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Regional Cooperation

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COVER GORAN SVILANOVIĆ, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council

CONTENTS

PAGE 8

Regional Cooperation Crucial

May 2014

SEE 2020 is an ambitious project, but it is highly realistic given the commitment of the participating countries and their awareness that constant improvement is the only way out of the crisis

EDITOR: Saša Marić s.maric@aim.rs

WHEN BUREAUCRACY HINDERS

JOVANA GLIGORIJEVIĆ, Editor

ALTERNATIVE POLICIES

The Chartwell International School

H.E. OSZKÁR NIKOWITZ, Ambassador of Hungary to Serbia

18 20

GLOBAL DIARY

POLICYMAKING AND SUCCESSFUL ACCESSION DISCUSSED

Feature

Business Dialogue

Preview Guide

SERBIA HINDERS ITSELF

CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Mirjana Jovanović, Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić EDITORIAL MANAGER: Tanja Banković t.bankovic@aim.rs PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović, Časlav Vukojičić COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION: Snežana Bjelotomić PROJECT MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Darko Novaković, d.novakovic@aim.rs Milica Pajić, m.pajic@aim.rs Marija Savić, m.savic@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Ruža Ristanović r.ristanovic@aim.rs GENERAL MANAGER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs FINANCIAL DIRECTOR: Ana Besedić a.besedic@aim.rs

SAILING FROM LOSER TO WINNER

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Comment PAGE 6

LEARNING THROUGH COMMUNITY AND SERVICE

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Profile PAGE 94

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I NVESTMENT IN A COLLECTIVE FUTURE

OLIVERA STOŠIĆ RAKIĆ, Editor of the Literary & Debate Programme at the Belgrade Culture Centre

48 29

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Press Freedom in the Balkans

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MARKO ČADEŽ, Director of the “Forum Serbia Germany” Association

S CHOOL NOT GOVERNED BY RULES

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jovana Gligorijević j.gligorijevic@aim.rs

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

COMMENT

When Bureaucracy

HINDERS

Humanitarian activities are not the primary job of the media. The task of the media is to put pressure on the authorities to find a permanent, sustainable, systemic solution that will ensure provision of the resources needed to treat children suffering from severe and rare diseases JOVANA GLIGORIJEVIĆ, Editor

anica Ćirković, Tijana Ognjanović, Luka Đurić and Zoja media companies who do them: humanitarian activities are not Mirosavljević... These four names comprise a sad list of the job of the media, much less a system that the health care children from Serbia who died while waiting in the last system of any civilised country can be based on. year alone. They were waiting for a new heart or raThe media’s job is to be the eyes and ears of the public and re and expensive treatments only available outside Serbia. Help the keeper of social order, in the name and on behalf of the came too late and even then it did not come from the system citizens; to investigate the reasons why the Republican Health that the little patients and their parents had placed the greatInsurance Fund has no money for seriously ill citizens; to name est hope in, but rather from individuals and organized social acand call to account those who have been promising for years to tivities to raise money by sending SMS messages. Individuals orcreate a register of rare diseases and have failed, and to deterganised themselves and somehow found a way, because coping mine why the list of “permitted” medication is being reduced is what remains when the system lets down its citizens. year after year... In the first week of April, nine-year old Anastasia Trajković It is estimated that there are 500,000 people living with from Vranje was added to this appalling list of names. She was some kind of rare disease in Serbia, but the exact number of suffering from hordoma, a rare types of tumors of the maxilsufferers is unknown because we do not have a register. It is lary sinus. For a long time she was treated for polyps, until it known that there are between five and eight thousand types was later discovered that she was actually suffering from a maof rare disease and the majority of those are inborn metabolic lignant tumor. Anastasia’s parents sought help for her treatproblems, like Batten’s, Gose’s, Wilson’s and Fabry’s diseases. ment abroad from the state, but the Republican Fund for health insurance declined their appeal, only to It is estimated that there are 500,000 people eventually provide the funding due to public presliving with some kind of rare disease in Serbia, sure (!?). Doctors in Prague were only able to deterbut the exact number of sufferers is unknown mine that Anastasia had arrived too late and the tumor had metastasized. She returned home and in because we do not have a register the last month of Anastasia’s short life the Serbian newspapers were filled with the sensational story of how her The task of the media is to put pressure on the authorities father gave her cannabis oil to alleviate her symptoms . Not a to find a permanent, sustainable, systemic solution that will word was mentioned of the fact that cannabis oil can be obensure provision of the resources needed to treat children suftained on prescription in all Western European countries, prefering from severe and rare diseases. It is up to the media to cisely for patients in the terminal stages of cancer, or that in put an end to the inertia of the health system in which probSerbia it can be purchased through illegal channels at a cost of lems are discovered too late or misdiagnosed, which is another €500 to €800. Not a word was mentioned about holding to acreason why therapy for diseased children arrives too late. count those whose fault it was that Anastasia arrived in Prague Not all diseases are curable, nor are all appeals for help too late. Instead, our media wrote about a man who gave his rational, especially in a situation when you cannot see a way dying child cannabis because he had been betrayed by the state out for the healing of your own child. But does the Ministry of system and because the Health Insurance Fund, which he himHealth and associated services – with thousands of employees self – as well as all other citizens of Serbia – funded for years, and billions being spent without any control – not have enough was denied to him and his daughter when it was most needed. resources to establish a system that will not be based on being The same media houses launch charity events to raise monhumane, but rather on clear protocols and standards, which will ey intended for the treatment of sick children. Such actions are provide citizens with prevention, diagnosis and treatment of unquestionably noble, but one thing must be clear, even to the the quality that every citizen of the world deserves? ■

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

INTERVIEW

■ By Jovana GLIGORIJEVIĆ

GORAN SVILANOVIĆ

SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE REGIONAL COOPERATION COUNCIL

Regional Cooperation

CRUCIAL PHOTO: Medija centar Beograd

SEE 2020 is an ambitious project, but it is highly realistic given the commitment of the participating countries and their awareness that constant improvement is the only way out of the crisis

he Regional Cooperation Council’s main activity at present is the SEE 2020 strategy, which accounts for 70% of RCC activities. However, according to the Council’s secretary general, Goran Svilanović, the RCC is also dealing with issues such as security and parliamentary cooperation, fighting organised crime and migration issues, media development, civil society activities and gender mainstreaming. ■ One of the priorities of the Regional Cooperation Council

(RCC) is the indicated development of the SEE 2020 Strategy. What is the main objective of this document?

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

- The strategy for Southeast Europe (SEE) 2020 has not only been developed, but was also adopted by the seven governments of the region at the Ministerial meeting in Sarajevo last November. We have already seriously entered its implementation phase, which is reflected in the development of national and regional action plans envisaging the main steps for its implementation, as well as of the monitoring plan that the RCC has been placed in charge of. The strategy’s working title, Jobs and Prosperity in a European Perspective, spells out its goals quite clearly. Let us look at the situation in our region briefly – hundreds of thousands of people in the region are unemployed, many of whom are young people who have not even had a chance to test themselves on the labour markets. Over the last five years the countries of the region doubled their public debt, while 800,000 people lost their jobs. People are

JOBS

GDP

AIM

The SEE 2020 strategy focuses on very specific goals: creation of one million jobs in the region over the next seven years.

The average GDP of the SEE countries in 2010 was just a third of the EU average. Will the EU seriously consider such member(s)? Hardly!

We want to create a harmonised regional framework of cooperation, where all participants have clear roles and responsibilities in achieving mutual, agreed goals

areas ranging from the free movement of goods and workers to poor and suffering greatly from the economic crisis. Those lucky energy, judiciary etc. The SEE 2020 strategy represents a map of enough to have jobs fear losing them, while others struggle to find common regional targets directed towards the EU, respecting all any job to support themselves and their families. these requirements. Considering all of this, the SEE 2020 strategy focuses on very People from the region understand this reality and expect their specific goals: creating one million jobs in the region over the next governments to deliver. As a result, the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy ministers seven years, raising the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP from 36% to 44% of the EU committed to the SEE 2020 strategy and set 11 common goals they average, increasing energy efficiency by 9% and government prowant to achieve. They even singled out food and beverages and ductivity by 20%, doubling trade and investments and, finally, intourism as priority areas for action. The role creasing productivity by a third. Additionally, there is also a need for educational systems that meet the needs of the labour markets and for an increase in the number of young highly educated experts with realistic employment opportunities by an additional 300,000. SEE 2020 is also set to increase the total regional trade turnover by more than double, from 94 to 210 billion euro. These numbers show that SEE 2020 is an ambitious project, but given the commitment of the participating countries and their awareness of the fact that constant improvement is the only way out of the crisis, it is highly realistic. Beside the SEE 2020 strategy, which repThe SEE 2020 for the RCC in this process is to do everything resents 70% of the RCC activities in the upStrategy has been it can to assist them in achieving these goals. coming period, we are also dealing with issues In practical terms, we aim to harmonise such as security and parliamentary cooperadeveloped and a number of measures facilitating additional tion, fighting organised crime and migration adopted by the integration of markets in the region. We beissues, media development, civil society acseven governments tivities and gender mainstreaming. lieve that going beyond national into a wider, of the region and its regional framework supports internationalisaâ&#x2013; The SEE 2020 Strategy aims to overturn tion and competitiveness. working title, Jobs the economic stagnation of the region. How This year marks the first year of SEE 2020 and Prosperity in a can this be implemented? implementation, meaning that, even as we European Perspective, speak, the RCC is finalising work on the crea- This region has endured a lot due to turbuspells out its goals lent conflicts in the past, which are now two tion of national and regional action plans with decades behind us. Ordinary citizens bear the the participating governments/partners from quite clearly burden of this long-lasting period of lagging the region, as well as setting up specific measbehind the developed countries the most. It is high time we moved ures and reforms to be undertaken in the implementation process. from reconciliation and peace building towards economic and soIn addition to national institutions, such as ministries of econcial prosperity. omy, education, employment, healthcare, justice, environmental The reality is that in this EU-aspiring region it takes trucks protection and culture, relevant agencies etc., SEE 2020 engages more than five days to travel from Ljubljana to Tirana, the average relevant regional initiatives and organisations that take part in the GDP of the SEE countries in 2010 was just a third of the EU averimplementation of the strategy with precisely defined roles and responsibilities. For example, CEFTA will coordinate activities reage. Will the EU seriously consider such member(s)? Hardly! There are many specific requirements, 35 policy areas to be lated to trade aimed at increasing inter-regional trade by around precise, that a country must meet on its way to joining the EU. It 140% by 2020. There are many other initiatives working on the is true that there is a lot to be done in the region in this respect in same principle in their respective fields: Energy Community, Recordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 9

gional School of Public Administration and Education Reform Initiative, to mention just a few.

■ The RCC has spent the past three years working on paving the way for this strategy. What actions have been taken so far in this respect?

- You are correct. For three years already the RCC has paved the way for the SEE 2020 strategy, which leans on the EU’s “Europe 2020” strategy, and we have actively worked on it since November 2012, when the region’s economy ministers adopted framework strategy goals. Our basic goal is to improve living conditions in our region and restore the region’s focus on competitiveness and the development of each individual country and the region as a whole. The representatives of Albania, Serbia, Kosovo*, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Mac-

tion progress ‘a click away’. For example, citizens would be able to check if there was any increase in employment in Serbia over the past year; was there any increase in energy efficiency in Montenegro; etc., and to compare them amongst the countries, in all areas from education to employment.

■ Will the Strategy be able to meet the objective of being the permanent framework for international cooperation in the region and, if so, how?

- What we want is to create a harmonised regional framework of cooperation, where all participants have clear roles and responsibilities in achieving mutual, agreed goals. To that end SEE 2020 strategy represents initial mid-term framework of regional cooperation in the region. Attainment of the strategy’s goals and benefits of the SEE citizens resulting from it are to create a solid basis and a model for permanent regional cooperation. It could lead to the creation of similar mechanisms, strategies or some other forms of cooperation within the region, addressing new issues, as well as raising issues and challenges on the countries’ EU path. Regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations being the core of the EU philosophy, and the consisting parts of the EU Stabilisation and Accession Agreement (SAA) signed by EU-aspiring countries from the region, will certainly impact on the region’s devotion to finding a permanent model to continue along the way paved by the SEE 2020 strategy. Politicians are fully RCC, for example, intends to introduce the practice similar to the annual meeting of the aware that economies EU’s economy ministers – to bring together in the region, sharing the regions’ economy ministers to discuss ecosimilar social and nomic issues once a year. This could become economic situations, some kind of backbone for a framework of permanent cooperation once the SEE 2020 goals can overcome and time-frame are exhausted. the crisis and be

edonia and Croatia who adopted the strategy stand behind it decisively and are determined to provide better quality of life for their citizens and lead them out of the current crises, with our support and that of the European Commission. Technically, once the process of creating and adopting regional action plans for each of the Strategy’s dimensions and the SEE governcompetitive on ments’ national strategies serving as an action ■ What currently constitutes the backbone of third markets only if bilateral cooperation in the region and to what plan for SEE 2020’s implementation are ready, extent can we be satisfied with its quality? all SEE stakeholders will meet to discuss the mutually linked progress and steps to follow. This is meant - Bilateral cooperation is highly important, as to happen in June 2014, in Bucharest at the Strategy’s Governing it is influencing mutual relations in the region. Board meeting, which takes place back-to-back with the RCC anThe region witnessed many positive developments in this connual meeting and the meetings of the Southeast European Cooptext over the past year: Croatian Prime Minister visited Belgrade, Serbian Prime Minister visited Sarajevo, and Prime Minister of eration Process (SEECP) foreign ministers and heads of states. Bosnia and Herzegovina was in Belgrade. In addition to their symAnother equally important aspect of the strategy’s implementation is the designing of a comprehensive monitoring mechanism. bolic importance and, of course, their role in increasing the level of This is the task of the RCC and we are preparing a baseline report, trust and friendship between nations, all these meetings have an which will serve as a basis for the monitoring process, and plan to increasingly pronounced economic element. Politicians are fully present it at this joint meeting. Monitoring plan is a very important aware that economies in the region, sharing similar social and ecotool, since we want to enable a mechanism through which every nomic situations, can overcome the crisis and be competitive on citizen in the region could have the data on SEE 2020 implementathird markets only if mutually linked. I expect such relations in the 10 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

region to move forward, because it is the only possible path. However, from our point of view, multilateral cooperation is much more important as a leading force for positive changes and reforms. Regional competition between one another and mutual helping pushes us all towards our joint goal - EU integration.

The Regional Cooperation Council will support them and seek concrete economic assistance for them.

common economic interest and single approach to other markets, how realistic is it that this will actually take place?

- You are quite right. The nature of the protests in Bosnia & Herzegovina lies in deep discontent, which has nothing to do with political colours but rather an economic and social situation which is gloomy and depressing. It is no surprise that people protest. They are hungry, jobless and desperate. They hold their government accountable for all the promises tinged with a European future. And while they make almost no progress in approaching Europe, they see Europe as close as their backyard, introducing e-cards

■ If we assume that bilateral cooperation could take root in a

- Over the recent years, the Regional Cooperation Council has done much in boosting regional multilateral cooperation and we will continue to do so. It is our mission after all. Some important steps forward have already been made in connecting of economies in the region, alike joint infrastructural projects, constant increase of the level of cultural exchange, cooperation in the fields of education, science, health care, etc. We are all inter-connected and improvement of cooperation, economic and cultural bonds, leads us towards the economic growth. The RCC will continue to work on creating an environment where mutual differences are respected, and own interests are adjusted to those of our neighbours. I keep on repeating that whoever tries to isolate others or oneself would end up without support, alone and unsuccessful.

■ For decades the main issue of the region was stability and security. Can we now, with the signing of the Brussels Agreement, say that lasting stability has been attained?

■ One the other hand, the recent unrest in Bosnia showed that social and economic discontent could be the new source of instability. How would you comment on this and how do you see the region’s future in terms of social and economic policies?

enabling simple movement of labour on the EU territory, declaring it a roaming-free zone, removing education barriers etc. They feel like Europeans but live as though they are light years away, metaphorically speaking. Unfortunately, the economic and social situation is difficult across the entire region. That is exactly what we want to address with the SEE 2020 strategy. Let me repeat: we want to create one million jobs in the region by 2020. These are not unrealistic expectations, as the RCC uses this figure as a starting point wishing to return these people to work. Young people should also engage more in politics and manage the processes in their own country in a creative way. I invite them to do so.

This region has endured a lot due to turbulent conflicts in the past, which are now two decades behind us. It is high time we moved from reconciliation and peace building towards economic and social prosperity

- The Belgrade-Pristina agreement is, of course, very important. Both governments and Baroness Ashton have done a tremendous job with it and continue to do so with efforts on its implementation. Both Belgrade and Pristina, and the European Commission for that matter, carry responsibility and need to be fully engaged when it comes to implementation of the agreement. It is, naturally, going to be reflected in the accession/association statuses of Serbia and Kosovo*. However, a permanent solution or permanent stability is a different matter. It is all part of the process leading to EU membership. It is also quite clear that with severe economic crisis and a difficult situation in Ukraine, the Balkans is currently not the EU’s top priority. I take it as my mission to continue explaining to our EU partners, who very much value stability across the whole of Europe, that they need to support us; to support brave politicians and governments that make tough decisions and conduct serious reform processes; to support countries and politicians in the region that take primary responsibility for their destiny and view the assumed obligations as an opportunity to make progress in their countries.

■ To what extent do economic crises, on the one hand, and out-

standing political issues such as Kosovo, the functioning of Bosnia’s institutions or the Macedonian name dispute, on the other, make the work of the RCC and improving cooperation in the region difficult?

- Based on consensus and agreement by Serbia and all others, Kosovo* is a full participant in the RCC. People from Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje, Podgorica etc. sit in our meetings and talk to each cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 11

other on a daily basis, while participating together in all our activities. And that is a fact. These unresolved political issues you mention do slow down inter-regional dialogue to some extent. However, when it comes to the RCC-driven economic growth strategy, which is a focus of our work, the political aspect is set aside due to more engaging, more important economic topics that we have in common and are trying to resolve. ■ In your opinion, what are the current common interests of the countries of the SEE region as a whole?

- The region strives to be a part of the European family of nations. That is a common denominator for the entire region. The enlargement process, as Commissioner Füle recently stressed at the London meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), focuses on improving economic governance. It brings us back to the RCC-initiated but regionallyowned economic growth strategy SEE 2020 – economy is the key issue. We must be honest and admit to ourselves that the European family would not take ‘the ugly stepsister’ as we economically appeal to them. We need to embark on selfimprovements in socio-economic terms in order to become desirable family members.

has been done in the past years. Learning is not a definitive process but rather one that evolves, and we keep on learning. I am not saying that there would be no obstacles, for there surely would. But as long as we believe in our cause and see our path and mutual goals clearly, using regional cooperation as a vehicle, the end result can only be a positive one.

■ Is it too early to hope to see the permanent reconciliation of relations just two decades after the end of the war, especially in light of the fact that we are still discovering mass graves? - There are still vivid images of suffering and grief caused by the past conflicts. Healing does not happen overnight and full reconciliation takes time. However, what we are seeing now is a different region – streaming forward and looking for better living. Over the past years regional cooperation was seen in the context of reconciliation, but it is slowly changing. The generations born after the conflicts are those who are now looking for work today, looking up to their peers in the developed countries, seeking something better. It is them and many more to come that dictate different needs and drive the region forward. ■ How can the RCC contribute to accelerat-

ing the process of European integration in the region?

- The crisis has threatened the region’s outlook for joining the EU. We must always We must always be is for the EU to fully recognise the region’s be aware of the fact that EU citizens will not aware of the fact that support the accession of countries that are interest when preparing the new strategy on funding development through pre-accession economically much weaker than the Member EU citizens will not funds – IPA 2, which Brussels is working on as support the accession States and countries which are not based on we speak. How can this be achieved? the rule of law. of countries that are Full implementation of the SEE 2020 strat- The RCC will be consulted during the proeconomically much cess of making decisions about the use of egy and attainment of specific and measurable these funds at the regional level. I think this is goals set out by the strategy is the way to mitiweaker than the a practical way to maintain the EU integration gate gaps and come closer to EU standards in Member States and dynamics and simultaneously enhance the education, employment, working conditions countries which are region’s stability. For the future, the earlierand productivity. Special efforts are needed to not based on the rule fight corruption and organised crime. mentioned results of the RCC-led monitoring of the SEE 2020 implementation would play Strong support to the entire process of SEE of law an important role not only in progress reports 2020 implementation comes to the RCC from for the EU candidate and potential candidate countries, but also the EU, i.e. the European Commission (EC) financially supported for the allocation of IPA funds. the development of the strategy and also intends to include some This testifies to the EU’s permanent support and commitment of the measures and goals into its strategic documents. This means to the inclusion of the entire Balkans, just like it was decided ten that achieving SEE 2020 goals will become part of the EC dialogue years ago in Thessaloniki. with the countries of the region that aspire to join the EU. In practice, this means that, as of this year, the region’s candidate coun■ Where do you see the potential challenges and setbacks regardtries should also be discussing progress on the implementation of this regional strategy within their EU accession negotiations. ■ ing the development of permanently stable and good neighbourly ■ You said recently that one of your priorities

relations in the region?

- The region has suffered a lot in the past 25 years, but I believe we learned the lesson and learned it well. A lot has changed and a lot 12 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

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INTERVIEW

H.E. OSZKÁR NIKOWITZ

AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARY TO SERBIA

Alternative

POLICIES Governments are given a mandate by voters to represent their national interests. Caring for them, therefore, is a primary obligation of a democratically elected government. That is clear

he ‘unorthodox’ Hungarian idea to extend the burden sharing to the banks, multinational companies, private utility services, etc. caused a major uproar within financial circles. However, according to Hungary’s ambassador to Serbia, these measures have proven successful and have been working successfully for more than three years now. ■ Critics have interpreted the current official policy of Hungary

as kind of turning its back on the EU. However, the trust gained by the current government at the recently completed elections, among other things also “as proof of loyalty to the EU,” as Prime Minister Orbán explained, confirms that an overwhelmingly majority of the people support the government. How would you comment on this? 14 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

- Critics, especially those who work for the media, like to simplify and exaggerate. They adore heavy words like ‘Hungary turning its back on the EU’ and would rather avoid thorough analyses that would reveal that an occasional different opinion or efforts to have more ‘own ways’ mean nothing more than an internal dispute. Like a quarrel in the family. In the European family, e.g. we have different opinion on the family values inasmuch as we give them more importance than the European liberals and we receive harsh critics for it. But nobody in Orban’s government has ever brought into question Hungary’s membership in the EU. Support for this policy at the last elections is, thus, also support for the EU, as the voters understood the essence of the policy in Hungary much better than the critics, that is: EU, yes, but once inside, one has to fight for more influence and more elbow room within it.

INFLUENCE

DISCIPLINE

PUBLIC SECTOR

We say yes to the Union, but once inside the EU one has to fight for more influence and more elbow room within it.

Budget discipline, avoiding further indebtedness, burden sharing and lower income taxes leave more money in the pockets of the people.

Buying back a service is often much more painful than cutting one to size on time and keeping and running a smaller one.

■ Various criticisms have arrived from the EU on the issues of human rights, freedom of the media and even Hungary’s withdrawal from certain, primarily financial, frameworks of the EU. Are there certain levels of non-compliance behind that or the fact that the government primarily cares about the national interests?

ditional sphere of interest, for example in the East – bits and pieces that, we hope, are going to continue bringing results.

■ In terms of economic recovery, are there things in which Serbia can follow the example and experience of Hungary?

- Governments are given a mandate by voters to represent their - Not being an expert in economics, I would refrain from giving national interests. Caring for them, therefore, is a primary obligasuch advice to Serbia. The new governments on both sides, howevtion of a democratically elected government. That is clear. Finaner, are poised to cooperate intensively and we have offered experts to loan to Serbia in the phase of their preparation and negotiations cial frameworks of the EU bleed from many wounds and some elements of them would have only deepened the economic troubles of Hungary and, to make matters worse, would have done so by putting the burden on the average taxpayers. The ‘unorthodox’ Hungarian idea to extend the burden sharing to the banks, multinational companies, private utility services, etc. caused, needless to say, a big uproar in financial circles. But these measures have, one must not forget, proven successful and have been working well for more than three years now. As for criticism regarding human rights, this is mostly suggested by the media in the hands of, or influenced by, the socialist-liberal circles that were swept away at with the EU. This exchange of experience the elections four years ago and now use eveNobody in Orban’s certainly includes our ‘best practices’ ry means to discredit the ruling civic coalition. government has ever from which Serbia, mutatis mutandis of It is a ridiculous attempt. No-one can mention brought into question course, will be able to benefit. a single segment of human right that is being cut back on in Hungary. The Law on the Media Hungary’s membership in has a passage regarding defamation that puts ■ Similarly to Serbia, Hungary is strugthe EU. Support for this something ahead of ‘liberty’: human dignity. gling with a bloated public sector. What policy at the last elections are the odds that this problem will be reBut we consider it normal that it is ranked is, thus, also support higher than any other social principle. solved and in which ways? for the EU, as the voters - Contrary to the free-market mantra the ■ All Hungary’s economic parameters from understood the essence state as an owner and the public sector in itself is not a swearword. A strong 2013 indicate improvement, from economic of the policy much better state is needed and a strong state needs growth to a decline in the unemployment than the critics educated, qualified and well trained emrate. What are the main factors that contributed to this? ployees. The fact that it is not part of the business sphere, where the ideal number of employees can be - This means that the aforementioned measures are working: measured in exact economic terms leaves ample room to question budget discipline, avoiding further indebtedness, burden sharits effectiveness, but I would say this is part of healthy criticism and ing and lower income taxes leave more money in the pocket of scepticism. I would certainly suggest a careful examination of the the people and stimulate entrepreneurship, favouring investeffectiveness of state institutions following the principle ‘measure ments in production. A higher sales tax (VAT) makes up for the twice, cut once’ instead of rushing into outsourcing functions. I lower income tax rate. Stimulated SMEs create jobs, especially have seen too many examples of outsourcing ending in much more locally. Multinationals are also welcome and many have recogcostly services by private service providers than before. Buying nised that it is still worth continuing production in Hungary back a service is often much more painful than cutting one to size integrated fully in the society. Our economists have managed on time and keeping and running a smaller one. to discover some new business opportunities outside our tracordeditorial@cma.rs |

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■ Hungary went through a process of radical legislative change in the period from 2010 to 2014. From that experience what could be used by Serbia in the process of building its own system? - The same can be applied here, as I said, about the ‘best practices’ consultations. The essence of it: certainly you need to consult the EU and neighbours with EU experience, but trust your own ways and stick to them where your advisors do not have a proposal that is undoubtedly better. It is you and your citizens that will have to live by the legislation in Serbia. Take over only what works better elsewhere. Stick to traditions, but do not be obsessed with them and be ready to discard some of them when it is obvious that they have become an obstacle to progress. ■ Unlike other countries that were be-

■ Thanks to Hungarian law, according to

which anyone with ancestors born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire can apply for Hungarian citizenship, a number of Serbian citizens now have EU passports. How does this impact on the Hungarian labour market?

Hungary certainly might be trend-setting in one aspect, that is keeping a reasonable balance between national interests and European membership, which at the same time formulates our view of an ideal Europe of nations with a stable national identity – all in solidarity

- A little correction: Hungarian citizenship is not granted to all those whose ancestors were born anywhere in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, but only to those whose ancestors were citizens of Hungary before 1920. As regards the labour market, it would be ridiculous to be worried about the Hungarian labour market in the time of the EU where free movement of the labour force is one of the basic stipulations. The number of new Hungarian citizens expected to appear in Hungary is insignificant and no-one is anxious about competition on the labour market. That argument was only one of the pretexts of those who opposed this particular law in Hungary. ■ How would you comment on the position of the Hungarian na16 |

- We have expressed satisfaction several times with the legal framework that regulates national minorities in Serbia, especially with the law on national minority councils. The Hungarian Minority Council has managed to fill it with content and has established its institutions and a functioning mechanism of running them. All that has been functioning within Vojvodina and now we are slightly worried about the decisions of the constitutional court which denies some acquired basic rights of the minority councils and, moreover, the framework the Vojvodina Statute has provided so far. But we are optimistic and hopeful that a proper solution will be found, especially in the mirror of the recent developments. ■ How significant to the Hungarian community in Serbia is the entry of the League of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) into the new government?

hind the “iron curtain”, communism wasn’t overthrown by force in Hungary, but rather practically melted away. To what extent can the Hungarian experience of transition from an Eastern European communist country to an EU member state serve Serbia, which is going through a similar (although not identical) process?

- Our experience can be summarised in a simple sentence: although it is praiseworthy that communism ceased to exist without a single slap on the face, let alone bloodshed, transition has been made more painful and incomplete because of the remnants of the old institutions, structures and people representing them. The only advice we can give to other countries is to try to get rid of them as soon as possible.

tional minority in Serbia?

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- It is no exaggeration to say that this might represent an historic step forward in the position of the Hungarian minority in Serbia, but even more than that: a change in the Serbian political thinking vis-a-vis minorities in general and the Hungarian community in particular. That can mean acceptance and integration of everything that Hungarians represent in Serbia, culture, traditions, history, political inclinations, the whole backpack. It remains a question how this intention will be translated in the intricacies of politics, but we trust the openness of Serbian politicians and the professionalism of the representatives of the Alliance of Hungarians in Vojvodina. There is one more little detail here that is not comprised in your question: the government of Hungary certainly detects the gesture of Serbia vis-a-vis Hungary here, which, I am certain, is not going to remain without reciprocation.

■ The Fidesz Party achieved an overwhelming victory at the recent elections in Hungary. What do you think is the basis for the almost two-thirds victory of Prime Minister Orban at these elections? - After four years at the helm, no government could mislead the voters: people do not pass their judgement by promises or by written programmes but rather by deeds and the credibility of the ruling leaders. No propaganda, no media campaign or no ‘last minute donations’ could have made the trick of four years of rule: gaining the trust of the people. And that in the circumstances of a hard media headwind from the fallen liberals and socialists that have depicted the country as a tyrannical, proto-fascist and antidemo-

cratic state. A campaign, by the way, even the Serbian press has often fallen victim to.

