Best testifying to the idea that a favourable geographical position doesn’t mean anything in and of itself is the example of the municipality of Ruma, which stagnated for years. Its accelerated development is the result of the good organisation of expert services, investments in work zones and friendly relations with investors
Just a few years ago we had a large number of unemployed citizens, while employers in our municipality are today seeking workers in the surrounding towns, but also further afield. This will also continue in the future because newly-opened companies are announcing the expansion of their production facilities, announces Ruma’s municipal president Slađan Mančić.
Ruma is located 50 km from Belgrade and 35 km from both Novi Sad and Nikola Tesla Airport, while it is also traversed by Highway E75. Were these facts sufficient to ensure the arrival of investors, or was that preceded by investments from the budget of the municipality, the province and the state?
– Perhaps my best response to your question would be to state that we’re not the only local self-government with such a position and that we haven’t only been in such a position over recent years – when we’ve been recording economic growth – but rather for decades. It’s not enough just to have a good position, close to an airport or a motorway, because those are just preconditions that have not been utilised in the right way over the course of time. You have to create a favourable business atmosphere that instils trust among investors and a sense of security in their investments. We’ve achieved that through the good organisation of our expert services, investments in work zones – with the great support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia – and a friendly attitude towards investors, with which we confirm our willingness to always go out of our way to meet their needs and assist them.
Ruma has seven industrial zones, some of which can be classified as being among the most attractive in Vojvodina, and even Serbia as a whole. What makes them so attractive to investors? What are all the things that the local self-government does to make it easier for new companies to do business?
– We have built modern work zones that can satisfy the requirements of all investors. The “Rumska petlja” [Ruma Loop] work zone is among the best work zones on the territory of Southeast Europe in terms of it being completely equipped in terms of infrastructure, with capacities to handle the largest companies.
Ruma has received numerous acknowledgements and awards in recent years that serve to confirm its epithet as a municipality with a favourable business environment
Apart from work zones themselves, the investment climate in Ruma is also something that ranks Ruma among the leaders in Serbia. When it comes to newly-opened companies in industrial zones, it is important to note that they all began expanding their production facilities after implementing the investment cycle they’d originally planned.
Some 5,000 jobs were created in Ruma in just a short period of time, following the arrival of between 100 and 150 million euros of investments on the territory of the municipality. Have you reached a situation where you are seeking workers from neighbouring municipalities and around Serbia?
– Just a few years ago, the municipality of Ruma was home to a large number of people registered with the National Employment Service, with ruined economic activities and an unfavourable situation for both employers and employees. Thanks to the support of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the situation has now changed drastically. We today have a low unemployment rate, with jobs in Ruma taken by workers from the territories of surrounding municipalities and further afield. We are exerting efforts to create better conditions to improve citizens’ quality of life.
With consideration for the future, we wholeheartedly support the efforts of vocational schools to introduce new educational profiles that are aligned with the needs of Ruma’s economy, we enable the retraining of existing workers and the hiring of categories of people who find it more difficult to secure employment. Ruma is today a large construction site that offers people the prospect of returning to their hometown after completing their studies, where they can find work and form families, thus enabling us all to take a step towards a better future together.