Marking the 10th anniversary of the cooperation program “Together for the Community” between NIS and Serbian local communities, the two sides signed a Cooperation Agreement, continuing the joint realization of capital projects which improve the quality of life for the citizens of Belgrade. In the presence of city government representatives, NIS and the media, the Agreement was signed by Professor Zoran Radojičić, PhD, the mayor of Belgrade, and Kirill Turdenev, CEO of NIS. Aiming to develop and advance the local community, Belgrade and NIS have realized numerous projects together during their long partnership in the areas of education and science, culture, environmental protection and sports, as well as humanitarian activities, with investments of almost 250 million dinars. Among other things, three parks in Belgrade have been landscaped, city facades restored, and a lot of attention has been dedicated to investing in the development of education infrastructure. As a company committed to innovations, NIS has supported the reconstruction and equipping of classrooms and laboratories in schools and at different faculties in Belgrade, as well as the opening of Maker’s Space, the first scientific and crafting workshop in Serbia, operating as part of the Centre for the Promotion of Science in Belgrade. Moreover, NIS has carried out humanitarian projects in Belgrade, including the procurement of eight modern pieces of medical equipment for the University Children’s Hospital Tiršova and equipment for the Centre for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youth in Zvečanska Street. In addition, NIS employees have initiated and taken part in several volunteering activities in Belgrade, including landscaping part of the Botanical garden in the Djuro Strugar Park, restoring the premises of the Institute for Children and Youth Sremčica, preparing New Year’s presents for the children treated in Tiršova and the children living in the Centre in Zvečanska Street. After signing the agreement professor Zoran Radojičić, PhD, the mayor of Belgrade, said: “It is an honour that such a large and successful company like NIS has the same vision of Belgrade as we in the city government do, and that is a better, healthier, more educated and more modern Belgrade. Thank you for supporting Belgrade, for investing in the city and I hope that together we will make it a better place to live.” Kirill Turdenev, CEO of NIS, stated: “The real development of a company is possible only if the community where it is located is also developing. How important that is to NIS is evident from our strategy, particularly from the Together for the Community program. This partnership has lasted for 10 years already, and local communities in Serbia receive approximately a million euros every year. Belgrade, of course, has a special status. Belgrade has been our reliable partner and a collaborator in many projects for the benefit of this beautiful city and its citizens. Today, on the day when we are signing another agreement, I firmly believe that there will be many more of them, to our mutual satisfaction.” Along with socially responsible projects, NIS also carries out important business activities in Belgrade. In addition to the fact that the company’s business centre is located in Belgrade, NIS also owns, among other assets, 40 modern petrol stations, and employs over 2,000 workers in the capital city. The City of Belgrade and NIS will continue to strengthen their effective business cooperation to the benefit of both sides, as well as the citizens of this city. The proof of this is the newly signed agreement by which NIS transfers a plot of land in Čukarica Municipality, in the vicinity of the Ada Bridge, to the City of Belgrade, which will be utilized for the development of the city infrastructure. Mr Andreja Mladenović, assistant mayor of Belgrade, also spoke about the significance of the cooperation between the City of Belgrade and NIS. “I am extremely pleased that our cooperation with NIS is such that it enables us to be both partners and friends. Moreover, I must say that this is the most successful cooperation the City of Belgrade has achieved with an individual company in the previous period. The results of our cooperation also include the agreement on the transfer of a plot of land with an area of 5.5 hectares in Čukarica Municipality, in the vicinity of the Ada Bridge, to the City of Belgrade, where we will build in the future, and which is extremely important for the city. In this way, we will continue to work on a typical concept for Belgrade – the concept of developing waterfronts and simultaneously giving life to parts of the city which used to be occupied by industrial complexes and businesses which obviously do not belong to these areas of the city.” Through the corporate program of cooperation with local communities in Serbia called Together for the Community, NIS has implemented more than 900 projects since 2009 in partnerships with 11 municipalities and towns in which it has invested over a billion dinars. Within this program, in addition to Belgrade, NIS also cooperates with Novi Sad, Niš, Čačak, Zrenjanin, Pančevo, Kikinda, Kanjiža, Novi Bečej, Srbobran and Žitište. This year, the Town of Požarevac joined the Together for the Community program as the 12th local community, confirming that NIS continues to develop partnerships with municipalities and towns in Serbia.
