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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Negotiations with Sagem to continue

Nis, 11 November 2008

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said this evening in Nis that negotiations with the French company Sagem about opening a factory for manufacturing electricity meters, in cooperation with the Nis Electronic Industry, will be continued.

In a statement to the press Djelic said that owing to a local partnership deal for producing 130,000 electricity meters Sagem became interested in establishing a base in Nis for setting up its own electricity meter production.

He said that the factory will employ some 250 workers at first, adding that Sagem’s arrival in Nis is also significant because it is possible that Sagem will place its Serbian manufactured products on the markets of former Soviet republics, as well as the EU.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that four years ago Sagem opened a factory in Tunisia, in the beginning only 40 workers were employed, now it employs 3,680 people.

According to Djelic, in future Sagem could start manufacturing fax machines, printers and other products in Nis.

Also during his visit to Nis, Djelic toured the Roma neighbourhood of Cair to gain firsthand information about the lives and problems of the residents and later attended a public debate on the national strategy for improving the position of the Roma, in the Hotel Ambassador.

Djelic said at the occasion that ten times more funds will be set aside next year from the budget for improving the position of the Roma.

Djelic, who heads the council for improving the position of the Roma and implementing measures envisaged by the Decade of Roma Inclusion, currently presided over by Serbia, said that it is planned that RSD 1.1 billion will be allocated for education, housing and employment for the Roma.

He said that education is the best way to reduce poverty and to fight discrimination against the Roma.

He said that he hopes that an agreement will be reached with the European Bank on securing loans for improving housing condition for all Roma in Serbia.

Responding to a question about whether the Roma living in southern Serbia will be allowed free of charge civil registration, as in Vojvodina, Djelic said that the matter is under consideration, but there are huge problems in the process of providing members of the Roma community with all the documentation they presently do not have.