EU and Serbia for better Niš

The representative of the EU Delegation started his visit to Niš with a meeting with the mayor Dragana Sotirovski. In his address, Bertolini has emphasised that he recognizes the capacity of the City for large investment projects, as well as the potential for even more investments in the coming period. He also said that the closer Serbia is to the European Union, the more attention will be paid to local development and the functioning of local self-governments so that they can attract more funds.

"Local economic development, development of entrepreneurship, social inclusion and social housing, Roma inclusion, transport and road connections, environmental protection, but also other important local projects that can be implemented in the coming years, while all of this directly depends on the capacity of the local communities themselves," said Bertolini.

He underlined the role of large cities and municipalities, such as Niš, in attracting and gathering smaller municipalities in order to jointly implement strategic projects and encourage development.

Mayor Dragana Sotirovski expressed her satisfaction with the visit and referred to the visible results of numerous significant projects that the City implemented in previous years with the support of the European Union.

"From 2011 until today, as a city, we managed to withdraw about 12 million Euros of various European Union grants, which helped us to do a lot in the city. Together with the state, we managed to absorb 175 million Euros  through numerous projects, ranging  from the reconstruction of the Clinical Centre, the construction of the Science and Technology Park, equipping the Industrial Zone "North 1 and 2", the construction of the Shooting Range, the completion of the project for the construction of the Expo Centre", reminded Sotirovski.

"We are satisfied with what we have achieved through the cross-border projects with Bulgaria, but we are interested in cooperation with other European Union countries such as Romania, as well," she added.

As an important segment of the joint meeting, Sotirovski highlighted the city's plans for the coming years, and what they will apply for through EU funds. She also mentioned some current projects for which the city has already received EU support, such as the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, worth 85 million Euros, and the introduction of heating in the building of the Puppet Theater in Niš. "As a city, we are ready to apply for infrastructure projects such as the construction of sewage and water supply networks, road infrastructure and everything that the EU can help us with in the coming years," concluded Mayor Sotirovski.

The Head of the Cooperation of the EU Delegation continued his visit to Niš in the Science and Technology Park and the enterprise, which, with the EU support, acquired new equipment and improved its business.

The EU also supported the Startup Center within the Science and Technology Park through a project that included equipping the Gaming Centre with appropriate software and hardware workstations in order to facilitate the work of small and medium-sized enterprises from the video game sector.