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INTERVIEW - GORAN VUKOVIC, Mayor of City of Ruma
How much recognition of Naled means for Ruma municipality ?
When we entered the process of Certificates of favorable business environment, we were not even remotely aware of all the conditions to be met in order to come to that recognition. During the process we've improved municipal administration in all segments which representins a criteria for Naled. The whole process was completed in record time and the biggest benefit is that in the process of fulfilling the requirements Naled's we have clear up any deficiencies and shortcomings in the work of municipal administration. This kind of recognition also means the promotion through the activities and opportunities of Naled, as a very credible institution.
What would you highlight as a key factor - why investors choose Ruma for their projects?
Excellent geographical location is one of the primary advantages of Ruma, but previously little has been done on the valuation of these benefits. One of the first tasks of local government since 2008 was to create conditions so that all the comparative advantages of Ruma in relation to other municipalities in Serbia are recognized and taken advantage of. Provided a considerable body of building land of 400 hectares which is owned by the municipality of Ruma, we have made the necessary planning and design documentation for all sites, built the necessary infrastructure and thus have created all the conditions that investors may start construction of their facilities. At the same time, we have improved local administration and we have invested considerable effort into promoting our potential. We established an excellent relationship with SIEPA, which is recognized in our community as a great partner and we were ranked in the category of municipalities with maximum benefits for investors who choose to invest here. An important factor also is the work force at our disposal, where the prevailing personnel is trained in our technical schools, which are able to meet the requirements of various industries such as textiles, footwear, metallurgy, electricity, food or chemical. Our motto -" for investor to say what he wants and we will provide it to him", is implemented in full because we have Parliamentary decisions which made it possible. The best recommendations are from those that have already begun their investments and their experience in cooperating with us.
How important is the direct contact with citizens?
I see my work in a way that at any time i have a responsibility towards the interests of citizens, and therefore i must have a feedback how the citizens are satisfied with the way I perform my function. Direct contact with citizens in the best way to gain insight into the quality of my own work. In the previous term my office door was open at all times for all citizens of our municipality and they are used that to maximum. These contacts have mostly been related to the resolution of personal problems but there were also those where people express their suggestions and remarks, which certainly had an impact on the planning activities of local government and in the budget.
How important is the cooperation between Serbia and the United States?
For Serbia, it has always been very important to have good relations with the United States. At times its been better, in some strained but the fact is that the crisis that has Serbia survived coincided with periods when we exercised the best cooperation with the United States, which in itself speaks about the importance of such cooperation. America as a leading economic and military power is in the position to dictate international relations, so that the relationship with the U.S. administration depend on Serbia's relations with most developed countries. Serbia as a small, economically underdeveloped countriy must at all times take care to cultivate good relations with the economically powerful and developed countries, including America as most important. I believe that there is great scope for improving relations between Serbia and America, as if viewed through the cooperation and the presence of American investors in Serbia, in any case we can not be satisfied.
What are your plans as Mayor, what should be done first in the new mandate?
For Ruma it is very important to enable the continuity of the work of a team that has previously made significant progress in all areas of activity of local government. I think that we in the following period we have to have a significantly more aggressive marketing performance, so that information about our opportunities are made available to the widest range of potential investors and partners. In this term we are facing tosolve the problem of high unemployment, and if we continue the current pace we are on the best way to solve this problem.We expect significant support from European funds in the realization of our plans and in this regard we must improve our human resources, in order to be able to adequately prepare projects and participate in their realization.
Ivan Trajkovic,
for CNN iReport
When we entered the process of Certificates of favorable business environment, we were not even remotely aware of all the conditions to be met in order to come to that recognition. During the process we've improved municipal administration in all segments which representins a criteria for Naled. The whole process was completed in record time and the biggest benefit is that in the process of fulfilling the requirements Naled's we have clear up any deficiencies and shortcomings in the work of municipal administration. This kind of recognition also means the promotion through the activities and opportunities of Naled, as a very credible institution.
What would you highlight as a key factor - why investors choose Ruma for their projects?
Excellent geographical location is one of the primary advantages of Ruma, but previously little has been done on the valuation of these benefits. One of the first tasks of local government since 2008 was to create conditions so that all the comparative advantages of Ruma in relation to other municipalities in Serbia are recognized and taken advantage of. Provided a considerable body of building land of 400 hectares which is owned by the municipality of Ruma, we have made the necessary planning and design documentation for all sites, built the necessary infrastructure and thus have created all the conditions that investors may start construction of their facilities. At the same time, we have improved local administration and we have invested considerable effort into promoting our potential. We established an excellent relationship with SIEPA, which is recognized in our community as a great partner and we were ranked in the category of municipalities with maximum benefits for investors who choose to invest here. An important factor also is the work force at our disposal, where the prevailing personnel is trained in our technical schools, which are able to meet the requirements of various industries such as textiles, footwear, metallurgy, electricity, food or chemical. Our motto -" for investor to say what he wants and we will provide it to him", is implemented in full because we have Parliamentary decisions which made it possible. The best recommendations are from those that have already begun their investments and their experience in cooperating with us.
How important is the direct contact with citizens?
I see my work in a way that at any time i have a responsibility towards the interests of citizens, and therefore i must have a feedback how the citizens are satisfied with the way I perform my function. Direct contact with citizens in the best way to gain insight into the quality of my own work. In the previous term my office door was open at all times for all citizens of our municipality and they are used that to maximum. These contacts have mostly been related to the resolution of personal problems but there were also those where people express their suggestions and remarks, which certainly had an impact on the planning activities of local government and in the budget.
How important is the cooperation between Serbia and the United States?
For Serbia, it has always been very important to have good relations with the United States. At times its been better, in some strained but the fact is that the crisis that has Serbia survived coincided with periods when we exercised the best cooperation with the United States, which in itself speaks about the importance of such cooperation. America as a leading economic and military power is in the position to dictate international relations, so that the relationship with the U.S. administration depend on Serbia's relations with most developed countries. Serbia as a small, economically underdeveloped countriy must at all times take care to cultivate good relations with the economically powerful and developed countries, including America as most important. I believe that there is great scope for improving relations between Serbia and America, as if viewed through the cooperation and the presence of American investors in Serbia, in any case we can not be satisfied.
What are your plans as Mayor, what should be done first in the new mandate?
For Ruma it is very important to enable the continuity of the work of a team that has previously made significant progress in all areas of activity of local government. I think that we in the following period we have to have a significantly more aggressive marketing performance, so that information about our opportunities are made available to the widest range of potential investors and partners. In this term we are facing tosolve the problem of high unemployment, and if we continue the current pace we are on the best way to solve this problem.We expect significant support from European funds in the realization of our plans and in this regard we must improve our human resources, in order to be able to adequately prepare projects and participate in their realization.
Ivan Trajkovic,
for CNN iReport
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