CorD Magazine, April 2020, no. 186 by CorD Magazine

H.E. TANJU BILGIÇ

ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ PH.D.

We Must Share The Burden

Construction Will Continue Driving Serbia’s Development

Film Director

APRIL 2020/ ISSUE NO. 186

Serbia Is Today At The Tail End Of Europe

www.cordmagazine.com

Ambassador of Turkey to Serbia

SRDAN GOLUBOVIĆ

Deputy PM of Serbia and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure

interviews opinions news comments events COMMENT

Pandemic Genre FOCUS

THE LIQUIDITY OF THE ECONOMY AND CITIZENS IS KEY TO A RAPID POST-CRISIS RECOVERY

Exclusive

PROF. VICTOR A. MATVEEV

783002 771451 9

The Universe Sees No Borders

ISSN1451-7833

DIRECTOR OF THE JOINT INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH, DUBNA, RUSSIA (JINR)

CONTENTS

COMMENT

ZORAN PANOVIĆ

PANDEMIC GENRE Prior to the storm of the Corona virus, Vučić determined that Agriculture Minister Branislav Nedimović should be first below him on the SNS election list, only to expressly comprehend that Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar would come to the fore. Although this now comes across as being slightly inhumane, the main political points will be won and lost in the health sector. And in security

08 THE UNIVERSE SEES NO BORDERS

PROF. VICTOR A. MATVEEV Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia (JINR)

14 GLOBAL DIARY 16 WE MUST SHARE THE BURDEN

H.E. TANJU BILGIÇ Ambassador of Turkey to Serbia

20 EUROPE IS UNPREPARED FOR THE COVID-19 RECESSION YANIS VAROUFAKIS

22 THE LIQUIDITY OF THE ECONOMY AND CITIZENS IS KEY TO A RAPID POST-CRISIS RECOVERY FOCUS: What can the Government do at this juncture – given the current economic situation – to support the Serbian economy and individual industries?

– THE LESS WE UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER

BRANKICA JANKOVIĆ Commissioner for the Protection of Equality

36 AFTER WORK 38 SERBIA IS TODAY AT THE TAIL END OF EUROPE SRDAN GOLUBOVIĆ Film Director

26 CORONAVIRUS WILL BE FELT ‘FOR A LONG TIME TO COME

@CORD_MAGAZINE

GLOBAL ECONOMY

35 THE MORE WE SPEAK

@CORDMAGAZINE

CORD MAGAZINE

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April

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Comment

Pandemic Genre BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

et’s return briefly to August 1999. Under the impression of NATO bombing, Serbian citizens cleared the streets and disappeared in the face of the natural phenomenon of a solar eclipse — while in the happy West they enjoyed it with the use of special glasses. The difference is essential: If 1999’s ‘tactical disappearance action’ was also propaganda manipulation by the authorities against a frightened nation, today self-isolation is an act of emancipated civic consciousness. That’s why self-isolation was tougher. Slavoj Žižek writes, and no longer sounds eccentric, that the world is facing a choice: either Darwinism or Neo-Communism. It will be tougher with the free market. In the face of such challenges, Serbian democracy is a fragile plant, and a precondition of its survival is finding a new social consensus and new, high-quality solidarity. Propaganda cries for various forms of unity - ethnic, denominational, populist, demagogic rule, electoral boycotts - become displaced. And Vučić must also build a new form of leadership that it implies, instead of disintegrating-building institutions. Or restoring confidence in them, which was questionable prior to Corona. Corona is not omnipotent, so it cannot quash political hatred overnight, those smouldering and now-shifting allegations of violations of the constitution in a state of

April

Prior to the storm of the Corona virus, Vučić determined that Agriculture Minister Branislav Nedimović should be first below him on the SNS election list, only to expressly comprehend that Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar would come to the fore. Although this now comes across as being slightly inhumane, the main political points will be won and lost in the health sector. And in security emergency with the mannerist plunder of power according to an opposition that wants to make shameless political use of the state of the epidemic. That is endemic folklore of a tacit election campaign, but Vučić’s responses also at least encouraging the cynical when he tells opposition leaders to freely criticise, but to stay home and contribute to the national front against the virus. And they (the leaders) don’t even have another choice. The expertise of doctors and government bureaucrats countered the dominant tabloid consciousness. Official empathy is required. In the state of what Susan Sontag called

Propaganda cries for various forms of unity - ethnic, denominational, populist, demagogic rule, electoral boycotts - become displaced. And Vučić must also build a new form of leadership that it implies, instead of disintegrating-building institutions. Or restoring confidence in them, which was questionable prior to Corona

‘illness as a metaphor’. They used to joke around with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, who announced that ‘yellow people’ would come to the Morava, while now this is a precognition that his predecessor Boris Tadić didn’t have, who is announced in the media and as a ‘clinical psychologist’, which he really is by training, and in his attempts to have a sedative impact on opposition citizens at the time of contagion by not killing the gene of civil disrespect for the kidnapping of the crisis by authoritarian rulers. In the addresses of Aleksandar Vučić there are no cynical remarks about opposition media, primarily TV N1. That relationship was gapingly lacking before Corona. EU commissioner Kristalina Georgieva reminded us during the flooding of 2014 about the regional, narrative, intolerance of that lost solidarity, for example in the cases of devastating earthquakes in Skopje, Banja Luka, Montenegro... The pandemic also normalises the experience of Yugoslav socialism, because if Zagreb was hit by an earthquake in the Socialist Yugoslavia it would perhaps have had more solidarity than it is now guaranteed by Brussels. And we’ve already seen all this on film: We recommend 28 Days Later, by Danny Boyle, where zombies are a political and anthropological metaphor. And the streets are as empty as they are now.

Interview Exclusive PROF. VICTOR A. MATVEEV

DIRECTOR OF THE JOINT INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH, DUBNA, RUSSIA (JINR)

For decades, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research ( JINR) has been at the forefront of top notch research into what we colloquially refer to as “the origin of the Universe”. The previous year was one of the most successful in the modern history of the JINR, and the new projects the Institute is currently working on promise to contribute greatly to ongoing research in the area of particle physics. For us in Serbia, these developments are of paramount interest, as our country - as an Associated Member State of the JINR – has been cooperating for years with the JINR, with the possibility to join as a fully-fledged Member State. We had an excellent opportunity to speak with Prof. Victor A. Matveev, Director of the JINR, about the work of one of the world’s most advanced scientific institutions, and about their current research.

The Universe Sees

No Borders

Research on the deep structure of nuclear matter, the properties of fundamental interactions in the micro world, the origin of the Universe and the laws of its evolution, calls for global cooperation among scientists. The JINR is at the forefront of these efforts, which are jointly researched at the leading global institutions. Serbia, as an Associated Member State of the JINR network, has its own role in these advancements 8

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COOPERATION

The realisation of a mega-science class project is practically impossible without broad international cooperation. This is one of the main goals of CERN and the JINR

Prof. Matveev, how globalised is science when it comes to the areas in which you work? What is the role of the JINR within the world’s scientific community? How many researchers and other experts are engaged on different lines of activity?

The scientific programme of the JINR includes studies of the problems of fundamental physics at the very edge of its forefront – the deep structure of nuclear matter, the properties of fundamental interactions in the micro world, the origin of the Universe and the laws of its evolution, as well as the interconnection of phenomena in the micro and macro worlds. Nowadays we call this area of fundamental research simply particle physics, adding to it cosmology. Physicists used to say that particle physics is global. Why? Because the unique complexity of the problems and goals of particle physics requires new results and discoveries with the utmost concentration of all existing intellectual and technological potentials and, hence, of the corresponding human and material resources, at the level that has no analogy in other fields. One of the major principles of the JINR scientific policy is that its scientific programme and priority projects must first of all be integrated into the European and world scientific programmes. The priority projects of research infrastructure development that are now under realisation at the JINR, according to its SevenYear Development Plan, between 2017 and 2023, include such mega-science projects as the NICA superconducting heavy ion collider and the factory of superheavy elements, which are included in the landscape of the European Strategy for Particle and Nuclear Physics. The realisation of a mega-science class project is practically impossible without broad international cooperation, allowing a concentration of the required human and financial resources, and the development and application

RESOURCES

The JINR partner network today consists of about 800 research institutes and universities in more than 60 countries, about 150 of which are located in the EU

of new technologies. This is one of the main goals of international scientific organisations like the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), in Geneva, Switzerland, and the JINR. The JINR officially consists of 18 Member States and six Associated Member States, including Serbia. But to give you a picture of our international cooperation, I should mention that today our partner network consists of

ADVANCEMENTS

Serbia and the JINR have enjoyed good cooperation in science for a quarter of century, with an open possibility for Serbia to become a Member State in the near future

modern history. What achievements would you like to highlight?

Last year was the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. We participated actively in this international event, because the JINR has contributed a lot to the modern look of this table. In fact, we started a new branch of science – chemistry of superheavy elements. In order to continue this research at the highest world level, at the beginning of last

DUBNA, 17TH OCTOBER - JINR DIRECTOR VICTOR A. MATVEEV AND SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SERBIA VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ SIGN A FIVE-YEAR ROADMAP ON COOPERATION BETWEEN THE JINR AND THE MINISTRY

about 800 research institutes, universities and other organisations in more than 60 countries, and that about 150 of them are located in the European Union. The JINR’s total number of staff is about 5,300. Among them, 1,200 are researchers, mostly from Member States, but also from 33 other states, working in our international teams. This number grows together with our projects. You’ve stated that 2019 was one of the most successful years in the JINR’s

year we commissioned a new cyclotron, DC-280, which is the key machine within the unique research complex named the Superheavy Element (SHE) Factory. Furthermore, at the end of 2019 we officially started the commissioning of a new accelerator ring within the NICA accelerator complex. Also, an off-line high performance computer cluster for the NICA experiments was made operational in September last year. Also last year, at Lake Baikal, we doubled the speed of construction of the largest neutrino telescope in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Interview Exclusive We deployed two new clusters of the BaikalGVD deep underwater neutrino telescope, thus increasing its effective volume to a quarter of a cubic kilometre. In addition, in 2019 the JINR also launched the Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Programme, aimed at recruiting excellent young researchers for its main research directions and flagship projects.

the quark-gluon plasma, and ordinary matter, composed of protons, neutrons, mesons and other particles. The experiments at very high energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), in Brookhaven, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in CERN, were devoted to studying hot matter at practically zero net baryon density. Their results showed that the phase transition between the quark

critical point, characterised by large fluctuations in matter properties. The main goal of the NICA project is to search for the signatures of such a phase transition, named the first order transition, and the critical point in the energy region with the maximal possible net baryon density achievable in a laboratory being comparable to the baryon density in the core of a neutron star. Another goal of the project is to study the long-standing question of proton and neutron spin structures, determined by the properties of the quarks and gluons of which they are composed. You dubbed one of your popular programmes as “NICA – the Universe in the laboratory”. How well do we know our Universe today? And how can NICA teach us, ordinary lay citizens, about the world in which we live?

LAKE BAIKAL, FEBRUARY. INSTALLATION OF THE GARLAND OF DEEP UNDERWATER

All this does not yet give a full picture of our achievements in 2019. Let me also mention the significant developments of our international cooperation as well, including the signing of the Roadmap of Cooperation of Serbia and the JINR. The NICA project is the JINR’s largest undertaking to date. Could you tell us a little more about this project’s contribution to the overall body of research in particle physics?

Generally speaking, we are curious about how the Universe originated and how it has been evolving. Many different research disciplines contribute to explorations of these questions. Thus, there are a number of running and planned experiments devoted to studies of the properties of hot and dense matter, the so-called fireball, created in high energy heavy ion collisions, including the phase transition between the matter composed of quarks and gluons, called

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Big experiments like NICA and the LHC are serious challenges to the present technological level. As such, these projects foster global technological development significantly gluon-plasma and ordinary matter was rather smooth, in agreement with the lattice quantum chromodynamics calculations. Unfortunately, with decreasing energy and increasing net baryon density, the theoretical calculations become quite uncertain, though indicating the possibility of a sharp phase transition, starting at certain values of the net baryon density and temperature, called the

The recent progress of knowledge about the Universe is impressive. Scientists are able to study very distant objects and processes. However, there is still a big space of ambiguities and future discoveries will definitely help us to clarify them. The word “Universe” typically means all existing space and matter, while modern science also includes all energy, time and the fundamental forces. The JINR can definitely contribute to finding answers to some of these important questions. In giant planets and stars, and during supernovae explosions and collisions of neutron stars, matter is subject to extreme conditions, such as very high temperatures, pressures and densities. NICA will enable scientists to create such conditions in the laboratory. To do so, they will let accelerated heavy ions collide. These collisions will, for very short periods of time, create cosmic matter at tiny impact points. In other words, we have a kind of microscope for viewing, for example, the processes inside neutron stars even at much higher temperatures. Scientists from all over the world are planning to use the NICA complex to find out how matter behaves at such huge densities. Participation in such experiments is interesting not only to scientists. Big experiments like NICA and the LHC are, of course, serious challenges to the present technological level. In other words, such projects foster global technological development significantly.

What differentiates the NICA and LHC projects and how do they complement one another?

With these unique scientific infrastructures, scientists from all over the world will be able to gain new insights into the structure of matter and the evolution of the Universe, from its origin to the present time. NICA will operate at energies up to 11 GeV in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass system, while LHC uses energies of colliding particles three orders of magnitude higher. As a result, NICA will be able to generate nuclear matter with lower temperature than the LHC, but with the maximal possible net baryon density. The tasks of the two infrastructures are to explore the phase diagram of nuclear matter in two different but complementary domains. At the same time, the development of modern accelerator and unique detector technologies, which are necessary for carrying out these tasks, has been going on in close cooperation between JINR and CERN scientists and engineers.

Neutrinos are unique because of the weakness of their interactions.They can easily propagate through the entire Universe without being disturbed. Thus, neutrinos can provide a great new tool for investigations of the Universe and violent processes occurring there. This explains why the observation of astronomical objects using neutrino telescopes, known as neutrino astronomy, has become a quickly developing

Both projects are realised at the JINR, which represents a big international network based primarily on the resources of the Member States and Associated Member States, and also on wide international expertise provided by several committees operating at different levels. About half of the NICA project’s costs are covered by Russia within the programme of international mega-science projects on its territory. The other

Another priority project of the current JINR Seven-Year Development Plan is the deep underwater neutrino telescope at Lake Baikal. What is neutrino astronomy?