■ Given this result for Fidesz, could it be said that strong national governments are returning as a political trend in Europe? - That I do not know. National movements are very different in Europe and I cannot say all of them deserve support, on the contrary. Some do, but I would not get into prophecies about trends. Hungary certainly might be trend-setting in one aspect, that is keeping a reasonable balance between national interests and European membership, which at the same time formulates our view of an ideal Europe of nations with a stable national identity – all in solidarity.

The number of new Hungarian citizens expected to appear in Hungary is insignificant and noone is anxious about competition on the labour market. That argument was only a pretext for those who opposed this particular law

■ What represents the backbone of bilateral cooperation between Serbia and Hungary?

- The backbone should be the continuation of the cooperation with a focus on the future, where both nations have the will and courage to face all the delicate outstanding issues left over from the past. The two neighbouring nations are connected by thousands of links and interests, our countries are in many ways in a similar position in a post-communist period, although with a slight difference in timing as regards the European Union, where governments have

managed to gain a never-seen authorisation of their population. It opens promising horizons. Our task now is to build all the mechanisms and infrastructure between our countries that will be needed the moment Serbia has reached the gate of the EU, in order to be ready to fully exploit the potential of the neighbourhood and the mutual trust we, hopefully, will have developed by then.

■ Despite geographical proximity, economic cooperation between the two countries is not recording significant growth. Is it realistic to expect more Hungarian investors in Serbia in the coming period?

- The growth is continuous and although you say it cannot be described as significant I would not underestimate it. Hungary, despite the hard inheritance of the last decade, has managed to stay among the top ten trade partners and investors in Serbia. In the coming period we expect significant improvement in infrastructure (rapid rail connection, more border crossing points, better transport and energy links etc.) which is certainly going to result in an increased interest on the investors’ side. Hungarian companies and international companies resident in Hungary are interested not only in the Vojvodina region, but the South of Serbia as well and many have already expressed their interest. ■

SUMMER CAMP

2014

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Generosity

GLOBAL DIARY

Holy Week in Zamora

"We are less pragmatic than other people, less calculating, but then we have a more generous heart. Perhaps this reflects the greatness of our country and its vast size." — Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation

Holy Week in Zamora, Spain, is the annual commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ, which takes place during the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding Easter. Holy Week is the Christian week from Palm Sunday (also called Passion Sunday) through Easter Sunday. It can take place in March or April. Holy Week in Zamora is celebrated by 16 Catholic religious brotherhoods and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets of the city. Zamora’s Holy Week is well known for its soberness, which makes it remarkably different from other celebrations, and for being attended by thousands of people, including locals and visitors.

Senator Goes to Wrong Hearing, Blames Moscow Senior U.S. Senator from Indiana, Republican Dan Coats, attended what he thought was an appropriations hearing on the defence budg-

et on 8 Apil, where he read from papers and posed what seemed appropriate question on that subject until someone handed him a piece of paper which read “you are at the wrong hearing”. He had thought he was attending a meeting of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee, but instead was at a hearing of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. “I think the Russians have been messing with my schedule,” he later tweeted. Last month Moscow included Senator Coats on a list of congressional leaders and White House officials banned from entering Russia in response to U.S. efforts to sancth

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tion Russia for its invasion of the Ukrainian region of the Crimea.

Conflict of Interest Political spin doctor Aquilino Morelle, who was in charge of French President François Hollande’s communications, has resigned following allegations that he secretly worked for a pharmaceuticals company whilst he was also engaged by a health watchdog. Almost as damaging were claims that his lifestyle was not in line with expectations for someone seen as representing the left wing

of the France’s Socialist Party. Investigative website Mediapart alleged that Morelle had summoned a shoe-shiner to the presidential palace to buff his 30 pairs of handmade leather shoes, used official chauffeurs to drive his children to after-school activities and raided the Elysée cellars for fine vintage wines to accompany

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his working lunches. He was also alleged to have passed off presidential speeches written by another adviser as his own. Morelle did not contest the allegations about his shoes.

Merkel’s Italian Holiday German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been pictured on her Easter holiday with her rarely-seen husband Joachim Sauer in the same Italian city the couple have visited for decades. The pair were spotted browsing shops in Sant’Angelo on the island of D’Ischia, near Naples in the Mediterranean. They are thought to be staying in the five-star Miramare Spa Hotel on the south of the island, which comes with its own private beach and balconies overlooking the sea. Guests are also given exclusive use of the Aphrodite Apollon Thermal Gardens spa centre, which has 12 natural thermal pools, a naturally heated sauna and a gym.

Pope Francis Washes Feet of Disabled Pope Francis has washed the feet of a dozen elderly and disabled people,

President Gentleman President Barack Obama saved wife Michelle’s skirt from blowing above her head in the wind as they boarded Air Force One on their way to Austin, Texas on 10th April. As the Obamas boarded the plane in Houston, Michelle’s skirt began to vigorously billow in the wind. Barack kindly placed his hand over his wife’s bottom to save her from potentially embarrassing photos. In doing so, the President helped Michelle avoid a fiasco similar to the ‘Marilyn moment’ experienced by the Duchess of Cambridge last month, when she disembarked from her flight in Wellington, New Zealand.

Mediator “Switzerland is by nature a mediator. That is why Switzerland is needed. There are enough other players responsible for threats and sanctions." — Didier Burkhalter, Swiss President and Foreign Minister

including a Libyan Muslim, during an Easter ritual in Rome imitating Jesus Christ’s humility. The 77-year-old bent down to wash and kiss the feet of the nine Italians and three foreigners, aged between 16 and 86, at the Don Carlo Gnocchi foundation’s Santa Maria della Provvidenza centre. The pope arrived in a Ford Focus to cheers from crowds and stopped to speak with elderly and disabled people gathered at the centre’s modern church in Rome’s suburbs, before picking up a silver urn of water and a white towel and kneeling in front of the chosen 12. “It was the slaves and servants who washed the dirt from the street off the feet of arriving guests. Jesus did a slave’s job. He is God and became our servant,” the pope reminded.

Kim Jong Un’s Haircut Staff members at a London hair salon have said that they had a close shave with North Korean officials after using the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, to promote discount haircuts. M&M Hair Academy says it received a visit by two men from the

nearby North Korean Embassy after they put up a poster last month featuring a picture of Kim — who sports a distinctive undercut — and the slogan “Bad Hair Day?”

Barber Karim Nabbach said the manager refused to remove the poster and reported the incident to police. London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers had spoken to both sides of the dispute and concluded “there were no offences for us to investigate.” Embassy officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Going Once, Twice…

South African President Jacob Zuma used to be a money-spinner for his political party the African National Congress (ANC), with businesspeople willing to pay a lot of money to share a table with him. But at a fundraising dinner in Limpopo last month the business people were suddenly out of pocket when they were asked to bid R200,000 (approx. €14,000) to spend 15 minutes with Mr Zuma. The exercise was eventually abandoned, but the evening was saved by some Madiba magic when a woman forked out R175,000 (€12,000) for an oil painting of the

A Royal Welcome!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were given the warmest of welcomes at the beginning of their three-week tour of New Zealand in early April. The couple were met by traditional Māori warriors as well as a local dignitary, who rubbed noses with William and Kate as they stood on the soggy lawn outside the stately home. The giggling Duchess didn’t know where to look as she chatted to one heavily tattooed Māori warrior, who was bare-bottomed in his traditional clothing. The traditional Māori greeting, the Hongi, is done by pressing one’s nose and forehead to another person in an encounter. former president – and gave it to president Zuma as a birthday gift.

President's missing macaws Four macaws belonging to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa have escaped his tightly-guarded official residence in Colombo and his office said there has been an appeal for help to trace the colourful long-tailed birds. “The president is very fond of these birds,” an official in his office told AFP, adding that he also cared for other species at the colonialera Presidential House in the capital Colombo. The macaws went missing from their aviary during the tradition-

al New Year holidays in mid April. Rajapaksa’s office released photos of three of them and appealed for help to find them. Macaws – a species of parrot – are not indigenous to Sri Lanka, but several pet stores import them from South America.

A pair of macaws inside an aviary at the Presidential House

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INTERVIEW

MARKO ČADEŽ

DIRECTOR OF THE “FORUM SERBIA GERMANY”ASSOCIATION

Combine to

ACHIEVE MORE In the achieving of its objectives, the Forum Serbia Germany Association works on the development of a network of experts, institutions and organisations that will collaborate intensively on improving relations between the two countries. By organising formal and informal meetings between decision-makers in Serbia and Germany we will endeavour to create a platform for dialogue on the topics most relevant to the integration process

he “Forum Serbia - Germany”, which will deal with the prospects of economic and political cooperation between the two countries, formally launched its operations on 9th April, with the message that Serbia is not afraid of being a friend to Germany and that Serbia is a key country in the Balkans for Germany. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was a guest of the Forum, said that he cares about improving Serbian-German relations because that is important for the further development of Europe, as well as assessing that the Serbian government’s wish for the country to join the EU by 2020 is realistic, because “the country is ready to take the path of reform”. Schroeder said Serbia is the key country for Germany in the Balkans, adding that the current Serbian government has significantly improved relations with all countries in the region, especially with Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, for

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which he credited Aleksandar Vučić, who participated immeasurably in the policies of the previous government. According to Schroeder, the EU and Germany want a politically stable and economically prosperous Balkan region, which means that Berlin will support Serbia on its route to Europe and will do so not only with words, but also with deeds. Furthermore, he recalled that since the year 2000 Germany has made more than €1.6 billion available as bilateral assistance to Serbia, which is more than it provided any other state, and that this must continue because Serbia still requires support. According to the former Chancellor, two things are very important for the future of Serbia - one is the start of accession negotiations with the EU, which will convince many investors that it is important to invest in Serbia, and the other is the credibly expressed desire of the government of Aleksandar Vučić to launch far-reaching reforms.

In order to find out more about the Forum Serbia Germany’s main objectives, plans, structure and the manner in which this association will work, we interviewed its director, Marko Čadež. ■ How and based on whose initiative was the Forum Serbia-Germany established?

- The idea to establish such an association is not new. Over time only more of us have got together around these kinds of initiatives with a similar question - how to further contribute to the development of relations between Serbia and Germany. At this juncture this initiative has sufficiently matured and gained its basic structure. When you look at who comprises the Forum, these are people who contribute to building relations between Serbia and Germany through their professions in different activities.

German Finance Minister Hans Ajhela), Michael Schaefer (President of the Board of Directors of BMW’s Herbert Quandt Foundation and former political director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany), Zeljko Sertić (President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce), Dejan Ilić (scientist and manager operating in Germany), Gabrielle Schubert (professor of Slavic studies at the University of Jena) and Sonja Liht (Director of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence). There is also the Executive Board of the Forum and the “Friends of the Forum” institution, which consist of companies and organisations from Serbia and Germany that support the objectives of the Forum Serbia Germany Association. ■ Forum Serbia - Germany extends beyond the framework of merely deepening economic cooperation. How can this type of interconnecting bring benefits to both countries?

■ What will be the Forum’s main activities and objectives?

- In the achieving of its objectives, the Forum Serbia Germany Association works on the development of a network of experts, institutions and organisations that will collaborate intensively on improving relations between the two countries. By organising formal and informal meetings between decision-makers in Serbia and Germany we will endeavour to create a platform for dialogue on the topics most relevant for the integration process. In cooperation with partners, the forum will also intensively promote economic projects, but also the exchange of young people and professional training and cultural cooperation.

■ How is the Forum constituted and who are all the individuals comprising the Forum’s organs?

- The essence of the asso-

The Serbian citizens who live and work in Germany represent an important bridge between the two countries, so dialogue with them is not only necessary for the successful operating of the Association, but of essential importance

- The Forum envisages various forms of cooperation for individuals and organisations. Honorary members of the Forum include Ružica Đinđić, President of the Zoran Đinđić Foundation, Aleksandar Vučić, foreign policy coordinator of the German Federal Government for Relations with Russia and President of the Southeast Europe Association, Gernot Erler, and Philipp Mießfelder, foreign policy rapporteur for the CDU/CSU Group in the Bundestag. Members of the Advisory Board of the Forum include, amongst others, Kori Udovički (Director of the Centre for Advanced Economic Studies - CEVES), Hans-Hermann Tidje (German journalist, media manager and former editor of Germany’s largest newspaper Bild Zeitung), Klaus-Peter Schmidt Deguelle (German publicist, political consultant and former advisor to

ciation is simple: that individuals gathered together around common goals create synergies and relations that contribute more to the achieving of objectives than every any individual in their own fields. We do not see the Forum as a new institution in certain fields, but rather as a kind of additional energy in the further building of what are already very good relations between the two countries in various domains. When it comes to economic cooperation, a crucial role in this is played by, for example, the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Serbia, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the German-Serbian Business Association. In the field of cultural cooperation there is the Goethe Institute or initiatives such Serbinala, the festival of Serbian culture and art in Germany. A strong contribution to political cordeditorial@cma.rs |

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dialogue is provided by German political foundations or organisations like the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence. The idea of the Forum is for it, as much as it is able, to expand and develop a network of friends of Serbia in Germany and friends of Germany in Serbia. ■ Economic cooperation is, of course, what brings the

greatest mutual benefits at the bilateral level. Will the Forum’s activities be focused on that and, if so, in which way?

- The Forum will endeavour to “open doors” through its network and connect decisionmakers in Serbia and Germany. In addition to that, one of the first activities planned is to conduct a fundamental study on SerbianGerman economic relations, with a particular focus on relations between SMEs. This initiative was launched by the Forum’s members, while the project itself was carried out by the Centre for Advanced Economic Studies (CEVES) and the results of this kind of study will be useful to various institutions in Serbia and Germany.

We should also not forget cooperation in science – with nearly 10,000 scientists and students from Serbia having continued their studies at German universities over the past ten years. On the other hand, today more than half a million people of Serbian origin live and work in Germany. They all influence the dynamics of relations between Serbia and Germany. Friendship, however, does not exist between countries – rather only between people. I am confident, and I think I can also speak on behalf of all those gathered in this association, that the depth of relations ensures open and intensive communication between individuals. Dialogue between all segments of society in the two countries is continuously developing. ■ The Forum has gathered together people ranging from Ružica Đinđić to Aleksandar Vučić, to German representatives of both the CDU and SDP. As such, the idea of the Forum goes beyond the usual political divisions. Is that one of the postulates of the Forum?

■ Are there examples of similar associations in the world and what are the experiences of these organizations?

- Of course, such initiatives exist in various countries. There’s the German-Romanian Forum and the German-Bulgarian Forum, while similar associations also exist in Croatia, Poland and other countries around the world, and they contribute to the intensification of bilateral relations. ■ What forms the backbone of

friendly relations between Serbia and Germany today?

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Regular and sincere cooperation between the governments, meetings between officials, intergovernmental agreements and trade agreements already comprise an important and essential framework for the development of relations between the two countries

- Regular and sincere cooperation between the governments, as well as meetings between officials, intergovernmental agreements and trade agreements, already comprise an important and essential framework for the development of relations between the two countries. They define common interests and objectives. Today Germany is one of Serbia’s main political and economic partners. The German government is also the largest donor to Serbia, both individually and through EU funds, and the more than 400 German companies that operate in Serbia employ in excess of 10,000 people.

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- Deepening and developing relationships between the two countries should not be politically or ideologically limited. If you want to give an impulse to comprehensive social dialogue, then there can be no place for political divisions.

■ Considering the large number of citizens of Serbian origin living in Germany, will the activities of the Forum also be directed towards them in some way?

- As I have already mentioned, the Serbian citizens who live and work in Germany represent an important bridge between the two countries. Dialogue with representatives of the Serbian Diaspora is not only necessary for the successful operating of the Association but, in my opinion, of essential importance.

■ Will the Forum collaborate with other organisations (DSW, the Goethe Institute etc.) that are already working in Serbia to deepen German-Serbian relations?

- The Forum is already collaborating with German organisations that work in Serbia. Our intention is to support their work, as much as we are able as an association, and launch new initiatives together with them. ■

PRESS FREEDOM IN THE BALKANS

FEATURE

Troublesome Times

he media across the Balkans and in former Yugoslavia are doing badly, commercially and politically. Every year Reporters without Borders, a journalists’ lobby, ranks some 180 countries for media freedom. The highest spot in the region this year goes to Slovenia, but only at 34th. Of the others, Serbia is 54th and Croatia 65th, with Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro coming lower still and Macedonia way down at 123rd. For countries that are either in the European Union already (Slovenia and Croatia) or aspire to join, these lowly rankings ought to dismay. The underlying problems for the media are similar, but each country has its own worries. Serbia’s government has direct or indirect control of as much as 40% of advertising, much of it by state-owned companies. Few media are ready to risk this (though advertising channelled through two media-buying agencies close to the then president, Boris Tadic, did not save his government in 2012). After the election most media, including the public broadcasters, shifted shamelessly in favour of the new most powerful figure, Aleksandar Vučić. Editors know that Mr Vučić may sometimes call personally to upbraid them. He did not want his wedding reported, so it was

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not. When he was filmed rescuing a child stuck in snow he was incensed by videos mocking it as a pre-election stunt; officials tried to block them online. In Croatia political pressure is lower, but big business is a concern. “I can report on anything related to politics,” says one Croatian journalist, but she cannot touch anything to do with a big firm in business with her proprietor. Last year the government agreed to cut VAT on newspapers. In return, says the journalist, “court reporters” file enthusiastic stories about the government, “doing the dirty work so the rest of us can do what we want.” A similar story plays out in Bosnia. The country’s biggest construction magnate, Fahrudin

The underlying problems for the media are similar, but each country has its own worries Radoncic, owns a media group, has a political party and was the security minister. Montenegrin journalists working for media critical of the government risk being beaten up. Five vehicles belonging to the newspaper Vijesti have been set on fire in the past three years and a small bomb went off at its building last December. The threat of being murdered for investigating organised crime is also a big disincentive.

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In Macedonia one media firm was shut after a raid by tax inspectors who, it is believed, do not look so closely at the books of pro-government companies. Unfavourable stories invite libel suits. “There is clear pressure on journalists from many sides,” says Dunja Mijatović at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The conviction last October of Tomislav Kezarovski for revealing the name of a protected witness in a murder case, who later admitted to giving false testimony, “sends a chilling message” to the media in Macedonia, says Ms Mijatović. Even in Slovenia journalists have problems. Anuska Delić, who works for the daily Delo, has been indicted for revealing state secrets. She may just be collateral damage in a dirty game where those in power use the intelligence services to leak stories to harm enemies. In this grey zone apparently independent websites are often no such thing. In Kosovo they are “popping up like mushrooms”, says Agron Bajrami, editor of the daily Koha Ditore. Many seem to rely on political-party funding. Blatant corruption is also a problem. The Serbian-language public broadcaster, which backs the Serbian party in Kosovo’s government, has been mired in allegations of nepotism and misuse of public money. In Albania, says Remzi Lani, an analyst, the media are still “sandwiched between business and politics”. He adds that the biggest problems Albanian journalists face, including low pay and morale, are shared across the Balkans. “We have moved from an era of repression to one of pressure,” he laments. The Economist ■

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FEATURE

Policymaking and Successful Accession Discussed

Thorough reform of the policy making system is needed if Serbia is to approach EU accession as a process of becoming a capable and credible member state and not simply as a project of achieving membership status

for Serbia”, presented by CEP’s Milena from former acceding countries? These erbia’s Centre for European Lazarević, places an emphasis on the reland other issues were addressed by Policy (Centar za evropske polievance of policy making and coordinaa distinguished panel that included tike - CEP) participated in a policy tion aspects of public administration reSerbian Finance Minister Lazar Krstić, dialogue organised in cooperaform for successful accession negotiaDeputy Director of the Serbian govtion with renowned Brussels-based think tions and subsequent EU membership. ernment’s European Integration Office, tank the European Policy Centre (EPC) on The study is supported by the project Srđan Majstorović, Jean-Eric Paquet, March 31st 2014, covering the topic of “Support to EU Integration to Serbia”, Director of the European Commission’s Serbia’s accession process: sound policyimplemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft DG Enlargement for Albania, Bosniamaking for sound EU membership. für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, CEP is a Belgrade-based think tank GmbH – GIZ on behalf of the German Tibor Draskovics, Team Leader of the which focuses on research in the aregovernment. The Study is directed to“Reforming Policy Coordination and as of EU law, EU affairs, economics and wards policy makers in Serbia in the the Centre of Government” project, fipublic administration reform, with a vihope of creating a stronger incentive nanced by the EU, and Milena Lazarević, sion of changing the policy making enfor them to address the deficiencies of Senior CEP Programme Manager. vironment in Serbia for the better by these systems as early as possible in The process of conducting memberrendering it more evidence based, more the accession process. Thorough reform ship talks is a demanding exercise that open and inclusive and more substanof the policy making system is needed engages the entire society in the countially EU accession driven. Its policy prodif Serbia is to approach EU accession as tries seeking to join the EU. As an acucts, which address various policy areas a process of becoming a capasubject to EU accession negoble and credible member state tiations, target Serbian policyIn order to “speak with a single voice” in the and not simply as a project of makers and decision-makers, complex EU policy arena, as well as reap the achieving membership status. governmental institutions, as benefits of EU membership, Serbia will need to In order to “speak with a well as the civil society sector. ensure that the positions it presents in Brussels single voice” in the complex Serbia formally opened are based on sound, well-analysed, well EU policy arena, as well as reap accession negotiations the benefits of EU memberwith the European Union in evidenced and well-coordinated policies ship, Serbia will need to ensure January this year. Is Serbia that the positions it presents in Brussels ceding country, Serbia is required not currently taking advantage of the neare based on sound, well-analysed, well only to adopt the acquis communaugotiations in order to transform itself evidenced and well-coordinated policies. taire (over 170,000 pages long), but alin a sustainable manner and to pracIn its endeavour to achieve the aforeso implement the whole body of EU law. tice its policymaking skills in preparamentioned, Serbia can learn much from Therefore, a genuine and concerted retion for EU membership? To what exthe practices of the UK, France, Poland form effort across domestic institutent are public administration and and Latvia, whose systems were closetions and stakeholders is key to ensurgood governance reforms present in ly analysed in the study and who are all ing that Serbia progresses in negotiaSerbia’s strategy for a successful acsuccessful member states in different tions. CEP’s Study, “Policymaking and EU cession process? What are the best ways and for different reasons. ■ Accession Negotiations: Getting Results practice examples and lessons learned

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

MAY 2014 BUSINESS LEADER’S MEETING POINT

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BILJANA ČVERTKOV CEO of Yugoslav River Shipping

PETAR MILJKOVIĆ Director of Zorka Keramika d.o.o.

Sailing From Loser to Winner

The Beauty and Comfort of Ceramics

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PAGE 41

The International School of Belgrade

The Chartwell International School

Learning Through Community and Service

School Not Governed by Rules

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PAGE 44

NALED

ANASTASIA SAGIANNI Transfer pricing advisor, Eurofast Global, Belgrade Office

Eastern Serbia - a Good Place to Invest

Tackling TP Regulations cordeditorial@cma.rs | 115 May 2014

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

CORPORATE

DSW

Serbia Hinders Itself A survey of the business environment and investment potential of Serbia, conducted by the German-Serbian Business Association (DSW), shows that the assessment of the economic situation in Serbia in 2014 did not improve significantly compared to the previous year

erbia often hampers its own economic development. This is MARTIN KNAPP, (left) managing director of the German-Serbian Business Association, DR. RONALD SEELIGER, CEO of the German-Serbian Business Association and H.E. HEINZ WILHELM, German one of the conclusions of the Ambassador to Serbia ninth survey of the business envisage deterioration in 2014 comworkforce, as many as 92% of the parenvironment and investment potential pared to the previous year. ticipating companies said they would of Serbia, conducted by the GermanWillingness to invest and hire new re-invest in Serbia. Germany represents Serbian Business Association (DSW) in workers was shown in particular by export one of Serbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important trading the period from 1st to 28th February. orientated companies from the manufacpartners and is among the top investors The survey also asked about the turing sector which have more than 250 in Serbia. The trade exchange between prediction of German companies in the employees. A total of 71% of those surGermany and Serbia amounted to â&#x201A;Ź2.8 current financial year, as well as the veyed expect an increase of labour costs, billion in 2013, marking an increase of business environment in Serbia. The by 5% to 10%, while one in five expect la11.7% compared to the previous year. results of the survey were presentbour costs to increase by over 10%. The survey found that the assessed on 9th April by H.E. Heinz Wilhelm, In the evaluation of surveyed comment of the economic situation in German Ambassador to Serbia, Dr. panies regarding business conditions, Serbia in 2014 did not improve signifiRonald Seeliger, CEO of the Germanas in previous years special emphasis cantly compared to the previous year. Serbian Business Association and is placed on deficiencies in the proviLast year some 80% of surveyed comManaging Director of Hemofarm ad, sion of legal certainty, the predictabilipanies rated economic conditions as and Martin Knapp, managing directy of economic policy and the efficienpoor. For 2014 this result is more positor of the German-Serbian Business cy of public administration. Association and director Moreover, attention is also of the German Business Willingness to invest and hire new workers drawn to the lack of transDelegation to Serbia. was shown in particular by export orientated parency in public tenders and Member companies of companies from the manufacturing sector the tax system and tax adthe German-Serbian Business ministration. Association (DSW) emphawhich have more than 250 employees In the context of the resised their readiness for new gional survey, which was conducted tive, given that 67% of respondents exjobs and investments and their wish to in 16 countries in Central and Eastern pect a negative state of the economy. participate in advancing the economic Europe, survey participants had the opMore than a third of respondents rated development of Serbia. Requirements portunity to assess the positions of all their own economic situation as good: for the establishment of legal certainother countries in Central and Eastern almost 60% as satisfactory and only ty, predictability of economic policy, the Europe. Serbia is positioned 12th out of 4% as unfavourable. fight against corruption, the efficiency German-Serbian business leaders of public administration and implemen20 countries. These results indicate a view the current year positively: more tation of the reform of the Labour Law, significantly more positive attitude tothan half of them expect an improvesubmitted to the Serbian government, wards Serbia from foreign investors ment of their economic situation, while have remained the same for many years. who are already present, compared to 40% predict a stable and unchanging Alongside positive expectations for opfirms that to date do not have experisituation for their enterprises. Only 6% erations and satisfaction with their ence with investments in Serbia. â&#x2013;

cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 29

LOCAL NEWS

Dialogue

Business Dialogue 01

“I expect the government to be a team that knows what they want and where all work together, instead of every man for himself, in dialogue with both the people and the church.” — Stanislav Hočevar, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

New Base Stations in Belgrade

Pireaus Bank Named “Best Bank in Greece”

Telenor continues to invest in network infrastructure across Serbia Telenor has put eight new base stations into operation in Belgrade. The construction of these base stations will contribute to better network coverage and improved signals in the north-western part of Ada Ciganlija, the surrounding area of the Emergency Centre, Sava Centre, Hilandarska Street, Dorćol and in the settlements of Vrbovski, Veliki Borak and Besni Fok. Communication between customers in these areas will be easier, faster and more secure, while another objective is to improve the customer’s experience. Apart from investments of €20 million in the network and 220 base stations that will be constructed this year, Telenor additionally plans to set up fibre-optic cables of more than 800 kilometres in length. The smart network currently covers 80 per cent of the population and coverage can be checked at any time via Telenor’s official website www.telenor.rs

DON DON

One of the Best From Serbia “Our grain – your five minutes”, as the recognisable brand of company Don Don, has won the Best from Serbia Award in the category of best new brand in 2013. The company has been operating in Serbia since 2008 with one goal in mind - to listen to the needs of customers and respond to those needs with quality products. Confirming that the company has succeeded in its mission is the fact that it won in competition with 12 other companies and ‘Your 5 minutes’ won the award for best new brand in 2013. “When we introduce a new brand we often ask ourselves if we are on the right track, if consumers recognise the quality and if we are succeeding in recognising their desires. This award was brought to us precisely by our customers, experts and our results achieved, which means that we are doing the right thing. Introducing a brand is like a long-distance run. Today we are at the beginning of the course, but we have a leading position. We will do everything to ensure we stay there” - said Nenad Đorđević, director of company Don Don, speaking at the official awards ceremony.

AVIATION

Belgrade Airport Handles Millionth Passenger Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport handled its millionth passenger for the year on April 18th, over a month ahead of achieving the same total in 2013, as it continues to record unprecedented growth 30 |

BANKING

Piraeus Bank was declared the “Best Bank in Greece” for 2014 by internationally renowned magazine Global Finance The distinction, which concerns financial institutions in developed countries, is awarded to banks that responded effectively to the needs of their clients in difficult periods for the markets and achieve important objectives, while laying the foundations for future successes. Various objective criteria were examined and the views of analysts, evaluation firms, banking consultants and other executives of the banking industry

were taken into account during the evaluation. The objective criteria included asset growth, market share, profitability, geographic expansion, leadership in product design, innovative e-services, new business development (acquisitions, share capital increase) and customer satisfaction. According to Global Finance, the combination of these factors leads to the emergence of leading banks which international organisations prefer to deal with.

ENVIRONMENT

Working Stress - The Biggest Enemy Stress management allows companies to protect their employees' health and the productivity of their organisation. With this in mind, a pan-European campaign entitled ‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress’ has been launched The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) launched the two-year Europewide campaign ‘Healthy Workplaces Manage Stress’ on 7th April. The campaign launch brought together the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, László Andor, Greek

Deputy Minister for Labour, Social Security and Welfare, Vasilis Kegkeroglou, representing the Greek Presidency of the EU Council, and Director of EU-OSHA, Dr Christa Sedlatschek. EU-OSHA’s latest panEuropean opinion poll revealed that 51 per cent of workers find work-related stress common in their workplace.

