The Office for Local Economic Development and Projects marked the completion of the year with a cocktail organized at the Nis Officers‘Mess Building, attended by numerous guests, representatives of local self-government, institutions, business community. After the welcoming addresses by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Mr. Heskens, the advisor to the Serbian president for investments, the Head of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects Mr. Milan Randjelovic and Deputy Head of the Office Mr. Ivan Petkovic, presented the most important investment and development projects that OLRDP implemented this year and was planning for the following year. The Office for Local Economic Development was established in February 2009 with the technical and professional assistance of the USAID MEGA Program in the form of a special section within the Office of the Mayor. In the period from 2009 to 2016, the departments of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects functioned as separate organizational units, while the Office itself had from 3 to 7 employees. By amending the Statute of the City of Nis at the end of 2016, it was decided to improve the organizational structure of the city administration in order to improve efficiency. Thus, the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects of the City of Nis was formed. The office currently has 35 employees, a budget of 750 million dinars and thus necessary material and personnel resources, as the independent body of the City, to implement the most important city projects in close cooperation with the City Administration. Since its establishment until today, the Office has participated in or led the preparation and implementation of the most important projects and investments in the city, such as YURA CORPORATION, SHINWON, BENETTON, JOHNSON ELECTRIC, LEONI, INTEGRATED MICRO ELECTRONICS, ZUMTOBEL, followed by development projects, among which the most important were Waste Water Treatment and  Scientific Technology Park , but it also worked intensively to support the local business community and existing investors. All these projects are projects of national importance and their realization is successful primarily because of the excellent cooperation that the Office has with the Development Agency of Serbia – former SIEPA, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Serbia.

December 24^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic extended his greeting on the occasion of the Christmas , the most joyous Christian holiday to all those celebrating Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar. “May this great holiday bring to you health, love and hope. Celebrate it in peace, rest and joy, in the circle of your loved ones, let the holiday strengthen the most human values, such as tolerance, respect, appreciation and understanding of diversity.”

December 17^th

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, accompanied by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, visited today the works on the construction of the Zumtobel factory, which would employ 1,100 workers, and the investment value is about 30.6 million euros. President Vucic announced on this occasion that the factory of the Austrian company would be finished by late May or early June next year. “What Mercedes is in the automotive industry, that is Zumtobel in the field of lighting,” Vucic told journalists. On this occasion President Vucic said that Nis was regaining its image of industrial city. The construction of the German factory Leoni at the entrance to Nis is nearing completion and the construction of the IMI factory is in progress. “Opening of new factories in Nis is bringing progress which is a momentum that cannot be stopped. This is important for Nis and its citizens because it will bring more money to city budget which means more funds for city projects. The state has helped Nis much so far and it will continue to help in the future, “Vucic said.

December 13^th

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure ZoraNA Mihajlovic and Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic presented today the keys to apartments for 33 families in Nis, built under the program of construction of social apartments co-financed by the state through the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure. “Since today you have a roof over your head and that is the most important thing – to be able to live like the entire normal world and that your children could develop and learn. The Ministry, the Government of Serbia and the City of Nis participated in financing the construction of these apartments and I am glad that we are not building them only in Nis, but in several other cities, Kikinda, Stara Pazova, Pancevo, Zrenjanin, Kraljevo, Cacak, “Mihajlovic said.” Thanks to the support of the Government of Serbia and the Ministry, this project of building 70 apartments was completed finally to the satisfaction of these people who will have a roof over their heads from ontoday, “said Mayor Bulatovic.

December 5^th

The results of cooperation between NIS and local communities from all over Serbia, with which NIS has been developing cooperation for the past 9 years through the Program “Community Together”, has been presented. The presentations were attended by the general director of the company Kiril Tjurdenjev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Vojvodina Government Djordje Milicevic, and the mayors and presidents of 11 towns and municipalities with whom NIS cooperates, including Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic. Mayor Bulatovic emphasized on this occasion the importance of the “Community Together” Program, above all, with the reference to the level of social responsibility that NIS demonstrates. “Eight years of joint work, 67 projects, more than 70 million dinars in the field of education, culture, social protection and assistance to children, young people, is something we have been working together and about what we are extremely grateful for. The value of this program is also reflected in the fact that this joint work is done openly and publicly, but the greatest value is our joint work. In addition to the official presentation of the results of the program, municipalities and cities have also presented themselves with their authentic products, food and folk costumes, which were presented at the stands in the lobby of the NIS business center.