Neutrino astronomy is a branch of astronomy devoted to the observation of celestial bodies using neutrino telescopes. The detectors in question are typically very large. The gigantic detector we are constructing at Lake Baikal will have the volume of one cubic kilometre. A similar sized detector already exists in the ice at the South Pole. There are similar telescopes under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. We usually think of astronomy as being about observations by means of a naked eye or an optical telescope, via registering light, i.e. photons. But other particles can also be messengers from the Universe. The difficulty is that characteristics of photons and other particles reaching us from far away can be greatly disturbed along their paths by matter and various fields that exist in the Universe. They often change their original direction, lose their energy and even get absorbed during travel through space. All this makes astronomy with these particles less direct and requires very complicated techniques to analyse the observations.

Scientists from all over the world are planning to use the NICA superconducting heavy ion collider complex to find out how matter behaves at huge densities field. The JINR will definitely begin to play a significant role in this field in the near future. The NICA and Lake Baikal projects are true multinational projects, which include the participation of many respectable researchers from numerous countries. How is this research coordinated and what have the participating countries contributed?

half of the costs are covered from the JINR budget and the special contributions of our partners. Such a contribution has come from Germany, which participated in the development, production and testing of the facility for fast cycling Dubna-type superconducting magnets employed within both the NICA complex and the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), in Darmstadt, Germany. Additionally, a few large international collaborations are sharing responsibility for the fabrication of various parts of the main NICA detectors. Beside the numerous institutions from the JINR Member and Associated Member States, these collaborations include institutions from Chile, China, Israel, Mexico and the USA. For instance, a consortium of Chinese universities is responsible for the production of 75% of 43,000 modules of the electromagnetic calorimeter of one of the main NICA detectors. The project also benefits from close cooperation with CERN, in particular from the new technological solutions developed

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Interview Exclusive for the LHC experiments, like the Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors for Inner Tracker System and the fast electronics for the Time Projection Chamber. It is worth mentioning that the project is included in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap and in the Long Range Plan of the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC).

Could you tell us more about these achievements and the JINR’s future plans in this area?

Yes, you are right. Synthesis of new superheavy elements is one of our traditional topics, in which we are the world leaders. In total, the JINR has full or partial priority for the discovery of 10 chemical elements, including the five heaviest elements, with

Mendeleev Table of Chemical Elements. We are continuing research in the field of superheavy elements. This will be advancing along two main directions. The first direction is focused on the synthesis of even heavier elements, 119 and 120, which are the first elements of the eighth period of the Mendeleev Table. This task has the highest priority. The second priority is to open the programme of detailed studies of the nuclear and chemical properties of the superheavy elements already discovered. Both tasks require an increase of the experimental sensitivity by several dozen times. This has motivated us to construct a new dedicated facility for superheavy element research. As I have already said, the facility has been named the SHE Factory. It is based on a new highcurrent accelerator, DC-280, which provides 10 times more intense beams of heavy ions than its predecessors at the JINR. Together with the new experimental set-ups, DC-280 will provide the necessary increase of experimental sensitivity. The SHE Factory was commissioned last year. We are about to launch its experimental programme and hope that new exciting results will appear in the nearest future. How much has Serbia, as an Associated Member State, contributed to the activities of the JINR to date?

The Baikal-GVD project is an international collaboration with the active engagement of scientists and engineers from Russia, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic. This is reflected in the names given to five clusters of the deep underwater Cherenkov counters that have been installed so far: Moscow, Dubna, Bratislava, Krakow and Prague, highlighting the significance of the contributions of these collaborations. Two more clusters are being commissioned right now, while another two are expected to be installed next year and we expect to continue with this tempo until the end of construction. Based on optimism regarding the advancement of the Serbia-JINR cooperation, we could dream about commissioning a counter cluster named Belgrade in the foreseeable future. The names of four elements in the periodic table of chemical elements are directly connected to the JINR – Dubnium, Flerovium, Moscovium and Oganesson.

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Once the deep underwater neutrino telescope at Lake Baikal is finished, the JINR will play a significant role in neutrino astronomy, which provides a great new tool for investigations of the Universe atomic numbers from 114 to 118, which have been synthesised in the last 20 years. As you mentioned, four of those 10 elements have been given names connected to the JINR. They are Dubnium (element 105), Flerovium (element 114), Moscovium (element 115), and Oganesson (element 118). Element 118 completes the seventh period of the

I take it that you are not referring solely to the financial aspect of this issue. Although the annual budgetary contribution of Serbia today, as an Associated Member State of the JINR, can be compared with those of some (fully-fledged) Member States, this budget contribution is growing continuously, in order to correlate with the expanding scope of our joint scientific interests. What is more important is that most of these financial resources are invested in supporting concrete joint research projects, which today amount to 12, as well as research visits to Dubna, primarily by young Serbian scientists. Serbia has been an Associated Member State of the JINR for 13 years. Assessing the results of the first 10 years of our cooperation, we have registered 40 Serbian researchers participating in our joint projects and another 20 students participating in JINR international student programmes. These figures, especially the number of young scientists, are steadily

growing, thanks first of all to the proactive approach of our Serbian colleagues. Gradually, the geography of the JINR partnership network in Serbia has expanded significantly – the University of Novi Sad has become a channel of our active interaction with the Serbian research community. We are this year planning to hold a school for young scientists at this University, and in the offing we are looking forward to opening a JINR information centre there.

It is worth recalling the JINR’s active participation in the realisation of the TESLA Project at the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, in Belgrade, Serbia, in the 1990s. Regrettably, the work was not completed, for reasons beyond the control of the Project participants. However, the FAMA facility, commissioned within the Project, is currently in operation and JINR researchers are among

Today we hail the efforts of our Serbian friends who analyse options to finalise the successor of the TESLA Project, which has been renamed the SIBI Project, and update it according to their current and future needs. We are ready to share our almost two decades of experience in building modern cyclotrons and are currently studying optimal solutions together.

The Roadmap of Cooperation of Serbia and the JINR was signed during the recent visit of a Serbian delegation to the JINR. What do future plans encompass? Do you expect Serbia to become a Member State in the near future?

Becoming a Member State of our international organisation is a priority of the Government of Serbia and we hope this decision will be made soon. Membership in the JINR means the ability to utilise all available cooperation opportunities and potentials. We proceed with a pragmatic approach – further progress should be based on achieved results and actual interests. The Roadmap is a plan of steps that we would like to make towards each other, so that both sides become ready for this decision. It is worth mentioning that practical implementation of the Roadmap started before it was actually signed – the annual budget contribution of Serbia is increasing, Serbia is participating with voting rights in the work of the JINR Scientific Council, and a joint project has been launched to facilitate the further involvement of Serbian high-tech companies in JINR research projects. How does the SIBI Project, orientated to the fourth industrial revolution, fit into that picture?

One of the significant driving forces, bringing together the JINR Member States and partners in joint cooperation projects is a desire to acquire advanced knowledge and technologies during practical work in Dubna and to apply this experience back home. That is why it is so important to develop national research infrastructure facilities in the Member States. As a result, it is possible to organise truly joint collaboration, on an equal footing.

VEKSLER AND BALDIN LABORATORY OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS. RECENT VIEW OF THE NICA COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION SITE

The University of Novi Sad has become a channel of active interaction between the JINR and the Serbian research community, with the possibility of opening a JINR information centre there in 2020 its active users. This is because FAMA and the applications department of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions of the JINR have developed mutually complementary research opportunities. Our Serbian colleagues also visit us frequently for experiments. So, a reliable cooperation axis has been established between the Vinča Institute and the JINR.

What is the significance of the recently held Days of JINR in Serbia when it comes to future cooperation?

In our opinion, such events should take place on a regular basis. Electronic means of communication are absolutely fine. However, extended and wide-format direct meetings of scientists, engineers and decision-makers in science and education are indispensable in providing a comprehensive picture of all JINR cooperation opportunities and for building new partnerships. Serbia and the JINR have enjoyed good cooperation in science for a quarter of century and half of that time Serbia has been an Associated Member State of the JINR. During that period, a new generation of researchers and managers has appeared in Serbian science and the Days of JINR provided an opportunity to bring them all together in one place. As a result, the JINR delegation is returning to Dubna with a big portfolio of ideas and project proposals for immediate and future implementation.

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GLOBAL DIARY

Diseases

“Without action, almost 400 million people will die from chronic diseases in the next 10 years. Many of these deaths will occur prematurely, affecting families, communities and countries alike.” – DR CATHERINE LE GALES-CAMUS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND MENTAL HEALTH

BORISLAV STANKOVIC PASSES AWAY Legendary Borislav Stankovic, former FIBA Secretary General and member of the IOC passed away at the age of 94 at his home in Belgrade, Serbia. His enormous contribution to basketball throughout his life was well-recognized and included his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 1991. As FIBA’s Secretary General in 1989, he laid the foundations for NBA players to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time by adjusting FIBA’s rules. As a result, the Dream Team appeared and ultimately conquered gold in Barcelona. Apart from being FIBA’s Secretary General between 1976 and 2002, Stankovic further served basketball as a member of the International Olympic Committee, the Yugoslav Basketball Committee, and the Board of Trustees at the Basketball Hall of Fame. As a player was included among the founding Crvena Zvezda members back in 1946, also competed for Zeleznicar and Partizan, and was on the Yugoslav senior team for five years.

TICKET FOR ONE? Starting last month, Russia’s Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre will stream its performances online and allow just one spectator in the theater to watch in person. Called “One-On-One”, the project is designed to create a new kind of interaction with the public at a time when a growing number of coronavirus cases are limiting outings and gatherings. “We are ready to hold performances for one

PRIEST DIES OF CORONAVIRUS AFTER GIVING UP RESPIRATOR TO COMPLETE STRANGER A 72-year-old Italian priest Giuseppe Berardelli has died of coronavirus after selflessly giving his own respirator to a younger patient he did not know. Father Giuseppe Berardelli was the main priest in Casnigo, a municipality in the province of Bergamo which is now the epicentre of the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world. His parishioners reportedly bought him the respirator – which are in desperately short supply – after learning that he suffered with pre-existing health issues. But the priest gave up the device after hearing of a younger patient who was struggling to breathe because of coronavirus, which has now killed more than GIUSEPPE BERARDELLI 6,000 people in Italy.

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person because in the end ... one spectator has the same value as a full house,” Marat Gatsalov, the theater’s principal stage director, said in a statement. The theater, located in Perm, an industrial city 1,100 km east of Moscow, said it would shortly be accepting applications for those wanting to attend the performances alone. It said that one of the performers would choose the spectator in a draw, but that the chosen person would need to be screened by a doctor before entering the theater.

Epidemic

“Approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use.” – DR ROBERT BEAGLEHOLE, DIRECTOR, CHRONIC DISEASES AND HEALTH PROMOTION

TOKYO OLYMPICS POSTPONED TO 2021 The Tokyo Olympics are to be postponed until 2021 after talks between Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, led to confirmation of a decision made inevitable by the coronavirus pandemic. Abe said they had established that cancelling the Games was out of the question, and that Bach had agreed “100%” that a postponement was the most appropriate response to the global disruption. The Games “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community”, the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee said later in a joint statement. The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will continue to be called the “Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020” even when they are held next year, and the Olympic flame will stay in Japan “as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times”.

LOCKDOWN FOR INDIA’S 1.3 BILLION PEOPLE Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a “complete” lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion people, warning that “many families will be destroyed forever” if the country didn’t get to grips with its coronavirus outbreak in the next three weeks. Modi said the lockdown would last for a minimum of 21 days, and would apply to all of India’s 36 states and territories. India is the world’s second most populous

CORONAVIRUS IS SPREADING WORLDWIDE Coronavirus has been spreading rapidly across the world, affecting more than 160 countries and claiming more than 16,000 lives. Until the March 25th there are more than 400,000 confirmed cases worldwide. Europe is now at the epicentre of the crisis and the US is facing a surge in cases. The virus is spreading rapidly in many countries, with more than 320,000 confirmed cases outside China. The true figure for the number of people with coronavirus is thought to be much higher as many of those with milder symptoms have not been tested and counted. Italy has the highest death toll of any single country in the world with more than 6,800 deaths, many in the worst-hit region of Lombardy. The US, Spain, France and Germany also have a large number of confirmed cases. The US now has the third highest figure globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the US could become the next epicentre of the pandemic, given the “very large acceleration in cases.”

country and the fifth biggest economy, but so far, it has appeared to avoid the full hit of the pandemic. The country has confirmed 519 coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths and 39 patients who have been cured, according to the Ministry of Health. Only essential services will be operational. These include water, electricity, health services, fire services, groceries and municipal services. All shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, markets and places of worship will be closed and interstate buses and metros will be suspended.

PRINCE CHARLES TESTS POSITIVE The Prince of Wales has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has announced. Prince Charles, 71, is displaying mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”, a spokesman said, adding that the Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has been tested but does not have the virus. Both Charles and Camilla are now self-isolating at Balmoral. Buckingham Palace said the Queen last saw her son on 12 March, but also “remains in good health”. The Queen, the palace added, “is following all the appropriate advice with regard to her welfare”. A Clarence House statement read: “In accordance with government and medical advice, the prince and the duchess are now self-isolating at PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA, home in Scotland. DUCHESS OF CORNWALL

Interview H.E. TANJU BILGIÇ AMBASSADOR OF TURKEY TO SERBIA

Since the emergence of the migrant crisis, Turkey has spent $40 billion to care for around four million Syrians and nationals of other countries, says Tanju Bilgiç, Turkey’s ambassador to Serbia, emphasising in this interview for CorD Magazine that there are more migrants in Turkey than the entire populations of some European countries. Addressing the issues of bilateral relations with Serbia, Ambassador Bilgiç says that they are at the highest level historically, as can be seen in strengthening economic cooperation and growing interest in Serbia among Turkish investors. Turkey is also continuing to restore cultural and historical monuments in Serbia, and so after the success of Ram Fortress - monuments will be restored in Belgrade, Užice, Raška and Novi Pazar, announces CorD’s interlocutor. Your Excellency, it was during recent talks with the President of Serbia that you reiterated your evaluation that bilateral relations between Turkey and Serbia are at their highest level histori-

We Must Share

The Burden

Thanks to the measures taken by Turkey, EU countries have not been talking about that “existential” problem any more. But they forgot about the existence of the problem because migrants are no longer on their doorstep. However, the problem remains and is on the shoulders of my country. We expect the EU to fulfil its commitments, to share the burden and, perhaps most importantly, to tackle the causes of the problem - Tanju Bilgiç 16

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RELATIONSHIP

Relations between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Serbia are experiencing their best period in history

SYRIA

There is no direct connection with regard to the recent developments in Syria and construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline

cally. How is all this progress reflected and who deserves the credit for it?