Within the first 19 days of April the airport handled 214,704 passengers, while estimates suggest it will welcome 350,000 passengers through its doors by the end of the month, an increase of almost 40% compared to April 2013. The airport saw significant traffic over the Easter weekend and its main resident carrier, Air Serbia, also witnessed record passenger numbers in April. According to the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate, Belgrade Airport will continue to see strong growth over the summer months as a record 32 foreign carriers will operate flights to and from the Serbian capital, eight of which are charter airlines. So far in 2014 many airlines have announced the launch of new routes to Belgrade, including EasyJet, Wizz Air and Air Serbia. In the coming months Etihad Regional, Vueling, TAP Portugal and Air Cairo will also launch scheduled services to the city, while Croatia Airlines will resume its seasonal flights to Belgrade.

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

Prayer

EVENTS

“We are particularly praying for the brothers and sisters in the Middle East and Ukraine, with the wish that this prayer and the Easter holidays enlighten the minds of hate-mongers against the Holy Orthodoxy.” — Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Placements & Postings

Technical Nation

APPOINTMENTS@AIM.RS

This year's international technical fair is the region's most important trade show and conference event covering the application of modern technological developments in industry

The International Technical Fair will be held in Belgrade for the 58 time from 12th to 16th May. An event first held in 1937, after a lengthy interruption caused by World War II, it was resurrected in 1957. As such, the technical achievements fair is one of the oldest trade fairs in Serbia. This is why it carries the authority of the most significant development and technological event in Serbia and this part of Europe. The 58th Technical Fair will bring together more than 600 local and foreign exhibitors from around 20 countries. Judging by the programme, this year’s fair is the region’s most important trade show and conference event on the application of modern achievements in industry, infrastructure, air conditioning heating, water technologies, waste and waste water management and many other areas This year’s fair will once again see the presenting of new technologies to support industrial production and industrial supply in vertical markets, in areas such as the automotive industry, mining and energy, the mechanical industry, the metal industry and metallurgy, the food industry, agricultural technology and agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals, the electrical and electronics industry, telecommunications, basic and light chemical industry, industrial polymers, building materials and machinery industry, aerospace industry, military industry, energy, electrical power transmission, gas supply, shipbuilding etc. th

SERBIAN RAILWAYS

Chinese Loan of €400 Million Serbian Railways is interested in a Chinese loan worth approximately €400 million for the construction of railway infrastructure that would be repaid through exports of Serbian commodities into China, Serbian Railways CEO Dragoljub Simonović announced in mid-April. Speaking in a meeting with a delegation of China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Simonović said that the loan could be agreed before the Chinese President’s visit to Serbia in September, according to a Serbian Railways press release. The funds from the loan would be used to reconstruct and electrify the Lapovo – Kraljevo railway, as well as the regional railways Mala Krsna – Požarevac – Zaječar – Port of Prahovo and Mala Krsna – Smederevo, which have seen a growing volume of rail traffic towards ports on the Danube in Prahovo and Smederevo, reports agency Tanjug.

SINIŠA MALI New Mayor of Belgrade

MAJA GOJKOVIĆ New Speaker of the Serbian Parliament

NIKOLA NIKODIJEVIĆ New Speaker of the City of Belgrade Assembly

Born in Belgrade, Mali (41) he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Belgrade University and completed his master’s studies in finance at the Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. Mali also earned a master’s degree at the Belgrade Faculty of Economics and completed his Ph.D. studies at the Belgrade Faculty of Organisational Sciences. He worked for Deloitte & Touche Central Europe in Belgrade from 1995 to 1997 and headed the consulting firm’s operations in Prague from 1999 to 2001. From May to September 1998 Mali was employed by the Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) investment bank in New York. Mali was appointed assistant minister of privatisation at the Serbian Economy and Privatisation Ministry from January to July 2001, after which he went on to become director of the Public Tender Centre at the Privatisation Agency from July 2001 to October 2003. In 2004 Mali founded his own company for business sale and purchase consulting, financial restructuring, operation consolidation and corporate consulting, and from January 2013 he served as an economics and financial advisor to the then first Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia. Mali holds a portfolio manager license and the title of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He is a member of the CFA Institute, Serbian Business Angels Network, Fulbright Alumni Association of Serbia and the British-Serbian Business Club. Mali is a married father of three children. Born in Novi Sad, Maja Gojković (51) graduated in law at the University of Novi Sad and a year later began working at her family’s law firm. Gojković entered politics as a member of the People’s Radical Party, which later merged with the Serbian Radical Party. Following the 2009 split within the party, she held the office of leader of the People’s Party (NP) until 2012. The local Serbian elections of 2004 saw her elected Mayor of Novi Sad. This was the first time the city’s mayor had been elected by popular vote and as a result Gojković became the first woman to perform mayoral duties in the history of Novi Sad. She is now a member of the presidency of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

Nikodijević was born in Belgrade in 1981 and is a graduate lawyer. He was a member of the temporary City Council of Belgrade and has many years of experience in city management, first as a council member and then as a member of the city government. Nikodijević was actively engaged in sports and is involved in the Red Star sporting association. He is Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Belgrade City Board of the Socialist Party of Serbia and a member of the Executive Committee of the SPS Main Board. From 2008 to 2012 he served as head of the City of Belgrade parliamentary group of the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition and from June 2012 Nikodijević was member of the Belgrade City Council responsible for youth and sport. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 31

Business Dialogue INTERVIEW

BILJANA ČVERTKOV, CEO OF YUGOSLAV RIVER SHIPPING

Sailing From Loser to Winner “The fact that we have managed in only two years to take Yugoslav River Shipping (JRB) from a loss-making business to a company that ended 2013 with positive results, without receiving any help in the form of state subsidies, loans and mortgages, is our biggest success. Allow me to remind you that JRB is a state-owned company that doesn’t receive any money from the state budget and is funded solely from its own revenue, which we have managed to generate despite tough international competition in the river shipping domain. In 2013 we shipped 1.2 million tonnes of goods worth over €350 million.”

ugoslav River Shipping (JRB) is one of the five biggest shipping companies operating on the Danube. According to company CEO Biljana Čvertkov, JRB is the keeper of the 150-year-old tradition of Serbian shipping. Throughout its history the company has shared its destiny with the country, surviving tough times and managing to stay afloat and, in so doing, demonstrating that it has a future thanks to the dedication, persistence and diligence of its employees. Čvertkov says that JRB’s long tradition, experience, quality of service, agility and reliability of transport services, as well as the fact that it closely follows development trends, places JRB among the top five shipping companies operating on the Danube.

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wheat, in addition to contracts on importing and exporting other Serbian products of strategic importance. Increasing our transport volume by close to 30% relative to 2012, cutting back on our overheads, boosting productivity, optimising transport formats and improving our commercial terms were instrumental in achieving such good business results. We have settled all our financial obligations towards the state and our employees in a timely manner, which has certainly improved our market position and solidified our future development plans. ■ What have been JRB’s biggest successes since you took

over as CEO? - Since I have been at the helm of the company, the last two and a half years, I would say that one of our biggest successes is hiring younger employees. Considering that ■ JRB can be proud of its operashipping is a very specific industry, Apart from shipping, which is tions and profits. Could you tell having completed adequate education obviously our most important us about the company’s most imis simply not enough and one needs to business activity, JRB is also portant business results from the work in this industry in order to really an agent at all Serbian ports for previous period? learn the ropes. It is of pivotal im- The fact that we have managed in national and international shipping portance to properly follow through only two years to take Yugoslav River companies. We also overhaul ships with the generational change. JRB has always had a reputation as a shipping Shipping (JRB) from a loss-making and sailing equipment, as well as company with the best crew. By hiring business to a company that ended providing cruising services on our younger staff, we have managed to 2013 with positive results, without ship called ‘Kovin’ reduce the average age of our employreceiving any help in the form of ees from 53 to 42 in the last two years. state subsidies, loans and mortgages, By fusing youth and experience, our company has been given a is our biggest success. Allow me to remind you that JRB is a new shot of energy. Thanks to this, coupled with our accurate state-owned company that doesn’t receive any money from the forecasting, making the right moves at the right time and having state budget and is funded solely from its own revenue, which skilful employees, we are now back on track to success. we have managed to generate despite tough international competition in the river shipping domain. In 2013 we shipped ■ How big is your fleet; what condition is it in; what innova1.2 million tonnes of goods worth over €350 million. We have tions have you introduced and what are you most proud of? concluded contracts covering the transport of oil derivatives - When it comes to the fleet and its capacities, it is considered a for NIS, as well as a contract on raw material transport with the respectable force to be reckoned with on the Danube. Despite Smederevo Ironworks and contracts on the export of Serbian 115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

our ships dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, our fleet is fully capable of responding to all modern market requirements regarding the transport of crude oil and all types of oil derivatives, as well as all sorts of bulk, general and break bulk cargo. The last two years were also spent overhauling our ships, which we did ourselves, relying on the knowledge, experience, dedication and positive energy of our staff. We are currently working on modernising our fleet to comply with new regulations and standards in global transport. We hope to be able to tell you very soon just how proud we are because we have new ships joining the JRB fleet. ■ Apart from shipping cargo on inland water-

- Unfortunately, the Danube’s tourist potential is untapped and the river is definitely the future of Serbia in terms of tourism. For now, JRB is contributing modestly to tourism development with the Kovin passenger ship, which is anchored near our pontoon close to Branko’s Bridge. Kovin is an old school ship – it is 90 years old and rather unique in Serbia. The ship enjoys state protection and provides a special atmosphere for its passengers. We would like to use this opportunity to invite you to come and sail with us along our stunning rivers this summer on the Kovin – one of our oldest and most beautiful passenger ships.

ways, JRB also carries out other activities. Which of these activities would you like to single out? - Apart from shipping, which is obviously our most important business activity, JRB is also an agent at all Serbian ports for national and international shipping companies. We also overhaul ships and sailing equipment, as well as providing cruising services on our ship called ‘Kovin’. Apart from shipping cargo, JRB last year served as an agent to other shipping companies that transported over a million tonnes of goods through us. ■ The way you treat your employees is some-

thing that your company can be proud of. Could you elaborate please? - In the last two years we have really done As a signatory of the Bratislava Agreements, JRB has been actively a lot to make our employees feel that the participating in the activities of the Conference of the Directors of company has been doing everything in its the Danube Shipping Companies, which traditionally takes place power to provide better working condiannually in one of the Danube countries tions. Let me give you a few examples of this: we have renovated our offices, ■ How important is regional cooperation for your daily opacquired new personal protection equipment (PPE), computers, erations? navigation devices etc. I would especially like to underline that - As a signatory of the Bratislava Agreements, JRB has been actively our employees are given a financial incentive when they become participating in the activities of the Conference of the Directors of parents and this financial incentive is given for each new child. the Danube Shipping Companies, which traditionally takes place There are many other small things that we are proud of. annually in one of the Danube countries. Participating in this confer■ What environmental certificates does JRB possess and ence is very important to us, considering that the Danube is an international river and that the main river shipping postulates are based what do they imply? on the Belgrade Convention and the Bratislava Agreements, which - After several months of preparations and complying with the have been opportunely adjusted in light of new circumstances and requirements set, in late 2013 JRB AD was awarded the international environmental management and occupational health changes in the economies of the Danube countries. Additionally, JRB and safety certificates ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 has been participating actively in the work done by the IVDS – an respectively. By complying with these standards, and the ISO international association of the Danube shipping companies, which 9001:2008 certificate we previously acquired, JRB has become I chair. Apart from this important international association, having a modern, environmentally friendly company which is mindful an association of national shipping companies is also of exceptional of the health and safety of its employees. These aforementioned importance. The Serbian Chamber of Commerce has managed to standards are now an integral part of our company’s operations. gather again all companies under one roof, thus protecting and promoting the best interests of the economy by providing a business ■ JRB is also involved in developing the Danube’s tourist climate conducive to development. In the same manner, I would like potential. Is this potential sufficiently utilised and what posto highlight JRB’s active participation in the River Shipping Group of sibilities does it offer? the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, as the chair company. ■ cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 33

REGIONAL NEWS

Business Dialogue 01

BULGARIA

Referendum “A referendum against minority rights is not going to happen – we shall oppose it by all legal means.” — Zoran Milanovic, Croatian Prime Minister

Railway Companies Blocked by Lenders

EIB to Support Private Sector

The main offices of the Bulgarian State Railways and the National DANAIL PAPAZOV, Bulgarian Transport Railway Infrastructure Company Minister have been placed under injunction upon lenders’ request. As of 16th April 2014, the state-owned companies can neither sell nor put out to lease the premises of their main headquarters, both of which are located near the Central Railway Station in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. Over BGN 600 M (€300 milion) of debts accumulated by the two entities are behind the lenders’ actions. German banks such as KMS and KfW, Austrian Ka Finanz, Bulgarian KTB and BNP Paribas are among the biggest debt-holders. Negotiations with FMS are reportedly the toughest for Bulgaria’s government, as it finds it difficult to convince bank representatives they should allow a delay of a payment worth a total of €30 million. It was precisely FMS that garnished the assets of Bulgarian State Railways back in February. The latest decision to impose interdiction on properties was, however, made by the debtholders’ assembly, which convened in mid-April. Deputy Transport Minister Anton Ginev was quoted by Presa Daily as saying that the move will not have any impact on the activities of the two state entities. Source: novinite.com

The European Investment Bank, EIB, has expressed its willingness to invest in Kosovo in fields such as transport, telecommunications and energy. Following a meeting with Besim Beqaj, Kosovo’s Minister of Finance, Dario Scannapieco, deputy head of the EIB, said that “sustainable growth cannot happen without strong support for the private sector, in particular SMEs. “We will provide finance under very reasonable conditions for local intermediaries and they, who have branches on the ground, will lend [the money] to companies,” he explained.

MONTENEGRO

Damen Shipyards Places Sole Bid for 61.6% of Peer Bijela Dutch-based Damen Shipyards Group has placed the sole bid in a tender for the sale of a state-owned 61.6% stake in Montenegrin shipyard Jadransko Brodogradiliste Bijela, the country’s privatisation council announced. The tender commission will evaluate the bid in the next seven days, the privatisation council said in a statement released in midApril, providing no details on the offer. Bidders eligible to take part in the tender are expected to invest at least €15 million in fixed assets over a period of three years. In February the Montenegrin government said Italy’s Fincantieri and a consortium led by Cyprus-registered Blotraco Shipping had prequalified to bid for Jadransko Brodogradiliste Bijela alongside Damen Shipyards Group. The tender was called on 21st January. Jadransko Brodogradiliste is located in the Adriatic town of Bijela. 34 |

KOSOVO

BESIM BEQAJ (left) and DARIO SCANNAPIECO

Part of the amount to restore and continue building the motorway from Pristina to Peja, according to Beqaj, will be covered by the budget, while the rest will come from the EBRD and the EIB. Last October the Statistics Agency said 30.9 per cent of the population of Kosovo 135,700 persons - were unemployed. Another 69.1 per cent, or 302,844 residents, were formally employed. However, many experts think the agency is understimating the scale of the problem.

ROMANIA

Romania Adopts Insolvency Law Romania’s Chamber of Deputies, or lower house of the parliament, passed an insolvency bill to ensure an honest business environment. The bill proposes “an insolvency code that puts together all the ROBERT CAZANCIUC, Romanian Minister of Justice regulations governing the pre-insolvency and insolvency mechanisms targeting the economic operators and it does so in a correlated and adjusted manner,” explained Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc. Prime Minister Victor Ponta welcomed the adoption of the bill, pointing out that it is a “highly important step.” “Parliament passed a law that is truly important for the entire honest and correct business environment,” the prime minister told media, adding that in difficult times the law must support small or large companies that need a period to restructure, pay off their debts, and be able to start afresh.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Tunnel Karaula Reconstruction Signed A contract for reconstruction works on the Bosnia-Herzegovina project “Tunnel Karaula” on the Kladanj - Potpaklenik section of the M-18 Šićki Brod - Sarajevo road, was signed at public company Ceste Federation of B&H in Sarajevo. Speaking after the contract signing, Minister of Transport and Communications, Enver Bijedić, expressed his satisfaction for participation in the creation of the Tunnel Karaula Project. “I think that in this way we will contribute greatly to shortening the road between Tuzla and Sarajevo and enable the faster movement of people and goods,” said Bijedić. He pointed out that on that part of the road between Tuzla and Sarajevo nothing has been done in regards to modernisation for the past 50 years,adding that driving conditions during the winter months have been very difficult due to ice and snow. Director of Strabag for civil engineering, Josip Kuzmanović, said that they are ready to face all the challenges in the construction of this tunnel, reports the Sarajevo Times. Source: balkans.com

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

Alliance

“Montenegro recommends itself as a country that may be the next NATO member, to serve as a way for the Alliance to formulate its response to events in Ukraine.” — Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin Prime Minister

Placements & Postings

FYR MACEDONIA

Revitalisation of Hydroelectric Power System By introducing new technology in the revitalisation of seven hydro-power stations in Macedonia, costs during production will be cut and environmentally-friendly energy will be obtained, said Deputy PM responsible for economic affairs, Vladimir Pesevski. In the middle of last month the Deputy PM visited Vrutok Hydro Power Plant to oversee the rehabilitation process of Mavrovo hydroelectric power system, which is nearing its completion. “The Government of Macedonia has launched a series of projects in the energy sector with the project for revitalisation of seven hydro power stations - Vrutok, Raven, Vrben, Shpilje, Tikves, Globocica and Kozjak - being one of the most important. Operations are underway in all stations with state-of-the art technologies to increase the production of electricity and boost efficiency in water use,” Pesevski said. The revitalisation project is estimated at a cost of nearly €33 million and is financed by Germany’s KfW Bank and ELEM company.

FABRIZIO RENZI CFO, Fiat Automobiles Serbia

Source: Balkans.com

HUNGARY

MVM Closes Acquisition of Fogaz Stake State-owned Hungarian Electricity Works (MVM) has transferred the purchase price of 41 billion forints (€133.28 million) for a minority stake in gas distributor Fogaz to German utilities company RWE. With the transfer, and following the necessary regulatory approval, the acquisition of the 49.83 per cent stake has been completed, MVM said. MVM signed the purchase agreement for the stake last December and financed the acquisition of the stake with a loan from state assets manager MNV, which is MVM’s largest shareholder. The loan will be refinanced with a capital raise by the owners in the course of the year, according to MVM. MVM will acquire the rest of the company’s shares from the local council of Budapest by 31st July 2014, according to a government resolution. Hungary’s government earlier announced plans to play a bigger role in the utilities sector and transform it into a non-profit one.

ALBANIA

Importing Electricity

Albania is working to arrange the import of electricity worth up to €90 million to make up for the loss of domestic output caused by a drought, officials said last month. Albania, which relies almost entirely on hydro power plants to produce electricity, has seen water flows to its power stations cut by 40 per cent in another year of little rain. Finance Minister Shkelqim Cani said this year’s rainfall and snow, below the decade-average by more than a third, meant Albania had “very serious problems with energy”, reports Reuters.

ŽELJKO VUJINOVIĆ Microsoft Serbia CEO

Fabrizio Renzi has been appointed as the new financial director of Fiat Automobiles Serbia. Mr Renzi has 16 years of experience in financial control and prior to his appointed with FAS he worked as an industrial controlling manager in Turin, where he was responsible for coordinating industrial controlling activities, including the WCM (World Class Manufacturing) project, as well as control of fixed and variable costs of production in domestic factories. Renzi introduced a new internal benchmarking system and prepared business plans and feasibility studies. He previously served as CFO at Sevel, on a joint project of Fiat Group Automobiles and Peugeot Citroen Automobiles, and was financial manager at factories in Cassino and Melfi.

Željko Vujinović has been appointed as the new CEO of Microsoft Serbia. Mr Vujinović joined the Microsoft Serbia team and took over the position from Andreas Hart, serving as Acting CEO. Vujinović has over ten years of experience in the field of information technology and prior to joining Microsoft he worked at IBM, where he started as a senior ISS consultant for the Adriatic region. After four years in this company he was appointed General Manager for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, under the auspices of which he was responsible for market development and leading operations in these countries. He began his career at local companies including SAGA and MDS Information Engineering, where he was responsible for defining strategies from a technological perspective.

CROATIA

Atlantic Grupa Sees Almost 8% Sales Growth Atlantic Grupa, one of Croatia’s largest food firms, expects total sales growth to increase to almost 8per cent this year. Atlantic is present on more than 30 markets, mostly in western Europe, the Balkans and Russia. It has production facilities in five Balkan countries and Germany. The second-largest food company in Croatia behind privately owned Agrokor, it produces protein bars, soft drinks, coffee and sweets. It is also the main regional distributor of products from international giants Nestle, Johnson&Johnson and Unilever.

“Our strongest market in terms of growth is Russia, but the current situation in Ukraine does not help. We expect to continue growing above average in some countries in western Europe, like Germany, Sweden and Spain,” CEO Emil Tedeschi told Reuters in an interview. The company expects total sales growth of almost 8 per cent this year, compared to 2.5% in 2013. Tedeschi said Atlantic’s own sales should rise 3-4 per cent. Its overall sales rose to 5.05 billion kuna ($918.9 million) in 2013, while net profit jumped 77 per cent to €199 million.

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115 May 2014 | 35

CORPORATE

THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

Learning Through Community and Service Through service students become more caring, open-minded and reflective, as well as developing more self-confidence and maturity

• A willingness and the skills to respond to the needs of others • An altruistic attitude which enriches the life of the student through enhanced insight into different social patterns and ways of life The final two years at ISB sees students in Grades 11 & 12 engage in “Creativity, Action, Service” (CAS). The CAS requirement is at the very core of the IB Diploma Programme and concentrates on the non-academic aspect All students at the International he International School of of school life outside of the world of School of Belgrade follow programmes Belgrade (ISB) believes in scholarship, providing a fresh counof the IB and these all have compomaking the world a better terbalance to academic studies. As our nents to develop our students’ sense place through education. This students enter the Diploma Programme of their community and their particwas the foundation of the International they are expected to act within their ipation in its improvement. Through Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation when school, local community and, hopefulthe “Action” component of the Primary it was launched 45 years ago. As an IB ly, in the global community beyond. Years Programme (PYP) our students World School, ISB fully integrates this The programme concentrates on dein the Lower School make meaningful ethos into its teaching and learning. veloping creative skills, physical abiliconnections to their units of inquiry. All ISB students, regardless of their ty and active service. By taking part in “Community and Service” is one age, participate in our Community balanced creativity, action and service of the five areas of interaction of Service Programme. The students make activities, students are given a valuable the Middle Years Programme (MYP). a meaningful contribution to the world opportunity to meet local and through interacting and supporting the facets of our soBy taking part in balanced creativity, action international non-government organisations. Students learn ciety that are most vulneraand service activities, students are given how to take initiative, as they ble. In addition to high acaa valuable opportunity to meet local and become aware of the humanidemic rigor, having our stuinternational non-government organisations tarian issues across the world. dents experience volunteer Through CAS, our students learn service in Belgrade and Serbia to become better-informed, caring citiThrough MYP Community and Service is a cornerstone of our curriculum. It is zens of the world. our students in the Middle School and through service that students become We have many examples of stuGrades 9 & 10 of the High School learn more caring, open-minded and reflecdent activism in the community. For to develop: tive, and develop more self-confidence the past two years the students of our • Sensitivity to the needs of the comand maturity. Our students report that Diploma Programme have been coopermunity and the society in general they gain a better understanding of ating with the Vocational High School • Awareness of the role of the individutheir place in the world and a feeling of Rakovica in a project entitled “We al within a community that they could make a difference.

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

cluded: building a butterfly garden for Parental Care (Zvečanska). The home Get Together to Better Understand One the Lower School, creating a garden serves mostly Roma children aged Another”. The Vocational School serves with our Kindergarten students, collect7-18 who are disadvantaged and withstudents with severe special needs ing clothing for refugees located here in out regular parental care. Throughout and at-risk youth. Our students organSerbia and connecting with students the year ISB students spend time with ise and run weekly creative workshops from other schools in the Belgrade area, the Drinka Pavlović children, engaging at the vocational school in the areas with a focus on speaking English and on in activities like taking them out for ice of cooking, gardening and auto shop science. All our students are encourskating or to a movie, or just spending mechanics. ISB students connect their aged to “act” on what they work with their studies in learn here in school, which the field of psychology. They makes for great connections are applying what they learn to our host country, Serbia. about intellectual and learnStudents also participate in ing disabilities with their close school-wide initiatives, such work with the students of the as supporting Belgrade’s anvocational school. The group nual Breast Cancer Walk and recently received a grant from HRH Princess Katherine’s the Central & Eastern Schools philanthropic work with orAssociation to support these phanages around the counworkshops. Students of both try. ISB and the Vocational High All of these service learnSchool are benefiting from ing components of our school this initiative. aim to create well-roundIn addition to this, our We strive to make these service-learning ed students who are civyounger students particiopportunities well designed and meaningful for the ic-minded and will continpate in a variety of community service projects. Our students and the most successful way to ensure this ue to improve their communities into adulthood. Middle School students is by involving the students directly in planning We strive to make these work on sustainability and service-learning opportunities well detime at the centre. Our students have environmental stewardship by gainsigned and meaningful for the students renovated the cafeteria, as well as puring experience on a model sustainable and the most successful way to ensure chasing computers and sports equipfarm in the township of Velika Plana. this is by involving the students directment for the Drinka Pavlović children Many of our students spend time with ly in the planning and provision of serover the past few years. senior citizens in a home located in the vice. Our programme also allows our The students in our Lower School Belgrade suburb of Karaburma. The school community a chance to learn seek meaningful service to others students prepare entertainment, bring more about, appreciate and underthrough our lens of “Action”, which enfood and brighten up the day for senior stand Serbian culture, while contributtails taking action on the learning we residents of the home. For many years ing to improving aspects of communiexplore through our units of inquiry. we have worked closely with the Drinka ties in our host nation of Serbia. ■ Some action in the recent past has inPavlović Home for Children without

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115 May 2014 | 37

WORLD NEWS

Business Dialogue 01

CHINA

Taxes “We are Conservatives. We believe in low taxes and as long as I am leader of this party, wherever we can cut people’s taxes, we will do.” — David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

China Tops in Online Shopping The Chinese are first in line when it comes to online shopping, with one in seven turning to the Internet for a purchase every day and more than 60 per cent shopping weekly, a ratio that is much higher than the global average, says a report by consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. PwC’s survey covered more than 15,000 online shoppers in 15 regions, including 900 people in China. The surge in e-commerce doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all bleak for bricks-and-mortar shops, since consumers expect more than just “things” when they shop. Instead, they want a “total retail” approach that brings the digital experience to the physical world, while offering a more integrated and personalised experience, according to PwC’s report. China’s online consumers are also more active when it comes to shopping through social networks, submitting reviews of what they bought and how they were treated, according to the research. Online shopping has become almost an essential part of daily life, said Kevin Wang, who specialises in retail at PwC.

Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris is ready to invest $1 to $2 billion in Telecom Italia if its biggest shareholder, Spanish Group Telefonica, pulls out from the Italian phone group. Sawiris, who unsuccessfully attempted to buy a stake in Telecom Italia in 2012, criticised the presence of the Spanish group because of conflicting interests in Brazil and said Telecom Italia needed cash for investments. Telefonica, which together with three Italian financial institutions controls 22.4 per cent of Telecom Italia through holding Telco, is a direct rival of Telecom Italia in Brazil. Sources close to Telefonica have said the group would like to break up Telecom Italia’s Brazilian unit, TIM Brasil, and share its assets with other telecom companies. The Brazilian competition watchdog has given Telefonica until mid-2015 to downsize its presence in the South American country, sources close to the matter have said. Source: Reuters 38 |

Siemens to Provide Equipment for South Stream Gazprom announced that Germany’s Siemens AG was to supply the project with telecom technology and automated control systems for the pipeline sections to be built underwater near the Bulgarian and Russian coastlines, as well as for control rooms at the South Stream Transport company. South Steam’s offshore leg will comprise four parallel pipelines that will run across the bed of the Black Sea. Each pipeline will be over 930 kilometres long and have a capacity of up to 40 million

ITALY

Sawiris Ready to Buy Stake in Telecom Italia

RUSSIA

cubic metres of natural gas per day. Gas flows will be monitored and controlled around the clock by South Stream Transport. The South Stream pipeline, expected to come online in 2018, is currently under construction by Stream Transport B.V., with Gazprom holding 50 per cent of its shares. Italian company Eni accounts for an additional 20 percent, with Germany’s Wintershall and France’s EDF holding 15 percent each.

Morgan Stanley Near Deal to Sell Learning Care Morgan Stanley’s private equity arm is in advanced talks to sell Learning Care Group Inc, the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America, to buyout firm American Securities LLC, according to those close to the deal. The deal underscores the growth potential of child care providers, as demand for their services grows. Shares of Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc , the largest U.S. child-care provider, have soared 76 per cent since buyout firm Bain Capital LLC took it public in January 2013. The purchase price could not be learned, but sources said the deal would value Learning Care Group significantly higher than the $700 million valuation that Morgan Stanley assigned on the company when it acquired a 60 per cent stake in 2008.

FRANCE

Vivendi Accepts €17 billion Offer for SFR France’s Vivendi Group said it would accept a bid from fibreoptic network operator Numericable for its SFR mobile phone business over a rival offer from telecom firm Bouyges, in a deal worth more than €17 billion. “The supervisory board has unanimously decided to accept the Altice/Numericable bid,” the group said in a statement. The announcement ended months of speculation within the telecoms industry over the future of SFR, which as of April 2012 had 21 million customers using its mobile phone, landline and internet services. Vivendi had entered exclusive negotiations with Numericable on 14th March, but a substantially revised last-minute offer from Boygues threatened to derail the deal. However, in the end Vivendi decided Numericable’s bid was the more likely to favour “growth (and) create value for customers, employees and shareholders”, the group’s statement said. The Numericable bid also presented the least risk in terms of competition, said Vivendi, which is a mass media and telecom company.