December 2^nd

On the occasion of December 3^rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and his associates met with the representatives of associations and organizations at the City Hall. The meeting focused ​​the need to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities, equality of human rights and equal participation in all segments of public life. Social and health care issues, legal safety at work, employment of people with disabilities, as well as media promotion and support in the realization of rights – are some of the key issues highlighted on this occasion. Nis City Mazor Darko Bulatovic, noted that the City allocated almost double amount this year compared to previous practice. “It’s a modest contribution – says the mayor – but also a sincere indicator of how much we think about you, or, perhaps, the most significant, how much we will think of you in the future, because you are an important part of the society, because we are all the same.” The integration of persons with disabilities into the areas of public, political, economic and cultural life of the city, removal of physical and social barriers, respect for dignity, as well as the realization of social, economic, educational and health rights, represents an important legal and ethical obligation of the City of Nis. An active employment policy for disabled people has been recognized as one of the primary goals of local self-government. At the republic level, Nis is the city that invested most funds for employment of people with disabilities. On this occasion, Bulatovic said: “I want you to feel the support of the City of Nis, to feel as a significant and useful part of our society, to feel this house as your own.”

November 24^th

The representatives of the Serbian Academy of Science sand Arts Branch in Nis presented to the Mayor Darko Bulatovic and his associates, as well as to the members of the City of Nis Business and Economic Council the results of the Project Economic Activity and Performance of the City of Nis Economy of the and its Importance for the Economic Activities of the Region of South and Eastern Serbia“. This project was implemented in order to improve the cooperation between the Serbian Academy of Science sand Arts branch in Nis and the City of Nis, with the aim to link all official databases through the research for a period of 6 months and propose possible incentive measures. The project results are directly aimed at ensuring that their beneficiaries are policy makers at the local and national levels and at contributing to better economic development at the local level. This project will provide a valid research basis, which would be adequate assistance to find a relevant political response that would mitigate the consequences of negative demographic

November 20^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and his associates met with the scout delegation led by the president of the European Scout Region, Kevin Camilleri. On this occasion, Mayor Bulatovic pointed out that the City recognized the value and significance of the City of Nis Scout Association. Through the planned implementation of the scouts’ activities, morally sensitive and socially responsible individuals are created, whose capacities can be of great importance to the local and wider community. The work of scout organizations is very important in the development of the intellectual, spiritual and social potentials of young people, and therefore their efforts to lead and educate the youth will have support and help of local self-government, said Mayor Bulatovic. During the discussion, the significance, success and continuity of the Scout Association of the City of Nis was emphasized. Through the 106-year-long history tens of thousands of young people passed through City of Nis Scout Association and today they are “professional, honest and responsible members of our community, but the most important thing is that they are good people.” President of the European Scout Committee, Kevin Camilleri, praised the work of the City of Nis Scout Association which fostered a very successful and long cooperation with the European Scout Committee. The success of the Scout Association of Serbia was also pointed out by the Head of the Scout Association of Serbia Tanja Jankovic.

November 16^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, with his associates, met with the delegation from the French region of Gironde, headed by the delegate from the Council of the Department for European Affairs and Decentralized Cooperation Jacques Respaud. During today’s meeting, the new modes of cooperation between the City of Nis and the General Council of Gironde were discussed. In particular, the projects dedicated to young people as the most valuable resource of the city were discussed as well projects in the area of culture and local development. A three-week visit by Toni Radev, a comics author from Nis to Gironde was announced, during which the children of the Alfred Mogen college from Gradignan and the elementary school Ivo Andric from Nis, with the support of Radev, will work on the realization of the French-Serbian comic edition on the topic of human rights. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic pointed to the importance of the interactive relationship of the two cultures in order to present the historical, national and spiritual identity of both countries. In particular, he pointed out the policy of boosting the tourism potential of Nis, which would stimulate the development and growth of the economic, industrial and infrastructural capacity of the city. Having that in mind more intensive research and promotion of the spiritual and material culture of Nis will contribute to a better positioning of the city on the map of world tourist destinations.

November 15^th

The following year, in the spring,

The construction of the Science and Technology Park, a project about which is being discussed in Nis for the last decade will start in spring next year. The press conference was held at Nis City Hall on the occasion of signing the contract for the implementation of this project.  Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic emphasized on this occasion that today was a great day for Nis and all of its citizens, because this project, worth one billion and 850 million dinars meant that the city and the state were investing in knowledge, science, development, young and talented people. He thanked the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, for the great support that the City of Nis received from the republic authorities, so that the Science and Technology Park could become a reality. “With this project we will start to value the advantages that we have for the purpose of developing the city and solving the problems, but at the same time, this decision is obliging us to do even more and justify the trust given by the state, “concluded Mayor Bulatovic. According to the Deputy Head of the Office for Local Economic Development and Projects Ivan Petkovic, the contracts signed today in Belgrade actually allowed the City to start the realization of the second and third phase of the project, since the first phase-Startup Center was already completed. The Republic will allocate 5.2 million euros for the addition of annexes at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, while the City’s contributions amount to 6.5 million dinars for the relocation of access infrastructure and the obtaining of the operating license. He pointed out that the state would allocate 10 million euros for the construction of the Science and Technology Park building, which would extend over 14,000 square meters. Also, the Science and Technology Park will be equipped with modern equipment. The Dean of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Nis, Prof. Dr. Dragan Jankovic, emphasized that this investment would be paid off very rapidly and would show its true significance, not only for the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, but for the City of Nis as well.