Relations between the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Serbia are experiencing their best period in history. This is undoubtedly true. Although economic and commercial ties are still the driving force behind our relations, we cooperate on a wide range of issues and our relations are improving and deepening by the day. The efforts of our presidents are invaluable at this point. They paved the way for us to develop relations and we walk along the path that they forged.

MIGRANTS

While we have been receiving migrants for nine years, the EU has taken no action, as it has not been affected thanks to the measures that we have taken

Leskovac and Ćuprija. Our aim is to further increase Turkish investments in different parts of Serbia in the period ahead. Are you satisfied with the pace of

works on the section of the BelgradeSarajevo Highway between Sremska Rača and Kuzmin?

As you have mentioned, road infrastructure projects are another field in which we coop-

Growth is being recorded in economic cooperation between the two countries. It was late last year that you announced the opening of as many as six new factories of Turkish investors. Can you tell us something about the implementation of those plans?

As I mentioned before, bilateral economic and commercial ties are the motor of our relations. Our bilateral trade volume with Serbia exceeded the threshold of a billion dollars for the first time in 2017. The volume of bilateral trade was around 1.2 billion dollars in 2018, while last year it totalled 1.3 billion dollars. We are determined to increase this number to five billion. Turkish businesspeople are also investing in Serbia. Back in 2011, Turkish investment totalled just a million dollars, while the value of investments of Turkish firms in Serbia today stands at around 200 million dollars. There are more than 800 Turkish firms operating in Serbia today, and they have created around 10,000 jobs. Turkish companies have recently been opening new factories or extending existing ones, in the fields of textiles, automotive parts, pipe manufacturing and rubber industries, in various Serbian towns and cities, such Priboj, Kragujevac, Žitorađa, Vladičin Han, Kraljevo,

Turkish companies have recently been opening new factories or extending existing ones, in the fields of textiles, automotive parts, pipe manufacturing and rubber industries, in various Serbian towns and cities

erate. The ground-breaking ceremony for the Sremska Rača – Kuzmin section of the Belgrade – Sarajevo Highway project was held during the visit of the Turkish President to Serbia on 8th October 2019. The loan agreement signed between Turkish banks and Serbia last year was then approved in the Serbian National Assembly on 3rd February 2020, and was duly published in the Official Gazette. Therefore, work on the section of the highway between Sremska Rača-Kuzmin continues according to the terms of the contract. There is no delay so far.

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Interview How is work advancing on the construction of the road between Tutin and Novi Pazar, which is also being carried out by a Turkish company – Tasyapı Construction?

This project’s ground-breaking ceremony was also held during the visit of the Turkish

connects Russia and Turkey. When do you expect the completion of works on the branch of this pipeline that runs through Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary?

You may have heard that the Turkish Stream gas pipeline has two parts. The first one, Turkish Stream-1, carrying gas to Turkey, is

section has been completed. Bulgaria started receiving gas as of 1st January 2020, while Greece has also been receiving gas through this connection. I saw on the news in Serbia that construction of the pipeline has been completed. As far as we know, construction is continuing on the Bulgaria-Serbia and Serbia-Hungary sections of the pipeline. Could the future of the Turkish Stream pipeline route be jeopardised by worsening relations between Turkey and Russia as a result of military activities in Syria?

There is no direct connection with regard to the recent developments in Syria and construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. We should not see them as being interrelated. These are processes that are continuing in different channels. As I explained in my previous answer, Turkish Stream-1 has already been completed and we have been receiving gas via this pipeline. With respect to Turkish Stream-2, which is supposed to carry natural gas to Europe, although construction is still continuing in some sections, the Turkish-Bulgarian section has already been completed.

President to Serbia on 8th October 2019. Some six kilometres of this 20-km-long road are on the territory of the Municipality of Novi Pazar, while the rest is in the Municipality of Tutin. The Municipality of Tutin wanted to change the route of the road after the contract was signed, but this would require a completely different project and permission process than the rehabilitation work. Negotiations are currently ongoing between the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Construction of Serbia, the Municipality of Tutin and the project company. Taşyapı Construction will start construction from the Novi Pazar section of the road, and will continue to complete the rest of the work without delay once the Municipality of Tutin fulfils the project and permission process. The start of this year saw the ceremonial commissioning of a branch of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline that

April

Our country has been warning for years that safe zones should be created alongside the SyrianTurkish border on Syrian territory, in order to house those civilians. Turkey has been carrying the heavy burden of migrant pressure stemming from the Syrian crisis for nine years already completed and we are already receiving gas. Turkish Stream-2, which is supposed to carry gas to Europe via Turkey, is still under construction. However, its Turkish-Bulgarian

It was claimed recently in the EU that the opening of Turkey’s borders to a new wave of migrants heading towards Western Europe is an attempt by Ankara to link the crisis in Syria and the migrant crisis. How would you comment on this?

It is impossible to separate the situation in Syria and the migrant crisis. These two issues are inextricably linked. The migrant crisis started when the internal situation in Syria began to deteriorate nine years ago. The Syrian regime’s recent attacks in Idlib displaced about 1.5 million civilians living there. Hundreds of thousands of people moved towards our border with Syria. These Syrian civilians are currently trying to survive under extremely bad conditions in regions near our border. Our country has been warning for years that safe zones should be created alongside the Syrian-Turkish border on Syrian territory, in order to house those civilians. Turkey has been carrying the heavy burden of migrant pressure stemming from the Syrian crisis for nine years. However, our patience has now run out. The number of Syrians in our country has reached

3.6 million and the total number of irregular migrants has reached four million. I shared a post on our Embassy’s social media account some time ago in which I compared the number of asylum seekers and immigrants in our country and the populations of the countries of the region. The number in question is four million, which is more than the populations of many countries in this region. To date, the money we spend on these people from our national budget has reached 40 billion dollars. We have fulfilled our international commitments completely. Thanks to the measures we have taken, irregular migration flows from the Aegean fell from 7,000 people per day to around 70, while transitions to Europe decreased by 92 per cent. While we have been receiving migrants for nine years, the EU has taken no action, as it has not been affected thanks to the measures that we have taken. The Voluntary Humanitarian Resettlement Programme, one of the EU’s responsibilities of the 18th March agreement, has never been implemented. We expect the international community to share the burden that we’ve been carrying for years. We believe that the factors that lead to migration must be eliminated in order to combat the problem. Turkey will no longer tolerate a new wave of immigration. For this reason, we expect the international community to contribute to the creation of safe areas where civilians can be placed within Syrian territory, in the regions adjacent to our border, which we have stated for years. In your opinion, what is needed in order to minimise tensions at the Turkish-Greek border with regard to migrants?

As I said in my previous answer, we would like to share the burden. We signed an agreement with the EU on 18th March 2016, and we have since fulfilled our commitments. Thanks to the measures taken by Turkey, EU countries have not been talking about that “existential” problem anymore. But they forgot about the existence of the problem because migrants are no longer on their doorstep. However, the problem remains and is on the shoulders of my country. We expect the EU to fulfil its commitments from the 18th March agreement, to share the burden and, perhaps most importantly, to

and harassment took place at the border. EU member states preferred to ignore those inhumane acts in the name of “membership solidarity”. Fortunately, international human rights organisations have observed violations of human rights at the border. The only way to reduce tension at the border is for Greece to end its violations of human rights and fulfil its commitments stemming from international agreements. Turkey has allocated funds for the renovation and restoration of cultural and historical sites in Serbia in recent years, such as the recently completed Ram Fortress. Do you intend to engage in similar undertakings moving forward?

Turkey will no longer tolerate a new wave of immigration. For this reason, we expect the international community to contribute to the creation of safe areas where civilians can be placed within Syrian territory, in the regions adjacent to our border, which we have stated for years. tackle the causes of the problem. As for tension on the border with Greece, unfortunately Greece was unable to pass this exam successfully. Inhuman practises, torture

Turkey attaches importance to the restoration of our common cultural and historical heritage in Serbia. The most recent example is Ram Fortress, a project carried out by TİKA, in cooperation with the Serbian authorities. The developing of restoration projects for the Bayraklı Mosque and Golubac Turkish Bath - two other TIKA projects - are currently underway. In the future, TİKA is also planning to rebuild the Užice Bridge, which was bombed and totally destroyed during WWII. Restoration of the Gazi İsa BeyHamam in Novi Pazar, Belgrade Hamam and Raška Hamam are among the projects that the Directorate General of Foundations of Turkey wishes to implement. When will work be resumed on the reconstruction of the Turkish Hamam in Novi Pazar?

The draft restoration project of the hamam, prepared by the Directorate General of Foundations of Turkey, is currently being evaluated by the relevant Serbian authorities. Restoration works will commence after project documentation has been approved by the Serbian side. To conclude, I would like to point out that Turkish-Serbian relations are multidimensional and based on the goodwill of our leaders and our respective nations. We respect each other and see avenues for cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres. I have utmost confidence that our bilateral relations will further deepen, based on trust and a commonality of interests.

April

Comment

Europe Is Unprepared For The COVID-19 Recession If there is one European body that has consistently demonstrated its lack of fitness for managing economic crises, it is the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers. True to form, it will respond to the COVID-19 crisis with heroic announcements heralding impressive numbers that disguise the irrelevance and timidity of the agreed policies

he Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers is struggling to agree on a macroeconomically significant coordinated fiscal response to the enormous recessionary effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result, I fear, will be heroic announcements heralding impressive numbers that disguise the irrelevance and timidity of the agreed policies. The first indication of this comes from the recent announcement of the German government’s financial aid package to the private sector. While the international media referred to it as a €550 billion ($600 billion) bazooka, close inspection suggests it is no more than a water pistol. Comprising tax deferments and large credit lines, the German package reveals a serious misunderstanding of the nature of the crisis. And it is the same misunderstanding that turbocharged the euro crisis a decade ago. Now,

April

Comprising tax deferments and large credit lines, the German package reveals a serious misunderstanding of the nature of the crisis. And it is the same misunderstanding that turbocharged the euro crisis a decade ago as then, companies and households are facing insolvency, not illiquidity. To arrest the crisis, governments must go “all in” with stupendous fiscal expansion. But that is exactly what the

German package was meant to avoid. Finance ministers from countries in deeper economic trouble than Germany (for example, Italy and Greece) will undoubtedly try to push for the necessary fiscal expansion. But they will hit the brick wall of opposition from the German finance minister and his loyal supporters within the Eurogroup. Soon the “southerners” will fold their tent, their acquiescence sealing yet another fiscally insignificant Eurogroup package that the oncoming recession will steamroll. How can I be so sure? Because I’ve been there. I represented Greece at the Eurogroup meetings in 2015, where the defeat of our government’s desperate struggle to avoid more loans at the expense of deeper recession was decided. The methodical manner in which those Eurogroup meetings closed down any avenue to a rational debate on the appropriate fiscal policies holds the key to understanding

By Yanis Varoufakis

why the Eurogroup will also fail to mount an effective fiscal defense against the pandemicinduced shock. One insight from those crucial Eurogroup meetings five years ago stands out: any finance minister from a struggling country who dares oppose the Berlin line, or to propose solutions that benefit the majority of Europeans rather than the financial sector, is in for a hard ride. I came in for a very hard ride. Anyone listening to the long hours of the 2015 Eurogroup meetings, now freely available, will hear the President of the Eurogroup threatening to end the negotiations if I dared to table written proposals that Germany did not want discussed (only to brief the media later that I had arrived “empty-handed”). Then there was the head of Europe’s bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, accusing me of caring too much about indebted households and too little about the (already bankrupt) banks’ capitalization. And let’s not forget Germany’s finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, demanding to keep for the German budget – “my budget,” as he put it – the European Central Bank’s profits from trading in Greek bonds. The EU had agreed that this money should be returned to Greece; in the end, Schäuble did in fact keep it for the German budget. All the while, Northern European ministers wielded the threat of “Grexit” and, equivalently, Plan B (an alternative currency for Greece) to force me to accept more loans. Rather than offering realistic debt relief and restructuring, we were hit with a barrage of “take it or leave it” ultimatums, and a long list of calamities that would befall our people if we did not borrow more and accept ridiculous levels of additional austerity that guaranteed Greece would never be able to repay. The 2015 Eurogroup meetings offer listeners a front-row seat on the blood sport that is unaccountable power. It’s all there: Crucial decisions flying in the face of science and simple mathematics. Bullying the weak until they surrender. Thinly disguised theft. Fake news weaponized against those who dare to resist. And last, but not least, contempt for transparency and the other checks and balances essential in any democracy. It is no coincidence that these themes are now so prevalent across the West. The Euro-

group meetings of 2015 were, I dare to say, the field of European democracy’s defeat, which reverberated not just across Europe but also in the Americas and elsewhere. Within less than a year, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump were no longer amusing hypotheticals. The practices that the liberal establishment now decries were on vivid display in those

We have a duty to enlighten citizens about how, even in our liberal democracies, decisions are routinely made in their name, against their interests, and without their knowledge by functionaries who loathe democracy even as they pretend to defend it Eurogroup meetings – the same institution that, today, is deciding on Europe’s fiscal policy response to the coronavirus recession. Euroskeptics, whether outside the European Union, like Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, or inside, like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Matteo Salvini, and

France’s Marine Le Pen, will undoubtedly take heart from the release of the 2015 Eurogroup transcripts. But making them public is in the interests of Europeanism. Revealing to citizens the EU’s decision-making process, warts and all, is a prerequisite for empowering democrats to save the EU by taking back control of our institutions.