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

Dreams

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”— Gabriel García Márquez was novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist

PORTUGAL

Still Struggling to Overcome Debt Crisis

SWITZERLAND

Novartis Reshapes Business

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), released a bailout payment of €851 million to Portugal as the debtriddled country gets close to exiting its three-year IMF-EU rescue. The IMF executive board approved the payment, which brings the total amount disbursed under the programme to €25.7 billion. The so-called “troika” of international lenders -- the IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank -- opened a €78-billion credit lifeline to Portugal on 20th May 2011 that was to end this 17th May. But the IMF accepted a request to extend the programme to 20th June to allow for a 12th and final review of Portugal’s progress in implementing economic reforms required by the bailout. Lisbon was forced to seek a rescue by the troika after decades of ballooning wages and state spending led to a massive build-up of public debt. Still struggling to overcome its debt crisis, recession and public anger at tough austerity measures, the country posted a public deficit of 4.9 per cent of output last year, overshooting the eurozone’s target of 3.0 per cent.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis announced a multi-billion dollar revamp, swapping assets with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and selling its animal health arm in a bid to simplify its business and increase its focus on high-margin cancer medicines. “The transactions mark a transformative process for us,” said Novartis Chief Executive Joe Jimenez. “They also improve our financial strength and are expected to add to our growth rates and margins immediately.” Novartis agreed to buy GSK’s

oncology products for $14.5 billion, while selling to GSK its vaccines, excluding flu, for $7.1 billion plus royalties and creating a joint venture with GSK in consumer healthcare. Novartis also said it had agreed to sell its animal health arm to Eli Lilly for approximately $5.4 billion. The deal will see Novartis strengthen its world No.2 position in cancer behind cross-town rival Roche. Source: Reuters

ITALY

Turkey May Clinch Bid to Dismantle Italian Shipwreck Turkey may clinch a bid to dismantle the wrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship, Italy’s civil protection agency said Thursday, adding that the decision on which port will be used will be taken in May. Italian ports are fighting off competition from ports in the UK, France, Norway and Turkey for the contract to scrap the carcass of the vast Concordia, which sank off Italy in 2012. While Norway would be the cheapest option, Italy has ruled it out because of the distance the crippled ship would have to transit amid fears of possible environmental damage en route. “The Turkish solution would cost €29 million”, while the Italian bids -- from the Civitavecchia Port near Rome, Piombino in Tuscany and Genoa in the north -- are much

more costly, civil protection agency chief Franco Gabrielli told parliament. Civitavecchia, the closest port to the island of Giglio where the ship lies, has asked for €200 million to do the job, he said. Piombino is not ready to take in the 290-metre long, 114,500-tonne vessel, but it would only take a day to drag it there if it could be prepared in time -- while Genoa is ready, but is a five-day journey away from the present location. Turkey may be the best option for an operation which will be paid for by the ship’s owner, Costa, Europe’s biggest cruise operator, which he said has already spent €1.1 billion on the salvage. A final decision on the port will be taken at the beginning of May. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 39

Business Dialogue INTERVIEW

PETAR MILJKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF ZORKA KERAMIKA D.O.O.

The Beauty and Comfort of Ceramics In line with global trends, Zorka Keramika has held a private product presentation for its clients at the Čolaković Legacy Gallery in Belgrade, as well as showcasing its 2014 tile collection

orka Keramika is a company with 40 years of tradition. The renewed Zorka Keramika emerged in 2008, following substantial investment projects carried out by ASAMER Group and a 100% increase in production. “Apart from that, we have also introduced many technological innovations including Gres technology, which sets us apart from other companies in the same branch in the former Yugoslavia,” says Petar Miljković, Director of Zorka Keramika, speaking in an interview for CorD magazine. “There are also two-channel furnaces, continuous mass grinding and other advanced production processes. I would also like to single out our work in raw-material strip mines, which enables us to be at the very top of world production in terms of quality.”

■ What technological innovations does Zorka apply in tile

production? - Every year we invest in new equipment and staff training. and what are the company’s plans for the future? This season we will see the highest number of innovations ever. - Our ambitions are realistic and we set our limits in line with Firstly, digital print gives us a great competitive edge, followed our capacities. The proof of this can by a complete decorative element proIncreasing our export is certainly duction line, as well as the new equipbe seen in the fact that we have manone of our priorities, which aged to realise every annual plan we ment for Lappato and tile polishing. The have had in the last three years. This, implies adjusting our products to new special polishing effect gives tiles a of course, does not mean that we have the tastes of the individual local very soft and elegant appearance. The set our goals too low. On the contrary, new Lappato surface also complies with markets we export to our entire team has been working very strict requirements in the segment very hard on materialising our plans. Increasing our export, of resilient flooring, such as those found in shopping malls, hospitals, airports, railway and bus stations and hotels. Of course, which already stands at 50%, is certainly one of our priorities. these sorts of tiles can also be used very creatively as wall tiles. This also means that our products have to be adjusted to the We have also introduced a new tile format - 60 x 60cm – which tastes of the individual local markets we export to. is the biggest tile format produced in this area. By doing so, we ■ Could you tell us more about the design and quality of have rounded off and centralised the entire ceramics production your products; which product features would you like to processes. Although these processes are still individual production processes, all of them together make an entity called Zorka single out? Keramika and we are especially proud of that. We should also - Quality is always at the forefront of our production. Gres Porcellanato is something that Zorka is famous for. The company mention the new jobs we have created and additional training is the absolute market leader in the floor tile segment and we of our staff in the area of new prepress preparation technology. produce all sorts of floor tiles, including those suitable for the Lastly, we expect the great effort we have invested to pay most adverse environments. Our tiles are produced in accordoff through a higher market share and higher exports, which ance with strictly defined parameters and they comply with all will secure our leadership position. ■ ■ What ambitions does Zorka Keramika currently have

40 |

European requirements. We closely follow global trends and invest heavily in new design development, which helps us fend off competition on numerous markets, including the domestic one, where competition is absolutely merciless. This year our emphasis is on complete series, which includes both wall and floor tiles, as well as decorative elements. In accordance with global trends, Zorka Keramika held a private product presentation for its clients at the Čolaković Legacy Gallery in Belgrade, as well as showcasing its 2014 tile collection, which also includes a brand new series that reflects global design trends, and our bestselling series, which has been redesigned with the help of newly installed technologies.

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

CORPORATE

THE CHARTWELL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

School Not Governed by Rules The Chartwell Secondary School is not governed by rules, but rather by respect for others and common sense. This is what makes the school a unique, tension-free environment is a school not governed by rules. It is governed by respect for others and common sense and this is what makes us unique: a tension-free enviucked away in a beautironment where students and teachers ful, quiet, residential area of share more than a student-teacher reBelgrade, the overwhelmlationship – they chat during breaks, ing view of which can be enplay sports together, share and rejoyed from its spacious, bright classsolve problems, share their lunchrooms, with its park-like gardens enes and snacks – they are a family in compassing not only quiet shady arewhich all members, regardas, where the hot spring and less of their many cultursummer days can be enjoyed, al differences, respect each but also sports fields for footother and work closely toball, basketball and volleyball, gether to achieve the best is the Chartwell International possible results and meet Secondary School. the challenges they will The Chartwell International face in a rapidly globalisSecondary School, an intering and competitive world. national school based on the Our graduating students British National Curriculum, leave us to go on to achieve is accredited as an internagood results at universities tional school and examinaaround the globe and we tion centre by Cambridge are, of course, very proud and the Serbian Ministry of them. However, most imof Education, Science and Our graduating students leave us to go on to portantly, we are proud that Technological Development. achieve good results at universities around the they become good people; Operating successfully in Belgrade for the last 14 years, globe and we are, of course, very proud of them people with the right values, who respect themselves and Chartwell Secondary School deserve to do so, but also people who ties and, at present, over 20 nationalhas continually invested and expandhave learned to respect those around ities are represented among the pupils ed. It is currently completing its science them regardless of the differences. of the Chartwell Secondary. Chartwell lab, which has been formed according Chartwell works in conjunction with teachers come from a variety of backto Cambridge criteria, and future plans a range of local and international secgrounds and experiences, but they all encompass the updating of the sports ondary schools that adhere to a simishare a love of teaching, empathy with fields with lights, heating, changing lar educational philosophy. Chartwell their students and a commitment to rooms and covering them so that they pupils can follow their schooling to their education. All are well qualified can be used during all weather condiCambridge examinations wherever for the role they play. tions. Despite having invested in the IT they go in the world. ■ The Chartwell Secondary School department this year – with the pro-

curement of two interactive white boards – the school is looking into purchasing new computers for all classrooms. At the top of the list of priorities, as always, is the updating of the school library. The Chartwell Secondary School is a truly international school that welcomes students of various nationali-

cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 41

Business Dialogue CORPORATE

NALED

Eastern Serbia - a Good Place to Invest Local governments that have possessed or possess a NALED certificate are the only ones to have found themselves in two editions listing the best European destinations, “Cities of the Future” FDI Intelligence magazine (published by the Financial Times). The 2014/2015 list again includes Vranje, Zaječar, Inđija and Sremska Mitrovica, while they are joined this time by Ruma and Zrenjanin

very fifth local government in Serbia today can face any and private sectors. No company will come to an area that is investor fully prepared. By passing through the reforms completely unpredictable, especially in terms of the financial that were required opf them as part of the certification impact on operations. Municipalities that change the level of process, municipalities with favourable business environments local taxes every year will not be helped much by geography. have equipped themselves with effective procedures, databasCompanies see them as unreliable because such a policy suges and a new attitude towards the needs of companies seeking gests that there is essentially no meaningful long-term development strategy. to develop in their communities. Over the past six years as many as 30 cities and municiThe situation on the ground has shown that nothing is palities have acquired certification as favourable business certain to entice investors. Although one can often hear that environments that have proven to it is easiest for municipalities close to No company will come to an area have an administration that meets the Belgrade or those that lie along Panthat is completely unpredictable, highest standards required for the European Corridor 10, it is easy to development of existing businesses find examples of communites that are especially in terms of the not assisted by these advantages. A financial impact on operations and attracting investment. The latest local governments to meet the requiresimilar comparison can also be made ments to become certified by the National Alliance for Local when talking about the impact of the size of a municipality on Economic Development (NALED) for providing a good busiits attractiveness. ness environment are Negotin, Knjaževac and Boljevac. The essence lies in partnership relations with the public The advantage of eastern Serbia lies in its high potential for food production, opportunities for the development of tourism Certification in the region

As a kind of stamp of quality of the work of local governments, this certificate has also attracted attention in the countries of the region. Institutions from Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina decided in late 2011 to join this project and together with NALED, and with the support of the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), begin the certification of their municipalities. A regional certificate of favourable business environments was established with the aim of creating common standards in the work of local governments in the Western Balkans. To date regional certificates for favourable business environments have been awarded to the municipalities of Bjelovar and Ivanec in Croatia, Prijedor and Sanski Most in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ruma and Pirot in Serbia and Veles and Strumica in Macedonia. They were also recently joined by the Serbian city of Leskovac. 42 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

and investment in the energy sector, while another significant and nicipality of Boljevac. often untapped potential is tradition and culture. There is also a large Certification for Knjaževac, Negotin and Boljevac was realised diaspora community that could act as a significant investor. within the auspices of the project carried out by NALED and the Regional Agency for the Development of Eastern Serbia (RARIS), with President of the Municipalityof Knjaževac, Milan Đokić, estimates support from the Open Society Foundation. Following the passage that a lot has been learned through the fulfilment of requirements for of the new municipalities through the certification process, there obtaining certification, while many procedures have been improved are now at least three municipaliand helpful advice was received. ties in each Serbian region with a - the NALED Certificate on a high quality business environment favourable business environment that provides good foundations and represents recognition that what a chance to achieve balanced rewe do we do in a good way, while it gional development and secure the is also a clear message to those who arrival of investment in all parts of are choosing a location to develop our country. their business that they can secure What is interesting is that local good logistics and the support of governments that have possessed the administration and public enterprises in Knjaževac - said Đokić. or possess a NALED certificate are Damir Rakić, President of the the only ones to have found themselves in two editions listing the Municipal Assembly of Negotin, best European destinations, “Cities recalls that on route to gaining its of the Future” FDI Intelligence certificate the Negotin local government adopted its Development The local governments that found their way onto magazine (published by the FiStrategy, developed its Office for the Financial Times list best demonstrate that it is nancial Times). Among the best places to invest according to the Local Economic Development, worth investing in the certification process 2012/2013 list were Inđija, Vranformed its own Economic Council je, Sremska Mitrovica, Subotica and Zaječar, while the 2014/2015 list and visibly improved local infrastructure. “We have reached the necessary standards and I hope that better days are coming for Eastern again includes Vranje, Zaječar, Inđija and Sremska Mitrovica, though Serbia, especially for the Bor and Zaječar district,” says Rakić. this time they are joined by Ruma and Zrenjanin. Given the size of the municipality, leaders of the Municipality of - The local governments that found their way onto the Financial Boljevac are convinced that they have done a great job. Times list best demonstrate that it is worth investing in the certification process. They recognised the potential and importance - We have a small number of people in our municipal services, the certificate has to enhance their recognisability. Certified local while the demands of the current period are high. Much is expected governments have realised that they must take the future into their of local government and at some points it proves to be an impossible own hands, define the key characteristics that distinguish them mission because the municipality cannot stay without the support of from others and utilise these characteristics to ensure they are visrelevant ministries and public enterprises. We are proud that in the ible to investors - says Vladan Atanasijević, President of the Execumunicipal community we have done a great job. This is confirmation tive Board of NALED. ■ of all our efforts - says Zorica Maslovarić, vice president of the Mu-

Knjaževac

Negotin

Boljevac

The Municipality of Knjaževac has 31,491 inhabitants and a workforce of 19,000. The dominant industrialbranches in the local government are footwear and textiles production, wood processing and tourism. The largest domestic companies in Knjaževac are SCS plus, Serbina, MDS and Maxx line fashion, while the most important foreign investor is Falc East from Italy (footwear industry). One of the incentives offered by the municipality is the reduction of land prices and charges for development for more than 10 employees.

Negotin is home to 24,000 people and has 174 companies and 881 entrepreneurs operating. The dominant industrial branches are trade, construction, transportation, hospitality, the chemical industry and agriculture. The largest companies in the municipality are the Đerdap (Iron Gate) II hydroelectric plant, Elixir Group - IHP Prahovo, Spajić, Nikolic transport, Tekijanka and the Uljarica (Oilseed) agricultural cooperative. Negotin offers investors employing more than 10 new workers exemption from charges, payments in instalments or 30 per cent reductions on the purchase or lease of land.

The Municipality of Boljevac is the smallest of the three newly certified municipalities. It is home to just 12,800 inhabitants, with a workforce of slightly more than 8,000. The dominant industrial branches are forestry, mining, engineering and the energy sector. The largest domestic companies in Boljevac are Timočke Forests, the Bogovina brown coal mine, FPM Agromehanika, Bioenergy point, Unimer-nemetali and Euroaqua. The most important foreign investor is Germany’s BTR (production of industrial charcoal). Companies creating more than 10 new jobs can expect exemptions from charges, property taxes and company signage fees for a period of two years. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 43

INTERVIEW

ANASTASIA SAGIANNI TRANSFER PRICING ADVISOR, EUROFAST GLOBAL, BELGRADE OFFICE

Tackling TP Regulations

Eurofast’s Transfer Pricing team of professionals is capable of efficiently addressing all client needs, adding value to local operations thanks to our international experience in TP regulations. We support our clients operating in multiple jurisdictions with our network of offices in Southeast Europe and Eastern Mediterranean, as well as our associates worldwide

ur advice to companies is to work with experienced TP professionals that have a proven in-depth understanding of TP regulations. Expert advisors will guide companies to meet legal and economic requirements in the country of operation and also approach transfer pricing as an international tax planning tool for the entire Group’s operation.

lished related to “Discussion Draft on Transfer Pricing Documentation and CbC Reporting” one change suggested by TP professionals is to make English the language in which TP documentation will be submitted. Companies are suffering due to huge translation costs in every jurisdiction they operate. Many multinationals resist translating the Master file and many advisors think that a common language will simplify compliance. Moreover, this will enable the Group to evaluate better both the services provid-

on companies and the completed TP study should be provided to the tax authorities either upon request or as part of a regular tax audit and always at the business’s headquarters. This will limit the risk related to leakage of commercially sensitive information. Tax administrations may adopt a simple report for submission and after the evaluation of high transfer pricing risk areas, request the whole study from taxpayers. ■ Why choose Eurofast?

■ Transfer pricing deadline is

- Eurofast’s team of professionals fast approaching! 30th June is Companies are suffering high translation is capable of efficiently addressjust around the corner. Any ading all client needs. We add valcosts. The use of a common language will ue to your local operations with vice for taxpayers? simplify compliance internationally - This is the first year TP regulaour international experience in TP tions are being enforced in Serbia regulations, as well as supporting and it is understandable why some taxyour operations in multiple jurisdictions ed from local advisors and the level of payers have not realised how imporwith our network of offices in Southeast compliance with the local requirements. tant a Transfer Pricing Study is! Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, Translation should be performed only It is critical for companies to carefulas well as associates worldwide. We proupon request by the local tax authorities. ly address TP issues like documentation Another change should be the revide services while taking into considof their related party transactions and porting to the authorities. Transfer eration every aspect of tax legislation submit the documentation to the tax Pricing documentation includes highfrom different countries. authorities together with the annual tax ly confidential information about the We act on behalf of our clients and return within 180 days of the last date policy and strategic plan of the entire associates. Advisors should understand of the tax period, within the deadline. Group. The burden of proof should fall the business structure and should be able to analyse transactions in order to select the method ■ Do you believe that that suits each transaction. there might be changWe offer the right expert es to the law governing advice to mitigate tax risks, Transfer Pricing in Serbia? penalties and adverse tax - Of Course! Based on the consequences. ■ comments that were pub-

For more information please contact Eurofast global d.o.o., 31/4 Beogradska Street +381 11 3241 484 or via email at: anastasia.sagianni@eurofast.eu 44 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

AFTER WORK 29.03.2014

07.04.2014

Recognition for PR Contribution

Captain Miša prize for Ronald Seeliger

Maja Šotra, manager for communications and donations at Philip Morris in Serbia, has won the prize for the individual whose actions, vision and mission contribute to the development of the profession of public relations in the framework of the 12th International Pro. PR conference, held in Sarajevo. “In our industry the role of corporate communications is to establish a dialogue with the public, in order to ensure any public debates relating to issues of importance to the business are objective, comprehensive, fair and transparent,” said Šotra.

Hemofarm CEO Dr Ronald Seeliger has won the national Captain Miša Anastasijević Award in the category of leader of the business environment in Serbia, which was awarded in 7th April during the central event at Matica Serbia in Novi Sad. The Captain Miša Anastasijević Award is one of the most respected economic and social recognitions in Serbia and is awarded as part of company Media Invent’s “Route to the Top”, which aims to affirm social and entrepreneurial values, creativity and social responsibility. 11.04.2014

Top European students visit EPS

Public Enterprise Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) hosted a group of the top 30 electrical engineering students from the region and Europe. The students of prestigious European universities were guests at a gathering held under the slogan “Belgrade - State of Mind 2” and organised by the Belgrade Committee of the Association of Students of Electrical Engineering Europe. The young electrical engineering students had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the electricity production process in Serbia and also visited the Kolubara Mining Basin and the Nikola Tesla thermoelectric plant. 14.04.2014

Tradition With a Mission The Australian Ambassador, HE Mrs Julia Feeney in cooperation with the Etno Network and Author’s Studio Arsic organized a fashion evening “Tradition with a mission – Serbian timeless creations”. The aim of the event was to support and empower women entrepreneurship and business in Serbia, and especially the work of Ethno Network. Traditional Serbian arts and products, such as knitted wardrobe, traditional linen, Pirot rugs, shirts and dresses were presented at the show.

16.04.2014

The Power of Creativity 16.04.2014

Sixty Years of Belgrade Tourism

Agency ‘McCann Belgrade’ received the award for the year’s best campaign at the Review of the creative industries, under the slogan “The Power of Creativity”. The “Best of the Best” campaign was declared as the Raiffeisen Bank campaign “Može” (Can do), which the jury described as having been the most notable campaign last year, while agency ‘McCann Belgrade’ was also awarded with four more awards for the campaigns, “When you drive, park your phone”, “Schweppes – only for grownups”,”Lav Beer - Mini” and the aforementioned “Može”. The now traditional Power of Creativity Review of the creative industries was held for the sixth time, under the organisation of specialised magazine Taboo.

Under the auspices of the Days of Belgrade event, the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade (TOB) marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of its legal predecessor, the Tourist Alliance of Belgrade. The occasion saw the staging of a central celebration at Belgrade’s Dom Omladine youth centre, which was attended by representatives of the city’s tourism industry, business associates and the media. The event included a stage programme under the title “Cafe Beograd”, which was composed of texts authored by Miloš Crnjanski, Momo Kapor and Duško Radović, who all authored famous pomes about Belgrade.

16.04.2014

Blic Entrepreneur 2013

Nenad Blagojević, owner of company Bland from Leskovac, has been presented with this year’s prestigious Blic Entrepreneur 2013 Award. In addition to receiving recognition, Blagojević was also awarded €20,000 from Societe Generale Bank. The enterprise Bland, from Zloćudov near Leskovac, which is owned by Blagojević, is a family company specialising in acquiring and processing machinery, production elements, pellets and assemblies for special Norwegian chairs. A total of 98 per cent of production is exported. The criteria considered by the jury when selecting the best Blic Entrepreneur of 2013 include: profitability, productivity, liquidity, export potential, number of employees and new employees in 2013, technological innovations and orientation towards environmental protection and contributing to the development of the local community. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 45

FACES & PLACES

27.03.2014

The Joy of Dancing

MRS MANZO (left) and AJA JUNG

Italian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Giuseppe Manzo, held a reception at the official ambassadorial residence to mark the beginning of the 11th Belgrade Dance Festival. The reception was attended by Michael Davenport, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, as well as the ambassadors of Germany, Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Finland and Australia, many other diplomats, representatives of the Serbian Culture Ministry and the City of Belgrade’s Culture Secretariat, the press and representatives of the companies that sponsored the participation of Italian dance troupe Zappala Danza in this year’s BDF. The reception included a performance of the ballet students of the National Dance Foundation.

02.04.2014

Indian Fashion Show Pakistani Charge d' Affaires, MIRZA SALMAN BABAR BEG, his wife SAMIA and the members of the Pakistani diplomatic mission 31.03.2014

Pakistani Independence Day The Independence Day of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was marked with a formal reception Dedinje’s Villa Jelena. The reception was attended by many guests, including representatives and fellows of the humanitarian foundation Hažinadžija Karabegović Agušević. Pakistani Charge d’ Affaires, Mirza Salman Babar Beg, his wife Samia and the members of the Pakistani diplomatic mission, greeted the political, religious and public figures who attended the Independence Day reception.

46 |

MIRZA SALMAN BABAR BEG and SULEJMAN UGLJANIN

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

The Embassy of India in Belgrade and H.E. Narinder Chauhan, ambassador of India, in collaboration with Fashion Studio CLICK, organised the India Fashion Show as part of this year’s Belgrade Fashion Week. The event showcased collections of one of India’s most famous fashion designers on the global market, Manish Arora. The event also included an attractive educational programme for fashion design students in the fields of public relations, scouting, marketing trends etc.

H.E. NARINDER CHAUHAN and fashion designer MANISH ARORA

04.04.2014

Farewell Reception German Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Heinz Wilhelm, and the staff of the German Embassy held a farewell reception in honour of their long-standing press attaché Marko Čadež, who is starting a new job after ten years serving at the German Embassy. Apart from Čadež’s friends and co-workers, the reception was also attended by leading politicians Aleksandar Vučić, Ivica Dačić and Kori Udovički, as well as representatives of the Belgrade media.

MARKO ČADEŽ (left) and H.E. HEINZ WILHELM

KORI UDOVIČKI and IVICA DAČIĆ 08.04.2014

Dialogue for Success

Over 100 of the most successful Serbian managers and members of the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) met with representatives of the commercial affairs departments of the embassies of EU member states in order to receive firsthand information about the European integration process in Serbia, thanks to the head of the Serbian accession negotiation team, Tanja Miščević, and the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia.

09.04.2014 FREEK JANMAAT, EU Delegation (left), TANJA MIŠČEVIĆ, head of the Serbian accession negotiation team, and MILAN PETROVIĆ, president of SAM

The Best from Serbia 2013 Gornji Milanovac-based company Metalac was declared the best corporate brand in the last decade, while Plazma biscuits, produced by Bambi Concern from Požarevac, won in the category of best product brand in the finals of the Best from Serbia 2013 competition. The award ceremony took place at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre on 9 th April, with representatives of 23 winning companies in attendance. The Best from Serbia awards were handed over by successful young people, namely the recipients of the various awards for sport, creative activities, mathematics, astrophysics and technological innovation.

PETRAŠIN JAKOVLJEVIĆ, Metalac, and SCC President ŽELJKO SERTIĆ

cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 47

FACES & PLACES

RUŽICA ĐINĐIĆ 10.04.2014

Serbian-German Forum

GERHARD SCHROEDER and ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was among the guests at a reception held at the Čolaković Legacy in Belgrade to mark the beginning of the Serbian – German Forum. The reception was also attended by Serbian and German business leaders, including honorary Forum members Aleksandar Vučić, head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and Ružica Đinđić, widow of assassinated PM Zoran Đinđić. Chancellor Schroeder, who attended in his capacity as an honorary member and honorary guest of the Serbian-German Forum, said on the occasion that the EU will not be complete without the Balkan countries, adding that it would be realistic to expect Serbia to join the EU by 2020 at the latest. The reception was also attended by German Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Heinz Wilhelm, Serbian Finance Minister Lazar Krstić, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić, President of the City of Belgrade’s Provisional Council, Siniša Mali, and many other officials. 10.04.2014

Concert of the Best H.E. Johannes Eigner, Austrian Ambassador to Serbia, hosted a concert by young musicians and students of the Kosta Manojlović Music School from Smederevo at the Austrian Ambassadorial residence. Young pianist and composer Veljko Nenadić, winner of the Golden Key Piano Composition Competition 2013, was among the performers at the reception.

10.04.2014

VELJKO NENADIĆ

H.E. FRANCOIS XAVIER DENIAU, French Ambassador and MRS DENIAU

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

Canada at the Belgrade Dance Festival Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Roman Waschuk, and Mrs Oksana Smerechuk hosted a reception at the Canadian ambassadorial residence to celebrate Canada’s participation in the 2014 Belgrade Dance Festival. The reception was attended by many public figures, including BDF director Aja Jung and world-renowned Serbian ballet dancer Gradimir Pankov, who is also the art director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

H.E. ROMAN WASCHUK (left), GRADIMIR PANKOV and AJA JUNG

22.04.2014

Formal Reception Commemorating Serbian Army Day Defence Minister in the technical government, Nebojša Rodić, and Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, Ljubiša Diković, hosted a reception at the House of Guards in the city’s Topčider area to mark the Day of the Serbian Army on 23rd April. The event was attended, amongst others, by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, representatives of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, Serbian Patriarch Irinej, representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, religious communities, foreign military officials and diplomats, celebrities from public and cultural life and numerous other guests.

TOMISLAV NIKOLIC, President (left), NEBOJSA RODIC, the Minister of Defence in the government technical and General LJUBISA DIKOVIĆ, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army 24.04.2014

King's Day

Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Serbia, H.E. Laurent Stokvis, together with his wife Odilia Stokvis, hosted a festive reception at the ambassadorial residence to celebration the country’s annual King’s Day, Koningsdag, holiday. In addition to many personalities from the local political and cultural scene, the beautiful garden of the residence also welcomed a large number of foreign diplomats. The guests were able to enjoy the wonderful sounds of female string quartet ensemble Metamorphosis.

H.E. JEAN-DANIEL RUCH (left), Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia, ANSGAR BORNEMAN, Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic, DIDIER BURKHALTER, President of the Swiss Confederation, ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ, Prime Minister of Serbia, and ŽELJKO SERTIĆ, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce 24.04.2014

Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce Formed

Mrs and Mr STOKVIS

The Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC) held a ceremonial session on the occasion of the founding of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was registered in March 2014 and the first meeting will take place in June. One of the founders of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic, Ansgar Borneman, said that the association of business leaders will support the sustainable development of Serbia and be the voice of business leaders. The meeting was attended by President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and SCC president Željko Sertić, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and many businesses.

YANNIS EGLOFF (left), Business Development Direcotr SICPA Security Solutions SA, ANSGAR BORNEMAN, Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic, JEAN-LUC OESCH, Deputy Head of Mission, Swiss Embassy, ANA GRUJOVIĆ, Executive officer, SwissSerbian Chamber of Commerce, and Ana Govedarica, General Manager Roche, Serbia

cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 49

CULTURE CALENDAR CONCERTS

Vlado Georgiev Kombank Arena, 16th May @ 21.00 It is well known that famous singer Vlado Georgiev always sets new standards at his concerts. This time, for the first time in his career, his audience will enjoy his music in a solo concert at Belgrade’s Kombank Arena! Speaking about the concert, Vlado said: “I’m very much looking forward to the concert. Preparation will be completely different from anything seen so far and I think it will be very interesting. Technically, every part of the arena will be perfectly wired and the stage itself will ensure I have good contact with the audience. I’m currently working on the arrangements, considering the fact that on this occasion I insert strings and a brass section and even vocals, percussion and a few quality musicians. Simultaneously, another team prepares the stage – the

throughout the world. Their album “A Toda Cuba Le Gusta” was first recorded during the legendary Buena Vista Social Club sessions. The band has musicians of all ages who cherish the whole spectrum of Latin music, including mambo, cha cha, rumba, son montuno, timba, danzon, abakua and bolero.

