Include as many municipalities as possible in important national projects

Institutions should include as many local governments as possible in important national projects, such as Expo 2027, it was stated today at the session of the NALED Club of Municipalities and Cities with a Favorable Business Environment (BFC Club).

At the event, it was announced that in the upcoming period, the key reforms that the BFC Club will advocate for will include the introduction of electronic public bidding (eAuction) to improve the management of public property and strengthen digital services at the local level.

- Our members have been recognized by the Financial Times in its latest ranking, and the solutions we are implementing together are often internationally awarded, such as the Be Part of the Plan platform that we developed in collaboration with Kragujevac. We invite institutions to include cities in important national projects, such as Expo 2027, as this is an opportunity to promote Serbia's economic, cultural, and tourism potentials—not only through what will be showcased in the pavilions but also through visits to key landmarks across Serbia and by involving the local economy in the preparation of this event, said NALED Executive Director Violeta Jovanović.

The event highlighted that this year, 17 municipalities from Serbia have entered the certification process for local governments with a favorable business environment (BFC SEE). According to previous research, the conditions for doing business in cities and municipalities certified by the BFC SEE standard are up to 76% better than in other local governments.

- For us, it is especially important to protect the municipal budgets from huge and unnecessary court costs resulting from lawsuits for 'de facto expropriation,' which refers to situations from the past when public infrastructure was built on private land without a perfectly executed and documented expropriation process, said the new President of the BFC Club, Aleksandar Pajić, Mayor of Šabac.

Among the priority reforms will be support for local governments in the energy transition, the establishment of a unified online registry for compensation claims due to stray dog bites, in order to prevent abuse. Darko Mitrović, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, stated that conditions are being created for better connectivity and faster development of regional economies. "We are committed to supporting all local governments that advocate for the creation of a favorable business environment through various ministry programs and sectoral activities," added Mitrović.

- The local level is important because it is the first point of contact between citizens and the state, emphasized Đorđe Dabić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, expressing readiness for BFC Club members to participate in the ministry's working groups in the future. Ivana Antonijević, Assistant Minister for Tourism and Youth, announced at the BFC Club session that the process of selecting Serbia’s Youth Capital for 2025 will be launched, and the local government chosen will receive additional financial support.

New Leadership

In the next two years, the BFC Club will be led by Aleksandar Pajić, Mayor of Šabac. The Vice President will be Dragoslav Pavlović, Mayor of Niš, and the Vice Presidents will be Saša Pavlović, Mayor of Požarevac, Boban Janković, President of Mionica Municipality, and Boban Miličić, President of Lapovo Municipality.