Europeans are not stupid. Even if they do not know exactly what goes on behind closed doors in Europe’s decision-making bodies, they can sense that the resulting decisions fail to use existing resources in the interests of a majority of Europeans in a majority of member states. We have a duty to enlighten citizens about how, even in our liberal democracies, decisions are routinely made in their name, against their interests, and without their knowledge by functionaries who loathe democracy even as they pretend to defend it. If we fail, the EU’s decisions, especially during this pandemic, on fiscal policy, green investment, health, education, and migration policy are bound to be as ineffective as those that magnified the euro crisis ten years ago. Then, only the likes of Trump and Putin, and Europe’s own Orbáns, Salvinis, and Le Pens, who want to dissolve our common institutions from within, will benefit. The author is former finance minister of Greece, leader of the MeRA25 party and Professor of Economics at the University of Athens

April

Focus

What can the Government do at this juncture – given the current economic situation – to support the Serbian economy and individual industries?

The Liquidity Of The Economy And Citizens Is

Key To A Rapid Post-Crisis Recovery Many economic experts are already predicting that the pandemic caused by the Corona virus will be a bigger challenge for the world economy than anything we’ve faced in the recent past, including the 2008 financial crisis. The Government of Serbia has space, primarily in its fiscal policy, to respond to the challenges facing businesses and citizens

he eyes of the economy and citizens are turned towards the Government of Serbia, which at this moment must respond simultaneously to the health dimension of Covid-19 and provide clear signals to the economy and citizens regarding economic policy: in the short-term, that relates to the already growing crisis of illiquidity and the way production is

April

organised, while in the medium-term it has to respond to the challenges of preserving businesses and employees. Under conditions in which Serbia has already been confronted by the challenges of mass departures of the workforce, CorD’s interlocutors insist that priority should be given to taking care of the status of workers who are currently employed on any basis.

ALEKSANDAR MARKOVIĆ METALAC CEO

PROFESSOR DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ

PH.D., FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

PRESERVING PEOPLE IS MOST IMPORTANT

PREVENTING PERSONAL AND COMPANY BANKRUPTCIES IS AN IMPERATIVE

IT IS NECESSARY FOR US ALL TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF THIS CRISIS TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE STILL HAVE A PROBLEM OF THE WORKFORCE LEAVING THE COUNTRY. IF WE ARE FORCED TO REDUCE EARNINGS BY 30%, PEOPLE WON’T HAVE A MOTIVE TO STAY IN SERBIA

THE STATE SHOULD ENABLE LIQUIDITY FOR BOTH CITIZENS AND THE ECONOMY, AND PREVENT BOTH PERSONAL AND COMPANY BANKRUPTCIES. THIS IS KEY TO A SPEEDY RECOVERY AFTER THE CRISIS. THIS COMBINATION OF SUBSIDIES AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE IS NOT CHEAP, BUT IT CAN BE EASED THROUGH INTELLIGENT MOVES FROM THE DOMAIN OF MONETARY POLICY AND REGULATION OF THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM

What the Government can do at this juncture is to give clear instructions regarding announced measures, including - for example - instructions on how to comply with rules regarding the curfew. These measures should be aimed at maintaining the efficiency of the economy. We are currently witnessing a liquidity shock, so appropriate measures should be taken accordingly. First and foremost, there should be a suspension of taxes and contributions on earnings, for at least the next three months, until the normal pace of business can be re-established. These measures should enable us to be in a position to resume CONSUMER normal operations following the end of this LEVELS CAN ONLY state of emergency period. BE SUSTAINED When it comes to the retail sector, the IF ALL recommendation is to suspend payment of the tax for company expiration, which STAKEHOLDERS is otherwise very high, also for a period of AGREE TO BEAR three months. Those who provide real estate THE BURDEN OF space should reduce the cost of leasing THE CRISIS while the state of emergency is in effect. That is also in their interest, because they will otherwise be left without income. It is necessary for us all to bear the burden of this crisis together, especially since we still have a problem of the workforce leaving the country. If we are forced to reduce earnings by 30%, people won’t have a motive to stay in Serbia. Consumer levels can only be sustained if all stakeholders agree to bear the burden of the crisis.

The pandemic that has hit us falls into the category of economic shocks that reflect on both external and internal circumstances and impact on both demand and supply in the economic and financial system. A good understanding of the nature of this economic shock is needed in order to provide an adequate economic policy response in each country. As a rule, economic policy can respond in the field of fiscal policy and in the domain of monetary policy. In order to be able to respond, space needs to exist for a reaction, with which the negative effects of this shock can be reduced. In the area of fiscal policy, space to react exists if a country’s fiscal position is relatively solid, i.e. if a country is not already excessively indebted. In the domain of monetary policy, space to react exists if monetary policy exists, i.e. if a country is not in a fixed exchange rate regime, when space for independent monetary policy does not actually exist. Alongside that, if monetary policy exists, it is necessary for it not to already be in the position of so-called liquidity traps, i.e. for interest rates to already be close to zero and for there to be practically no room for a classic monetary policy response. The presence of liquidity traps are widespread around the world, which is the reason why the monetary policies of individual countries have launched nonstandard measures of monetary expansion, so-called quantitative easing (which impacts on reducing the interest rates of riskier and longer-term financing), but are also actively considering other models of non-standard monetary policy responses, which are often referred to descriptively as “giving monetary policy the right of fiscal intervenApril

Focus

What can the Government do at this juncture – given the current economic situation – to support the Serbian economy and individual industries?

tion under crisis conditions”, which actually represent mechanisms for directly securing liquidity by central banks, and do so beyond the banking system, for various end-users (the population, the economy and even the state). Thus, the world has come a long way from standard “textbook” considerations of economic policy and possible state interventions. What to do in Serbia? It is realistic to expect a major drop in demand (after the initial, often panicked consumption of the population in shops and pharmacies), a decline in economic activity (on the basis of various factors: broken lines of supplying raw materials, reduced orders from abroad and from the domestic market, absenteeism at work, etc.) and a drastic decline in private investment (both domestic and foreign). State intervention is extremely important under such circumstances. In the domain of fiscal policy, some space exists thanks to the fiscal consolidation carried out in recent years. There would have been even more space if reforms had been implemented, the public sector IT IS CRUCIAL FOR rationalised and institutions and the legal PEOPLE NOT TO system strengthened (with which corruption BE LEFT WITHOUT and the informal economy would be curbed, INCOME DURING and private investment stimulated). In the domain of monetary policy, under the current THE PANDEMIC, model, there is very little real space, primarily TO PRESERVE LAW due to fixed exchange rate and the complete AND ORDER, AND absence of results in the domain of dinarisaAT THE SAME TIME tion. If we understood that the widespread MITIGATE use of the domestic currency (dinarisation) DECLINES IN and the free management of the amount of domestic money and its price for the needs MARKET DEMAND of the domestic economy, rather than for the AND THUS needs of the fixed exchange rate, possibiliALSO ECONOMIC ties would be created to use monetary policy, ACTIVITY especially in crisis conditions, and today we would have much more “ammunition” to respond and assist under these conditions. As things stand, without a “reset” of the model of monetary policy, there can only realistically be a response in the domain of fiscal policy. Of the many goals set for the state to achieve at this time, the key is to avoid bankruptcies during the crisis. Apart from assistance and the deferrals of obligations related to loans, taxes and leases, special attention should be paid to providing assistance to employees in the private sector who are engaged on any basis (employment contract, service contract, via agencies etc.) as well as to the self-employed. And all of this should be coupled with the obligation of private employers to ensure that no one is left without employment during the crisis. It is crucial for people not to be left without income during the pandemic, to preserve law and order, and at the same time mitigate declines in market demand and thus also economic activity. The State should, thus, enable the liquidity of both citizens and the economy, and prevent both personal and company bankruptcies. This is key to a speedy recovery after the crisis. The model of state support should be simple and easily accessible. This combination of subsidies and social assistance is not cheap, and will certainly exert pressure on public finances, but it can be eased through smart moves in the domain of monetary policy and financial system regulation. Avoiding bankruptcies is key to a rapid economic and financial recovery after the crisis, and to reducing the negative impact of the pandemic on the country’s economic and financial system. 24

April

GORAN RODIĆ

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

EQUAL STATUS FOR DOMESTIC COMPANIES CONSIDERING THAT THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS THE MOTOR OF THE SERBIAN ECONOMY, BECAUSE IT UNITES OVER 50 BRANCHES OF INDUSTRY, IT IS NECESSARY FOR ITS TREATMENT IN GAINING JOBS THROUGH LARGE TENDERS TO BE EQUALISED WITH OTHER BIDDERS

When it comes to Serbia’s construction industry, which is the motor of the Serbian economy, because it unites over 50 branches of industry, the following should be done: the conditions of tenders should be such that Serbian construction operatives can participate equally in gaining work; securing a bank or THE STATE - AS guarantee fund that will be able to provide THE BIGGEST guarantees that will serve our construcINVESTOR – tion operatives so that they can use them for obtaining work; domestic operatives SHOULD with investments that are provided from INTRODUCE the budget should be treated as the main FINANCIAL contractor or our companies should have DISCIPLINE AND partnership relations when foreign contracSANCTION ALL tors are engaged. It is necessary to increase liquidity, or THOSE WHO ARE for the state - as the biggest investor - to LATE MAKING introduce financial discipline and sanction PAYMENTS, OR all those who are late making payments, or WHO LEAD OUR who lead our companies to borrow accordCOMPANIES ing to loan-shark terms and cause them to TO BORROW declare bankruptcy. Dual education should be urgently regulated, because we have ACCORDING TO entered a major crisis of the tradesmen LOAN-SHARK elite, especially in the area of maintaining TERMS AND infrastructure systems (energy, roadway CAUSE THEM TO economy, railways and water transport). AdDECLARE dress the integral arranging of the Moravian basin and Corridor 7 (Danube corridor). BANKRUPTCY

VIOLETA JOVANOVIĆ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NALED

ONLY TOGETHER CAN WE EMERGE FROM THIS CRISIS WE PROPOSE THAT THE GOVERNMENT FORMS A JOINT EXPERT GROUP, COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES OF INSTITUTIONS, INDUSTRY, CIVIL SOCIETY, ACADEMIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, TO ASSIST THE GOVERNMENT IN COMING UP WITH MEASURES THAT WOULD REDUCE THE DRAMATIC DECLINE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND RISING UNEMPLOYMENT Some of the most important measures proposed by NALED on behalf of our more than 300 members are to temporarily reduce taxes and contributions on earnings, or delay their payment for three months. Additionally, for companies that are recording a significant decline in revenue, it is necessary to offer support aimed at preserving employment and jobs, not less than the amount of the minimum wage. These measures are crucial for small businesses (shops, entrepreneurial workshops, services) and the most vulnerable sectors, which are particularly hard hit and won’t be able to survive without government support. We also propose that the economy be provided with cheap borrowing, in order to overcome the crisis period and maintain their operations with the fewest possible losses, for that to be ensured by state guarantees. In this sense, we welcome the measure already taken by the NBS to introduce a moratorium on repayments of loans and financial leasing, as well as the swift response of the state and measures being taken every day to prevent the spread of the Corona virus. NALED has already offered assistance to the state, because in order to preserve the life and health of the population, it is of primary importance to preserve the vitality of the economy, which contributes to stability in periods of crisis, but also to faster recovery once it ends. That’s why we proposed that the Government form a joint expert group comprising representatives of institutions, industry, civil society, academia and the international

community. Its task would be to support the Government in providing responses to questions and to come up with measures that would help reduce the dramatic decline in economic activity and rising unemployment. This group should also analyse the effects of the package of measures prepared by NALED’s expert team, which have already been delivered to NALED CERTAINLY the Presidency, the Government of Serbia, the National Bank and the Chamber of STANDS Commerce & Industry, with the indication AVAILABLE AND that they will be adapted to suit the further IS TRYING, IN development of the situation. COOPERATION Among the key measures of NALED’s iniWITH ITS tiative are proposals to introduce extended INTERNATIONAL maternity leave and vouchers for working parents to hire childcare assistance. Then PARTNERS, TO there’s the payment of one-off financial REDIRECT DONOR assistance to vulnerable companies and FUNDS TOWARDS citizens who lose their jobs. Our focus is RESOLVING primarily on small players in the economy, THE HEALTH as the most vulnerable, so our new AND ECONOMIC proposal is to set up a contact centre for CONSEQUENCES inspections, in order to answer the numerous questions and assumptions of the OF THE economy and citizens. PANDEMIC Another of our initiatives is to establish a financial support fund for the cities and municipalities hardest hit by the pandemic, and to encourage cashless payments, which are safer to health. We also propose the preparing of public works to engage vulnerable groups and encourage local development following the end of the epidemic, as well as expanding the scope of regulations for simplified electronic engagements of seasonal workers in areas that will be particularly hard hit, such as tourism, home assistance, childcare, courier jobs etc.

www.aim.rs

Global Economy

Coronavirus Will Be Felt ‘For A Long Time To Come The OECD, which has 36 member countries and aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade, earlier last month predicted an “intensive” coronavirus outbreak could weaken global growth to 1.5% in 2020

hat forecast might be very optimistic, given the nationwide lockdowns seen around the world, with schools and almost all businesses closed, with no end in sight given the rise in coronavirus cases in the West. Life and the economy will not be normalized soon, OECD chief says The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will be felt far beyond the immediate impact of the virus, the OECD’s secretary general told CNBC last month. “What you have is an economic effect now that, very clearly, is going to be prolonged beyond the period of the pandemic,” said Angel Gurria, the Secretary-General of the OECD “We’ll hopefully get rid of the pandemic in the next two or three months and then the question is how many unemployed (will there be), how many small and medium-sized enterprises will be in a very, very severe situation if not disappeared by that time,” he added. “Life, and economic activity, is not going to be normalized any time soon,” he said. “We’re going to have the impact of this crisis for a long time to come.” Gurria said the effort to rebuild the global economy after the coronavirus outbreak is contained would be one of “enormous dimensions.” So far, over 349,000 people worldwide have contracted the virus and over 15,000 people have died, according to the latest data collated by Johns Hopkins University. The OECD, which has 36 member countries

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and aims to stimulate economic progress and world trade, earlier last month predicted an “intensive” coronavirus outbreak could weaken global growth to 1.5% in 2020. That forecast might be very optimistic, given the nationwide lockdowns seen around the world, with schools and almost all businesses closed, with no end in sight given the rise in coronavirus cases in the West.