“We use all the heritage of Cuban music to create a sound of the future” - said Juan de Marcos Gonzales about the music they create. Over the years many musicians in the band have become international stars, including brilliant performers such as Ruben Gonzalez, Ibrahim Ferrer, Guillermo Rubalcava, Amadito Valdes and Manuel “The Guajiro” Mirabal.

Sevdah Baby

visual scenario of the concert. It will really have a lot of things that audiences have not seen at concerts in Serbia. I am sure that my audience will enjoy the evening with me. “ Georgiev will to try to push the boundaries by setting the stage in a way that has not been seen here yet. The stage will be set in the middle of the arena so that, together with his supporting band, he will have direct contact with the audience from all four sides of the Belgrade Arena. The central position of the stage increases the capacity of the Kombank Arena and in such a set up the venue can accommodate up to 30,000.

Dom Omladine, 17th May @ 21.00 Popular Belgrade band Sevdah BABY will perform with its distinctive sound: a combination of electronic music and the rock ‘n’ roll energy of live instruments. In addition to lead singer Djixx, the audience can expect some great vocals from the Belgrade music scene. DJ support, as in previous concerts in Belgrade, will be Me-HighLow, with its nu-disco and house set. Today, just as a decade ago, Sevdah BABY

Sava Centre, 17 May @ 20.00 One of the most successful Cuban bands in the world, Afro-Cuban All Stars, will perform at the Sava Centre on 17th May. Led by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Afro-Cuban All Stars is one of most deserving orchestras for spreading the popularity of Afro-Cuban music

various locations 8th – 31st May

The 9th Belgrade International Architecture Week (BINA), under the theme “Public Spaces”, will be held from 8th to 31st May at the Culture Centre of Belgrade, the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, Republic Square and several city municipalities. Over the nine years of its existence, BINA has confirmed its primary orientation of urban events geared toward professionals and the general public of various age groups. In addition to a wide range of activities aimed at the general public, with the intent of launching concepts and activities related to the improvement of the built environment (architectural tours, workshops, lectures etc.), a significant segment of on the other. Stanković strongly believe that music is universal, that Balkan Sevdah is equal to American blues or Brazilian tristessa.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Amoroso Chamber Orchestra is one man. His name is Milan Stanković and he mostly enjoys blending different musical cultures in his songs. He is not afraid of being accused of heresy by any kind of audience: even by fans of mainstream or Balkan folk music on one side and representatives of urban club culture

Kolarac, 11th May @ 11.00 The Amoroso Chamber Orchestra from Leskovac will perform Mozart, Corelli and Respigi as part of Kolarac’s Chamber Music Cycle.

Madlenianum, 7th May @ 19.30

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“stories within a story” and in its essence it is a fantasy fairy tale representing the conflict between good and evil. There are two worlds: the underground world of darkness, represented by the evil Queen of the Night, and the world of

Kolarac, 9th May @ 20.00 The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform pieces from Mozart, Shostakovich etc.

Les Misérables This premiere of the musical Les Misérables is actually a restoration of the musical and will bring several new features. The musical is back following numerous requests from the public. Since it was first staged at Madlenianum in 2007, this musical became a regular part of the Madlenianum repertoire until 2011. After a break of three years and 43 stage plays, it will

BINA’s programme is dedicated to the promotion of research projects through which the theoretical -based approach contributes to drawing attention to the importance of the topics in focus. For this ninth edition, the BINA programme team opted for a very current topic dedicated to the public space as areas of content, meaning, interaction with the environment and the forming of values through all historical periods that define the essence of the urban space.

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

Afro-Cuban All Stars th

Belgrade International Architecture Week

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra Kolarac, 16th May @ 20.00 The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform pieces from Moncayo, Ginastera, Markes etc. Conductor: Gisele Ben-Dor again be set up with the same team of authors, but with major changes in the division of roles.

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

OPERA

Magic Flute Madlenianum, 10th May @ 11.00 The content of this opera for children has several

light, justice and kindness, represented by Sarasto. The two worlds fight over Prince Tamino and after numerous temptations the World of the Sun prevails, so he leaves the underground world, deserving the hand of Pamina. The simple-minded, naïve world of “little” people is presented in the character of Tamino’s constant fellow traveller, a bird-catcher Papageno. The evil Queen of the Night wants to get hold of the magic flute which has the magic power, wishing to use it to conquer the world. In many people’s opinions, the magic flute is the symbol of music itself and the musical art. However, the World of evil and darkness decays, the light prevails and the power of the magic flute is used to enhance everybody’s joy and happiness.

Elixir of Love Madlenianum, 10th May @ 19.30 The opera L’elisir d’amore (Elixir of Love) by Gaetano Donizetti continues Madlenianum’s programme for young people and children,

CULTURE NEWS launched last year. Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute was set up in order to create an opera offspring, future lovers of operatic art. The opera is performed in Serbian, in a shortened form and with piano accompaniment, in order to be more adapted to suit theatre stages throughout the country that do not have the capacity to stage the performance of a complete opera.

BALLET

Russian Tzar Ballet, Carmen/Bollero Sava Centre, 29th May @ 20.00

The Imperial Russian Ballet was set up in 1994 by Gediminas Taranda, a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre, at the initiative of world-famous prima donna Maya Plisetskaya, who became its honorary president. This dance company has over 40 artists from the best ballet schools of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm. Acting under the supervision of renowned ballet instructors, their art is based on the performance of classical ballet works and dance works of contemporary authors. Performances include virtuoso dancing and beautiful costumes of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres. A rich repertoire, the virtuoso dancing skills of the ballet ensemble’s members, as well as numerous world tours, ensure this ensemble is classified at the top of the world ballet scene.

MUSICALS

Zona Zamfirova Terazije Theatre, 10th May @ 19.30 For a very long time it was unknown that author Stevan Sremac based his best work on true events that took place in Priština in the late 19th century. Sremac heard the whole story from Branislav Nušić, who was serving as the Serbian consul in Priština in 1895. After returning from

Sava Centre, 28th April

Zorba the Greek Terazije Theatre, 4th May @ 19.30 Based on Nikos Kazantzakis’s (1883-1957) novel “The Curious Adventures of Alexis Zorbas”, written in 1946, Greek director Michael Kakojanis made the 1964 film entitled ‘Zorba the Greek’, under a Greek-American production. The film starred Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lila Cedar. The music is composed by Mikis Theodorakis. The film was a great success and was honoured that year with three Oscars. Especially notable was the music of Theodorakis who used the film to promote traditional Greek music and a folk dance called “Sirtaki”, which subsequently became very popular around the world. Kazantzakis’s literary masterpiece provides a good basis for adaptation and dramatization, primarily in musical theatres. Besides an interesting plot, where the old, the patriarchal and the modern collide, this piece also includes unusual characters and popular Greek music.

TGI, Prva television and the Sava Centre, in conjunction with the British Council, present the Belgrade audience with the Royal Opera House from London at the Sava Centre for the opening night of "The Winter Tale"! Joining many European capitals and the general trend of live webcasts, the Belgrade audience was given the chance to regularly follow the repertoire of the Popov and Grozdana Olujić - other festival participants include people from cultural and public life: Leontina, Tijana Dapčević, Rada Đuričin, Minja Subota, Boda Ninković, Bora Đorđević, Jova Radovanović, Milorad Mandić Manda, Branislav Trifunović, Bogoljub Mitić - Đoša the RTS Children’s Choir and the magical Kolo Ensemble... The festival will give away 1,000 of prizes to the most talented children in Serbia in the field of literary and visual arts. The festival is organised by Serbia’s only literary magazine for children, Vitez (Knight).

KIDS

Vitezovo Prolece Sava Centre, 11th May @ 12.00 The 12th Belgrade Festival of Children’s Writers, the largest event for children in our country, will be traditionally held in the Great Hall of the Sava Centre with the participation of well-known children’s writers and public figures. In addition to our best-known writers for children, such as Dobrica Erić, Milovan Vitezović, Slobodan Stanišić, Rajko Petrov Nogo - Radomir Andrić, Miodrag Jakšić, Ljubomir Ćorilić, Nedeljko Popadić Blagoje Baković, Svetislav Vuković, Raša

National Ensemble KOLO Sava Centre, 15 May @ 20.00 th

National Ensemble KOLO is the only institution in Serbia in the field of stage-musical activities that preserves, nurtures and presents our traditional arts through dance, song, music and customs. Since its founding (in 1948), KOLO has persisted in trying to raise folk dance to the level of high art interpretations. The programmes of the Ensemble KOLO largely represent a model of scenic ethnic representation, combining the basic values of our traditional culture. In creating an artistic repertoire for

Winter Tale from the Royal Opera House

the capital of Kosovo, one Summer evening at Kalemegdan Nušić met with Sremac and told him the story. Sremac was delighted and asked his friend to let him recount this story. That is how Zona Zamfirova was born.

famous British Royal Opera House from London. Through a specially conceived transmission in high resolution on the big screen, viewers were able to watch ballet and opera from this Covent Garden venue. Using the latest technical developments, the viewers of the show experienced an exclusive atmosphere, following the events on the stage and around it as if they were on the spot, even though tickets for these events have long been sold out. In this way, the audience is able to see not only the greatest international ballet and opera artists, but will also have the chance to see behind the scenes and hear post-show interviews with them.

City of Arts and Sciences Exhibition Instituto Cervantes, 1st–30th April The City of Arts and Sciences is an architectural, cultural and entertainment centre designed by Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela. This entertainment venue, where culture is the main protagonist, is currently the biggest tourist attraction in the Spanish city of Valencia. Its main activities are based on three thematic areas: art, science and nature. The complex is located at the end of the old Turija riverbed, which was converted into a park in the 1980s after the change of the river following its rapid proliferation in 1957. Vojislav Pešterac, author of the exhibition, is one of the founders of the famous photography festival in Serbia: “The days of photography in SerbiaČačak” and “Shuffle.” Pešterac is a photographer with over 40 years of experience who has participated in over 200 exhibitions worldwide.

Mala matura – veliko srce Sava Centre, 18th May @ 20.00 The National Office for Kosovo, in cooperation with other institutions and businesses, is again participating in the organisation of Mala Matura – Veliko Srce this year. The event, which has been traditionally held during the last three years, is organised for 1,000 students from Kosovo and the same number of students who are hosts, from primary schools in Belgrade. The Sava Centre will host 800 students from Kosovo and as many of their peers from Belgrade as they attend a charity concert and mark their junior prom on this occasion. Admission is free.

Children Club: Easter Egg Decoration Instituto Cervantes, 12th April The Instituto Cervantes in Belgrade organised a fun day for children decorating eggs for the Easter holidays. One of the most popular workshops for kids, it is organised traditionally by the Cervantes Institute each year.

KOLO, Serbia’s most eminent choreographers, composers and many associates have participated to build a unique artistic style, expressed primarily in the diversity of theatrical and musical forms. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 51

INTERVIEW

■ By Sonja ĆIRIĆ

OLIVERA STOŠIĆ RAKIĆ

EDITOR OF THE LITERARY & DEBATE PROGRAMME AT THE BELGRADE CULTURE CENTRE

Investment in a

COLLECTIVE FUTURE

“The rationale behind setting up The Great School of Ljubiša Rajic was to transform the Culture Centre into ‘an obstacle course' for critical thinking and dialogue, which are both sorely lacking from our education system"

T 52 |

he motto of the Belgrade Cultural Centre – “A Multitude of Arts from a Single Centre” – eloquently suggests that the Centre, located on Republic Square, is the venue where diverse artistic programmes are being created. More specifically, with its three

115 November 98 May 2014 2012 | www.cordmagazine.com

galleries, a cinema hall with a lobby, a spacious souvenir shop – the famous “Belgrade Window” – ateliers, depots and office space, the Belgrade Culture Centre is the home to all arts. This is a venue for exhibitions, talks, lectures, concerts, numerous music events and film festivals, publishing and promotion of examples of original design with Belgrade's stamp all over them. In short, the Belgrade Culture Centre lives every day, 365 days a year, and it has been like that since its very formation almost 60 years ago. This time around we would like to single out one of the centre’s many facets and that is the Literary & Debate Programme, and especially a forum entitled The Great School of Ljubiša Rajić. The programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Scandinavian Languages and Literature Group from the Bel-

grade Faculty of Philology, and with the help of the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade. Here we speak to the programme's editor, Olivera Stošić Rakić. ■ What is the main task of the Literary & Debate Programme? - Primarily, it is to observe trends on the Serbian scene, although in the last few years we have also organized foreign programmes. The Literary & Debate Programme has brought many foreign guests to Belgrade, from writers to theorists of various profiles who usually give lectures about phenomena that are important both for us, here in Belgrade, and the entire world. For instance, during this year’s three-day event called ‘World Poetry Day’, which the Culture Centre has been celebrating on 21st March since 2001 and thus joining many cities in the world, we had guests like Mutsuo Takahashi, the most popular Japanese poet, Alexei Rybakov from Russia, Monika Rink from Germany, Umberto Fiori from Italy, Gianni-Gregory Fornet from France and other contemporary writers. It is important to mention that the Belgrade Culture Centre is one of a handful of institutions in the city where you can hear foreign writers and theorists talk. The French Institute also belongs in the same group.

■ How do you do it? There are many institutions, events and festivals much bigger than the Culture Centre which have spent years trying to bring foreigners to participate, but have been unable to do so because of insufficient budgets.

- The majority of the activities of the Literary & Debate Programme are funded through international donations and with the help of sponsors, on top of the money provided by the City of Belgrade. For instance, our cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade was instrumental in holding the Great School of Ljubiša Rajić forum. ■ What is the goal of this forum? - We at the Belgrade Culture Centre and the Group for Scandinavian Languages at the Faculty of Philology launched The Great School of Ljubiša Rajić with the intention of using panel discussions, lectures and presentations to talk about higher learning, the translation of literary works and social and cultural activism. Professor Ljubiša Rajić was always involved in the work of the Culture Centre, as one of its long-standing associates, so it was only natural to continue his work in this way too. Professor Rajić was the founder and professor of the Group for Scandinavian Languages and Literature from the Belgrade Faculty of Philology and also a member of the Norwegian Science Acad-

emy and many other reputable international associations and organisations. He was also a superb translator and was an intellectual who articulated the values and desires of a great number of people in Serbia for over two decades. I would like to underline that, through its programmes, the Belgrade Culture Centre has been trying to tie in the interests of the ministries of culture and of education, just like Professor Rajić. Hence, we consider the forum The Great School of Ljubiša Rajić a natural progression towards fusion of culture and education. We came up with a series of lectures, panel discussions, performances and other activities in which we would like to involve students of humanities with the desire to continue practicing their critical thinking and the dialogue, which are sorely lacking from our education system, at the Culture Centre.“ ■ The Great School of Ljubiša Rajić began last year and will run until the end of the current semester. However, due to overwhelming interest from the public and good results, this

The Literary & Debate Programme has brought many foreign guests to Belgrade, from writers to theorists of various profiles who usually give lectures about phenomena that are important both for us, here in Belgrade, and the entire world forum will probably stretch into the next school year. Could you tell us what topics draw the greatest attention?

- We discuss a variety of issues in our panel discussions, such as education, for instance, which was one of the professor’s most important topics. Professor Rajić believed that education was “a society’s development resources, since studying should not be considered only as youth’s investment into their own future, but also as the society’s investment in its collective future”. We also had a panel discussion entitled “The Bologna Process – Consequences and the Future”, “The Pisa Tests 2012: Where is our nation heading and how to improve it”, as well as the discussion “Social Responsibility of Higher Education”. This March we also had an interactive lesson about translators and proof readers, while in April we spoke about journalists as part of a cycle dedicated to various professions. One of the many activities first launched by Rajić himself at the Group for Scandinavian Languages and Literature was introducing students to top experts from various professional cycles, namely their introduction to the interdisciplinary method. Since the curricula of most humanities faculties of the University of Belgrade did not envisage the students being directly introduced to the cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 53

vocations they might pick up one day, the Forum provides an opportunity for young people to meet, talk and even cooperate with the experts from publishing, media, socially engaged advertising and digital literacy. Through this programme we offer students the possibility of learning more about professional orientation following their education.. I would especially like to highlight that the School has presented the best practice cases in education which, of course, come from Scandinavia. The Finnish format proved to be very good, so we have invited an expert from Norway, Sweden and Finland to present the education formats from their respective countries and, by communicating without decision makers in education in Serbia and students, discuss not only how we fare against

Our aim was to implement a project with a style that coincides with multidisciplinary profiles and modern day demands, or rather a festival that will bring together all the activities of the Culture Centre under one roof

them, but about the possibilities of the Serbian education system. We are going to have a few programmes initiated by the students themselves. In May, following the suggestion received from the students of the Faculty of Philosophy, we will have a panel discussion that ponders “Is knowledge a commodity?” Following these programmes, the Cultural Centre will issue a publication with all panel discussions, in addition to several unpublished texts written by Professor Rajić.

■ “A Writer’s Festival” is one of the most important activities of the Literary & Debate Programme. This project/festival is a real celebration that is both serious and appealing to wider audiences. How did you manage to bring such a specialised topic to a wider audience?

- Our aim was to implement a project with a style that coincides with multidisciplinary profiles and modern day demands, or rather a festival that will bring together all the activities of the Culture Centre under one roof. That’s why we have all programmes of the Culture Centre working on putting together this Festival. “A Writer’s Festival” takes place on the premises of the Culture Centre, as well as a few locations in Belgrade which carry certain importance for the creative and intimate map of the writer this festival is dedicated to. During those days, and thanks to the Culture Centre, Belgrade celebrates literature. At the festival, which has the feeling of an interactive exhibition reminiscent of theatrical scenery, the audience is introduced

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115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

to original texts written by writers, personal belongings which are considered important for creating their own literary world, as well as contemporary commentaries about their literature which point to the social influence a certain writer exuded during their lifetime, i.e. the influence their work has today. “A Writer’s Festival” is also significant because there are very few festivals today dedicated to writers. The Festival re-evaluates our literary and cultural heritage and is dedicated to those writers whose work still hasn’t been seen properly in terms of its importance and value. These are writers who are not only known for their literary success, but also for their multifaceted cultural and artistic zeal, reform spirit and the connecting of our culture with the European and international cultural and social scenes. “A Writer’s Festival” talks about original literary works, their presentation and interpretation, as well as introducing new works by contemporary artists. ■ So far, there have been four fes-

tivals which presented four writers – Rastko Petrović, Stanislav Vinaver, Momčilo Nastasijević and Miroslav Krleža.

- Each of them deserves to have their own institution, let alone their own event. Let me remind you that Belgrade still hasn’t dealt properly with the heritage of its writers and the idea of having a literary museum, just like anywhere else in the world, has been brewing for quite some time now. That’s why our festival is a form of social activism which invites people interested in culture to support, if not the founding of a museum, than at least a festival which would entertain most of our literature. We started off with avant-garde modernism, because it is this period that had the greatest influence over contemporary culture. We are now planning to present Radomir Konstantinović, meaning that we are moving towards the contemporary period in our literature. We don’t have any classical jubilees or anniversaries at the festival. We would rather toy with the needs or habits of the audiences to read or hear about famous historical persons only when there is an anniversary attached to them. As a sort of (quasi)topic of the festival dedicated to Rastko Petrović, we talked about a presumption that ‘on today’s date’ he had his first cup of coffee with Picasso at Pigalle. The Festival about Krleža supposedly coincided with a centenary of Krleža’s first visit to Belgrade, which he returned to many times in his capacity as a citizen of Zagreb. By making up possible facts and pointing out seemingly less important facts about writers, we are actually protesting against the ingrained rules of cultural policies where the writers become the focus of this policy only on the anniversary of their birth or death. Although, I have to say, that has been happening less and less in Serbia.” ■

P R E V I E W

G U I D E

PREVIEW GUIDE

World Football Championship

2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL

HOST CITIES AND

STADIUMS

Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte

Estadio das Dunas, Natal

CAPACITY: 57,483

CAPACITY: 45,000

One of the most historic venues in Brazilian football and called home by Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro.

The name of Estadio das Dunas stadium relates to the sand dunes that are one of the most impressive natural attractions in the Natal region.

Estadio Nacional de Brasilia, Brasilia

Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

CAPACITY: 68,009 In keeping with one of the country’s most architecturally advanced cities, Brasilia’s Estadio Nacional is an imposing sight and the second largest venue at Brazil 2014.

Arena Pantanal CAPACITY: 42,968 The capital of the state of Mato Grosso, Cuiaba is located in the exact geographic centre of South America, an equidistant 2,000 km from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Arena da Baixada, Curitiba CAPACITY: 40,000 The historic Estadio Joaquim Americo – better known as the Arena da Baixada – is considered one of Brazil’s most modern and best-appointed stadiums

Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza

CAPACITY: 50,287 The largest football ground in the south of Brazil and nicknamed the “Gigante do BeiraRio” (The Giant of Beira-Rio), the stadium is officially known as the Estadio Jose Pinheiro Borda

Arena Pernambuco, Recife CAPACITY: 42,849 Recife, a city whose passion for the beautiful game is without question, is home to three historic Brazilian clubs in the shape of Nautico, Santa Cruz and Sport

Estadio Do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro CAPACITY: 73,531 Once the largest stadiums in the world, packing in crowds of up to 200,000 – among the highest attendances ever seen in the history of the game – the Maracana now has a reduced capacity of 73,531

CAPACITY: 58,704

Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

Officially known as the Estadio Governador Placido Castelo, the Castelao is home to both the Ceara and Fortaleza clubs and has been entirely renovated to host matches at the FIFA World Cup Brazil

CAPACITY: 52,048 The first capital city in Brazil’s history, Salvador will welcome the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil at a new, purpose-built stadium

Arena Amazonia, Manaus

Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo

CAPACITY: 42,377

CAPACITY: 65,807

Manaus is situated at the heart of the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world and the inspiration for the refurbished stadium.

The Arena Corinthians, in São Paulo, Brazil, is the future home stadium of the club Corinthians Paulista. It is the fifth-largest stadium on the top tier of the Brazilian League.

World Football Championship

PREVIEW GUIDE |

FROM 13 TO 203 (PARTICIPANTS) By Vladimir STANKOVIĆ

When the FIFA Congress decided, in Barcelona in May 1929, that the were the national teams of Romania, Belgium, Yugoslavia and France, next year Uruguay would host the first association football World Cup, who initially refused to participate until Rimet managed to broker the even the visionary who suggested the idea, Jules Rimet (1873-1956), departure of the Frenchman. They went on to enter the history books president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954, could not have predicted the kind of on 13th July 1930, when they played Mexico at the small Pocitos Stadium planetary spectacle the association football world championships would in Montevideo in the first game of the first ever World Cup. France won 4-1, with the scorer of the first goal in the history develop into. Uruguay was awarded that first of the World Cup being Lucien Laurent with a voltournament because it was reigning two-time Bookmakers say ley in the 19th minute... History had begun. Olympic champion (Paris 1924 and Amsterdam that Brazil is the top Qualifications for Brazil 2014 included the 1928) and because the country was then celebrating the 100th anniversary of its independence participation of 203 national teams of the 208 favourite, but then (which was why the new stadium built for the again Brazil is always FIFA members. In order to whittle them down event was named “Centenario”), but FIFA barely to 31 participants (Brazil, as the host nation, the top favourite gathered together 13 participants. Its emissaries qualified automatically), 816 games had to be roamed Europe, but succeeded in convincing onplayed... Three players each scored 11 goals in ly four federations to send their teams. The main reason for the refus- qualifying and another five netted 10. Some of them will compete al of Europe’s most powerful football nations at that time was the long in Brazil for the title of the best striker of the championship. Robin trip and the need to interrupt or delay their domestic leagues, which Van Persie (Netherlands) and Luis Suarez (Uruguay) were among was unacceptable for the countries where professionalism already ex- those scoring 11, while Leo Messi (Argentina) and Edin Džeko (Bosnia isted. Embarking on the adventure from the old continent to the new & Herzegovina) scored 10 each. Other players who are likely to have 58 |

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something to say on the Golden Boot issue include Cristiano Ronaldo of 19 titles have been won by just eight countries. The Netherlands (Portugal), Neymar and Hulk (Brazil), Wayne Rooney (England), Marco and Germany have both lost three finals, but the Germans have three Reus (Germany) and many others. titles while the Dutch have none. From a difficult start in the neighbourhood, in Uruguay in 1930, all Bookmakers say that Brazil is the top favourite, but then again the way to the 20th FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, association foot- Brazil is always the top favourite. Now Brazil’s chances are increased ball’s international body has come a long way and become one of the by the fact that they are playing at home, but this is also the greatest world’s richest and most powerful sporting organisations. According to danger. The pressure of the nation’s expectations will be even higher FIFA’s official website, in the period from 2007 to 2010 almost $4.2 bil- than usual, while the “Maracanazo” – Brazil’s defeat to Uruguay in 1950 lion entered the coffers of the federation, which is $2.66 billion more in front of 200,000 people at Maracana Stadium – is still remembered than in the previous period and represents net profit of $631 million. as the greatest (sporting) tragedy in the history of Brazilian football. As much as 93% of revenue comes from competitions, primarily the Moacyr Barbosa, Brazil’s goalkeeper at that World Cup, once said that World Cup. The last global tournament, in South Africa 2010, brought even though the most severe punishment in the country was a 20-year $2.4 billion from the sale of TV rights alone and another $1.07 billion prison term, he’d been “imprisoned” for life because he was never forgiven for conceding two goals against Uruguay. from sponsorship agreements. Spain will arrive as world champions and with almost entirely the A new financial report will be presented at the Congress in Sao Paolo ahead of the opening match of the tournament, between Brazil same players who achieved ultimate victory in South Africa in 2010. and Croatia, and there is no doubt that FIFA is a kind of IMF of the However, one should bear in mind the fact that they are all now four sporting world... It is estimated that Brazil will bring a profit of about years older. They can certainly go a long way, but few would declare €3 billion. FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke has presented a pro- them top favourites. Argentina depends on Messi, who has just comjection of expected revenue of €1.95 billion from the sale of TV rights pleted one of his worst seasons at Barcelona, at least it was certainly and €1.050 billion from 20 sponsor companies which, according to the worst in terms of the team’s results. The Brazil 2104 World Cup could contract level, can be divided into several groups. The first group in- be a great comfort and a chance for Messi to finally prove that he can cludes the companies that are traditionally the largest sponsors of the shine on the biggest stage in world football, having failed to stand out event, including Adidas, Coca Cola, Hyundai, Emirates, Sony and Visa. in 2006 and 2010. Germany, with its spine comprising players from the The second group includes Budweiser, Castrol, mighty Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, McDonalds, Continental, Johnson & Johnson, is also among the group of teams given the best Spain will arrive as Oi, Mozpark and Yinglisolar, while in the third chance of lifting the cup this year. world champions and are ApexBrasil, Centauro, Garoto, Itau, Liberty, The second group of favourites could WiseUp and Football for Hope. be classified as the Netherlands, Italy and with almost entirely Despite the on-going economic crisis, footBelgium, South America’s Uruguay, primarily the same players who ball is still big business, especially for some. We due to great attackers, while Colombia’s form achieved ultimate have entered a period in which revenue from is largely dependent on the recovery of Falcao victory in South Africa in and the form he will be in after recovering from the sale of tickets, even though they are expensive and almost sold out, represent the small2010. However, they are a serious ligament injury. Looking to upset the est item on the list of income generators. all now four years older odds will be some African teams, followed by FIFA World Cup host countries generally Bosnia & Herzegovina and perhaps Mexico, build new stadiums or renovate existing ones which has a lot of players who were Olympic and have huge costs (not everyone in Brazil is delighted that their coun- champions two years ago. Several other countries, including England, try is hosting the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics in the space of two France and Russia, are among those who a lot is expected of, but who years), but leave behind positive PR effects and facilities, while hun- usually provide little or nothing. A good number of countries considdreds of thousands of tourists will spend millions in hotels, restaurants er the very fact that they qualified to compete in Brazil as success. If and on transport, and playing on home soil could help Brazil’s team cap- nothing else, the cash registers of their national federations will be ture the country’s sixth world title. several million euros richer. Bosnia & Herzegovina will be the only debutant in Brazil and Many factors will influence success or failure, primarily the teams’ will become the 77th national team to appear in the world cup final’s quality and form, but also some external factors, from climate to travtournament. Brazil is the only country to have participated in all of el conditions. The matches will be played in 12 cities and one fact that them, but interestingly Germany has played two more matches: 99 could influence performances is distance travelled, with for instance compared to 97. Both teams will play their 100th World Cup game in the U.S. and Italy having to fly a total of more than 14,000 kilomethe opening group stage this year. Together these two teams have tres each within the country, while Belgium will travel less than 2,000. eight world titles – 5 for Brazil and 3 for Germany – and they are Brazil, as the host nation, has not been spared too much either and the only national teams to have scored more than 200 goals: Brazil will also travel 7,356km. Regardless of the details, from 12th June to 13th July the most impor210, Germany 206. Italy has won four titles and played 80 matches. None of the former world champions are absent for this tourna- tant event in the world will be the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The winment. There are also Uruguay and Argentina with two wins each, and ner, as always, will be football – this special type of art that represents England, France and Spain, with one title a piece. This means a total the only creative human activity carried out using the feet. ■

World Football Championship

PREVIEW GUIDE |

GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

12.06.2014

Brazil - Croatia

18.06.2014

13.06.2014

Mexico - Cameroon

23.06.2014 Brazil - Cameroon

17.06.2014

Brazil - Mexico

23.06.2014 Croatia - Mexico

BRAZIL

Cameroon - Croatia

Brazil vs. Croatia

CROATIA

Talent Under Pressure

Fourth Attempt

“Only the Pope, Frank Sinatra and I could shut up 200,000 people at Maracana” - this is one of the most famous phrases from the world of football and it was uttered by Uruguayan Alcides Edgardo Ghiggia (born 12.22.1926 in Montevideo, Uruguay), who scored the goal that saw Uruguay win the second world title on 16th July 1950 in the middle of Rio de Janeiro. Ghiggia broke the 1-1 deadlock in the 74th minute of the final, sending the whole of Brazil into a state of despair. Brazil could not take the psychological pressure and had to wait another eight years to win its first world title. It won it in Sweden in 1958, which marked the first appearance of the then 17-year-old Pele, the future king of football. Since then the country has won the world cup four times (1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and is the only team to have played in all 20 football world cups to date, playing a total of 97 matches. Brazil, as a force of world football and the host nation, will start the world cup as the top favourites, but the question is whether the players will be able to handle the tremendous pressure from the public, because for Brazilians nothing short of the title will be worthy. The national federation sacked coach Mano Mendez in November 2012 and reinstated veteran Luiz Felipe Scolari, who last led Brazil to the world title in Korea and Japan in 2002. Of the players Scolari can count on, only a few play in Brazil and the most famous of them is Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro). All others are based in Europe: Dani Alves and Neymar at Barcelona, David Luiz, Oscar, Ramires and William at Chelsea, Dante and Rafinha at Bayern Munich, Marcelo at Real Madrid, Hulk at Zenit, Thiago Silva at PSG. If he gets a call-up, Kaka (AC Milan) will play in his fourth world cup and will catch up with Brazilian soccer legends Carlos José Castilho, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos, Pele, Leao, Ronaldo and Angel.

