ceased on the Western Front in 1918, the memorial service was held at the military cemetery at Delijski Vis, where the British and Serbian soldiers who were killed in First World War were buried together. With the highest state and military honors the wreaths were laid by official City of Nis delegation and the delegations of the Serbian Army, the Police, the Nisava Administrative District, the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center, the Association of the Descendants of War Participants and other. On this occasion City of Nis Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur said that this was one of the most important days for whole Serbian nation, which reminded us of the end of a great war for homeland, for bare survival and salvation of the nation. “We are proud of the heroism and the undertaking made by the Serbian soldier and all the Serbian people, and because of the fact that the Serbian armies draw in blood the borders of the common state of Yugoslavia. But, from today’s point of view, we must be sad. We are one of the saddest nations that marks the end of a great war, because the question is whether the people who lost one third of the population and 52 percent of the male population have won,” as Deputy Mayor Bandjur pointed out and added that too great a victim was given for something in what we believed, for a state that turned out to be the goal just for us, while for everyone else it was a means to achieve some other goal. “

Education and Job Fair was organized today at Officers’ Mess Building in Nis as the part of Nis Forum of Advanced Technologies.  State Secretary at the RS Ministry of Labor, Employment of Veteran and Social Affairs Svetozar Aleksov addressed the guest at the opening ceremony. Also the guest were greeted by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic saying that the Job Fair which was organized in the city into which the state seriously invested with the intention to facilitate its becoming both regional and national technological center of the 21st century, represented a unique opportunity for all those seeking jobs in the field of information and communication technologies, electronics, mechanical engineering and advanced technologies in general.  This is the right place to consider, on one hand, the educational potentials in Nis, as well as the demand for labor in industry sector, on the other hand. Nis Forum of Advanced Technologies and the Job Fair as its integral part were organized with the goal of presenting to the public the economic, scientific and educational potentials of Nis and the entire region,” said Mayor Bulatovic. After the opening ceremony the delegations of the Ministry, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the National Employment Service and the City of Nis and numerous officials, visited the stands of the companies and educational institutions participating in the fair. The growth of companies operating in the field of advanced technologies is evident, and human resources are one of the most important factors for this growth. This is precisely why the specialized employment fair and professional orientation fair are an integral part of the Advanced Technology Forum. This is also an excellent opportunity to see the educational potentials the city provides on one hand and to see what the economy needs on the other. In line with the concept of the main event, the job fair will be focused on the fields of information and communication technologies, electronics, mechanical engineering, biomedicine and advanced technologies in general. This is a unique opportunity for anyone looking for job in these areas to present themselves to employers, inquire about employment conditions and prospects for work, submit their applications and work biographies. Secondary schools, colleges and faculties, educational institutions that play a significant role in ensuring adequate human resources structure will be presented at the Education Fair. The harmonization of the educational system with the needs of the economy and technological development enables young people to be educated in their own town with very promising prospects in the future.

Traditional Conference of Nis Association of Economists was held as part of the Nis Forum of Advanced Technologies. This year’s gathering brought together leading domestic experts in economic sciences, business representatives, chambers, local self-governments on the topic of the place of advanced technologies in the function of economic development. President of the Serbian Association of Economists Aleksandar Vlahovic pointed out that the role and importance of modern technologies in today’s world economy was immeasurable, and that we must be guided by this example. “Although we are experiencing Belarus differently, the fact is that nearly 30% of its GDP is realized through IT sector, the same situation is in Ireland and in many developed countries in Western Europe. This should also be our goal, through the creation of legal, business and every other environment, the development of the companies based on advanced technologies, and we are trying to make their participation to be at least 20 % of our GDP,” Vlahovic said. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic reiterated that Nis was trying to be the center of advanced technologies, not only in the country, but also in the whole region. “Education, economy and advanced technologies represent a partnership for the future of Nis! They are the strength and the strongest capacity of this city! The unity of these three segments will be crowned by the construction of the Science and Technology Park – the largest investment in knowledge, science and young people of this city and the entire region! The ground breaking ceremony for this modern giant of knowledge and scientific research will be on November 21^st in the presence of the President and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia. How important this is for Nis, but also the entire state is clearly shown by the fact that the opening ceremony will be attended by the highest state leadership, “Bulatovic said. “We are proud that our fellow citizen Nikola Bozinovic is among world leaders in the IT industry, but we want to create the conditions for other young people never to leave our city or our country and to stay and create here, and that is the role of the state and the city, to create an atmosphere and ambience, which will enable such individuals, such companies, and also to develop our society, state and the city, “as Mayor Bulatovic said. The president of Nis Association of Economists Boban Stojanovic said that the goal of today’s gathering was precisely to point to the identified problems and shortcomings, and to suggest solutions, so that advanced technologies would indeed become one of the main drivers of the economy of Nis and Serbia in the future.

The Fourth Forum of Advanced Technologies has been opened at Oficirski Dom in Nis. The opening ceremony was attended by Ms. Tatjana Matic, State Secretary at RS Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Mr. Mihajlo Vesovic, advisor to the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and University of Nis rector Dragan Antic. Nikola Bozinovic, the vice president of the IT Company Frame, opened the forum officially, via video link, saying that he was happy because his hometown decided to build its future on modern, IT technologies and that, due to such decision; it would be able to develop faster. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic said that it was common goal to rebrand Nis, the former electronics center, as modern and powerful national, but also a regional center of advanced technologies. “Nis is becoming an increasingly important place for Serbia: this is a progressive city, which has an excellent geo-strategic position, good infrastructure connectivity, and, above all, a strong foundation of well-educated citizens. Nis has the most modern clinical center in the Balkans; Balkan and European strategic roads are being built in Nis; we are implementing the policy of results. As the crown of enormous efforts, activities and investments, on November 21st, the opening of works on the construction of the Scientific and Technology Park Nis will start officially. This is the biggest investment in knowledge, science and young people in Nis ever, which is confirmed by the fact that, on that day, both Serbian President and Prime Minister will be in Nis. Because knowledge and young people represent our strength and our most powerful weapon! Buildings, roads and infrastructure are important, but life to everything is given by the people who have the dream and energy to make this dream come true in their own city, in their own country, “said Nis City Mayor. As in previous years, within the Forum of Advanced Technologies, expert panels and presentations of the economic, scientific and educational potential of the city will be organized. At the same time, the 8th ICT FORUM, Nis Consulting of the Economists of Serbia will be held, as well as the traditional Fair of Employment and Fair of Professional Orientation.