The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will be felt far beyond the immediate impact of the virus, the OECD’s secretary general told CNBC last month Many European governments have announced aid packages to support businesses, and to discourage them from making workers redundant during the crisis. In the U.K., for example, the government took the unprecedented step of guaranteeing to pay up to 80% of workers’ wages if they are kept on by their employers. In the U.S., St Louis Federal Reserve Presi-

dent James Bullard warned on Sunday that the U.S. economy could take a $2.5 trillion hit, and that unemployment could hit 30% in the States during the outbreak. His comments came as Washington remained divided over economic aid to combat the virus, however, with a massive funding package not getting enough votes in a key Senate procedural vote evening; Democrats warned the measure did not do enough to help workers and too much to bail out companies. National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said end last month an economic stimulus package to fight the virus will total more than $2 trillion, noting it will be equal to roughly 10% of U.S. economic output. Last month, President Donald Trump signed a $100 billion bill that expanded paid leave in the U.S. Furthermore, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that financing programs to stimulate the economy could be worth $4 trillion, noting these efforts will include coordination with the Federal Reserve to provide businesses with necessary liquidity. The U.S. has the third-largest coronavirus outbreak after China and Italy, at 35,224 confirmed cases on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University, and 471 deaths. The OECD’s Gurria said the stimulus package, depending on how it’s allocated, should give “relief to a number of sectors” but it remained to be seen if the measures would support the unemployed or further liquidity for financial markets.

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MEETING POINT

Medical Aid

LOCAL NEWS

“China remarkably fought the COVID-19 virus, and we are thrilled to have your medical team in Serbia. There are currently no people in the world who know more about this infectious disease.” – ANA BRNABIĆ, PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA

EU URGENTLY GRANTS €7.5 MILLION TO FIGHT COVID-19

NORWAY DONATES FIVE MILLION EUROS TO SERBIA Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić thanked Ambassador of Norway to Serbia Jorn Glejstad for Norway’s donation of five million euros in the fight against coronavirus. “Thank you for the big help. Thank you for showing not only sympathy but also real friendship during difficult times,” Vučić said. “Norway is also fighting against the coronavirus, but still found sufficient will and strength to help Serbia, which is certainly in a difficult position today,” Vučić said. Ambassador Jorn Glejstad emphasized that Norway is a true friend of Serbia and wants to help the Serbian people, even though it is facing the biggest challenge so far. He said that the global coronavirus pandemic not only affects our daily lives but is a threat to human lives.

The European Union has urgently granted Serbia €7.5 million to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. The agreement on assistance was signed today by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, Ambassador H.E. Sem Fabrizi and Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic. Whenever Serbia calls us, we are here, said the ambassador Fabrizi. “This virus does not know about borders, and that is why we need to show solidarity with each other. Just to mention that when the crisis in China started in January and February, the EU sent about 60 tonnes of medical equipment,” said the Head of the EU Delegation. Minister Joksimovic confirmed that Serbia would be able to obtain medical equipment from supplies that will be made under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and the planned value of the supplies is estimated at € 50 million.

AIR SERBIA OFFERS SPECIAL VOUCHERS In an effort to help all its passengers whose flights were cancelled due to traffic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and who are not sure when they will be travelling next, Air Serbia has created a special credit voucher enabling passengers to buy a ticket for a future date. The Serbian national air carrier invites all its passengers who do not know the precise date of their future travels to visit www. airserbia.com and collect their voucher in a few simple steps, without having to call our Contact Centre. The credit voucher is in the value of the passenger’s initially paid fare, with the added value of 10% calculated on the net fare and fuel tax (YQ), and is valid for redemption one year from the date of issuance.

TELEKOM SRBIJA AND SUPERNOVA FOR HUMANITARIAN ACTION Telekom Srbija and Supernova field sales representatives have made themselves available to local civilian services to help Serbia’s oldest and most vulnerable groups of citizens as volunteers. The state of emergency requires extraordinary measures and precise discipline, which is why these two companies have not organized ourselves independently, but have jointly addressed the competent authorities expressing their aim and offering help.

April

CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK SIDE BY SIDE WITH HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS Healthcare professionals in Credit Agricole bank will not pay any interest for overdrafts till the end of the year, regardless if they have one in use or they will now apply for a new one. The extraordinary situation we are facing due to Coronavirus pandemic demands from every individual or institution to give a substantial contribution for all of us to go through this challenging period as smooth as possible. Credit Agricole bank wants to support as clear/strong as possible our fellow citizens, healthcare professionals, which are in the front line in the battle we are all fighting as a society. In this respect, CAS decided that all medical workers will be provided with entirely free overdraft until the end of 2020, regardless if they have one now in use or they will apply for it in the future.

Economy

“The battle ahead is a battle to preserve the liquidity of especially the most sensitive and numerous micro SMEs and entrepreneurs and the fight to preserve jobs.” – MARKO ČADEŽ, PRESIDENT OF THE SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PACKAGE FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY

CHINA SENDS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT Air Serbia’s Airbus А330 outbound from Shanghai, is the fourth airplane with humanitarian aid from China to Serbia. The airplane has brought equipment for the health system and citizens of Serbia necessary in the fight against coronavirus. In addition, Chinese tyre company Shandong Linglong, which is building its tire factory in Zrenjanin, has donated 300,000 medical masks, 2,000 sets of medical protective clothing and 10,000 detection tests to Serbia.

President Vučić said that Serbia is preparing a serious package of measures with significant funds set aside for economic recovery. As he pointed out, the package of economic measures will be designed to first and foremost aid the private sector. President reassured that there would be no reduction in salaries and pensions. “The package of measures will be focused primarily on tourism, services and the entire entrepreneurship, private sector, and we will also see what can be done about the agriculture,” said the Serbian President. He also pointed out that he expects an annual growth rate of Serbia to be -2 per cent and that based on that stats will be among the top three countries in Europe, unlike Germany, which expects growth of -5 per cent. The President also expressed gratitude to all the companies and business people who donated funds for aid, i.e. Delta, Milsped, Miodrag Kostić, Atlantic Group, Nebojša Saranović, Lucani based Maxima, etc.

HEINEKEN SERBIA DONATES 12 MILLION RSD FOR RESPIRATORS

KOSOVO SCRAPS TAX ON IMPORTS OF RAW MATERIALS FROM SERBIA Kosovo’s government said it has decided to abolish the 100% tax on the imports of raw materials from Serbia and Bosnia as of March 21. By 1 April, the government will remove the remaining import taxes and apply reciprocity on all matters regarding imports from Serbia and Bosnia, it said in a press release on Friday evening. The removal of the import tax was requested several times by EU and US officials to pave the way for the resumption of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Earlier, Josep Borrell said that the swift resumption of dialogue would help achieve a comprehensive normalisation of relations. Serbia withdrew from talks on the normalisation with Kosovo in November 2018, when Pristina decided to impose a 100% tax on imports of all goods produced in Serbia and Bosnia. Kosovo’s government said the higher tariffs were aimed at protecting Kosovo’s sovereignty and interests.

Heineken Serbia director Nikos Zois expressed Heineken’s intent to donate 12 million dinars for respiratory supplies as an aid at this time of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Mr Zois said the company’s willingness to help those affected in Serbia by the coronavirus is an act of friendship the respirators will be delivered to hospitals.

AIK BANKA IS DONATING 28 MILLION RSD FOR RESPIRATORS AIK Bank is donating 28 million rsd to the Republic Health Insurance Fund for the purchase of 10 respirators to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. “This type of donation, specifically the purchase of respirators, is of particular importance at this time due to the increase in the number of people infected with the COVID-19 virus. We need everyone to understand the gravity of the situation, both individuals and companies so that we avoid the scenario from some of the countries that are near us. We urge all companies to join and help in this crisis,” it was said in the statement from AIK Bank.

COOPER TIRE TO CLOSE TEMPORARILY SERBIAN PLANT The U.S. based Cooper Tire & Rubber Company announced it would temporarily shut down its tyre manufacturing plant in Serbia in response to the drop in market demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The process of phasing down production at the two plants of the company in Europe, which are located in Melksham, England and Kruševac, Serbia, will begin soon, and each facility is expected to be closed for at least three weeks. Earlier, the company announced the temporary closure of its plants in the Americas. Its plants in China, which reopened several weeks ago, have continued to ramp up production and will remain in operation.

April

Efficiency

“Our banking sector needs to provide the highest degree of administrative efficiency so that everyone who wants to use the three-month moratorium on the repayment of loans can do it easily.”– DUŠKO MARKOVIĆ, PRIME MINISTER OF MONTENEGRO

REGIONAL NEWS

SLOVENIA

SLOVENIA’S GORENJE SUSPENDS PRODUCTION IN EUROPE FOR TWO WEEKS Slovenian company Gorenje, controlled by China’s Hisense Group, is closing down its production sites in Europe for two weeks in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the company said on Friday. The company’s management and trade union agreed that the production would resume on April 6, except if the governments of the countries where its factories are located in the meantime implement additional measures restricting the operations of production and industry, the company said in a statement. The working days, which will be lost due to two-week shutdown of production in Velenje, Valjevo in Serbia and Mora in the Czech Republic will be replaced partly by shifting the previously planned free days to the coming two weeks and partly by working additional days during the second half of the year, the company added. Gorenje has several production sites in Slovenia, Serbia and the Czech Republic, all of which will be temporarily closed down. The company employs more than 10,000 people in them, including some 7,000 in Slovenia. In December, local media reported that Gorenje expected to post a 40 million euro ($43 million) loss in 2019 before swinging to a 30 million euro profit in 2020, with the main challenge ahead focused on raising efficiency and competitiveness. HUNGARY

CONTACTLESS CARD PAYMENT WITHOUT THE PIN TO BE RAISED TO HUF 15,000 Hungary raised the amount that can be paid in shops using contactless bank cards without the need to type in a PIN will be raised from 5,000 forints to 15,000 in the interest of minimising physical contact during the virus epidemic, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry is also considering other possible measures to increase non-cash payments and to reduce physical contact during payments, it said in a statement. But in the interest of security, PINs will be required periodically. Payments with a smartphone are also encouraged as no pin entry is required at all, the ministry noted. BULGARIA

VILLEROY & BOCH IN TALKS TO BUY THE OWNER OF BULGARIA’S IDEAL STANDART-VIDIMA Germany-based ceramic products manufacturer Villeroy & Boch is in talks for the acquisition of Belgiumbased Ideal Standard International, the parent company of Bulgarian bathroom sanitary ware producer Ideal Standart-Vidima, despite the coronavirus crisis. “We are still in talks with Ideal Standard,” German news agency DPA quoted a spokesperson for Villeroy & Boch as saying on Tuesday. The postponement of the shareholders’ meeting of Villeroy & Boch scheduled for March 27 due to the coronavirus outbreak will not influence a decision for the purchase of Ideal Standard, the spokesperson said. In February, the CEO of Villeroy & Boch, Frank Goering, noted that the company would decide for the purchase of Ideal Standard before its shareholders’ meeting in March. The shareholders’ meeting is not the decision-making body that should approve the deal, the spokesperson noted. Ideal Standard International has invested over 300 million levs ($169.8million/153.4 million€) in Ideal Standard-Vidima since 1992. The group has created over 3,200 jobs in Bulgaria, Torsten Turling, CEO of Ideal Standard International, said in November of last year at the official opening ceremony of Ideal Standart-Vidima’s modernised plant in Sevlievo, central Bulgaria. The Ideal Standard group has representative offices in Romania and Serbia. The group also operates in Croatia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Slovenia.

April

Finance

“Adopted financial package worth 30 billion kuna will support the domestic economy, granting taxpayers a postponement for the payment of their dues, and then provide interest-free payment in instalments.” – ANDREJ PLENKOVIĆ, PRIME MINISTER OF CROATIA ROMANIA

HORIZON GLOBAL CORP TEMPORARILY IDLES PLANT IN ROMANIA

CROATIA

HRVATSKI TELEKOM STATES THAT TENDER FOR OPTIMA TELEKOM EXPIRES Croatia’s Hrvatski Telekom (HT) said in a statement that the tender for the sale of its 17.41% stake and the 36.90% stake held by Zagrebacka Banka in Optima Telekom has expired, declining to provide any details of its outcome. Earlier, Hrvatski Telekom extended the tender deadline to March 18 from March 2 upon request of the Croatian Competition Agency, AZTN. HT said it would keep informing AZTN on all relevant steps in the tender procedure because it is obliged to do so per the conditions of a June 2017 decision issued by AZTN. HT opened the tender at the end of January in compliance with the AZTN decision, inviting bids for the 12,090,190 Optima shares it holds, and for Zagrebacka Banka’s 25,625,853 Optima shares, each of 10 kuna ($1.5/1.3 euro) in par value. Under the June 2017 AZTN decision, HT was obliged to launch the sale of Optima in January 2020 by way of an international tender. In particular, it was obliged to offer for sale of its 17.4% stake, along with the right to also sell the 36.9% stake of Zagrebacka Banka in Optima, in line with a previous agreement between HT and the bank.

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of branded towing and trailering equipment US-based Horizon Global Corporation said in a statement it would temporarily idle its manufacturing facility in Romania’s Brasov county as a result of the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The company has made this decision after certain customers in Europe, and North America announced the temporary idling of their manufacturing facilities, it said in a press release. Horizon Global also temporarily idled its production plants in Germany and France. “The Company is taking immediate steps to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on its business. The Company expects to participate in various governmental programs in Europe that will protect both the Company’s workforce and preserve liquidity,” Horizon Global said.