In March 1994, FIFA ranked Croatia 125th in the world. It was the country’s first appearance on the list after independence. In January 1999 it achieved its best performance and greatest success – finishing third and earning “bronze” at the France ’98 World Cup. Croatia almost always manages to reach the world cup finals. Since its first appearance on the international scene, it has only missed out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Croatia struggled to reach Brazil

after having finished second in its group and only qualifying after a play-off against Iceland (0-0, 2-0) and the change of its coach. After the defeat to Belgium in Zagreb coach Igor Štimac was sacked and former international player Niko Kovač was appointed. The stars of the team are Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić, Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandžukić and Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitić.

DID YOU KNOW? • There were a total of 13 teams in the first World Cup. Besides host nation Uruguay, there were Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, the United States and Yugoslavia. Frenchman Lucien Laurent scored the first ever World Cup goal in the nineteenth minute of France’s 4-1 win over Mexico on the opening day of the 1930 tournament, held in Uruguay. 60 |

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World Football Championship

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BRAZIL:

CROATIA:

MEXICO:

CAMEROON:

Neymar is Brazil’s biggest star in a squad without a lot of big names, so all eyes will be on him when the hosts begin their campaign against Croatia.

Luka Modrić is the backbone of the Croatian national team and has become a regular in Real Madrid’s central midfield.

Oribe Peralta was the star in Mexico’s gold medal victory at the London Olympics and is set to lead the national team’s attack at the World Cup.

This four-time African Player of the Year is in the twilight of his career, but he is still capable of blistering performances.

Neymar

Luka Modric

MEXICO

Oribe Peralta

Samuel Eto’o

CAMEROON

Olympic Champions

African "Lions"

The two biggest world cup successes of Mexico are the two quarter-finals it reached when hosting the tournament twice – in 1970 and 1986 – when they were close to achieving a semi-final berth and were only eliminated on penalties by Germany. Mexico is one of the most regular participants of the football world cup (15 times), having only missed out on four tournaments: two before the war (1934 and 1938) and two after (1974 and 1990). Mexico’s last major success was at the Olympics in London, where they beat Brazil 2-1 in the final. At least 11 players from the gold-winning Olympic team will be heading to Brazil: goalkeeper Jesus Corona, defenders Israel Jimenez, Hiram Mier and Diego Reyes, midfielders Javier Aquino, Marco Fabian, Hector Herrera and Carlos Salcido, and strikers Giovani dos Santos, Raul Jimenez and Oribe Peralta. Mexico qualified for Brazil via a play-off against New Zealand (51, 4-2), after only completing the final North America, Central America and Caribbean Group in fourth position, behind the United States,

Cameroon gained its independence on January 1st 1960 and made its first appearance in the greatest football torunament at the Spain ’82 world cup, when it unhappily went out unbeaten at the second stage. It drew all three games in the group, but many Cameroonian players showed great talent at the tournament, primarily striker Roger Mila and goalkeeper Thomas Nkono.

After missing out on playing in Mexico in 1986, at Italy ’90 Cameroon managed to reach the quarter-finals, where they fell heroically in their knock-out match against England after extra time (2-3), with Gary Lineker’s 83rd minute penalty leading to extra time. In its next four world cup appearances (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010) Cameroon failed to advance beyond the first group stage, but it did become a constant participant at the world cup, with a number of prominent players going on to ply their trade at major European clubs. Cameroon has been the champion of African four times (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002). Costa Rica and Honduras, with two wins, five draws and three defeats and a negative goal difference of 7-9. The impact forces of Mexico include attackers Oribe Peralta, scorer of 10 goals in qualifying, and Manchester United player Javier Hernandez, popularly known as “Chicharito”. Mexico also changed its coach repeatedly during qualifying. It began the campaign with Jose Manuel de la Torre, continued with Victor Manuel Vucetich and ended the play-offs with Miguel Herrera, the 45-year-old former footballer whose future status depends on results in Brazil.

Cameroon qualified for Brazil by securing first place in its group, ahead of Libya, the Republic of Congo and Togo, before going on to defeat Tunisia in its two-leg play-off encounter - 0-0 away and 4-1 at home. The star of the current team is still 33-year-old Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o, who is the top scorer in the history of the national team (41 goals in 86 matches). It is interesting that player Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, born 1989, is the son of André Kana-Biyik, who shone for Cameroon at the 1990 world cup in Italy.

World Football Championship

PREVIEW GUIDE |

GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

13.06.2014

Spain - Netherlands

18.06.2014

13.06.2014

Chile - Australia

23.06.2014 Australia - Spain

18.06.2014

Australia - Netherlands

23.06.2014 Netherlands - Chile

SPAIN

Spain - Chile

Spain vs. Netherlands

NETHERLANDS

World Champions

Eternal Aspirant

The Spanish national team has dominated world and European football for the last six years. The team first won the European title in 2008, then the World Cup in 2010, and again the European championships in 2012. All three titles were won with more or less the same generation of players and the same style of play, known as “tiki-taka”, which means superior possession and goals scored by the way of playing and not the player.

By the will of the draw, the finalists from the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, Spain and the Netherlands, will play the first match in their group. The Dutch passed through qualifications unbeaten, winning nine of their ten games and drawing one, with a total goal difference of 345. As many as 11 of those 35 goals were scored by Robin van Persie (Manchester United), while Rafel van der Vaart (Hamburger SF) and Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev) scored five each, three were scored by Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Shalke 04) and Bruno Martins (Feyenord) both scored a brace. The Netherlands has a very experienced team. Attackers Van Persie, Robben, Huntelaar and Dirk Kuyt are all 30, while midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defender Ron Vlaar are both 29. Defender John Heitinga is also 30 years old. The younger forces include Jordy Clasie (Feyenord, 22), Daley Blind (Ajax, 24) and Bruno Martins (Feyenord, 22). This should be enough for coach Louis van Gaal to make a good mix of youth and experience.

Spain made it through the qualification stage with no problems, winning six of their eight matches and drawing two to finish the group three points ahead of second-placed France. The fundamental question is whether the main players that lifted Spain to the top of the world in the last six years have enough strength and ambition to repeat the success. Captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas is 32 years old, while other Spanish veterans include Xavi Hernandez (34), Xabi Alonso (32), David Villa (32), Alvaro Arbeloa (31) and reserve goalkeeper Pepe Reina (31). At full playing maturity are Andres Iniesta (29), Cesc Fabregas (26), Sergio Ramos (27), Gerard Pique (27), Sergio Busquets (25), David Silva (28), Juan Mata (25), Fernandno Torres (29), Fernandno Llorente (29) and Raul Albiol (28). All three major titles were won by Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Torres, Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Arbeloa, Raul Albiol and Pepe Reina. They should all be performing in Brazil. A major boost in attack is Diego Costa, a Brazilian who also has Spanish nationality. Experienced coach Vicente del Bosque has introduced young players as part of plans to painlessly implement a change of generations, but it is clear that the most experienced players will have to perform their best in Brazil. With 84 matches on Spain’s bench, the current coach holds the record among the 51 coaches who have led the Spanish national team. 62 |

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The Netherlands has been world cup runner-up three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2010, and was foruth at France ‘98. This country has provided numerous great players and coaches, but only one title (European Champion 1988) is insufficient considering the football potential of this country.

DID YOU KNOW? • The only player to score four goals in one match and still end up on the losing side was Poland's Ernst Willimowski, against Brazil in 1938. Leonidas of Brazil also scored four goals in that match, which his team won 6-5.

ERNST WILLIMOWSKI

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SPAIN:

NETHERLANDS:

CHILE:

AUSTRALIA:

Spain's wealth of midfield talent is a key differencemaker for the world champions and Andres Iniesta is a key cog in that engine.

Dribbling along the right wing, cutting inside and curling a leftfoot shot into the far top corner. Robben's been doing it for years and still defenders struggle to stop him.

The attacking skills of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez make him Chile's most lethal offensive weapon.

At 34 and playing in his third World Cup, midfielder Tim Cahill is expected to be the heart of the team in Brazil.

Andres Iniesta

Arjen Robben

CHILE

Alexis Sanchez

Tim Cahill

AUSTRALIA

View to the Past

Third Consecutive Appearance

Chileans can boast that they were one of only 13 teams that competed in the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, finishing fifth. In Brazil in 1950 they came ninth, while as the host nation in 1962 they finished third – marking by far the country’s greatest success. The most famous Chilean players of the past are Leonel Sanchez, Carlos Caszely, Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas, who is also the top scorer in the history of the national team, with 37 goals.

Australia’s first ever world cup appearance came in West Germany in 1974, which was followed by a break until the country again qualified for the next world cup to be hosted by a now-unified Germany, in 2006. By qualifying for the second knock-out stage, behind group winners Brazil but ahead of Croatia and Japan, the Australians recorded their best ever world cup result. They went on to be immediately knocked out under extremely unfortunate circumstances by Italy, with legendary striker Francesco Totti sealing their fate in the fifth minute of stoppage time with a shot from a non-existent penalty! In South Africa in 2010 the Australian team did not manage to make it as far as the second round, although it did achieve a memorable 2-1 victory over Serbia. This will be Australia’s third consecutive world cup appearance, with the team qualifying for Brazil via the Asian qualifiers. Australia finished their qualifying group second behind Japan, having twice played out 1-1 draws with the Japanese and doing enough to ensure that both teams qualified. The top scorer in qualifying (five goals) was Joshua Kennedy (32), who plays for Japanese club Nagoya. Three goals in qualification were scored by veteran Tim Cahill (34), who has been voted the best footballer in Australia in recent years. He now plays for New York’s Red Bulls, but became famous in England while playing for Milwall (19972004) and Everton (2004-2012).

Chile completed the gruelling South American qualification campaign (16 matches) in third place (9 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses), thereby qualifying directly. Two matches were played by Milovan Mirošević, a player with obvious origins in the former Yugoslavia. For the second consecutive time Chile has managed to “link” two participations in the world championships (1962 and 1966; 2010 and 2014). In South Africa the Chileans finished 10th and they will struggle to repeat that achievement in Brazil. The top current players are Barcelona striker Alexis Sanchez, scorer of four goals in qualifying, Eduardo Vargas from Valencia, who scored five qualification goals, and Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal. The coach is a 54-year-old Argentine Jorge Luis Sampaoli, who is a four-time champion of Chile at club level with Universidad Catolica.

BERT PATENAUDE

• The first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match was United States' striker Bert Patenaude against Paraguay in the first round of the 1930 World Cup. Some records wrongly have the first player scoring a hat-trick as Guillermo Stabile of Argentina in their 6:3 win over Mexico on 19th July 1930, two days after Patenaude.

Most of the Australian national team’s players make a living in Europe and several of them originate from the former Yugoslavia: Saša Ognjenovski, Matthew Špiranović, Tom Rogić, Dario Vidošić, Ivan Franjić et al. The coach is 48-year-old Australian of Greco-Turkish origin Angelos “Ange” Postecoglou.

World Football Championship

PREVIEW GUIDE |

GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

14.06.2014

Colombia - Greece

19.06.2014

14.06.2014

Ivory Coast - Japan

24.06.2014 Japan - Colombia

19.06.2014

Colombia - Ivory Coast

24.06.2014 Greece - Ivory Coast

COLOMBIA

After participating in the world cups of 1962, 1990, 1994 and 1998, Colombia missed out on the next three championships. However, the team qualified for Brazil with some certainty, finishing second in their group with 30 points, two less than Argentina. From its 16 matches, Colombia secured 9 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses. They scored 27 goals and conceded 13. Exactly one third of those goals were scored by Monaco striker Radamel Falcao Garcia, but the problem is that in January he had an operation on his torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and it is still uncertain whether he will recover in time to compete at the world cup. Without him, Colombia is 50% weaker. The 27-year-old, known by the nickname “Tiger”, has “football genes”, with his father having played football and his second name, Falcao, being given in homage to the Brazilian ace Paulo Roberto Falcao, his father’s idol. Almost all of the players available to coach José Pékerman, the Argentinian who led his home country to victory in the Germany 2006 World Cup, play their club football abroad. In defence is the irreplaceable Pablo Armero, the 27-year-old West Ham United defender, while in the midfield is 25-year-old Fiorentina player Juan Guillermo Cuadrado and FC Toulouse’s Abel Aguiliar (28). Up front the most effective after Falcao, with six goals in qualifying, is Teofilo Gutierrez (28) from River Plate. Interestingly, reserve goalkeeper Faryd Camilo Mondragon, known as “El Turco” (The Turk) – though he is of Lebanese origin – will have his 43rd birthday during the championships, on 21st June, and if he is called on to play he will probably be the oldest participant of the World Cup in Brazil. Colombia has a good chance to qualify for the second round, but much depends on whether Falcao will play and how he will perform after coming back from serious injury.

PREVIEW GUIDE |

Greece vs. Ivory Coast

GREECE

Waiting for "Tiger"

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Japan - Greece

World Football Championship

Renaissance in the 21st Century Up to the start of the 21st century Greece had only had two (unremarkable) performances at major international competitions: at the European Championships in Italy in 1980 (1 draw and 2 losses) and at the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. (3 losses). The renaissance of Greek football began in the early years of the 21st century. Olympiakos and Panathinaikos are frequent participants in the Champions League and the Greek national team exploded at the

2004 European Championships in Portugal, when Greece unexpectedly became continental champion under the leadership of German expert Otto Rehhagel. Since then Greece has regularly competed at the European Championships (2008, 2012) and also played at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The continuity is visible. They qualified for Brazil after a play-off against Romania (3-1, 1-1), mainly thanks to Olympiakos centre forward Konstantinos Mitroglou, who scored five goals in qualifying - three against the Romanians. The only remaining member of the team that triumphed in Portugal in 2004 is 32-year-old striker Dimitrios Papadopoulos (Atromitos FC). The main player in the midfield is 33-year-old Kostas Katsouranis, a member of PAOK from Thessaloniki, who holds a record number of international caps (98 by mid-April 2014). In defence the key figure is Roma’s Vasileios Torosidis. Since 1st July 2010 the national team coach has been Portugal’s Fernando Santos, who in his home country has coached Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, as well as plying his trade in Greece with PAOK, AEK and Panathinaikos.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

COLOMBIA:

GREECE:

IVORY COAST:

JAPAN:

"El Tigre” is by far the biggest name in Colombia's squad, but it remains uncertain whether Radamel Falcao will be able to showcase his talent in Brazil due to a knee injury.

With 132 national team appearances, he has the most caps in Greek history and remains a presence that can still turn a game.

Drogba is the country's leading scorer, with 64 international goals and 157 in 341 matches in a Chelsea career packed with medals.

Widely regarded as Japan's best player, 27-year-old Keisuke Honda is AC Milan's attacking midfielder.

Ramadel Falcao

Giorgos Karagounis

IVORY COAST

Didier Drogba

Keisuke Honda

JAPAN

Drogba, Ivory Symbol

Constant Progress

It is not known whether Didier Drogba (36), the Ivory Coast’s best and most famous footballer, intends to continue to play club football. However, it is highly unlikely that the World Cup in Brazil will be his last major tournament. This expressive goal scorer (63 goals in 99 matches for the national team) was the scorer of the first goal for his country in its first world cup outing at Germany 2006. He has long been a symbol of his country and its football and has been voted African Player of the Year twice: in 2006 and 2009. The Ivory Coast is set to compete at the world cup for the third consecutive time, which demonstrates the stability of the country’s football and the fact that it belongs to the top echelon of the game in Africa. In the play-off for Brazil the “Ivories” defeated Tunisia 3-1 and 1-1, with Drogba scoring one goal and his successor, Lille hit-man Salomon Kalou, scoring two. Alongside these two, the other stars

The first major success for Japanese football came way back at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico (bronze medal), but more serious progress only began in the early 1990s. The Japanese have learned football from foreign experts. Dutchman Hans Ooft led them to their first of four Asian titles in 1992. He was succeeded by coaches Paulo Roberto Falcao (Brazil), Philippe Toussier (France), Zico (Brazil), Ivica Osim (Bosnia &

of the team are midfielders Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Romaric (Bastia), Emmanuel Kone (CFR Cluj), while the towers of defence are Kolo Toure (Liverpool) and Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray). Coach Sabri Lamouche (43), is a French expert of Tunisian origin. He has been Ivory Coast coach since 2009, when he finished his playing career.

DID YOU KNOW? • The highest attendance at a World Cup match was 199,854 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janerio for the 1950 final between Uraguay and Brazil.

Herzegovina) and Italian Alberto Zaccheroni, who is still on the bench. The result of constant progress is Japan’s fifth consecutive appearance at the World Cup, starting in France in 1998. Japan perhaps lacks big stars, but several of its players ply their trade for leading European clubs, which provides unequivocal confirmation of their quality. AC Milan midfielder Keisuke Honda scored five goals in six qualifying games. Striker Shinji Kagawa plays for Manchester United, while defender Yuto Nagatomo plays for Inter Milan and six other Japan internationals play in Germany’s Bundesliga. Zaccheroni (61) formerly coached Bologna, Udinese, AC Milan, Lazio, Inter Milan, Torino and Juventus. He has been on the bench for Japan since 2010 and his top success to date is the Asian title of 2011.

• Cameroon’s Roger Milla is the oldest player to have played at the World Cup - he was 42 years and 39 days old when he played his last match against Russia in 1994. Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside is the youngest ever finals player, being just 17 years and 41 days when he took the field against Yugoslavia in 1982.

World Football Championship

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GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

14.06.2014

Uruguay - Costa Rica

20.06.2014

Italy - Costa Rica

14.06.2014

England - Italy

24.06.2014

Costa Rica - England

19.06.2014

Uruguay - England

24.06.2014

Italy - Uruguay

URUGUAY

England vs. Italy

COSTA RICA

Return to the Site of Success

Dreaming of the Second Phase

Uruguay qualified for Brazil through the play-offs after finishing fifth in the South American qualifiers, with 7 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. Their two-leg play-off tie against Jordan did not pose a problem, with Uruguay winning 5-0 at home and drawing the the second leg 0-0. For the Uruguayans heading to Brazil means returning to the site of their last great success - in 1950. In Rio de Janeiro they won their second world title. After that the country twice made the semi-finals (1954, 2010). With 3.4 million inhabitants, Uruguay is the smallest country ever to be crowned world champions.

Costa Rica first appeared at the World Cup in Italy in 1990 and, under the leadership of Mexican coach of Serbian origin, Velibor “Bora” Milutinović, reached the knockout stages – marking by far the country’s greatest success to date. In its last two appearances, 2002 and 2006, Costa Rica failed to pass the first round, which is why making it to the last 16 this time would represent a major feat. Costa Rica qualified for Brazil relatively safely, finishing second in the American-Caribbean qualifying group, behind the United States. The top player in qualifying was Real Madrid striker Alvaro Saborio (32), who hails from Salt Lake City (USA). He scored eight goals in 15 matches, while the other prominent attacker is 21-yearold Joel Campbell, who plays his club football for Olympiacos and scored three goals in qualifying. The top defensive player is 26-year-old Giancarlo Gonzales, who plays for U.S. club Columbus Crew. One of the few players from the domestic league is defender Michael Umana (31, Saprissa). The main playmakers in the midfield are Celso Borges (25, AIK Stockholm) and Christian Bolanos

The strongest part of the current team is its attack. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez shone in qualifying with 11 goals in 16 games, while Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) scored six and 34-yearold veteran Diego Forlan (Osaka) scored two. The country’s best players all play either in Europe or Brazil and Argentina. Defensive pillar Diego Godin has been brilliant for Atletico Madrid, much like Martin Caceres for Juventus, Maximiliano Pereira for Benfica and Alvaro Pereira for Sao Paulo, while goalkeeper Fernandno Muslera plays his club football for Galatasaray. In the midfield is the irreplaceable Egidio Aravali, who plays for Mexico’s Monarcas Morelia, while other regulars include Alvaro Gonzalez of Lazio and Christian Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid, who can also score goals and netted three in qualifying. Since 2006 the coach is once again Oscar Washington Tabarez (67), who has already led Uruguay at the world cups in 1990 and 2010. 66 |

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World Football Championship

(29, FC Copenhagen). Costa Rica’s most famous player was Paulo Wanchope (38), who retired in 2008 after 73 appearances and 45 goals for the national team. He played his club football in England, Argentina, Japan and the United States. The coach is Colombian Jose Luis Pinto (61), who held this position from 2004 to 2005, before briefly coaching his home country in 2007 and becoming Costa Rica coach again in 2011.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

URUGUAY:

COSTA RICA:

ENGLAND:

ITALY:

He is expected to be Uruguay's main threat. He is having his best season with Liverpool and could get the team back into the Champions League for the first time since 2010.

Bryan Ruiz is the most established Costa Rican player in Europe and its best known after his stint in the Premier League with Fulham.

With 38 goals in 89 international matches, Rooney is the one truly world class striker in the England squad.

When Mario Balotelli gets his mind in focus, there is often no stopping him. He can score goals or find the target with wellplaced free kicks or penalties.

Luis Suarez

Bryan Ruiz

ENGLAND

Looking to the Past The English invented football and that supposedly gave them the right to ignore the three pre-war world cups. The first time they showed up was in Brazil in 1950, when they experienced one of the biggest negative surprises in the history of the sport by losing to the dilettantes from the United States 1-0, which many years later inspired the Americans to commemorate this accomplishment of their players by making the film The Game of Their Lives (2005). With the exception of the title won on home soil in 1966, the English have had no noticeable results. They have gone out in the quarter-finals of the last three world cups.

England heads to every tournament with a lot of hope, but returns disappointed. Will Brazil be any different? That’s unlikely. This world cup will be the national team swansong for several veterans, such as Frank Lampard (35, Chelsea), captain Steven Gerard (33, Liverpool), Ashley Cole, (33, Chelsea) and perhaps Jermain Defoe (31, Toronto) and Phil Jagielka (31, Everton). England’s new generation includes Tottenham defender Kyle Walker (23), Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge (24) and midfielders Jack Wilshere (22, Arsenal) and Theo Walcot (25, Arsenal) – though there is a question mark over whether Walcot will recover from cruciate ligament surgery in time. At the peak of his power is the team’s star Wayne Rooney (28), scorer of seven goals in six games in qualifying. Also in their prime are defensive pillars Glen Johnson (29, Liverpool) and Leighton Baines (29, Everton), as well as Manchester City midfielder James Milner (28). Coach Roy Hodgson (66) is not worried about his position. Regardless of the outcome in Brazil, he will remain at the helm of the national team until (at least) 2016. Interestingly, he has already coached the national teams of Finland and the United Arab Emirates.

Wayne Rooney

Mario Balotelli

ITALY

Always Among the Favourites Never in the history of the world cup have three former world champions competed together in the first group stage of the tournament. However, this is the case in Brazil, where Italy (4), Uruguay (2) and England (1) have a combined total of seven world titles. Along with Brazil, Italy is the most regular participant in world cups – having competed in 18 of the 20 so far played. Italy’s worst result came four years ago, when it fell in the first group stage. Coach Cesare Prandelli (56) has composed a great mix of experienced players, like goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (36, Juventus), defenders Andrea Barzagli (32, Juventus) and Christian Maggio (31, Napoli), midfielders Andrea Pirlo (34, Juventus) and Thiago Motta (31, PSG), striker Alberto Gilardino (31, Genoa) and several players in their prime: midfielders Ricardo Montolivo (29, Milan), Emanuele Giaccherini (28, Sunderland) and Claudio Marchisio (28, Juventus).

The team’s younger and better players include AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli (24), who is joined up front by Pablo Osvaldo (27, Juventus). These two scored nine goals in qualifying. It is undoubtedly a tough group, but it would be a surprise if the Azzurri failed to make it to the second phase.

DID YOU KNOW? • The 2010 World Cup was the first with no debutant nations, although two of the qualifiers (Slovakia and Serbia) had previously appeared only as parts of former competing nations.

World Football Championship

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GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

15.06.2014

Switzerland - Ecuador

20.06.2014

Honduras - Ecuador

15.06.2014

France - Honduras

25.06.2014

Honduras - Switzerland

20.06.2014

Switzerland - France

25.06.2014

Ecuador - France

SWITZERLAND

ECUADOR

Dreaming of the Quarter-finals

Constant Progress

History says that Swiss football has a gap of 79 years between medals. The Swiss were finalists at the Paris Olympics of 1924 and the next time they were on the podium was at the 2002 Under-17s European Championships, where they took first place. However, in Nigeria in 2009 they became world champions in the same category. Switzerland is competing at its 10th World Cup. After a long pause between 1970 and 1990 when the country failed to qualify, it played in 1994 and 2006 (last-16) and 2010 (group stage). As such, eventually reaching a quarter-final in Brazil would be more than a dream come true. In a qualification group that included Slovenia, Iceland, Norway and Albania, the Swiss had no problem qualifying. Their top scorer in qualifying, with three goals, was Fabian Schar, FC Basel’s 23-yearold centre-back. The team is based on naturalised players whose parents or who themselves arrived in Switzerland as a result of economic and political developments in recent decades: Gokhan Inler (Napoli), Blerim Dzemaili (Napoli), Xheridan Shaquiri (Bayern Munich), Mario Gavranović (FC Zurich), Haris Seferović (Real Sociedad), Joseph Drmić (FC Nurnberg), Granit Xhaka (Borussia Monchengladbach), Pajtim Kasami (Fulham FC), Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen) etc. One of Switzerland’s top players is defender Philipe Senderos (28, Valencia), while in the middle of the pitch the standout performer is Tranquillo Barnetta (28, Eintracht Frankfurt), who has 66 international caps. The Swiss have been coached since 2008 by German Ottmar Hitzfeld (65), a former coach of Germany and trainer of several top clubs in Germany and Switzerland.

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Switzerland vs. France

World Football Championship

Ecuador had never participated in the world cup prior to 2002, but since making its debut appearance in Japan and Korea it has only missed out on the tournament in South Africa. The country’s greatest success, 12th place, was recorded in Germany in 2006, when they defeated Poland (2-0) and Costa Rica (3-0) before losing to England (0-1) in the last-16. It is less well known that Serbian expert Dušan Drašković contributed to the development of football in Ecuador. He was national team coach in two cycles and marked the country’s greatest success by securing fourth place at the South American championships of 1993. In qualifying this time Ecuador beat Paraguay, Colombia, Uruguay

and Chile, as well as securing a draw against Argentina. At the end of qualifying Ecuador finished fourth, equal on points with Uruguay but with a better goal difference, which meant Uruguay had to compete in a qualification play-off. The top player in qualifying was 25-year-old striker Felipe Caicedo, who plays for Al-Jazira in the UAE Arabian Gulf League and scored 7 of 20 goals in qualifying. In July 2013 Ecuador lost attacker Christian Benitez (27), who contributed 4 goals in the qualifying campaign, before dying suddenly of a heart attack in Doha after signing for club El Jaish SC. The most well-known Ecuadorian is Manchester United striker Antonio Valencia (28). A notable addition to the midfield is Christian Noboa, who plays for Moscow Dynamo, while defender Fricson Erazo (25) plies his trade at Brazilian club Flamengo. The coach is Colombian (with Honduran citizenship) Reinaldo Rueda (56). It is interesting that three Colombian coaches will sit on the benches in Brazil. Alongside Rueda will be Jorge Luis Pinto (Costa Rica) and Luis Fernando Suarez (Honduras), while Colombia itself is being coached by an Argentine.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

SWITZERLAND:

ECUADOR:

FRANCE:

HONDURAS:

Gokhan Inler (Napoli, Italy) The destructive Inler will be key in providing Switzerland with resilience in midfield.

With his ability to fill in at right-back, as well as his more customary position higher up the flank, Valencia will be an extremely useful member of Ecuador's squad.

The key player to watch out in the side is Frank Ribery, the Bayern Munich forward who has been a contender for FIFA Footballer of the Year in 2014.

Palacios is an integral part of Honduras’ international set up with an abundance of experience, featuring 88 times for his country.

Gokhan Inler

Antonio Valencia

Frank Ribery

FRANCE

HONDURAS

Living on Former Glory France literally caught the last train to Brazil. After managing just second place in the qualifying group behind Spain, France was forced into a play-off and lost 0-2 to Ukraine in the first leg in Kiev. However, in the second leg the French team recorded a miraculous 3-0 victory that took the “Tricolour” to the World Cup. However, the French public do not have high expectations from a fluctuating team that is still living on its former glory – the world title of 1998 and European title of 2000 – although Zidane, Henry, Blanc, Deschamps and company have long since ceased playing. The team is led on the field by Franck Ribery, one of the old guard (31, Bayern Munich), who scored five goals in qualifying. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema (26) scored twice in qualifying, as did Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho (24). In the Spanish League the standout attacker is Antoine Griezmann (25), while the pillar of defence is Patrice Evra (32, Manchester United) and progress is being shown by young Raphael Varane (20, Real Madrid).

