The Mayor of Bitola, Mr. Vladimir Taleski, welcomed the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Macedonia, H.E. Simone Filippini on her first official visit to the Municipality of Bitola The Mayor acquainted the Ambassador with the activities of the Municipality over the past year and their future plans. Bitola has over 700 small and medium size enterprises which are core of the local economy. Their next goal is the opening of the Industry Zone Zaben, which is in the starting phase with infrastructure with 95 locations for potential interested companies. The Municipality is expecting the support of the Government as well as interest from the Dutch business community to start a business in Zaben.

The Mayor of Bitola, Mr. Vladimir Taleski, has expressed the efforts of the Municipality to develop better cultural programs for the citizens. Bitola has one of the highest budgets for culture in the country and the Mayor has expressed his gratitude to the Dutch Embassy for supporting the cultural budget of the municipality as a unique way of culture and development support. Read more on Bitola on  www.bitola.gov.mk.

Award Ceremony for Business Plan Competition 2007- Business Start-up Centre
The best Business Plan Teams were awarded with symbolic pay-checks from HE Ambassador of Netherlands’ and keys of the Business Incubator offices were awarded from the Mayor of Bitola.  BSC-Bitola ( www.bscbitola.org) is part of a big regional network of Business Start-up Centres and Incubators in South Eastern Europe (BSC Network). The project is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, and co-owned by local stakeholders represented in the Co-ordination Committee of the centre. The winners were invited by the Ambassador to attend the Dutch Business Network Event on 11 March in  Piazza Libertas in Skopje  and have an opportunity to meet with representatives of the Dutch business community and their partners.

Cultural visits in Bitola
The Ambassador, accompanied by representatives of local NGOs and representatives of the Municipality of Bitola, had a walk tour through Sirok Sokak and visited all the renovated cultural institutions -  Magaza Gallery,  House of the Culture and the workshop of wood crafting, Informative interactive displays with presentation of cultural heritage of Bitola and the surroundings, Yeni Mosque, the church Ss. Dimitrija, Ishak Mosque. The renovation of most of these facilities was implemented through Dutch support. Later in the evening the Ambassador hosted a dinner in Bitola for the people from the NGO sector, cultural institutions and independent artists and shared their ideas for future co-operation between Dutch cultural institutions and artists with artists from Bitola. During the visit to Heraclea Linkestis organised by the Museum of the City of Bitola ( www.muzejbt.org.mk), the Ambassador was introduced with the  activities of the Museum over the past years and their efforts to start a collaboration with Dutch cultural foundations. The Ambassador also attended the opening of the Biennale of Young Sculptors in Yeni Mosque.

Visits to institutions dealing with social policy
In order to get a clearer view on the social situation in the Republic of Macedonia and due to her personal interest in the working conditions of the institutions dealing with child care and protection, H.E. Simone Filippini visited several institutions in the City of Bitola that are working in the field of social protection. The first one was the orphanage for new-borns that is the only institution of this kind in the country. Mrs. Natasa Lazarevska, the manager, has explained that out of 100 babies, only 20 babies have a solved legal status and can be adopted. The other babies don’t have clear status for adoption. The Ambassador explained that the adoption process in the Netherlands is developed to that level that there is no need of orphanages, since the babies are being adopted immediately after their birth. The Institute for Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities works as a part of the Ministry of Heath like a Day care hospital and stationery centre for the children with disabilities from 3 to 18 years. Mr. Mende Brajkovski, the manager explained that the conditions have  improved and the Ambassador was assured that the staff provides excellent care for the children.

The Foundation Netherlands-Macedonia has been a partner to the Koco Racin Boarding School for Deaf Children since 1993, when the cooperation between Mr. Tom Kesler and this school has started and continues until the present day. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Macedonia, H.E. Simone Filippini had a tour through the renovated parts of this school, the boarding facilities and the dinning part the school guided by the manager of the school, Mr. Pece Gashtarov. The new look of the interior of the school is a great proof of the Dutch-Macedonian friendship and co-operation, since Mr. Tom Kesler has financed its reconstruction from the very beginning.