MONTENEGRO

MONTENEGRO APPROVES PLJEVLJA TPP OVERHAUL CONTRACT WITH CHINA’S DEC Montenegro’s government has approved the signing of a contract for the reconstruction of Pljevlja coal-fired thermal power plant (TPP) with a consortium led by China’s Dongfang Electric (DEC), it said. The consortium, which also comprises Montenegrin companies Bemax, BB Solar and Permonte, placed a 54.4 million euro ($60.7 million) offer in a tender for the reconstruction of the thermal power plant in November, the government said in a statement on Thursday. After the signing of the contract, a 39-month deadline for completion of all works will begin, the government said, adding that they will have a 24-month guarantee period. The project includes the construction of a desulphurisation and denitrification units, improvement of the operation of the electro-filter plant, construction of a wastewater treatment system and reconstruction of the internal ash and slag transport system, the government added. In December 2018, Montenegro’s government said it plans to complete Pljevlja’s modernisation by 2021 to avoid closure of the plant. The power plant has a life of 20,000 hours in the period between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023, environment minister Pavle Radulovic said back then.

April

Alarm

“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher. We’re deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear.”– DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL

WORLD NEWS INDIA

FROM IMPORTER TO EXPORTER

NEW ZEALAND

EXPORTS STILL GROWING Dairy exports will be least affected by drought and coronavirus with exports up 6.2% to $19.2 billion in the year to June 30, the Primary Industries Ministry predicts. Despite coronavirus panic, drought’s bite and Mycoplasma bovis fears the forecasts for New Zealand’s primary sector remain in positive growth territory. In the year to June 30 the primary sector will have had 0.5% growth, earning $46.6 billion from exports, the latest Primary Industries Ministry Situation and Outlook report says. So farmers and growers should be positive about their prospects as producers of highquality protein and plant products despite the immediate effects of drought and global fears about coronavirus, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.

India’s active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) industry has come a long way since the 1980s when the pharma industry was heavily reliant on API exports from Europe. The domestic consumption market for APIs is expected to have a CAGR of 10% between 2015 and 2022, with the industry expected to reach a size of $18.8 billion by 2022. In 2016, India’s global generic API merchant market share was 7.2%, the third-largest when the last record was taken. Since then, India’s share has significantly increased as a result of the country becoming a major exporter to all key markets, including China. “Three years ago, India was importing APIs from China and now, Indian companies are exporting to China,” underlined Girish Chovatia, chairman and managing director of Ami Life Sciences – a generic API manufacturer.

MEXICO

VW TO CLOSE FACTORIES IN MEXICO Volkswagen will temporarily close its factories in Mexico’s Puebla and Guanajuato states in a bid to preserve public health, amid growing worries over the spread of the coronavirus. The shutdowns will took effect end of last month and extend through April 12, VW’s Mexican unit said in a statement on Friday. VW also pointed to slowing demand and the risk of shortages of parts as factors in the decision to suspend production in the factories. Audi announced that its Q5 crossover plant in Mexico would suspend production due to a lack of parts caused by the global coronavirus outbreak. The automaker plans to resume output on April 1. BMW said that it would extend an already-scheduled Easter stoppage at its factory in San Luis Potosi state and will now extend at least through April 19. The automakers’ decisions follow other measures taken broadly by companies in Mexico, including an emphasis on working from home if possible as well as restrictions on travel and in-person group meetings.

April

10 TIPS

TO AVOID GETTING SICK IN THE OFFICE Like most people, you probably spend a majority of your weekdays at the office. With the constant interaction and communication, you’re always busy. And so are germs and disease. It seems like they’re always working overtime to foil your health. But you can work smarter. Follow these 10 tips to help limit those stay-at-home sick days. • Clean hands are important to maintaining a clean bill of health • Stay hydrated. Water doesn’t dehydrate you, like soda and coffee do. • Avoid sick co-workers. • Take small breaks throughout the day. • Use vacation days. • Do housekeeping. Regular (weekly or monthly) cubicle cleaning is encouraged. • Wash your coffee mug regularly. This also goes for other office utensils. Better yet… • Use plastic utensils. And make sure to dispose of them when you’re done. • If you’re already sick, stay home. Your co-workers will thank you. • Take a Vitamin C capsule with your hoagie. Add some Omega-3 fish oil to your business meal.

Language

“Viruses know no borders and they don’t care about your ethnicity, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank. So it’s really important we be careful in the language we use lest it lead to the profiling of individuals associated with the virus,” – DR. MIKE RYAN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WHO’S EMERGENCIES PROGRAM RUSSIA

TESTING CORONAVIRUS VACCINE PROTOTYPES ON ANIMALS

GERMANY

GERMANY APPROVES AID PACKAGE FOR SMALL COMPANIES The German government has approved another large aid package to help companies and individuals affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The aid package breaks six years of balanced budgets by borrowing €156 billion to finance it. The government announced that it will give small companies and self-employed people aid of up to €15,000 each over three months. The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting that Chancellor Angela Merkel joined by telephone. Merkel went into home quarantine after learning that a doctor who administered a vaccination to her had tested positive for the coronavirus. The new package comes on top of a previous pledge of at least €460 billion in loan guarantees to help Europe’s biggest economy handle the fallout from running down public life to a minimum.

TURKEY

PUBLIC, PRIVATE COMPANIES RANK AMONG TOP 3 ELECTRIC PRODUCERS Turkey has come a long way in ensuring power supply security, while increasingly leaning toward renewable energy resources to fulfill demand, according to a recent report on the country’s top 100 largest electricity producers. It revealed that the state giant Electricity Generation Inc. (EÜAŞ) ranked first within the list with 20.54 megawatts (MW) production capacity.The capacity of the EÜAŞ corresponds to 23% of Turkey’s total installed capacity of 91.27 megawatts electrical (MWe). A total of 12.78 MWe of EÜAŞ’s installed power comes from hydroelectric power plants, the report stated, while 5.95 MWe is produced via natural gas plants, 1.80 MWe from domestic coal plants and 7 MWe from wind plants. According to the report which took into consideration the installed capacities of the electric producers starting Dec. 31, 2019, ENKA – one of Turkey’s largest construction and energy companies – took second place among the top producers with 3.83 MWe capacity while it is the top private sector producer on the list.

Russian scientists have begun testing prototypes of potential vaccines against the coronavirus on animals in a laboratory in Siberia, it was said in a statement from the Russia’s consumer health regulator. Scientists in the Vektor State Virology and Biotechnology Centre in the city of Novosibirsk have developed vaccine prototypes based on six different technological platforms and began tests on to try to work out how effective they are and in what doses they could be administered, the regulator said. Scientists around the world have warned that the development of a vaccine is a lengthy and complex process that might only yield something for broader use in the next 12-18 months.

BRAZIL

SETING RECORD FOR HIGHLY HAZARDOUS PESTICIDE CONSUMPTION Brazil is not only the world’s champion in pesticides consumption (more than US$10 billion annually), but also the largest buyer of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). That is the conclusion of an investigation by Unearthed, an indep endent journalistic organization funded by Greenpeace UK, in partnership with the Swiss NGO Public Eye. The study team cross referenced data for $23.3 billion in pesticide sales to 43 countries in 2018 (about 40% of the global market) along with the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) list of HHPs. The in-depth data set was broken down by active ingredient to ascertain the value and percentage of each sale attributable to highly hazardous pesticides. Analysis showed that 42.4% of total sales ($ 9.9 billion) were in HHPs. Of that group of highly hazardous pesticides, Brazil accounted for more than a fifth (22.2%), totaling $2.2 billion.

PORTUGAL

LISBON PORT LABOUR COMPANY NOTIFIED OF INSOLVENCY On 20 February A-ETPL, Associação - Port Work Company of Lisbon announced that it had been notified of the decision to declare its insolvency and the appointment of the insolvency administrator. Among the effects of the judgment now known, A-ETPL points out that the powers of administration and disposition of assets belong to the insolvency practitioner and are considered “seized, for delivery to the insolvency practitioner, all the elements of accounting and all company assets.” It also points out that “the debtors of A-ETPL will now have to make all the instalments to which they are obliged directly to the insolvency practitioner”.

April

DEJAN TURK, VIP MOBILE CEO

A Human Driven Company Powered By Technology The company rebranding planned for this year is part of the strategy of the A1 Telekom Austria Group, which Vip has been part of since its arrival on the Serbian market in 2007

s a human driven company, Vip have assessed that people and their needs are main driver and inspiration and that everything that will occur in the upcoming period will be subordinated to that. Vip mobile will rebrand this year to become A1, in accordance with the company’s global strategy. Why are you undertaking this rebranding and what will it bring to your users? It is a great challenge to talk about rebranding under the circumstances in which Serbia and the world currently find themselves. More than ever it’s important for people to stay in touch with their friends and family, and be informed about everything that’s happening. This puts one very responsible task before the telco operators, and currently all of our strength are directed towards ensuring our customers have all the necessary services, conscientiously and responsibly. The rebranding, which is planned for this year is part of the of A1 Telekom Austria Group strategy, whose part Vip is since its arrival on Serbian market in 2007. Access to the latest technology and expertise has provided wind for our sails when it comes to pushing the telecommunications boundaries from day one. We’ve achieved

April

great results, built recognisable values and raised the expectations of users, partners and society as a whole. We will invest in the next generation of networks and new technologies for the digital age, in order for us to thus contribute to the transformation of the Serbian economy and society. We believe that, with the new A1 brand, we will from a challenger become a game changer on the Serbian market, especially given that operators today can no longer allow themselves to provide only infrastructure and support. We will do our best to ensure competitiveness beyond the boundaries of our industry and act as an experience partner of our customers. With the new A1

Access to the latest technology and expertise has provided wind for our sails when it comes to pushing the telecommunications boundaries from day one

brand, our desire is to be recognised as a responsible and reliable provider that ensures excellent quality of service and the best user experience, as well as strong infrastructure that will be resilient to change in the future. Over the past years Vip had sustained growth, which is reflected in increased revenue, customer numbers and market share. How satisfied are you with your business results for 2019?

Vip achieved a market share of 25.2% in 2019, and employs more than 1,400 professionals with the aim of providing the best customer experience for more than 2.3 million users. With our socially responsible activities, we are recognised as a reliable partner and the initiator of many positive changes in society, but also as a company that’s changing the market for the better. Results to date have fulfilled our expectations, but also demonstrated our willingness and desire to influence people’s lives through our initiatives and our work. As A1, we will continue to provide the best user experience and endeavour to ensure that the everyday digital life of our users is simpler, more productive and more pleasant. Apart from all of that, we will also continue to invest in the next generation of networks and new technologies for the digital age, in order to help transform the Serbian economy and society. Vip is recognised as a leader in the customer relationship segment. With the arrival of your new brand, what can we expect from you? People and their needs are our main driver and inspiration. Yes, these are primarily our users, but also our business partners and the general public towards whom our social responsibility projects are directed. Interests are more and more driving us towards the entertainment industry, a part of that innovations that simplify daily life and operations represent a field that provides plenty of room for us to be creative, different, become experience partners of our users. Having all this in mind, I can say that really exciting period is ahead of us.

PROFILE

The More We Speak – The Less We Understand One Another (it is necessary to master the skill of listening and understanding others)

Life intended a role for me that meant I spent a long time managing various systems, mostly those in which it is necessary to help and support those who are different and weaker

BRANKICA JANKOVIĆ, COMMISSIONER FOR THE PROTECTION OF EQUALITY

have behind me 20 years of work in protecting human rights, especially in the field of social protection. That helped me master the most difficult skill – that of listening. It is necessary to listen to others even when you’re unable, when you’re in such a state that it’s necessary for someone to listen to you. Unfortunately, today we are speaking ever more and hearing and understanding each other ever less, and we have increasingly less willingness to understand one another. A general din reigns, so no one hears the quiet and the weak anymore. That’s also the key to dealing with my current job - protecting equality. You have to find a way to hear those who are the quietest, for whom remaining silent is most often a way of rebelling and resisting. Not everyone who thinks differently is an enemy, just as every supporter of something doesn’t necessarily have to be an honest and true follower of an idea, attitude or intention. From the start I’ve had

trust in people and I don’t regret that, nor do I consider changing my approach – regardless of the numerous experiences that direct me towards reaching the opposite conclusion when it comes to trust. In the work that I do, I’m fully aware that there are no easy solutions, though some things that are seemingly miraculous happen sporadically. There also aren’t any insoluble problems or situations; it is just a question of the extent to which a person is ready to deal with them, with problems and/or difficult life situations, to face and confront them, but also how ready one is to ultimately get to grips with the mistaken consequences of one’s own decisions. Although mistakes don’t necessarily mean that the decision was wrong, because not all battles are fought with the sole purpose of winning. Becoming self realised is a continuous process, an everyday, or even every hour, process. It is impossible to achieve this in a correct way that’s inwardly meaningful to one’s being without knowing oneself, without a sincere and honest image of oneself, one’s virtues and flaws, one’s advantages and limitations. It’s not a problem to want and desire something. It is also necessary to know and be able to achieve it. And often to dare. This conforms to one’s system of values and personal morality, so – those factors in every person that enables them to have full and true awareness of oneself

and, through that consciousness and selfawareness, to achieve self-esteem – should for everyone represent the limits of acting or not acting, manifesting as a human being. Compromises are naturally required, but not all, and not at any cost – because if that is the case, if it is always and in everything calculated, evaluated, weighted – then those aren’t really compromises, they aren’t the least possible common content around which agreement exists, or a decision to do or not do something, rather it is a must, a necessity, or non-freedom, the ultimate absence of choice. Everyday life is the given reality, fortified by obligations, responsibilities and various problems; a reality that is conceived in such a way that it seeks the whole man and his every effort, both mentally and physically. It exists as a given constant that has its own laws, its own rules, that are often imposed, prescribed, and often also forced by objective factors over which man has no influence. Standing in contrast is the human need to be free from every imposed restriction, regardless of the social justification for such restriction. Finding your own route between those two extremes, one that can reconcile them and make them useful in every aspect of their personality, is a formula for success. I believe that realistically assessing your own strengths, powers, knowhow and skills is a way to succeed in dealing with adversity or various challenges and dilemmas of life.

April

AFTER WORK 03 MAR NATIONAL DAY OF BULGARIA MARKED Ambassador of Bulgaria to Serbia H.E. Radko Vlaykov hosted a reception on the occasion of the country’s national holiday. Addressing guests Ambassador Vlaylov confirmed good diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Serbia. He mentioned cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, culture and tourism. The ambassador stressed Bulgaria’s interest in keeping the region stable and based on democratic values. The ceremony was attended by figures from the political, cultural and public life.