Coach Didier Deschamps (45) played for the national team 103 times, was a European club champion twice as a player (Olimpique Marseille, Juventus), and a champion of Europe and the world with France, who he has coached since 2012.

DID YOU KNOW? • The fastest goal in a World Cup match was by Turkey's Hakan Sükür after only 11 seconds against South Korea in 2002.

Wilson Palacios

HAKAN SÜKÜR

Second Consecutive Appearance For the first time in its history, Honduras is competing in the world cup for the second consecutive time. After securing just 30th place in South Africa in 2010, Honduras arrives in Brazil after securing third place among the qualifying six best teams (out of 35 who started the competition) of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, behind the United States and

Costa Rica. The most deserving for qualification is striker Carlo Costly (31), who plays his club football for Real C.D. Espana and scored seven goals in qualifying. Interestingly, his father Allan Costly played in the Spain ‘82 World Cup, when Honduras first appeared at the greatest festival of football. Carlo is a real globetrotter, having played club football in Poland, England, Romania, Mexico, the U.S., Greece and China! Honduran players who compete in the stronger leagues include defenders Maynor Figueroa (30, Hull City) and Juan Carlos Garcia (26, Wigan), while midfielder Andy Najar plays for Belgian club Anderlecht. The coach is Colombian Luis Fernandez Suarez (54). Prior to becoming national team coach he worked at several local clubs. At the Olympics in London he led the Under-23 selection, which beat Spain 1-0 and passed the first round of a FIFA competition for the first time.

• The latest goal was scored by David Platt of England, in their second round match against Belgium in 1990 after 119 minutes. • The fastest hat-trick was scored by Hungary's Laszlo Kiss against El Salvador in 1982, when he scored after 70, 74 and 77 minutes. DAVID PLATT

World Football Championship

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GROUP

SCHEDULE 15.06.2014

Argentina - Bosnia & Herzegovina

16.06.2014 Iran - Nigeria 21.06.2014

Argentina - Iran

MATCH TO WATCH 21.06.2014

Nigeria - B&H

25.06.2014 Nigeria - Argentina

Argentina vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina

25.06.2014 B&H - Iran

ARGENTINA

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Waiting for Messi

Inconvenient Debutant

Argentina convincingly won first place in South American qualification, with nine wins, five draws and two defeats. And from the statistics that 24 of the 35 goals were scored by only three players it is easy to conclude that the attack is the strongest part of the team. Lionel Leo Messi (Barcelona) scored 10 goals, Gonzalo Higuain (now Naples, during qualifying Real Madrid) scored nine, while Sergio Kun Aguero (Manchester City) netted five. Messi (26) and Kun Aguero (25) were crowned 2005 junior world champions at the tournament in the Netherlands, but in Germany in 2006 and South Africa in 2010 Messi missed out on a better result, due to which his critics dispute the title bestowed upon him as the best player in the history of football. They say that, unlike Pele, Maradona, Zidane or Cruyff, he has not proved himself on the biggest

The only newcomer at the tournament in Brazil is the selection of Bosnia & Herzegovina. If the Bosnian footballers are competing in the world cup for the first time, their coach, Safet Sušić (58), is not. He competed at the world cup twice, albeit as a player for the former Yugoslavia, in Spain ’82 and Italy ’90. He played in Sarajevo (1973-1982) and Paris Saint-Germain (1982-1991). “France Football” once named him the best foreigner in the history of PSG and the entire French league! In qualifying Bosnia & Herzegovina defeated Greece, Slovakia, Lithuania and Liechtenstein, while the team’s strike force consists of attackers Edin Džeko (27) from Manchester City and Vedad Ibišević (29) from Stuttgart. Together they scored 18 goals in qualifying (10 + 8) and are followed well by attacking midfielder Zvijezdan Misimović (32 Dynamo Moscow), who scored five goals during qualification. Sušić has put together a very compact squad. In goal is the reliable Asmir Begović (26, Stoke City), the defence is held together by Emir Spahić (33, Bayer Leverkusen), alongside Misimović, play in the middle is developed by Miralem Pjanić (23, Roma), Haris Medunjanin (28, Gaziantepspor, Turkey), Senad Lulić (28, Lazio) and Sejad Salihović (29, Hoffenheim).

world stage. Argentina, twice world champions (1978, 1986), twice world cup runners-up (1930, 1990), four times quarter-finalists and nine times South American champions (last time in 2011) and, above all, a permanent nursery of top players, is always among the favourites. Few Argentines play for local clubs. First-choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero (27) defends in Monaco, while the group of experienced defenders comprises Hugo Campagnaro (33, Inter), Pablo Zabaleta (29, Manchester City), Marcos Rojo (24, Sporting Lisbon), Ezequiel Garay (27, Benfica) and Javier Mascherano (29, Barcelona). The main players in midfield are Angel di Maria (26, Real Madrid), followed by Ever Benega (25, Newells Old Boys), Fernandno Gago (Boca Juniors) and Lucas Biglia (28, Lazio). The coach since 2011 is Alejandro Sabella (59), a former River Plate player who as a coach at Estrudiantes won the Copa Libertadores, the South American Champions League. 70 |

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World Football Championship

It would not be a surprise to see Bosnia & Herzegovina get through the first group stage and emerge as one of the more pleasant surprises of the tournament. They will be a very inconvenient debutant for some.

DID YOU KNOW? • Bora Milutinović coached in every tournament between 1986 and 2002 but for different teams: Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, Nigeria and China.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

ARGENTINA:

B&H:

IRAN:

NIGERIA:

The key player in the squad, Messi has elevated himself to the level of the greatest football icons by being FIFA Footballer of the Year 3 times.

Bosnia's key player is impressive Manchester City forward Edin Džeko, with a record of 10 goals in qualifying.

The key player to watch in Iran's squad is Javad Nekounam (midfielder). He currently plays for Kuwaiti club Al Kuwait SC.

Emenike was nominated for the 2013 CAF African player of the year award. He is rugged, quick on the ball and scores many crucial goals for his national team.

Lionel Messi

Edin Dzeko

IRAN

On the Hunt for a Surprise Iran had a bad start to Asian qualification, but made up for it with the finish, especially with two 1-0 wins against rival South Korea, allowing Iran to take first place with 16 points, two more than the Koreans. Iran’s top scorer in qualifying was midfielder Javad Nekounam (28), who scored six goals. He was a noteworthy competitor at the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and has played in the United Arab Emirates and Osasuna in Pamplona

(Spain) for six years (2006-2012). By the end of 2013 he had played 141 matches for the national team and scored as many as 37 goals. Another prominent player is striker Mohammad Khalatabri (30), who has spent most of his career playing for Iranian clubs, although in 2011/12 he made a short trip to Qatar and the Emirates. One of Iran’s few players in Western Europe is Reza Ghoochannejhad (26), who has just signed for Charlton Athletic from Standard Liege, having previously spent six years playing in the Netherlands. Striker Andranik Teymourian has been based in England since 2006, first at Bolton Wanderers and, since 2008, at Fulham. He scored two goals in 12 qualification matches. Winger Sezed Ashkan Dejagah (28) also currently plies his trade in England (Fulham), after spending eight years in Germany (Hertha Berlin, VfL Wolfsburg). In its three previous world cup appearances (1978, 1998, 2006), Iran has never made it to the second round, having achieved only one win (2-1 against the United States in France ’98) in nine games. However, Iran has been crowned Asian champion three times. On the bench for Iran since 2011 is Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz (61), a former coach of the Portugal national team and a former Real Madrid trainer.

Javad Nekounam

Emmanuel Emenike

NIGERIA

Black Pearls If one country, like Nigeria, has four world Under-17 titles (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013), a gold medal from the Olympic Games in Atlanta (1996) and two finals of the world Under-20 championships, it is clear that we are talking about a permanent factory of talent. However, in four previous world cup appearances Nigeria’s senior national team has made the last-16 twice (1994, 1998) and gone out in the first group stage twice (2002, 2010). Nigerian football’s “black pearls” are scattered around the world. The most prominent names are John Obi Mikel (26, Chelsea), Ahmed Musa (21, CSKA Moscow), Joseph Yobo (33, Norwich City), Ogenyi Onazi (21, Lazio), Victor Moses (23, Liverpool), Shola Ameobi (32, Newcastle United) et al. Nigeria is led to Brazil by a domestic national team coach. After ending his playing career in Africa, Europe and the United States in

1999, Stephen Keshi (52) became a coach and in 2011 was appointed to coach his national team. Alongside Egyptian Mahmoud El-Gohary, he is the only other person to have won the title of African champion as a player (1994) and a coach (2013).

DID YOU KNOW? • Fuleco is the Brazil World Cup 2014 mascot, a cartoon armadillo, modelled on the three-banded armadillo, an endangered species which is indigenous to Brazil and known as the "tatu-bola". The name is derived from a combination of the Portuguese words for football (futebol) and ecology (ecologia).

World Football Championship

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GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

16.06.2014

Germany - Portugal

25.06.2014

Germany - Ghana

16.06.2014

Ghana - USA

26.06.2014

Portugal - Ghana

26.06.2014

USA - Germany

22.06.2014 USA - Portugal

GERMANY

Germany vs. Portugal

PORTUGAL

Always at the Top

Looking to Ronaldo

Germany, under various names, has missed only two of the 20 football world cups ever played. Germans chose not to compete in the first world cup in 1930, while in the fourth world cup, in Brazil in 1950, the country was unable to compete because the wounds of World War II were still fresh. However, it “compensated” for this when two Germanies competed in the 1974 World Cup, with West Germany becoming world champions and East Germany only losing to the team from the western part of the then divided country. Germany has been crowned world champion three times (1954, 1974, 1990) and has played more world cup finals than any other country: a total of seven. Its first match in Brazil, against Portugal, will be Germany’s 100th world cup match. Germany has even played two more matches than Brazil, which is the only country to have competed in all 20 world cups. At the last three championships Germany has finished second once and third twice. As always, they are among the favourites to take the title in Brazil. Germany’s road to Brazil sent the team through Austria, the Republic of Ireland, Kazakhstan, the Faroe Islands and Sweden, with whom they played two spectacular matches: 4-4 in Germany and 3-5 in Stockholm, after the home team had led 2-0 and the star of the match, with three goals, was young André Schürrle (22, Chelsea). He scored a total of four goals in qualifying, as did Thomas Müller (24, Bayern Munich) and veteran Miroslav Klose (35, Lazio), a striker who has scored 68 goals for Germany in 129 appearances and surpassed the legendary Gerd Müller. At the last three world cups he scored 5+5+4 goals and if he heads to Brazil he will have the chance to overtake Brazilian Ronaldo, the top scorer in the history of the world cup, with 14 goals. The German team is packed with stars and almost half of them play for Bayern Munich, while coach Joachim Low (54) has been leading the German national team since July 2006.

At the beginning of 2014 Portugal lost one of its greatest football legends: Eusébio da Silva. The legendary Benfica striker scored nine goals at the World Cup in 1966, when Portugal participated for the first time and achieved a third place finish. Nowadays Portugal has another legend, Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2013 World Footballer of the Year and the top scorer in the history of the Portugal national team (49 goals in 110 matches), 8 more than Eusébio and two more than Pauleta. Ronaldo scored eight goals in qualifying, four in the play-off ties against Sweden. He was the only goal scorer against the

Swedes in Lisbon and then in the second leg in the Stockholm spectacle the result was Sweden-Portugal 2-3, Ibrahimović-Ronaldo 2-3! If a team has Ronaldo in its ranks it can fantasize about anything, particularly if it also has Helder Postiga (31, Lazio) and Silvestre Varela (28, Benfica), comprising one of the best attacking line-ups. Behind them in the midfield opportunites are supplied by Nani (full name Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha) from Manchester United, Ricardo Quaresma (30, Porto) and Raul Meireles (30, Fenerbahce), while the defence is shored up by Fabio Coentrao (25) and Pepe (30), both from Real Madrid, and Ricardo Costa (32) and Joao Pereira (29), both from Valencia. The team’s first choice goalkeeper is Rui Patricio (26, Sporting Lisbon). Coach Paulo Bento (44) played 35 times for the national team and has coached it since 2010.

DID YOU KNOW? • Shirt swapping was once officially prohibited in 1986 because FIFA did not want players to 'bare their chests' on the field. 72 |

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World Football Championship

PLAYERS TO WATCH

GERMANY:

PORTUGAL:

GHANA:

USA:

Müller (Bayern Munich) can play anywhere across the frontline and has an incredible knack of scoring hugely important goals at vital times.

Arguably the best player in the world today, he has been nothing short of extraordinary over the last few years.

A real stalwart in the leftsided berth for Juventus, Asamoah offers the same energetic presence in this Ghana side.

A budding midfielder who’s reputation is continually growing in Italy. Expect Bradley to turn a few heads with some strong performances in Brazil.

Thomas Müller

Cristiano Ronaldo

GHANA

Kwadwo Asamoah

Michael Bradley

USA

Black Stars

Regular and Inconvenient

Despite only becoming a factor on the world stage in this century, with two world cup appearances to date (quarter-finalists in 2006 and 2010), Ghana has been a force in African football for a long time. Crowned African champions four times (1963, 1965, 1978, 1982), Ghana also has a bronze medal from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and its Under-20s team has been world champion in 2009, world runner-up in 1993 and 2001 and African champions three times. The country’s Under-17 team has been the best in the world twice (1991, 1995) and losing finalists twice (1993, 1997), as well as being champions of Africa twice. Ghana is a seemingly inexhaustible source of talent. Ghana’s best players compete all over the world and the most famous are midfielders Kwadwo Asamoah (23, Juventus), Kevin-Prince

In December 2013, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishing of the U.S. Football Federation, the country’s best team of all time was selected: Brad FriedelMarcelo Balboa, Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Eddie Pope-Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tab Ramos, Claudio Reyna-Brian McBride and Eric Wynalda. With the exception of Balboa and Tab Ramos, who began playing for the national team in 1988, all others are from the period between

Boateng, (26, Schale 04) and Emmanuel Badu (21, Udinese), as well as attackers Asamoah Gzan (26, Al-Ain) and Sulley Muntari (30, AC Milan). Coach of the “black stars”, as the world press dubs Ghana’s national team, is 54-year-old former international player James Akwasi Appiah.

DID YOU KNOW? • The Adidas Golden Ball award is presented to the most outstanding player at each World Cup finals, with a list generated by the FIFA technical committee and the winner voted on by members of the media - 2010 Winner: Diego Forlan (Uruguay). The Adidas Golden Boot award is presented to the top goal scorer at every World Cup finals - 2010 Winner: Thomas Müller (Germany).

1992 and today, which coincides with the greatest successes of the U.S. team – not counting the third place it shared with Yugoslavia in Montevideo in 1930. Since Italy ’90 the U.S.A. has not missed out on a single championship and this will be its seventh consecutive participation and ninth in total. Its greatest success came in 2002, when the U.S.A. reached the quarter-finals. The Americans were convincing winners in the final group of the six best teams in the zone, securing four more points than Costa Rica and seven more than Honduras. The team’s impact strength is composed of strikers Clint Dempsey (31, Fulham) and Landon Donovan (32, LA Galaxy). They have played a combined total of 259 games for the national team (Donovan 156, Dempsey 103) and scored 93 goals (Donovan 57, Dempsey 36). They are followed by Jozy Altidore (24, Sunderland), who has scored 21 goals in 67 matches. The defence is held together by Geoff Cameron (29, Stoke City) and Fabian Johnson (27, Hoffenheim), while the main creative forces in the middle are Michael Bradley (26, Toronto) and Jermaine Jones (33 Besiktas). The coach since July 2011 is former German striker Jürgen Klinsmann (49), who scored 47 goals in 108 matches for Germany and was a world champion in 1990 and also competed in the world cup as a player in 1994 and as coach of his country in 2006.

World Football Championship

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GROUP

SCHEDULE

MATCH TO WATCH

17.06.2014

Belgium - Algeria

22.06.2014

Korea - Algeria

17.06.2014

Russia - Korea

26.06.2014

Algeria - Russia

26.06.2014

Korea - Belgium

22.06.2014 Belgium - Russia

BELGIUM

Belgium vs. Russia

ALGERIA

Great Comeback

Fourth Attempt

After missing out on the world cups of 2006 and 2010, Belgium qualified safely for the tournament in Brazil, finishing top of their group ahead of Croatia, Serbia, Wales and Scotland with eight wins, two draws and an 18-4 goal difference. Coach Marc Wilmots, a player in four world cups between 1990 and 2002, played 70 times for the national team and has led Belgium excellently since 2012. He has formed a very strong squad that can aim for the country’s best ever world cup result in Brazil if it can beat its fourth place finish from 1982. At the end of his playing career Wilmots dabbled a little in politics and served as a senator on the Francophone “Reformers Movement” list. However, he soon realised that he was much more successful in football.

Algeria caught the “last plane” to Brazil after barely beating Burkina Faso in the African qualifying play-off first leg thanks to the away-goal rule. After losing 2-3 at home, a 1-0 win was enough for Algeria to secure its fourth world cup appearance. Algeria also qualified for the previous world cup in South Africa via the play-offs, beating Egypt in a third game on neutral territory in Sudan. Algeria’s greatest world cup success came in its first participation in Spain ’82, when the team defeated West Germany (2-1) and Chile (3-2), but circumstances combined to ensure it still failed to progress to the second phase. Nowadays Algeria does not boast the stars it once had, such as Rabah Madjer, Lakhdar Belloumi, Rachid Mekhloufi or Djamel Zidane, but it does have several prominent players. Karim Ziani (27) plays in the midfield for German club Wolfsburg, Madjid Boughera (27) commands the Glasgow Rangers defence, Anthar Yahia also plays in defence for German club Bochum, while the team’s most experienced player is striker Rafi Saifi (35, FC Istres) and the future of Algerian football is represented by attacking midfielder Ryad Boudebouz (24, SC Bastia). Almost all of Algeria’s internationals play outside their home country, but progressing to the second phase will still be a major achievement. On the bench is Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić (61), who represented Yugoslavia at the Spain ’82 World Cup and coached the Ivory Coast national team from 2008 to 2010.

Protecting Belgium’s goal is the excellent Thibaut Courtois (21), a Chelsea player who has been on loan at Atletico Madrid for the last three seasons. The defence is commanded by veteran Daniel van Buyten (35, Bayern Munich), who combines well with English club players Jan Vertonghen (26, Tottenham Hotspur), Thomas Vermaelen (27, Arsenal) and Vincent Kompany (28, Manchester City). There are plenty of Belgian internationals playing in England, including midfielders Eden Hazard (23, Chelsea), Marouane Fellaini (26, Manchester United), Moussa Dembele (26, Tottenham) and Nacer Chadli (24, Tottenham), as well as strikers Kevin Mirallas (26, Everton), Romelu Lukaku (20, Everton) and Christian Benteke (23, Aston Villa). Interestingly, the most effective player in qualifying was midfielder Kevin de Bruyne (22, Wolfsburg), with four goals. If he is selected, veteran Thimmy Sanders (37), one of the few who plays for a domestic team (Club Brugge), could break the record for the most national team appearances, having so far played 93 times – just three less than Jan Ceulemans. 74 |

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World Football Championship

DID YOU KNOW? • The most common surname of World Cup players is Gonzalez or Gonzales. The most common score in a World Cup finals match is 1-0.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BELGIUM:

ALGERIA:

RUSSIA:

KOREA:

Kompany has won trophies and performed superbly in many big games and that experience will be vital if his team is to go a long way in this tournament.

The Valencia man is capable of playing from the right-hand side or just off the striker and is without doubt the most potent attacking force in this team.

Whilst still young, Dzagoev is one of the most experienced players in this Russian squad now and he has a major role to play in the team.

The Bayer Leverkusen man is the only member of the team playing Champions League football and the clear star of the team.

Vincent Kompany

Sofiane Feghouli

RUSSIA

Alan Dzagoev

Son Heung Min

KOREA

Looking Ahead to 2018

Asian Force

The correct response to the imaginary question “has Russia ever progressed to the second phase of football’s world cup?” would be “no, it has not”. However, only true connoisseurs of world cup history would answer correctly. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has qualified for the world cup finals twice, in 1994 and 2002, but on both occasions it recorded only one win and failed to advance beyond the first group stage. The Soviet Union’s greatest success dates back to 1966, when it lost to West Germany in the semi-final and finished fourth. Italian expert Fabio Capello (67) is tasked with leading Russia to at least the second phase, and since he has a renewed contract until 2018, when Russia hosts the World Cup, it is clear that much more will be expected of him and the team next time.

South Korea’s first appearance at a world cup, in Switzerland in 1954, was a painful one and the team returned home after suffering two heavy defeats, losing 9-0 to Hungary and 7-0 to Turkey. The next time South Korea made it to the tournament was in Mexico in 1986, but since then it has not missed a single world cup tournament. What’s more, as a co-host of the tournament alongside Japan in 2002, South Korea reached the semi-finals and only lost out to Germany (0-1). In 2010 the team finished second in its group, behind Argentina but ahead of Greece and Nigeria, and was only knocked out when Uruguay scored in the 80th minute of their quarter-final t secure a 2-1 win. Progressing to the second phase would also prove a success this time around. Almost all of South Korea’s players ply their trade for domestic clubs. One of the exceptions is captain Park Chu-Young (28), who plays for English club Watford and scored six goals in seven matches during qualification. The second top scorer in qualifying, with five goals, was midfielder Lee Keun-Ho (29), who plays for Ulasn Hyundai FC. The most prominent player in the Korean defence is Kwan Tae-Hwi (32), who plays his club football for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Shabab FC. The coach is Hong Myung-Bo (45), who holds the record for the most appearances as a player for the national team (135). At the World Cup in Japan and Korea he scored the decisive goal in the penalty shoot-out against Spain in the quarter-finals.

As an experienced coach with many club trophies under his belt (seven league titles in Italy, two in Spain and a European title in 1994 with Milan) and experience on the bench of the England national team (2008-2012), Capello has been selected to move Russian football closer to the top of the world. He has a very experienced team consisting of players who mostly play for Russian clubs. Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (26) defends for CSKA Moscow, while the same club provides defenders including the Berezutski twins Aleksei and Vasili (30) and Sergei Ignashevich (34). Alexander Anyukov (30) from Zenit St. Petersburg also has vast experience. Pulling the strings in the midfield are Viktor Fayzulin (26), Vladimir Bystrov (28), Igor Denisov (28) and Roman Shirokov (31), all four of whom play for Zenit, while the fifth player in the middle is Dimitri Kombarov (27, Spartak Moscow). Up front the goalscoring responsibility lies with Aleksandr Kerzhakov (31, Zenit) and Aleksandr Kokorin (23, Dynamo Moscow), while they will be assisted by Andrei Arshavin (32, Zenit).

DID YOU KNOW? • Hungary holds the record for dealing out the biggest thrashings beating El Salvador 10-1 in 1982 and South Korea 9-0 in 1954.

World Football Championship

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REFEREES

MAZIC AMONG THE

BEST IN THE WORLD African Zone REFEREES ALIOUM, Cameroon Daniel BENNETT, South Africa Noumandiez Desire DOUE, Ivory Coast Bakary GASSAMA, Gambia Djamel HAIMOUDI, Algeria

ASSISTANT REFEREES Redouane ACHIK, Morocco Jean Claude BIRUMUSHAHU, Burundi Djibril CAMARA, Senegal Abdelhak ETCHIAL, Algeria Felicien KABANDA, Rwanda Evarist MENKOUANDE, Cameroon Marwa RANGE, Kenya Songuifolo YEO, Ivory Coast

Asian Zone REFEREES Alireza FAGHANI, Iran Ravshan IRMATOV, Uzbekistan Yuichi NISHIMURA, Japan Nawaf SHUKRALLA, Bahrain Benjamin WILLIAMS, Australia

ASSISTANT REFEREES Yaser TULEFAT, Bahrain Hakan ANAZ, Australia Matthew CREAM, Australia

Hassan KAMRANIFAR, Iran Bakhadyr KOCHKAROV, Kyrgyzstan Toshiyuki NAGI, Japan Abduxamidullo RASULOV, Uzbekistan Toru SAGARA, Japan Ebrahim SALEH, Bahrain

European Zone REFEREES Dr. FELIX BRYCH, Germany Cüneyt ÇAKIR, Turkey Jonas ERIKSSON, Sweden Björn KUIPERS, Netherlands Milorad MAZIĆ, Serbia Svein ODDVAR MOEN, Norway Pedro PROENÇA, Portugal Nicola RIZZOLI, Italy Carlos VELASCO CARBALLO, Spain Howard WEBB, England

ASSISTANT REFEREES Roberto ALONSO FERNANDEZ, Spain Mark BORSCH, Germany Darren CANN, England Bertino MIRANDA, Portugal Dalibor DJURDJEVIC, Serbia Bahattin DURAN, Turkey Renato FAVERANI, Italy Tiago TRIGO, Portugal

Kim HAGLUND, Norway Mathias KLASENIUS, Sweden Stefan LUPP, Germany Michael MULLARKEY, England Tarik ONGUN, Turkey Milovan RISTIC, Serbia Andrea STEFANI, Italy Sander VAN ROEKEL, Netherlands Daniel WÄRNMARK, Sweden Juan CARLOS YUSTE JIMENEZ, Spain Erwin ZEINSTRA, Netherlands

North, Central American and Caribbean Zone REFEREES Joel AGUILAR, El Salvador Mark GEIGER, USA Walter LOPEZ, Guatemala Roberto MORENO SALAZAR, Panama Marco RODRIGUEZ, Mexico

ASSISTANT REFEREES Eric BORIA, USA Joe FLETCHER, Canada Sean HURD, USA Leonel LEAL, Costa Rica Marcos QUINTERO, Mexico Marvin TORRENTERA, Mexico William TORRES, El Salvador Juan ZUMBA, El Salvador

Oceanian Zone REFEREES Norbert HAUATA, Tahiti Peter O’LEARY, New Zealand

ASSISTANT REFEREES Jan Hendrik HINTZ, New Zealand Ravinesh KUMAR, Fiji Mark RULE, New Zealand

South American Zone REFEREES Victor CARRILLO, Peru Enrique OSSES, Chile Nestor PITTANA, Argentina Sandro RICCI, Brazil Wilmar ROLDAN, Colombia Carlos ALFREDO VERA, Ecuador

ASSISTANT REFEREES Rodney AQUINO, Paraguay Carlos ASTROZA, Chile Juan Pablo BELATTI, Argentina Emerson DE CARVALHO, Brazil Humberto CLAVIJO, Colombia Eduardo DIAZ, Colombia Christian LESCANO, Ecuador Hernan MAIDANA, Argentina Sergio ROMAN, Chile Byron ROMERO, Ecuador Marcelo VAN GASSE, Brazil

PROBABLY THE BIGGEST MISTAKES BY WORLD CUP OFFICIALS • England v Argentina, 1986 One of the most infamous incidents in World Cup history. England were just about holding their own in the quarterfinal in Mexico City when Diego Maradona's aerial challenge on Peter Shilton saw the Argentine legend palm the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. Despite furious protests from the England defence, the 'Hand of God' goal stood. 76 |

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World Football Championship

• England v West Germany, 1966 Probably the most controversial World Cup goal of all time. With the Wembley final level at 2-2, Geoff Hurst hammered a shot against the underside of the crossbar which bounced down, seemingly over the line, and out. England celebrated and, after consultation with Azerbaijani linesman Tofik Bakhramov, the referee awarded the goal. Subsequent scientific tests have suggested the ball probably did not cross the line but the debate still continues today.

