Vienna as a model for Niš - from mobility to public services

Representatives from Niš, the third-largest city in Serbia, visited Vienna from 17 to 18 July 2025. They looked into Vienna's best practice examples in areas such as e-micromobility, energy recovery from waste, and water supply.

The delegation included city councillors, managers of municipal enterprises, and an expert from the mayor's office. At the beginning of the visit, an expert from the Mobility Agency of the City of Vienna presented best practices of shared mobility programmes and options in Vienna. The Serbian delegation was particularly interested in regulations for rental e-scooters and in Vienna's experience with this type of mobility. The delegation later met with Denis Šakic, member of the Vienna City Council, to discuss several municipal topics.

In the afternoon, an expert from the Office for Public Services and Municipal Management held a presentation at the head office of the City of Vienna's International Offices and provided the delegation with an overview of public services in Vienna. These include water supply, wastewater and waste management, healthcare, social services, and public transport. To look into the matter further, the delegation paid an on-site visit to one of Vienna's best practice examples - the Viennese drinking fountains. An expert on water quality from the City of Vienna's Water Management Department accompanied the delegation and provided an insight into the City of Vienna's water supply system.

Vienna's example of recovering green energy from sewage sludge

The second day of the visit was dedicated to waste management, recovering green energy from sewage sludge, and tourism in Vienna. The delegation from Niš visited the waste incineration plant Pfaffenau. Later, the manager of the nearby sewage treatment plant, run by ebswien, gave the Serbian delegation a detailed insight into the generation of green energy from sewage sludge. As part of the tour, the delegation also visited the education centre, where children can learn about the importance of energy generation in a fun way.

The afternoon was dedicated to a new topic: tourism in Vienna with a focus on strategic destination development. A project manager from the Vienna Tourist Board presented Vienna's approach to the delegation from Niš.

Overall, Vienna shared best practices with the Serbian delegation and provided Niš with fresh impetus in the areas of mobility, public services, and tourism.