05 DAYS OF THE JOINT INSTITUTE FOR MAR NUCLEAR RESEARCH HELD IN SERBIA Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Chamber of Commerce of Serbia hosted the Days of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Speakers at the two-day event were Vladimir Kostić, President, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Mladen Šarčević, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia, M. Itkis, Vice-Director of JINR, Dubna, Russia and many other respected figures in the field of the nuclear science.

04 DIGITALISATION AS A CHANCE FOR GROWTH MAR OF SERBIAN ECONOMY DISCUSSED AT THE KOPAONIK BUSINESS FORUM Speaking at the closing of the Kopaonik Business Forum, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic explained that before 2014, it was not possible to invest in digitalisation because of the poor economic situation in the country, which was then not attractive to foreign direct investors. Because of such a situation, it was high time for the first phase of transformation with the aim of putting public finances in order, establishing macroeconomic stability, improving conditions for foreign direct investment, reducing unemployment, kick-starting the economy and building Serbia’s credibility politically and economically, she said.

April

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06 MAR LAUNCH OF WEBSITE NOVA.RS A large number of public figures attended the party celebrating the launch of website Nova.rs. Nova.rs is a website under the umbrella of TV channel NovaS. Over 350 guests attend the party at Dorcol Platz, and in addition to a large number of employees of Nova S, there were also many singers, actors, directors, young YouTube sensations as well as many other successful people from the public life of Belgrade.

09 MAR 3RD WIKIGAP HELD IN BELGRADE “WikiGap takes place in 63 countries. In Serbia, the topic of today’s workshop was the preparation of articles on women who made a difference. I believe that many women have been credited with many good deeds, but so far they have not been credited with this merit. These workshops are a great opportunity to get things right,” said Swedish Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Jan Lundin. He added that while the data varies by region, there are four times as many articles on the internet about men as women. The WikiGap campaign was launched by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Wikimedia Sweden two years ago when Belgrade was the first city to host such a workshop.

08 MAR OPENING OF THE NOBEL PRIZE SALON Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended the opening of the Nobel Prize Salon at the Adligat Book Museum in honour of all female Nobel Prize laureates in literature, aimed at promoting the importance and role of women in society, as well as women’s contribution to literature. On this occasion, Brnabic spoke about the constant struggle for equality and the great contribution of women to society. The first woman to have received the Nobel Prize was Swedish writer Selma Lagerlof 110 years ago, and since then only 15 women have received this award.

April

My life

Srdan Golubović, Film Director

Photo by Nebojša Babić

Of the four feature films that he’s made, three of Srdan Golubović’s works have been screened at the Berlin Film Festival. The latest is Father, which opened this year’s 48th FEST in Belgrade. This director was just five years old when his father gave him his first camera and he shot his first film! His childhood superhero was Bata Živojinović, his personal idol from the ‘90s was Srđan Aleksić, to whom he dedicated his film Circles, while his latest film is dedicated to his father, Predrag Golubović

Serbia Is Today At

The Tail End Of Europe 38

April

Photo by Maja Nedić

By Radmila Stanković

SRDAN PICTURED DURING SHOOTING WITH THE ILL-FATED NEBOJŠA GLOGOVAC

s a child, Srdan Golubović, 47, wanted to be a basketball player, and when asked long ago which historical personality he best identifies with, he replied to the author of this text: With Njegoš, of course. Like every proper Montenegrin! He was just four when he asked his father, director Predrag Golubović, to buy him a movie camera. His father set a condition and Srdan fulfilled his promise and received a Super 8 film camera. So at the age of five he shot his first film, on one roll of a Super 8: “I shot it in Pula, the main part took place in an empty Pula Arena, and acting in the film is Bata Živojinović. By the time I was 18 I’d made about 15 films, mostly on VHS. I had two VHS recorders and I would then edit films by re-recording parts of frames that I wanted to include in my film from one recorder to the other. I still have some of these films on some VHS tapes, but unfortunately I lost the majority of them somewhere. My first film with Bata still stands on my desk, developed on a small 8mm roll. I’ve been planning to transfer that material to some hard drive for a long time. And my father wasn’t very happy that I had such a desire to deal with film.” Of the four feature films made by this director,

three have been screened at the renowned Berlin Film Festival, within the Panorama programme, and each of them received great attention from the audience and critics. The most recent, Father, is the story of a man who is left without work, whose wife is led by powerlessness and poverty to attempt to commit suicide and ends up in a neuropsychiatric clinic, and whose children are given over to a foster family because he has no fixed income to support them. And that’s where his fight begins with the Centre for Social Work in his city, with a torturous walk on his way to Belgrade, where he seeks justice from the responsible minister… After being screened in Berlin, Father went on to open this year’s 48th Belgrade FEST. It won the Ecumenical Jury Award and the Audience Award in Berlin, and was the most sought-after film at FEST. This director and screenwriter got the idea for this bitter story five years ago: “I read the story of Đorđe Joksimović, a man from Kragujevac whose children were taken from him by the Centre for Social Work and who headed to Belgrade on foot in order to strike in front of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. I found that story very interesting, it reminded me of Wenders’ Paris, Texas. It intrigued me a lot and I saw that it had film-like qualities within it. I talked to the mentioned hero, hung out with him, and slowly began assembling the

We are a small country and every film that enters one of the big festivals represents a great success parts. Nebojša Glogovac was supposed to play the lead role, but what happened happened [Glogovac died in February 2018 at the age of 48] and I postponed recording for six months. I chose Goran Bogdan instead of Nebojša, but due to his age that also implied changing the script in some segments.” Srdan grew up in a film world family, given that his father was also a film director, and his first memories are connected to the film festival in Pula, to the huge and wonderful Arena, to their apartment on Palmiro Togliatti Street in New Belgrade, which was always full of directors, actors and people from the film world: “My mum graduated in English, but she worked in foreign trade and devoted her life completely to her family; to me and my brother, who was unfortunately born with down syndrome, and to whom mother was always fully devoted, as she is today. I was surrounded by artists and fascinated by that world. Kids easily learn and accept that sense of freedom, conversations about beauty and something irrational. That’s presumably why I have never had a dilemma about what I wanted to deal with in my life. I fantasised about that world, seeing in it only these wonderful things. It was later that discovered those other things.” He spent the most time with his grandmother, his father’s mother, an old Montenegrin

April

Srdan Golubović, Film Director

lady. His parents were working, and he didn’t want to go to nursery school: “Gran was a strong, colourful woman. She was born in 1900, so she was already an older woman at that time. She lived a long time, all the way until my own father died, in 1994. That was something she couldn’t bear; she was healthy and lucid, but she just decided to stop eating, to lay down and slowly extinguish herself. She was left without a husband at the end of World War II and raised three children on her own. She was the dominant figure in the whole family, everyone from the neighbourhood came to her for advice. She was like some Mafia boss. She raised me, quite traditionally and strictly. I’m grateful to her for that. And also for my love for Montenegro, which I learned from her!” He recognised very early on what his father did for a living, firstly by attending smoky conversations in the house, as well as endless stories about film at the Pula festival. And most of all through his parents’ socialising with people from that world: “Bata Živojinović was one of my father’s best friends and I was fascinated by Bata. Sometimes my parents would take me to Bata and his wife Lula’s place in Koraćica and leave me with them for a few days. I was taken care of by their children, Miljko and Jelena, and I was in charge of fetching wine from the cellar for Bata and his company. I walked plenty of kilometres daily. I adored Bata. And I recall that in his yard I met some other wonderful, vibrant people, like Boris Dvornik or Šiba Krvavac. “My father was always my role model. It was because of him that I fell in love with film, because of him that I trained basketball. He was a basketball player; he’d been part of the Budućnosti team from Podgorica that won the championship of Montenegro for the first time. I imitated him and probably subconsciously wanted to be like him. I was very attached to my father. He travelled frequently and often wasn’t there. That presumably intensified my love for him. Interestingly, when I started making films, back in college, I tried really tremendously to escape my father’s shadow; to make my own world, special and different. “Bata was the hero of my childhood. The heroes of other kids were Superman or who were other superheroes at the time? I don’t remember any more. My superhero was Bata. And when I

April

Photo by Maja Nedić

My life

My father was always my role model. It was because of him that I fell in love with film, because of him that I trained basketball started to follow film more seriously and discover directors that I love, my first favourite director was Miloš Forman. I was in the sixth or seventh year of primary school when I first watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I don’t recall having ever being so excited and fulfilled after some projection. After that film, I was absolutely certain that I would work in film.” Producer Jelena Mitrović is this director’s wife and collaborator, and together they have an eight-year-old son, Balša, who’s in his second year of primary school. Asked if Balša knows what his father does for a living, CorD’s interviewee replies: “He knows what I do and I’m afraid he’s blinded by the same things that fascinated me at his age. I hope, however, that he will do some more secure job. But that’s his thing and his choice. He was at the premiere of Father;

FROM THE SET OF “FATHER”

he watched the film and I think he was very proud of his parents.” Srdan had the good fortune of being lectured on screenwriting in the fourth year of his studies by Živojin Pavlović, and by Gordan Mihić in his third year. He heard many wonderful and inspiring stories from the two of them: “Our chief professor was Radomir Bajo Šaranović. He was a measured, systematic, genuinely great professor. I am very grateful to him. And Darko Bajić and Goran Marković had the biggest influence on me. Marković was very strict, and years later I realised how much we learned from him. Darko was Šaranović’s assistant, we spent most of our time with him. He was the first to give me a chance to work, who believed in me and was my support and keeper for years.” When he thinks of the Yugoslav film industry to which his father, professors and father’s friends belonged, he considers the greatest success as being the fact that Yugoslav film had incredible continuity: “Every year we had a film in the main programme at Cannes, Venice or Berlin. Or at each of these great festivals. Yugoslav cinematography was one of the largest in the world. Huge, brave and special. We should be happy that we belonged to that cinematography and culture.” Srdan’s first feature film, Absolute 100, en-

By Radmila Stanković

I hope that we’ll learn something from all of this around the virus. About solidarity, about the nonsense of greed for material things

Photo by Maja Nedić

dignity, ethical issues. However, the individual I’m talking about is doomed to only one thing - survival. This hero of mine isn’t someone who fights against the system; he isn’t on the trail of freedom or seeking dignity, he doesn’t have the luxury of thinking about that. He fights like an animal to survive and to get back the only things he cares about, his children. “On the basis of his example we can see what it looks like when Ottoman corruption and British bureaucracy are merged in one system. My film is directed towards this society and it can be clearly seen what this society has done to an ordinary man. Few such societies are so shattered to their core, I would say to the root. Still, it seems to me that the position of the common man is also terrible in some other systems. However, our reality is much more irrational and crazier than the films we make. And in this film I just tried to follow life. And reality. Although today reality has become so decadent and unbelievable that we – here I mean directors – actually can’t really catch up. There is no fiction that can achieve the extent of the irrationality of that in which we live.” Just as we look at many things with prejudice from our small environment, so the big film world looks at us, at Serbian cinematography: “The only thing we watch from here without prejudice is American film, because that popular culture is something we grew up on. In my film Father I was radical and closest to my first film, Absolute 100, in what is called going to the end without any calculations.” Major festivals have their own policies that don’t relate only to the quality of a film, but also to some other criteria. And we are a small country that’s no longer interesting either geo-strategically or politically. Does Srdan think that Serbia was more interesting to that world 13 years ago, when

FROM THE SET OF “FATHER” WITH LEAD ACTOR GORAN BOGDAN (LEFT)

joyed huge success, and it is interesting how the author explains why that film was important to him: “The first film is probably the most important. As Goran Bregović would say, you spend your whole life preparing for the first record, while for the second you have only a year or two. I agree with that statement. A director includes all of his dreams and misconceptions in his first film. That’s why the first film is often the most authentic. After that calculations begin, consciously or unconsciously. And there is an interesting statement of Goran Marković, who says that a good debut film always brings some world that we’ve never seen before.” Next followed the film The Trap, then Circles. He says that he had to make Circles... because of his own view of the world and life; because of his understanding of humanity and courage. It was in this story that he found his personal hero of that time, Srđan Aleksić. And in that he somehow discovered some distant meaning in that terrible war and those terrible times. We should recall who Srđan Aleksić was. It was on 21st January 1993 that a group of members of the Republika Srpska Army were checking the legitimacy of people at the Trebinje market. After establishing that one of the people whose legitimacy they’d checked was Alen Glavović, a Bosniak and Muslim, they started harassing

and beating him. Srđan leapt to the assistance of Alen, “whose only fault was contained in his name”. Then four soldiers, in front of passers-by and police, beat Srđan to a bloody pulp with rifle butts. Srđan fell into a coma from the beating he received and died on 27th January 1993. Aleksić was just 26 when he died. Golubović dedicated his new film, Father, to his own father, Predrag Golubović: “I’ve spent my whole life running from my father’s influence, and now was the time to come back to him. The last sequence of the film is a dedication and homage to his short film U predahu [In a Pause]. To me, that sequence is key to the film, emotional, philosophical and poetic. I almost shot the entire film because of that scene.” This film actually represents the harshest critique of a society in which the main hero fails in his fight with the system: “I didn’t try to portray reality as being worse than it is. Unfortunately, that reality is what it is, just as the scenes of this beautiful and torn apart country are what they are. While touring Serbia to look for filming locations, I realised how much systematic work has been done here to destroy anything that could be destroyed. And what has ultimately been completely destroyed is man; the dignity and any integrity of the individual. Here we live in some protected zones; we have our own comfort from which we can talk about freedom,

