INTERVIEW WITH BOBAN DZUNIC PRESIDENT OF PALILULA MUNICIPALITY – NIS PUBLISHED IN NIN MAGAZINE
28.02.2013
One of the five City municipalities of Nis – Palilula is very much specific in many ways, it consists of urban part, but also 15 rural settlements. It got its name after one urban part in southern Nis around Palilula railway crossroad and behind it. With over 80, 000 citizens it belongs to big municipalities, but according to people standard the poorest municipalities. With clear vision of development and good management, this Municipality very fast began to differ from the circle of not developed municipalities in Serbia. Although the biggest economical subjects from the territory of this Municipality stopped with its work, leaving many dozens of workers jobless, new ways of development in this surrounding with the improvement of small and medium enterprises, but over the projects and financial help with additional resources of EU donors are opening, says Palilula president Boban Dzunic, lawyer.

NIN: Many realized and approved projects, investments, adopted re -certification of ISO 9001 quality standard in the work of Administration, Action plan and strategy of development until 2016 are only parts of the results of Palilula Municipality realized in the past 8 months, since the Assembly was constituted and new authorities were elected. Plans for this year are very ambitious, directed first of all to the improvment of life quality of the citizens and new jobs.
DZUNIC: We have adopted the Municipal budget that is developmental with a great accent of social citizen category taking into account that in the territory of our Municipality live over 48 percent of people who are applied at the evidence of the Centre for social work of the City of Nis. Since our Municipality, according to static facts about the percentage of salaries of citizen, is on 10th place in Serbia, according to heights of salaries but not from the top but from the bottom we will have to help those people as much as we can. Beside, we will intensively work on the improvement of infrastructure, specially water type, sewerage and traffic roads. We are expecting that our strategic development plans can be realized.

NIN: Attracting of foreign investments and provision of resources over international projects are great hopes of many municipalities in Serbia. Does Palilula have good cooperation on international level and also conditions to attracts potential investors.
DZUNIC: Palilula Municipality over the last year has been very active in searching of resources and attraction of foreign investments. Big potentials of Municipality are directed to the attraction of foreign investments. Also, big potentials of our Municipality are also directed to elaboration and realization of new projects aiming at solving problems of citizens, their employment and coming close to EU standards. The value of all projects of cross border cooperation, for which we have applied for, is about 1, 5 million Euros and plan is that over 44 projects attract financial resources in the height of 7, 5 million Euros. However, it created certain problems since we came to absurd situation that we have approved projects-potential resources form EU funds, but not also appropriate support in the regard of giving guaranties and projects pre - financing. For the realization of certain projects, beside the City, will be forced to ask for financial help in the form of short term loans from the authorized Republic organs. Thanks to our projects and support of LEDIB programme, Strategy of small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship of Palilula Municipality 2009-2013 we formed Project Center of Palilula as a support to economical subjects until the end of 2012 and provided the conditions for forming Center for energy efficiency. The problem is however because our expectations of citizens big and authorization of city municipality is very few, and that is why we started the initiative toward the City and City Assembly in the end of last year and toward the Republic that with certain act make transfer of other authorizations to City Assemblies. In accordance with our possibilities and authorizations that are limited we take care of social most jeopardized category of citizens and dislocated persons, Roma population, we help the people in special needs.When we deal with international cooperation I have to emphasize projects with Bulgaria. Neighborhood programmes, as new instruments of EU, are directed to promotion and support of cross border cooperation to reducing of existing differences on the level of development between regions with outer limits of EU toward the improvement of contacts between local communities and strengthening cultural, social and economical cooperation. We in Palilula Municipality recognized this as possibility of promotions of our potentials and cooperation with partners in region. About it in the end of last year we spoke with the ambassador and general consul of the Republic of Bulgaria in Serbia. Successful cooperation of Nis municipality of Palilula is with Bulgarian cities: Svoge, Custendil, Bobov Dol, Botevgrad, Plovdiv, Pernik, Ihtiman in realization of projects from the programme of `neighborhood cooperation` with the support of EU opened new possibilities of our development.

NIN: Have some of the projects been already completed?
DZUNIC: Palilula Municipality has behind itself more successfully completed projects from the programmes of cross-border cooperation Bulgaria – Serbia. The reconstruction of Amphitheater in Memorial Park Bubanj and adaptation of this location with approved resources of EU in the amount of 179, 162 E. Project Coul Tour is realized within the programme of cross border cooperation Serbia-Bulgaria and represents the part of activities on the adaptation of this complex. Apart from reconstruction and construction of the seats in Bubanj Amphitheatre with this project cycle the paths around the memorial place and in park surfaces were all adapted including vejnik –place for rest with benches, other benches, new seedlings. The general aim of the project that was realized in the partnership with Municipality of Bobov Dol in Bulgaria is promotion and development of cultural tourism in cross-border region over improvement and modernization of infrastructure of two municipalities.

NIN: How much are these projects actually important for the economical development of Municipality?
DZUNIC: They are very important since one of strategic aims is development of tourism. Palilula has rich natural-geographical potentials for this matter, like Memorial park Bubanj and Muntain Selicevica. In this year of great Christian jubilee part of ceremonial activities will be also developed in our Municipality of Palilula connected to the celebration of 17 centuries of Milan Edict – anniversary celebrated by the most of the world and widely recognized also by it. Part of our developmental story is also project MODERNSPORT that is being realized in the partnership with Municipality of Botevgrad and financial support of EU from 218, 480 E –already in the first half of 2013 and on the surface of 4, 400 m2 in Pasi Poljana settlement, sport terrains will be constructed which will be important for the development of tourism but also for the creation of conditions for the young people to be more in sports.

NIN: Is this proved by Action Plan until 2016?
DZUNIC: Action plan of Palilula Municipality – Nis comprises about 40 projects from which 13 refer to improvement of life quality of citizens and represents the operative tool for implementation of Strategy of development of Municipality in the next 5 years. We have defined the Vision of development of Palilula Municipality that are coordinated with Strategy of development of the City of Nis and it sounds `Municipality of Palilula economically developed community, integrated in global streams, attractive for life and work characterized by flexible job market, competitive human resources and rich cultural identity. For the realization of this vision coordinated are four main developmental priorities and strategic aims: infrastructure, life environment, economic development and social development.

NIN: Mister president, what motivates you to persist on this task?
DZUNIC: Great challenge is to provide in one of the poorest municipalities not only in Nis, but also in the Republic, necessary conditions for citizen life. I accepted this obligation and also all the potentials of the Municipality directed to projects that are financed from additional funds of EU. In this way it has been realized or it is in preparation new infrastructural projects that will have much effect to life quality of the citizens. In this matter regarding operability and consistency my personal idol is Aleksandar Vucic, president of SNS and first vice president of the Government of the Republic of Serbia who, with his inexhaustible energy, gives hope for better tomorrow of Serbia.

PRESIDENT OF PALILULA MUNICIPALITY, CITY OF NIS

Boban Dzunic, lawyer, was born in Nis in 1968. He graduated from faculty of Law in Nis and passed bar exam. He also has specialization from the area of Criminal Law (defense of the accused of crimes). Boban Dzunic started his career in `Multikomerc` DOO enterprise who he also founded. Since 1998 Dzunic has been working as a solicitor. He has also the Certificate on special knowledge in the field of child rights and criminal acts of minors, as well as Certificate on special knowledge on children rights and criminal and legal protection of minors. Boban Dzunic is one of the founders of Serbian Progressive Party in Nis. He is also a president of Municipal Board Palilula - Nis and member of Main Board SNS (Serbian Progressive Party). He is re- creatively in sports.