Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic said yesterday at the opening of the Third fair of local self-government that it aims to exchange experiences and knowledge relevant to the development of Serbian towns and municipalities.

Markovic said that this event is undoubtedly the largest gathering of its kind in Serbia, noting that a series of panels and presentations involving 106 exhibitors and 92 local governments will be held from 9 to 11 November.

The event will discuss legal problems that we face and that is certainly a unique opportunity to summarise the results achieved in recent years during which our country also felt the consequences of the global economic crisis, he said.

Despite everything, he added, we have established a stable system of local self-government with inviolable division of responsibilities.

Markovic recalled that a public debate on the draft law on employees in local self-government is underway, whose adoption should round up the regulation of this important area.

Public debate on the legal provisions on general administrative procedure has just been completed, which is the basis for application of modern technology, the Minister noted.

The project of registers runs according to plan, he said and recalled that Serbia has a well-developed computer network used by about four million people.

Numerous projects are ahead of us, as well as responsibility for the successful implementation of tasks at the local level – an important segment for those who advocate decentralisation, said Markovic.

The third fair of local self-government was officially opened by Serbian President Boris Tadic in Belgrade Fair Hall 5. Round tables, panels and events on topics that are relevant to the work of local governments will be held during the next three days of the fair.

Attract foreign investors to Serbia, says Tadic

Serbian President Boris Tadic opened Wednesday the 3rd fair of local self-governments saying Serbia should take advantage of the fact that foreign investors will be looking for new locations in the coming period.

"A new wave of crisis is coming. Serbia needs to prepare for its impact. We can do this and the representatives of local self-government play a very important role. We should do everything so that one part of the investments, which will be delocated in Europe, comes to Serbia," Tadic said opening the fair.

He stressed that in order to achieve this goal the Serbian administration will have to replace its current approach based on "why something cannot be done" and focus on "how something can be done."

He also said attracting new investments will require more flexible laws.
"Investors will move around in the coming period. The left-over investments in Europe will be looking for new locations and Serbia should take advantage of that. This is the only way to tackle our problems," said the president.

Tadic expressed belief that this wave of the crisis will pass by faster than the previous one and that by 2013 or 2014 Serbia will be on a path of speedy economic recovery. After opening the fair, Tadic visited booths of local self-governments.