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 7^th

The City of Nis was awarded the certificate for successful adoption of the Support Package to improve the human resources management in the local self-government. On behalf of the City of Nis the certificate was received by deputy Head of the Nis City Administration Mrs. Katarina Mitrovski at the closing conference of the project “Human Resources Management in Local Self-Government” in Belgrade. This project, implemented with the financial support of the Council of Europe and the European Union, was implemented by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. The overall objective of the project is to improve the efficiency and administrative capacities of local self-government units through the establishment of a professional training system and the improvement of the human resources management function for a greater degree of efficiency and satisfaction with the work of local self-governments.

Bearing in mind that public administration reform is aimed at increasing the efficiency of public administration and the satisfaction of the citizens with the work of local self-governments, this project has established a framework for systematized and efficient human resources management in the local administration. Within the project, trainings and e-training in the field of professional development and human resources management were held, more than 30 models of acts were developed for more efficient and better quality implementation in practice, and consultant support was provided in establishing human resource management functions in local self-governments. The motive of the City of Nis for participation in this project is the tendency to become a good administration tailored according to the needs of the citizens, which is oriented towards providing fast and efficient services. Also, changes in regulations require improvement of work of local self-governments in the field of human resources management. The City of Nis is one of the 20 pilot units of local self-governments that took part in this project.

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 23^rd

The 54^th Nis Book Fair was officially opened by Academician Milosav Tesic, who, on this occasion, said that the book was the most noble and most humane work of humanity and that it survived precisely thanks to fairs and publishers. However, Tesic added, the book was under great pressure from electronic information systems that were pulling mankind into the virtual world. This year’s book fair is attended by our biggest and most important publishers and bookstores. The Book Fair, which will last until November 29th, will be accompanied by numerous promotions, literary meetings and talks, book signings by our distinguished writers and other accompanying programs.

November 22^nd

The European Union defines public administration reform as one of three pillars of enlargement for the countries of the Western Balkans, together with the rule of law and economic governance, and therefore, for several years now, public administration is the fundamental reform area in our country. The Council of Europe and the European Union recognized the challenges that local governments in the Republic of Serbia face in their development and supported the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government in initiating and implementing the project “Human Resource Management in Local Self-Government”. The overall objective of the project is to improve the efficiency and administrative capacities of local self-government units through the establishment of a professional training system and the improvement of the human resources management in order to reach a greater degree of efficiency and citizen satisfaction with the work of local self-governments. The project was launched in early 2016 and it would be fully implemented by the end of 2017 in partnership with the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. The total budget of this project is 2 million Euros and it is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe launched a public call for city and municipality administrations and 20 pilot municipalities have been chosen (Bač, Belgrade, Bujanovac, Čačak, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Loznica, Medveđa, Niš, Novi Sad, Pančevo, Raska, Savski venac, Smederevo, Stari grad, Svrljig, Trstenik, Valjevo, Zrenjanin) to participate in the project related to the improvement of the human resources management. So far the chosen cities and municipalities have adopted human resources management policies; a set of training for employees in the field of human resources management was held; the rules on internal organization and job classification and other relevant documents have been improved; municipalities and cities for the first time started the process of analyzing the needs for professional development and planning of employee capacity development.

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 20^th

The novel If You Look Long Enough into Abyss by Enes Halilovic was awarded with the prestigious literary award Stevan Sremac. The award-winning novel was selected by the jury as the best of the submitted novels, and characterized it as a real Greek tragedy in the Novi Pazar way. The writer Enes Halilovic described the biography of the heroine Neira Bugarin with the quill pen dipped in the torment and ruin of his native region. The book is written without the desire to calculate, or to humor, without the need to exaggerate this or that literary strategy on its pages. The testimony left in the novel If You Look Long Enough into Abyss is there to excite, shake and inspire to thinking. On behalf of the City of Nis the award was presented by Nis City Council Member for Culture Jelena Mitrovska. This is the second literary award for this writer, since in 2012 he received the Branko Miljković award for the book “Poems of Disease and Health”.