The welcoming reception was organized at Nis City Hall for the renowned archaeologists, the participants of the 24th Limes Congress hosted by the Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade, Serbia, which was, for the first time, held in Belgrade and Viminacium, 2‒9^th September 2018. Limes Congress is an event with a long tradition of nearly 70 years and brings together experts on the Roman Frontier Studies worldwide. This event is organized every third year and gathers those who deal with the Roman army and everything related to the Roman border. The scientific elite with more than 100 researchers from around 45 countries from all six continents came to Serbia. Assistant Mayor Nebojsa Randjelović greeted the guests and sent a welcoming message and pointed out that Nis was a very interesting city for archaeologists

The exhibition of paintings by a Slovak author, Milosav Dvorak, was opened at Synagogue Gallery in Nis. The exhibition was jointly organized by the National Museum of Nis, the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Belgrade and the Honorary Consulate of Slovak Republic in Nis. The opening ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Dagmar Repcekova, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Serbia, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in Nis Stela Jovanovic. Ambassador Repcekova said that she visited Nis for so many times that she no longer felt like a guest, and once again thanked Nis citizens and the host city for outstanding hospitality sincere friendship. She said that the cooperation so far in all areas was excellent, and that she was convinced that it would be even wider and better in the future. Mayor Bulatovic said that rarely a country turned out to be such a good and faithful friend to Serbia as Slovakia was, and that this exhibition was another proof of that. The author himself, Miloslav Dvorak, said that he was immensely happy about the opportunity and honor to exhibit his works in Nis and that he was thrilled with the fact that his paintings were in the extraordinary ambience of the Nis synagogue and that the Serbian audience would have the opportunity to see them. Otherwise, Milosav Dvorak is a Slovak mid-generation author. He is a

a doctor, specialist in neuroscience, by vocation  while painting  is a hobby and love from an early age.

The Sicevo Art Colony 2018 was ceremoniously opened last night in this pictorial village near Nis. Sicevo Art Colony is the oldest art colony in the Balkans. It was founded in 1905 according to the idea and with the efforts of the Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic. During the continuous organization, from 1964 to the present day, almost 500 academic artists of different generations and stylistic orientations from all over the former Yugoslavia and from abroad participated in the work of the Colony. Nis City Council Member Jelena Mitrovski greeted the participants at the official opening of the Art Colony. The selector of this year’s Art Colony is Miodrag Daja Andjelkovic, Master of Graphic Design from Nis. The organizer is the Nis Gallery of Contemporary Arts. This year’s Art Colony Sicevo gathered 12 painters from the region. This year the Colony will also mark the significant jubilee of the Art Secondary School: 70 years since its establishment.

 This year the City of Nis through the Office for Youth supported the implementation of 18 projects of non-governmental organizations aimed at improving the position of youth in Nis, and for this purpose, 3 million dinars were allocated from the budget. In addition, another million dinars were allocated for helping informal associations through the formation of the Resource Center with the organization Young Ambassadors. On the occasion of the City of Nis Youth Day the contracts were awarded at Nis City Hall by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic who said that Nis was the city of young people and that the city adminsitration would continue to help the young in every way. He pointed out that the biggest problem was the lack of jobs in Nis and stressed that, in only two years in Nis, the number of unemployed decreased from over 37,000 to around 26,000, while at the same time the number of employed citizens increased from 61 000 to around 77 000, and that most of those newly employed were young educated people. The coordinator of the Youth Office, Stevan Zivkovic, pointed out that at the time of the establishment of the Office in 2012, the City allocated RSD 500,000 from the budget for projects for youth, and this year this amount was eight times higher. Zivkovic pointed out that a total of 18 projects were accepted by the same number of non-governmental organizations and citizens’ associations, and that the approved funds ranged from 100,000 to 200,000 dinars per project. This year the competition did not specify the theme of the projects, and the largest number of received ideas was, according to Živković, related to the improvement of youth safety, raising the awareness of youth about ecology, media and information, EU integration and employment of young people.

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.