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 City of Nis and the Municipality of Niska Banja will be the host of the 5th session of the Joint Consultative Committee of the EU-Serbia Region Committee. Apart from the representatives of almost all cities and municipalities from our country, the session will be attended by a large number of guests from abroad, members of the Committee from all countries in the region. The study tour of the project Health Paths and Meetings in Niska Banja which is financed through Interreg IPA CBC Bulgaria Serbia funds was organized last night. Together with the Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatović and the President of the City Municipality Niska Banja, Dejan Jovanović, the European parliamentarians walked along the paths of health in the park above the fountain. The reconstruction of the health paths is financed by a cross-border project jointly implemented by City Municipality Niska Banja and Bulgarian municipality Zemen. The objectives of the project are increasing of the tourist attractiveness of the cross-border region of the municipalities Zemen and Niska Banja. The project aims at capitalization of the natural and historical recourses in the region and improvement of touristic products. Through investments in infrastructure the project will contribute to the creation of more attractive tourist conditions and will attract further investments. The project will also popularize the region as a tourist destination. Planned project activities include reconstruction and modernization of the community center in Gabrov Dol and supporting construction activities. In Niska Banja infrastructure activities cover rehabilitation of health walking paths, the amphitheater and scene in the city center and the park. The project includes organization of tours in each country for tour-operators to popularize the project results and the tourist opportunities. Another activity envisages the digitalization of main tourist sites in both municipalities and their integration on a common website which will further contribute to popularization of the region.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today with the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia, H.E. Mr. Junichi Maruyama at Nis City Hall.  The two officials discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Japan and this part of Serbia. Ambassador of Japan was supposed to give the lecture today about traditional calligraphy within Days of Japan which is organized traditionally every autumn in Nis. The Japanese government cooperates with local communities in Serbia through a grant scheme, such as the donation of an ambulance vehicle and a fire truck. What is especially important to Japan as a country that often faces natural disasters is to develop cooperation between the two countries and disseminate information on the prevention and recovery from natural disasters.  The total amount of Japanese aid through projects for the basic needs of the population in Serbia since 1999 reached 13.3 million euros. The total amount of Japanese aid to Serbia during the same period exceeds 507 million euros, which unambiguously shows the friendly attitude of the people of Japan towards Serbia, but also the unreserved support to our country in different segments.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today with the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia, H.E. Mr. Junichi Maruyama at Nis City Hall.  The two officials discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Japan and this part of Serbia. Ambassador of Japan was supposed to give the lecture today about traditional calligraphy within Days of Japan which is organized traditionally every autumn in Nis. The Japanese government cooperates with local communities in Serbia through a grant scheme, such as the donation of an ambulance vehicle and a fire truck. What is especially important to Japan as a country that often faces natural disasters is to develop cooperation between the two countries and disseminate information on the prevention and recovery from natural disasters.  The total amount of Japanese aid through projects for the basic needs of the population in Serbia since 1999 reached 13.3 million euros. The total amount of Japanese aid to Serbia during the same period exceeds 507 million euros, which unambiguously shows the friendly attitude of the people of Japan towards Serbia, but also the unreserved support to our country in different segments.

The meeting of the Board for the implementation of the Project Wastewater Collection and Treatment in Nis, i.e. the construction of WWTP was held at Nis City Hall. The meeting was chaired by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, in the capacity of the Board president, and it was attended by the representatives of the Nis City and Office for Local Economic Development and Projects, Ministry of Environment, the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, the Swedish organization Sida, as well as representatives of the Spanish consulting agency EPTISA, in charge of implementing the project selected by the Government of Sweden, which finances this project. The representatives of the OLEDP in charge of the implementation of this extensive and important work, informed the participants at the meeting about the results so far and the current dynamics by which the planned activities were realized. Most importantly, it was emphasized that the expropriation of the land was carried out without difficulty and according to the planned dynamics, as well as obtaining necessary opinions and consent of the competent authorities and institutions. Also, great progress was made in the construction of the canal network and collectors in all parts of the city, as well as obtaining the missing urban documentation. Representatives of the Delegation of the European Union expressed their satisfaction with the implementation progress of one of the most important and largest infrastructure and ecological projects in Serbia, and praised the excellent cooperation with all the City of Nis offices and administration departments as well as with the competent state institutions that recognized the importance of this project, and fully contributed to its realization in the foreseen deadline. Nis City Mayor Bulatovic pointed out that he was satisfied with what had been already done and with the fact that no problems were identified that would possibly endanger or slow down the realization of this project which was of utmost significance for Nis. He said that the City of Nis was absolutely committed to respect all deadlines and timeframe expressing optimism that this project would be successfully realized within the planned deadline.

Niš Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project has been identified as the priority wastewater collection and treatment project for financing. Its implementation, including preparatory and design phases, tendering, construction and supervision activities, shall contribute to building up the capacity and capability of local authorities and central institutions. This will help comply with required EU regulations. PEID shall prepare the technical documentation for the priority project in accordance with Serbian legislation. Documentation shall be appropriate for both EU IPA grant funding and IFI credits. Specific activities and outputs for the project in Niš include the construction of the main conveyance system to the WWTP site (primary, main collectors, pumping stations as necessary), as well as construction of the WWTP for the Niš urban agglomeration and treatment of the wastewater from water treatment plant Mediana. The priority project is viewed as the minimum level of investment required in order to first convey the relevant flows to the WWTP site, and also provide adequate wastewater treatment for the urban area. The PEID shall make efforts in providing technical assistance to relevant parties in order to make the implementation process effective and user-friendly. In this way PEID shall contribute to meet objectives of compliance in the environment sector.

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.

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.