TV COVERAGE DATE

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12.06.2014 13.06.2014 13.06.2014 13.06.2014 14.06.2014 14.06.2014 14.06.2014 15.06.2014 15.06.2014 15.06.2014 15.06.2014 16.06.2014 16.06.2014 16.06.2014 17.06.2014 17.06.2014 17.06.2014 18.06.2014 18.06.2014 18.06.2014 19.06.2014 19.06.2014 19.06.2014 20.06.2014 20.06.2014 20.06.2014 21.06.2014 21.06.2014 21.06.2014 22.06.2014 22.06.2014 22.06.2014 23.06.2014 23.06.2014 23.06.2014 23.06.2014 24.06.2014 24.06.2014 24.06.2014 24.06.2014 25.06.2014 25.06.2014 25.06.2014 25.06.2014 26.06.2014 26.06.2014 26.06.2014 26.06.2014

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Brazil – Croatia Mexico – Cameroon Spain - Netherlands Chile - Australia Columbia – Greece Uruguay – Costa Rica England – Italy Ivory Coast – Japan Switzerland - Ecuador France – Honduras Argentina – B&H Germany – Portugal Iran – Nigeria Ghana – USA Belgium – Algeria Brazil – Mexico Russia – S. Korea Australia – Netherlands Spain - Chile Cameroon – Croatia Columbia – Ivory Coast Uruguay – England Japan - Greece Italy – Costa Rica Switzerland – France Honduras – Ecuador Argentina – Iran Germany – Ghana Nigeria – B&H Belgium – Russia S. Korea – Algeria USA – Portugal Australia – Spain Netherlands – Chile Cameroon – Brazil Croatia – Mexico Italy – Uruguay Costa Rica – England Japan - Columbia Greece – Ivory Coast Nigeria – Argentina B&H – Iran Honduras – Switzerland Ecuador – France USA – Germany Portugal – Ghana S. Korea – Belgium Algeria – Russia

Sao Paulo Natal Salvador Cuiaba Belo Horizonte Fortaleza Manaus Recife Brasilia Porto Alegre Rio de Janeiro Salvador Kuritaba Natal Belo Horizonte Fortaleza Cuiaba Porto Alegre Rio de Janeiro Manaus Brasilia Sao Paulo Natal Recife Salvador Cuiaba Belo Horizonte Fortaleza Kujaba Rio de Janeiro Porto Alegre Manaus Cuiaba Sao Paulo Brasilia Recife Natal Belo Horizonte Cuiaba Fortaleza Porto Alegre Salvador Manaus Rio de Janeiro Recife Brasilia Sao Paulo Cuiaba

A A B B C D D C E E F G F F H A H B B A C D C D E E F G F H H G B B A A D D C C F F E E G G H H

RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS II RTS I RTS I RTS I RTS I RTS I TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

28.06.2014 28.06.2014 29.06.2014 29.06.2014 30.06.2014 30.06.2014 01.07.2014 01.07.2014 04.07.2014 04.07.2014 05.07.2014 05.07.2014 08.07.2014 09.07.2014 12.07.2014 13.07.2014

18:00 22:00 18:00 22:00 18:00 22:00 18:00 22:00 18:00 22:00 18:00 22:00 22:00 22:00 22:00 21:00

1 A - 2 B 1 C - 2 D 1 B - 2 A 1 D - 2 C 1 E - 2F 1 G - 2H 1 F - 2E 1 H - 2G W 49 - W 50 W 53 - W 54 W 51 - W 52 W 55 - W 56 W 57 - W 58 W 55 - W 60 L 61 - L 62 W 61 - W 62

Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro Fortaleza Recife Brasilia Porto Alegre Sao Paulo Salvador Fortaleza Rio de Janeiro Salvador Brasilia Belo Horizonte Sao Paulo Brasilia Rio de Janeiro

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TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

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OBITUARY

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

abriel Garcia Marquez, the Nobel laureate whose intoxicating novels and short stories exposed millions outside Latin America to its passions, superstitions, violence and social inequality, has died at his home in Mexico City. He was 87. Widely considered the most popular Spanish-language writer since Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th century, the Colombian-born Garcia Marquez achieved a literary celebrity status that led to comparisons to Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. His flamboyant and melancholic fictional works - among them Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Love in the Time of Cholera and Autumn of the Patriarch - outsold everything published in Spanish except the Bible. The epic 1967 novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, sold more than 50 million copies in more than 25 languages. His stories made him literature's best-known practitioner of magical realism, the fictional blending of the everyday with fantastical elements such as a boy born with a pig's tail and a man trailed by a cloud of yellow butterflies. When he accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, Garcia Marquez described Latin America as a "source of insatiable creativity, full of sorrow and beauty, of which this roving and nostalgic Colombian is but one cipher more, singled out by fortune." "Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of imagination, for our crucial problem has been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable," he added. Like many Latin American writers, he transcended the world of letters. Widely known as "Gabo," he became a hero to the left as an early ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and a critic of Washington's violent interventions from Vietnam to Chile. Garcia Marquez, among writers such as Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe, was also an early practitioner of literary nonfiction now known as New Journalism. He became an elder statesman of Latin American journalism, with magisterial works of nonfiction that included the Story of A Shipwrecked Sailor, the tale of a seaman lost on a life raft for 10 days. "The world has lost one of its greatest visionary writers and one of my favorites from the time I was young," US President Barack Obama said. Garcia Marquez was born in Aracataca, a small town near Colombia's Caribbean coast, on 6th March 1927. He was the eld-

est of the 11 children of Luisa Santiaga Marquez and Gabriel Elijio Garcia, a telegraphist and a wandering homeopathic pharmacist. Just after his birth, his parents left him with his maternal grandparents and moved to Barranquilla to open a pharmacy. He spent 10 years with his grandmother and his grandfather, a retired colonel who fought in the devastating 1,000-Day War that hastened Colombia's loss of the Panamanian isthmus. His grandparents' tales provided grist for Garcia Marquez's fiction and Aracataca became the model for "Macondo," the village surrounded by banana plantations where One Hundred Years of Solitude is set. "I have often been told by the family that I started recounting things, stories and so on, almost since I was born - ever since I could speak," Garcia Marquez once told an interviewer. Sent to a state-run boarding school just outside Bogota, he became a star student and voracious reader, favoring Hemingway, Faulkner, Dostoevsky and Kafka. He published his first piece of fiction as a student in 1947, mailing a short story to the newspaper El Espectador. Garcia Marquez's father insisted he study law but he dropped out, bored, and dedicated himself to journalism. Garcia Marquez lived in Europe for part of the 1950s. After touring the Soviet-controlled east, he went to Rome in 1955 to study cinema, a lifelong love. He later moved to Paris, living among intellectuals and artists exiled from the many Latin American dictatorships of the day. He returned to Colombia in 1958 to marry Mercedes Barcha, a neighbor from childhood days. They had two sons, Rodrigo, a film director, and Gonzalo, a graphic designer. After a 1981 run-in with Colombia's government in which he was accused of sympathizing with M-19 rebels and sending money to a Venezuelan guerrilla group, the writer moved to Mexico City, which was his main home for the rest of his life. Struggling with poverty through much of his adult life, Garcia Marquez was somewhat transformed by his later fame and wealth. A bon vivant with an impish personality, he was a gracious host who animatedly recounted long stories to guests. In 1998, already in his 70s, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by buying a majority interest in the Colombian news magazine Cambio with his Nobel prize money. Before falling ill with lymphatic cancer the next year, he contributed prodigiously to the magazine. "I'm a journalist. I've always been a journalist," he told the AP at the time. "My books couldn't have been written if I weren't a journalist because all the material was taken from reality." â&#x2013; cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 79

CHILL OUT becomes the ultimate human chameleon as he paints himself into the background. He takes on the appearance of his surroundings and seems to dissolve into the scenery. It features images of his in a supermarket aisle, a marketplace, at the library and hanging around train depots - but you might struggle to see him.

A Hidden Work of Art Chinese artist Liu Bolin, who could stake a claim to being the world’s best hide and seek player, is staging his first solo exhibition in the UK. Internationally-acclaimed Liu Bolin is the master of camouflage and is known as the invisible man, reports Metro. Using his own body as a canvas, Bolin

Horse Yoga This photo, which comes from The Doma India School in San Luis, Argentina, is no joke. According to the school’s founders, Oscar and Cristobal Scarpati, yoga forms a bond between trainer and horse and helps in taming and teaching the animal. The school works especially with horses that are wild, traumatised, or chronically nervous. At one point during the horse yoga video, the trainer (Cristobal) completes a kind of headstand, bracing himself on the horse’s forelegs. No word yet on how the horse feels about that, though it’s admittedly impressive that the trainer never gets kicked.

World's Oldest Message in a Bottle More than 100 years ago, a young German man named Richard Platz stuffed a message into a brown beer bottle, then tossed the bottle into the Baltic Sea during a nature hike. Platz, the 20-year-old son of a baker, had no way of knowing that his message would survive two world wars, the Great Depression and the Cold War — not to mention more than a century of brutal winters and storms at sea. Last month a German fisherman trolling the waters of the Baltic Sea fished Platz’s bottle out of the water, where it apparently had been floating since 17th May 1913. Some authorities believe that — at 101 years of age — it may be the world’s oldest message in a bottle.

“Moonshine Milk” In U.S. states where raw milk remains banned, black and “grey” markets have emerged for enthusiasts seeking “moonshine milk” in the belief that bacteria-killing heat from pasteurization also kills powerful enzymes and eliminates other properties that can cure allergies, asthma and even autism. Every day thousands of gallon-sized glass jars filled with raw milk move from state to state, arriving at consumers’ front 80 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

doors through co-ops, buyers clubs and from friends and relatives who sometimes pack the milk in dry ice and ship it via FedEx. This Milk typically costs $12 a gallon. “People are sick and tired of industrialised food,” said Fallon Morell from Maryland, where raw milk sales are banned. Over 40 bills have been introduced in 23 state capitals to legalise unpasteurized milk within state borders and officials says the chance of getting sick from raw milk is 150 times greater than from pasteurized milk

Cherry blossom parties in Japan If you want to know if spring has arrived in Japan or South Korea, just look to the cherry blossoms... And at the crowds of people looking at the cherry blossoms, taking photos of the cherry blossoms or having their own private parties under the cherry blossoms. In Japan this is a seasonal rite akin to

first robins and tossing out the first pitch. Those who like to search out symbolism say the fragile, pink-tinged white blossoms reflect traditional Japanese values of purity and simplicity. Less poetic types say they just look pretty. Still others say they’re a great excuse for one of the year’s first outdoor parties. Whatever they’ve become, they’re considered an icon of Japanese culture.

Beer Swimming Pools Starkenberger Brewery in Austria offers tourists the opportunity to splash around in the several beer pools located in their gothic castle cellars. Run entirely by woman since its inception, Starkenberger created its award winning brews by following the strict Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516, which permits only four ingredients: malted barley, water, hops and yeast. The castle rests 900m above sea level, making it one of the highest breweries in the world. For $298 per pool, or just $6.50 per person (which includes beer and snacks) you can splash around in approximately 12,000 litres of beer.

Garden of Europe The flowers are blooming at Keukenhof Park, also known as the Garden of Europe, in the city of Lisse in the Netherlands. Keukenhof employs around 30 gardeners and is considered the world’s largest flower garden, with about 7,000,000 flower bulbs planted every year in this park. It was established in 1949 and the total area is almost 32 hectares. This garden was introduced with the purpose of exhibiting all the special hybrids by growers from all over Europe and within the Netherlands.

The Slimming Selfie app In a digital world, even weight can be shed in one touch – but only virtually and in the form of a ‘selfie’. SkinneePix can trim 2-6kg of virtual fat for a slimmer look, but it has already raised concerns about health and body-image issues. The co-founder of the app describes how cameras usually add additional weight to photos, prompting people to complain that the photo isn’t an accurate representation of themselves. The creators of the controversial app also claim that is has motivated users to lose weight. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

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TRAVEL

Spring Hiking

ADVENTURE

Deep in our hearts we all dream of a green and idyllic haven, inviting to breathe in the fresh air and drink waters from the cool mountain springs, still untouched by bustling modern life. Imagine being surrounded by the wonders of nature's gardens, tranquil places from where you reach the awesome peaks and taste unique flavours, while meeting local highlanders who echo pastoral lifestyle experiences

n this issue we are offering wonderful challenging hikes, experiential soft adventures with sunshine rise exercises to remote and picturesque places of Serbia, which excellently combine extreme human emotions, spectacular nature dotted with orchards, cultural treasures and sweet senses of tranquillity and freedom. Serbian hiking retreats allow visitors to discover unknown sites, old flavours and slow food tastes, as well as experiencing genuine warmth of cheerful locals and their invigorating traditions. Visitors simply feel well while walking through the untouched nature of Serbia, rich in endemic and rare species, along with stunning mountainous meadows and endless pastures, canyons and gorges, and through lush beech and pine forests. These are 12 recommended hiking, soft-adventure and nature-based package retreats in Serbia, with or without transportation, which represent the most attractive highlights and various accommodation options. Packages arranged and conducted by Panacomp Wonderland Travel professional tourist and hiking guides and local escorts ensure visitors meet extraordinary experiences with adventure, passion and a sense of magic: Own transportation with local guidance and assistance.

Golija Mountain Hike Hikes from 3 to 28 km.

Attractions and activities: Janko’s Peak – highest point of Golija Mountain /1833 m/, collecting aromatic herbs and wild berries, Hadži Prodan pecina Cave, Dajic, Košanin and Tičar Lakes, Kovilje Monastery, Gradac Monastery, Rudno village, cheese and kaymak production presentation with tasting, culinary courses, Golijski konaci chalets. 82 |

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Tara National Park/Mountain Hike Hikes from 4 to 18 km.

Attractions and activities: Ljuto Polje and Nagramak points, Predov krst site, Mećavnik Drvengrad, Šargan train, legends and secrets of Kremna and Šljivovica villagers, Crnješkovo /1035 m/ and Banjska stena observation points, Rača Monastery, Zaovine Lake /881 m/, Perućac Lake, Zborište peak /1544 m/, Drina River boat ride, Bele vode tourist site, Skavac Waterfalls, Cigota medical diagnosis, treatments and outdoor exercises...

Zlatibor Mountain Hikes from 3 to 18 km.

Attractions and activities: Staro Selo Sirogojno Open air Museum with the Knitters Museum, Gostilje Waterfalls, Čigota /1422 m/ and Tornik peaks /1496 m/, Cigota medical diagnosis, treatments and outdoor exercises, Mušvete village Smoke house with tasting of smoked delicacies, Stopić pećina Cave, Visočka Banja Spa, Rzav and Katušnica river, Lazarevi Konaci rural tourism...

Zlatar Mountain Hikes from 3 to 18 km.

Attractions and activities: Uvac Special Nature Reserve – largest griffin vultures natural habitat in the Balkans, Vilovi Nature Park /1240 m/, Vodena Poljana /1450 m/, Muškovina and Pravoševo villages, boat ride, Eagle’s Nest Cliffs above the Uvac Canyon, Mileševka River Canyon, Mileševa Monastery, Hisardžik Fortifacion, Cigota medical diagnosis, treatments and outdoor exercises, culinary courses, famous Zlatar cheese production presentation with tasting...

Drežnicka Gradina Mountain Hikes from 3 to 22 km.

Attractions and activities: “Terzića avlija” Ethno Park Zlakusa village, pottery manufacture, folklore courses and performance, Potpeć pećina Cave, Drežnička Gradina peak /934 m/, Kadinjača Memorial, Užice National Museum, Mušvete village Smoke house, outdoor exercises...

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Gradac River Canyon Hikes from 3 to 19 km.

Attractions and activities: Celije Monastery, Lelic Monastery, Deguric Pecina Cave, Horseback riding Club, picnic facilities, trout fishpond...

Fruška Gora National Park Hikes from 3 to 18 km.

Attractions and activities: Hopovo Monastery, Grgeteg M o n a s t e r y, Petkovica Monastery, Perko’s Salash Farm, Vrdnik Banja Spa wellness, Sremski Karlovci, wineries of Fruška Gora, outdoor exercises...

Arilje Hikes from 3 to 33 km.

Attractions and activities: St Achilles Church, Klisura Monastery, Visočka Banja Spa, Veliki Rzav River – the cleanest river of Serbia, “Raspberry Party”, raspberry culinary workshop, cheese production presentation with tasting, “Bosa noga” exercises, Staro Selo Sirogojno Open Air Museum, Knitters Museum, Rožanstvo village, collecting aromatic herbs and wild berries...

Cer Mountain Hikes from 6 to 18 km.

Attractions and activities: Trojan fort and Roman ruins myths, Cer Battle tour, Lipove vode point, Tekeriš Monument, Radovašnica M o n a s t e r y, Čokešina Monastery, Albedo culinary and folklore courses and painting classes, kaymak and cheese production presentation with tasting. 84 |

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Goc & Željin Mountains Hikes from 4 to 28 km.

Attractions and activities: Studenica Monastery, Gradac Monastery, Maglic Fort, trout ponds, Vrnjacka Banja Spa wellness, Zupa Wineries and the Wine Museum, Latkovac Ethno Village, Mitrovo polje, natural honey, Koznik Medieval town /922 m/, collecting aromatic herbs and wild berries, cheese production presentation with tasting.

Jadovnik Mountain Hikes from 3 to 32 km.

Attractions and activities: Sopotnica Waterfalls and mills, Kamena Gora hamlet with the Holy Pine and its highlanders, Anicic estate in Stranjani hamlet livestock breeding with cheese production presentation and tasting, Savin Krs peak, Podvizd, Mileševa Monastery, Mileševka River Canyon, Tičje polje hamlet, “Stari zanati za novo doba” Association for traditional handwork and crafts techniques – embroidery, knitting, weaving, Davidovica Monastery, Kumanica Monastery, Zlatarski zlatnik competitions, “highlanders” and soft exercises, collecting aromatic herbs and wild berries.

Stara Planina Mountain Hikes from 5 to 33 km.

Attractions and activities: Midžor Mountain peak /2169 m/, Babin zub peak /1757 m/, Balta Berilovac, Ćuštica, Gostuša, Topli Do, Dojkinci and Kalna villages, Zavoj Lake, Jerma River Canyon, Saint John Theologian Poganovo Monatery, Saint George Temska Monastery, Basarski kamen peak, matured kachkaval cheese production with tasting, Ponišavlje Museum Pirot, Tupavica waterfalls, collecting aromatic herbs and wild berries, barbeque and picnic facilities.

For more information, please contact: Panacomp Wonderland Travel Bulevar Cara Lazara 96, 21000 NOVI SAD, Serbia, tel +381 21 466-075 e-mail: info@panacomp.net office@panacomp.net ; SKYPE: panacomp.travel cordeditorial@cma.rs |

115 May 2014 | 85

Any background can benefit from an ever changing palate of colour to Style your space.

Stylist | Interior Objet

Minimalist

less is more; simplicity 86 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com in a clutter-free space

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cordeditorial@cma.rs |

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TECHNO TALK

HOT GADGETS FOR A

HOT SUMMER

Summer is just around the corner and we all know what that means – trips to the countryside. Colours are everywhere – from smartphones to cameras – and many of these products can be customised, allowing owners to put their own personal stamp on their tech. Whether you’re going to the beach, trekking through the mountains, or simply embarking on a rural adventure, here are a few gadgets that you might want to take along.

NeuroOn PRICE: €165 The world’s first high-tech sleeping mask promises to give any of us the most valuable thing you can imagine - time. The mask allows you to switch from monophasic to polyphasic sleep, which in layman’s terms means you can sleep less and more efficiently every night. According to the creators of the project the masks ability to give you great sleep efficiency results in an extra 4 hours of free time every day.

Barska Point N View Digital Binoculars

AquaPac Waterproof Bags

PRICE: €36

PRICE: TBA

Barska’s Point N View is a state-of-the-art integration of high quality roof prism binocular and digital camera that is equally at home on a nature outing, sporting event, or vacation. Instead of packing a separate binocular and digital camera, Point ‘n View gives you the convenience of both in one compact device.

If you want to take your camcorder, music player or phone to the beach buy an AquaPac, waterproof bags that you can sling around your neck or waist, or wear on your arm, so you can take your gadgets with you. There’s a variety of bags to choose from, suitable for everything from digital cameras to iPods, and even SLR cameras, enabling you can take shots up to 5m underwater.

Scanadu Scout Medical Tricorder PRICE: €145 The Scanadu Scout Medical Tricorder is a device nearly straight out of the pages of Star Trek. This device is packed with sensors capable of conducting sophisticated physical exams. Just bring the Tricorder in direct contact with your left temple for 10 seconds and it will analyse your vitals, including the temperature, heart rate, oximetry, ECG, respiratory rate, blood pressure, urine analysis and emotional stress level. The results of this analysis will be recorded and shown to you via a smartphone app. 88 |

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Waterproof Stereo Boombox PRICE: €75 The Eco Terra BoomBox is a floating iPhone/MP3 waterproof player that is fully submersible in water. It features two large waterproof stereo speakers that play a clean, crisp sound and is powered by 4 batteries or an included AC wall charger. The waterproof internal storage compartment holds and protects your keys, MP3 player, credit cards, wallet and money, keeping them safe from sun, sand and water.

Polaroid C3 Action Camera PRICE: €75 This colourful cube—sporting a paintjob modeled after vintage polaroid cams—records video at 720p, can be submerged in up to 2 metres water, and even contains LEDs and an onboard microphone. Magnets on the top and bottom of each cube also make them stackable—that means you’ll be able to record your epic snowboard wipeout from multiple angles.

Electric Amphibious Vehicle PRICE: €72 Whether your mission involves charging through the trails of your backyard or delivering drinks poolside, the Amphibious Vehicle has it covered. With a push of a button, it transforms from sea craft to rugged, 4-wheeled land vehicle. While in land mode, the wheel wells can be used to hold up to four beverage cans. Plus, an on-board water cannon can blast a stream of water at any target. Cheers!

Y-ply Beach Rests PRICE: €36 A trip to the seaside always asks us to prepare many items, and sometimes we even need to get various seating devices if we’d like to comfortably relieve our head, back and finally the whole body. Luckily we now have the Y-ply Beach Rest, which is a multiple-use gadget allowing us to use in various conditions. It’s not merely designed for the beach use, others outdoor activities like a park picnic need it too.

Stash Sandals PRICE: €36 But keeping an eye on pocketfuls of accumulated travel crud usually results in a less-than relaxing experience, with constant glances back at your towel to make sure no one has found your genius hiding space—under the towel. Stash sandals are comfortable enough to wear on the beach, but their real utility is as a mobile safe. The secret tray in the sole slides out to hold personal items and slides back in to make sure no one knows they’re there. |

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FASHION

Working women: The more skin you show, the less influence you have

ummer is awash with wonderful opportunities, but also a number of limitations when it comes to working in a hot building. There are rules that apply everywhere in the world when it comes to fashion codes for working women. According to some such rules, the more skin you show, the less influence you have, while women execs should also avoid sheer fabrics, short skirts, shorts, Spandex and bare midriffs. Maintain a professional look by combining seasonal items with lighter weight classics. Pair capris with a lightweight blazer, sandals with a wrap dress. Happily, unless you work for a conservative office that specifically demands them, tights and stockings can be left at home. Bare legs under a knee-length skirt are appropriate for the office in the 21st century. However, sunglasses are not designed to double as a headband at work and girls should put them away entirely at the office. Finally, if people focus on your clothes for the wrong reason, you're wearing the wrong clothes.

Stripe Block Two-Pocket Shirt A polished point-collar shirt gets on-trend nautical inspiration from boldly striped front PRICE: pockets and a striped back panel. €57

'Mia' Skinny Jeans Versatile jeans cut for a snug fit are rinsed with a saturated dark wash with contrast stitching.

PRICE: PRICE:

€505

€54

A tricolor d’Orsay pump boasts a slender heel, pointy toe and contrast strap for style that’s lively, livable and assured.

PRICE:

€3,750

€230

Fendi Blossom Silk Scarf Inject some colour into your wardrobe with this blossom and logo silk scarf by Fendi. 90 |

'Typhoon' Ankle Strap Pump

PRICE:

€123

Anne Klein Collarless Jacket, Shirt & Skinny Jeans

Insets of sleek, supple faux leather add sophisticated appeal to a classic collarless jacket crafted in a vibrant stretch-cotton blend and designed for a fitted silhouette.

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

Omega Constellation Watch Omega’s Constellation watch gleams with a polished stainless steel and rose gold case. Complete with diamond detailing, this is a luxury ladies watch that exudes the label’s signature sophistication.

Gucci Metal Navigator Sunglasses

Akris punto Jacket, Top & Skirt

Tortoiseshell temples lend chic contrast to brushedmetal navigators fitted with gradient lenses.

A sheer mesh yoke heightens the sporty appeal of a supersoft sleeveless top.

PRICE:

€215

€225

PRICE:

Stella McCartney Falabella Fold Over Clutch

€260 PRICE:

€617 PRICE:

€998

Stella McCartney’s Falabella clutch is the perfect accessory for cocktail party and evening looks.

Michael Kors 'Large Selma' Leather Satchel A covetable top-handle satchel cast in scratch-resistant Saffiano leather provides fashionable elegance that stands the test of time.

Missoni Tri Colour Laminated Shift Dress Complemented with a high shine metallic lacquer finish for a glamorous touch, simply partner with a blazer and courts at the office or cut out heels and a clutch bag at night.

Trouvé Slim Ankle Pants

PRICE:

€56

Crisp centre creases lend lean dimension to a pair of slightly tapered ankle-grazing trousers.

Saint Laurent Leather Sandal

PRICE:

€630

Saint Laurent’s Jane sandals are a classic twostrap style in high-shine patent leather. Utterly elegant and wonderfully versatile, this pair will effortlessly infuse your every look with instant chic. PRICE:

€215 PRICE:

SJP 'Carrie' T-Strap Pump

Leather Trim Cotton Blend Jacket

€258

Braided leather trim across the shoulders makes pretty focal point for a fitted jacket with a moto-style-zip styling.

Inspired by the beloved character Carrie Bradshaw—a name synonymous with style— this sophisticated T-strap pump flaunts a ladylike, forever-classic silhouette.

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FASHION

Summer T Workplace Wardrobe

he formality of the office dress code often drops as the temperature rises. Every workplace is different and some are a lot more relaxed than others, but don't be fooled into thinking this means nobody will judge your appearance. Be sure you're comfortable with the message your clothes are sending. When in doubt, khakis and polo shirts are the way to go. They are both professional and comfortable, but don't forget to wear a belt! Although the thermometer may be soaring outside, most offices are kept extra cool with air conditioning, so keep a thin sweater or light weight jacket handy at the office, to protect against chills during your morning meetings. Sunglasses are a summer staple, but are also outdoor wear. You should always be able to make eye contact with colleagues and clients when indoors, so take them off when entering a building, unless you're a rock star.

PRICE:

€ 40

Stretch Braided Belt

Add a strip of color to your look with an easy-going preppy belt, an effortless addition to your casual cool wardrobe.

Armani Jeans Fine Stripe Shirt

A quality striped shirt will forever be in style, making this offering from Armani Jeans PRICE: a wise investment for € 120 your collection.

Stripe Knit Tie Stripes pattern a square-end tie knit from soft cotton.

PRICE: PRICE:

€ 29

€ 67

Bonobos Cotton Twill Chinos Lightweight, straight-leg chinos crafted from butterysoft peached cotton twill in an array of colours are finished with a distinctive print lining the pockets. PRICE:

€ 55

PRICE:

€ 64

Authentic Original' Boat Shoe Oil-tanned leather shapes a classic boat shoe featuring hand-sewn moccasin construction for ultimate comfort.

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Brooks Brothers Sport Shirt & Bonobos Cotton Twill Chinos A check-pattern sport shirt with a button-down collar is cut slim from oxford-woven, non-iron Supima® cotton for a soft hand and a clean, stay-fresh look.

PRICE:

€ 272

Polo Ralph Lauren Shirt

Ted Baker Montena Leather Satchel

Crafted from a bold palette of green and blue, this versatile piece is made from pure cotton and boasts a luxurious fit.

The classic satchel gets an update with the on trend colour blocking on this Ted Baker bag. Plenty of pockets and an adjustable shoulder strap make this an ideal everyday bag.

PRICE:

€ 127

PRICE:

PolarizedPlus®' Rectangle Wrap Sunglasses

€ 167

A small logo details the temples of rectangular wrap sunglasses crafted in Italy. The scratch- and impact-resistant PolarizedPlus® lenses enhance colour while reducing glare.

YMC Leather Officers Shoe

PRICE:

€ 195

€ 300

YMC gradually developing their collections from season to season and affirming their classic wear-forever aesthetic with a range of workwear inspired garments.

Armani Cotton Twill Chinos

A straight leg and clean cut create a lean silhouette. Team with a crisp shirt or polo, completing your look with suede driving shoes.

PRICE:

€ 362

Salvatore Ferragamo Front Pocket Brief Crafted in fine leather, it features pockets on the inside and out for easy organisation of your most critical essentials.

'Logan' Messenger Bag

Burberry Red Rubber Strap Sport Watch

Richly textured leather comprises a sturdy messenger bag furnished with multiple pouches for effortless organisation.

Chronograph movement, subtle check-print dial, stainless steel case, rubber strap with stamped check pattern.

PRICE:

€ 505

PRICE:

€ 910

Polo Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt

PRICE:

€ 82

Crafted from luxurious Pima cotton, this new silky polo shirt is a wardrobe essential for the modern gentleman. cordeditorial@cma.rs |

PROFILE

A Love of

Marketing It is when you realise a single brand has more than 300 different applications in everyday life that you understand why you love marketing so much and all the possibilities working in marketing offers

SANJA ŠAMATIĆ Marketing and Communications Messer Tehnogas AD

efore coming to Messer Tehnogas, producer of indus-

of presenting products in such a way are endless and I am

trial and medical gases and cutting and welding equip-

sure there is nothing more inspiring for a marketing manag-

ment, I was also involved in marketing and graphic de-

er than contemplating how to bring fantastic, useful, applica-

ble and omnipresent products closer to people who use them

job, however, in the field of industry, although marketing and

every day without them even knowing it. People probably no-

communication activities in industrial production were com-

tice and feel your excitement and fascination with the prod-

pletely new to me, therefore also a big challenge.

uct you advertise and this certainly influences them as well.

Since starting with Messer Tehnogas six years ago, I have

The fact that I do the graphic design and creative solutions

gone through training and practical work in several depart-

myself is an additional bonus, because I am totally free to ex-

ments of the company, such as logistics and transport, back

press myself as I wish.

office, legal department etc. I also worked for a long time

I believe that, unfortunately, young people do not under-

as assistant to the general management, which brought me

stand how inspiring, large and creative the process of produc-

many advantages in communicating with business leaders,

ing something is… Most of them, in their longer or shorter

customers, representatives of different associations and social organisations. This way of getting to know the company through different departments and positions was definitely very useful. The production of technical and medical gases is a very specific area of industry, since, besides production itself, it also includes engineer-

I am sure there is nothing more inspiring for a marketing manager than contemplating how to bring fantastic, useful, applicable and omnipresent products closer to people who use them every day without them even knowing it

ing, civil works, design, a repair and welding workshop, appli-

work experience, already understood and learned how to sell

cations of gases in the food industry, environmental protec-

something quickly and efficiently, but only a few of them real-

tion, medical purposes, special gases and many more.

ly know the process of contemplating, creating and final pro-

I was especially fascinated by the fact that a single brand has more than 300 different applications in everyday life. It is

cessing of a product, its testing and optimisation before it actually reaches the market.

then that you understand why you love marketing so much

I hope that the redevelopment of industry and production

and all the possibilities working in marketing offers you. You

will manage to inspire all creative and communicative people

search for the best and most interesting ways to introduce

to invest their ideas, creative solutions and talents in order to

the “hidden” advantages of your product to people, to, for ex-

have valuable and high quality products on the market and to

ample, inform them through greeting cards that some choco-

launch the development of the market through healthy com-

late is so fine and tasty because of the nitrogen that made it

petition and through the promotion of knowledge, science

such, or that your couch is so comfortable because the manu-

and skills engaged in the production optimisation and crea-

facturer used carbon-dioxide in a specific manner… The ways

tive process. ■

94 |

115 May 2014 | www.cordmagazine.com

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