April

Srdan Golubović, Film Director

his film The Trap was being shown in Berlin? “No, I think it was most interesting during the time of Milošević. Serbia was then a marked and isolated country from which some strange people came, and that had some kind of intrigue. We are now totally uninteresting, non-intriguing, and I don’t think we’re even aware of that. We’re not aware of the truth that we don’t belong to some great culture for a film coming from here would be eagerly awaited by someone there. We are a small country and every film that enters one of the big festivals is a great success. In the time of Yugoslavia, almost every year we had a film at Cannes, Venice, Berlin… But that was a big country and an important country; a country with great cinematography. Serbia is today at the tail end of Europe in every respect, politically, economically and culturally. “We have the black wave, which I think is a kind of reference to that cinematography that was courageous, politically provocative, and had within it a need to paint the world as it is. We already have some films in which one can see the influence of the black wave, and I think there are ever more of them. It’s also in this context that I see my own film. However, the greatest success of Serbian cinema today is that we are still present. And that our films are diverse; that they are not from the same kitchen. That was always a characteristic of Serbian film. That’s good. And I think every film that enters a major festival today has achieved a huge success. We can’t measure our achievements and successes against those of the former Yugoslav film, at least not at the moment. That was another time and different circumstances.” If you live in Serbia and are involved in art, it’s impossible for you not to have a political stance. That might be possible in Norway or Switzerland, but in Serbia it’s simply impossible: “My first film, Absolute 100, was attitude. It was a shriek, rage, in relation to the time in which we lived. And a youthful energy that opposed the system in which we lived. I think The Trap is a more mature emotion, a disappointment. My personal disappointment that we weren’t living better in this country six and a half years after 5th October 2000, but not because we aren’t wealthier, rather because we’re not better people. And that’s the biggest tragedy to have hit us as a society, because we haven’t admitted to ourselves that we’ve done some bad things. The path to

April

By Radmila Stanković

Photo by Maja Nedić

My life

The greatest success of Serbian cinema today is that we are still present. And that our films are diverse; that they are not from the same kitchen. That was always a characteristic of Serbian film acknowledgement is the path to catharsis, and the path through catharsis is the way forward. The reform of society isn’t only the reform of a socio-economic system, rather it is primarily a reform of the moral and essential values of a society. If that doesn’t happen, society cannot move forward. The Trap is my great disappointment due to that which until then had not happened in Serbia, and in that sense my film is also my political stance. Or, more precisely, my human stance. I’m not sure that’s seen in precisely that way from outside. “The more I’m involved in this business, the less I understand and know about what reaches the audience, the festivals, the selectors... When

making this film I tried not to deal with that, rather I tried to make a film that has no compromise and that goes all the way to the very end in depicting this world. And what will be will be. And that was my attitude.” And which directors does Srdan love? He says that Kieślowski is very important to him, and that he loves Bresson, Bergman, Wajda... And Tarkovsky, of course: “I really like Yugoslav film, alongside which I grew up. Saša Petrović, Žika Pavlović, Makavejev, Lordan Zafranović, Vlatko Gilić. I adore Ante Babaja’s The Birch Tree and Bata Čengić’s Playing Soldiers. Among contemporary authors, I love Andrey Zvyagintsev, Lee Chang-dong, Lucrecia Martel, Valeska Grizebach, Cristi Puiu, Sergei Dvortsevoy, Kantemir Balagov, Kleber Mendonça Filho… And many more, very diverse.” Unfortunately, the Corona virus happened to arrive in Serbia at the time when the film Father was due to hit cinemas in the country and around the world. And it is unavoidable to ask how many problems it has caused for the film crew, primarily for the director: “It caused problems; it completely halted distribution, but also festival life. But it’s stupid for us to complain. Terrible things are happening around the world. And I hope that we’ll learn something from all of this. About solidarity, about the nonsense of greed for material things.”

April

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NORDIC COUNTRIES WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NORDICS?

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CONTENTS

COMMENT

HOW THE DANISH FOOD INDUSTRY PRODUCES MORE WITH LESS?

PROVEN VALUES FOR BOTH GOOD TIMES AND BAD

VIEW TO THE TOP OF THE EARTH

5G NETWORK IS THE FUTURE

ANTONIO PASSARELLA, COUNTRY MANAGER AND KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER WESTERN BALKANS, ERICSSON

SUPPORTING NORDIC VALUES IN THE BALKANS

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM DENMARK

WE TREASURE TRUST BETWEEN CITIZENS AND INSTITUTIONS

H.E. JØRN EUGEN GJELSTAD, AMBASSADOR OF NORWAY TO SERBIA

H.E. KIMMO LÄHDEVIRTA, AMBASSADOR OF FINLAND TO SERBIA

EDUCATION SYSTEM ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM FINLAND

H.E. ANDERS CHRISTIAN HOUGÅRD, AMBASSADOR OF DENMARK TO SERBIA

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME, WHILE WORKING FROM HOME

THE BEST FOOD DELIVERY

ĐORĐE DAVIDOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, WOLT D.O.O.

KSENIJA PURKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE NORDIC BUSINESS ALLIANCE

TOMICA OREŠKOVIĆ, LOKOMOTIVA CEO

THE MARKETING APPLIANCE OF DATA SCIENCE

LUKA IGNJATOVIĆ, DATA SCIENTIST, POLARIS (I&F GRUPA)

COOPERATION IS INSPIRATIONAL AND REWARDING

H.E. JAN LUNDIN, AMBASSADOR OF SWEDEN TO SERBIA

4 4

DIALOGUE IS CRUCIAL IN HARD TIMES

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM SWEDEN

PRAGMATIC APPROACH LEADS TO PROSPERITY

SUSTAINABLE AND DYNAMIC EXPORT

MOST INCLUSIVE AND ADVANCED ECONOMY

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM NORWAY

COMMENT

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Proven Values For Both

GOOD TIMES AND BAD In times of hardship, examples of true cooperation like the Nordic one seem even more meaningful than during “regular” times. Yet such relationships, based on shared values and a willingness to achieve results that contribute to the mutual development and well-being of citizens, will be equally if not even more important for the Western Balkan region once the current challenges pass.

t is now almost seven decades since the Nordic Council held its first ever session, in February 1953. As was pointed out recently by a commentator in the Nordic Labour Journal, “in the history of Nordic cooperation there are many examples of great ambitions that failed or came to nothing. But decisions have also been made that have fundamentally changed Nordic citizens’ opportunities.” This is exactly the reason why Nordic cooperation has been promoted for some time as a valuable approach to regional cooperation within the Western Balkans. Let us for a moment consider the pros of having something similar to the passport union, which was introduced in Nordic countries as early as 1952, or the Nordic labour market that was introduced in 1954, or the common social security that was established a year later. It was fairly recently that Western Balkan leaders were discussing more or less the same issues under the scope of the “mini Schengen” idea. Today an agreement that would regulate the common labour market would be very important for remedying shortages in the labour force in these parts of the region, where investors are arriving and seeking specific skills. Nordic cooperation is the result of a long and comprehensive process that took place within the EU, but is also a consequence of the willingness of Nordic political leaders to establish strong, transparent and effective institutions, all of which are kept ac-

countable and anchored within a political system based on the rule of law. Such an approach brought confidence, trust and a basic perception among citizens that the authorities care and stand up for them. Nordic societies were able to create such a space of trust by fostering genuine cross-party debates that led to broad consensus on issues of national interests and by investing in the development of cross-border cooperation aimed at improving the quality of life of their citizens through increased economic cooperation, the dissemination of technology and access to higher education, services and culture, as summed up by one of our interlocutors. All these advancements were based on independent institutions, inclusive parliamentary procedures, media freedom, anticorruption, equality, innovation and environmental protection. Western Balkan countries, including Serbia, have been expressing at least a formal willingness to align themselves with these values and principles in their dialogue with the EU. Nordic countries are contributing to such advancements by supporting the development of the rule of law, strong institutions, independent media and political dialogue in our societies. These basic principles are certainly important in times of challenges, such as the one we are all facing today, while they will be even more important during times when the economies start to recover.

Confidence, trust and a basic perception among citizens that the authorities care about them can only be built on strong, transparent and effective institutions, anchored within a political system that's based on the rule of law

5 5

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View To The

TOP OF THE EARTH

Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark (collectively the Nordic countries) have a combination of high living standards and low-income disparity that has captured the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention. At a time when the growing gap between the rich and poor has become a political hot button in developed nations, the region has been cited by many scholars as a role model for economic opportunity and equality

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The Nordic model has attracted a significant amount of attention from other nations. Many people wonder if it provides a template for smaller countries where citizens are more homogeneous in terms of their opinions and experiences yet live in poverty or under repressive policies

he Nordic model is a term coined to capture the unique combination of free market capitalism and social benefits that have given rise to a society that enjoys a host of top-quality services, including free education and free healthcare, as well as generous, guaranteed pension payments for retirees. These benefits are funded by taxpayers and administered by the government for the benefit of all citizens. The Nordic countries are all socialdemocratic countries with mixed economies. They are not socialist in the classical sense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are driven by financial markets rather than by central plans, although the state does play a strategic role in the economy. They have systems of law that protect personal and corporate property and help to enforce contracts. They are democracies with checks, balances and countervailing powers. Nordic countries show that major egalitarian reforms and substantial welfare states are possible within prosperous capitalist countries that are highly engaged in global markets. But their success undermines the view that the most ideal capitalist economy is one where markets are unrestrained. They also suggest that humane and equal outcomes are possible within capitalism, while full-blooded socialism has always, in practise, led to disaster. The citizens have a high degree of trust in their government and a history of working together to reach compromises and address societal challenges through democratic processes.

Their policymakers have chosen a mixed economic system that reduces the gap between the rich and the poor through redistributive taxation and a robust public sector while preserving the benefits of capitalism. The model is underpinned by a capitalist economy that encourages creative destruction. While the laws make it is easy for companies to shed workers and implement transformative business models, employees are supported by generous social welfare programmes. The nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax structure is based on individual rather than household income, coupled with a flat-tax. The result is a system that treats all citizens equally and encourages workforce participation. Gender equality is a hallmark trait of the culture that not only results in a high degree of workplace participation by women but also a high level of parental engagement by men. What makes the Nordic model work? A combination of shared history and societal development is credited with much of its success. Unlike areas that developed around the formation of large corporate-owned farms, the history of Scandinavia is largely one of family-driven agriculture. The result is a nation of small entrepreneurial enterprises directed by citizens facing the same set of challenges. Solutions that benefit one member of the society are likely to benefit all members. This collective mentality results in a citizenry that trusts its government because the government is led by citizens seeking to create programs that benefit everyone. 7

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Accordingly, the citizens willingly chose to pay higher taxes in exchange for benefits that they and their family members will get to enjoy. The result is publicly funded services, such as healthcare and education that are of such high quality that private enterprise has no reason to offer these services or room to improve them. This mindset remained intact as capitalist enterprises developed. The Nordic model faces some notable pressures to its sustainability. Two of the largest concerns are an aging population and an influx of immigrants. In terms of an aging population, a large base of young taxpayers and a smaller population of older residents receiving services is the ideal scenario. As the population balance shifts the other way, benefit reductions are a likely outcome. Fortunately for their citizens, the Nordic nations have willingly chosen a path of greater equality for all citizens and have demonstrated an ability to work through their political differences for the greater good of all. In terms of immigration, Nordic countries attract a notable influx of newcomers seeking to enjoy generous public benefits. These new arrivals often come from nations that do not have a long, shared history of making decisions on behalf of the common good. While native Nordics tend to have a high degree of participation in the workforce as part of their collective decision to support the amenities their society offers, immigrants do not always share this vision. These new arrivals present a significant burden to the system and could, ultimately, result in its demise.

Two other concerns include native citizens taking advantage of the generous benefits system and the impact of poor global economic conditions. Again, the culture of cooperation and a shared interest in a strong social safety net has enabled these countries to adjust their benefit programs and continue to deliver a wide range of services even in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The Nordic model has attracted a significant amount of attention from other nations. Many people wonder if it provides a template for smaller countries where citizens are more homogeneous in terms of their opinions and experiences yet live in poverty or under repressive policies. Others believe it provides a template for reforming the unchecked capitalism that has created notable income inequality and dramatic differences between the quality of life between the rich and the poor in prosperous nations. Sitting between the controlled economy and unchecked capitalism at the other end of the spectrum, the Nordic model is sometimes referred to as “the third way.” The Nordic model has created quite a bit of controversy outside of the region. Many people in countries operating under what is often referred to as “the American model” of capitalistic enterprise see the Nordic model as an attractive alternative to the winner-take-all brand of capitalism that has resulted in poverty, a lack of affordable quality health care and education, a deteriorating social safety net, a lack of retirement security, massive scandals in the financial markets and tremendous income disparity. They point out that public

The inability of developed nations to move beyond vitriolic political rhetoric coupled with their lack of shared culture due to geographically and ethnically diverse populations that lack shared experiences will similarly serve as barriers to implementation of the Nordic model in those countries

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services, such as education and government-run programs in America are of poor quality and that the rich have access to far better resources than the poor and that implementation of the Nordic model could solve these issues. Opponents of the Nordic model criticize the high taxes, high degree of government intervention and relatively low gross domestic product and productivity, noting that these all limit economic growth. They point out that the Nordic Model redistributes assets, limits the amount of money available for personal spending and consumption and encourages reliance on government-subsidized programs. The inability of developed nations to move beyond vitriolic political rhetoric coupled with their lack of shared culture

due to geographically and ethnically diverse populations that lack shared experiences will similarly serve as barriers to implementation of the Nordic model in those countries. In any event, while outsiders argue vigorously in favor of social democracy or against so-called welfare states, Nordic countries themselves make no effort at all to induce or coerce other nations into adopting the their model. Rather, they seem content to work through their problems together in a collective manner that consistently results in placing them at the pinnacle of global surveys of the happiest people in the world. All four Nordic countries are within the top ten happiest nations in the world, according to the United Nations list.

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INTERVIEW

H.E. ANDERS CHRISTIAN HOUGÅRD, AMBASSADOR OF DENMARK TO SERBIA

PRAGMATIC APPROACH

Leads To Prosperity Offer equal opportunities to people, with a pragmatic rather than an ideological approach, and this will lead to a strong economy. This is the Nordic recipe that might work in the Western Balkans, provided all parties understand the value of this seemingly simple approach

or some time now, Nordic cooperation has been promoted as a valuable model for the Western Balkans. We asked H.E. Anders Christian Hougård, Danish Ambassador to Serbia, which question he would single out as one example in which Western Balkan countries could use the Nordic formula to resolve some of the issues they are facing, and in response we received an interesting and nuanced answer. “Good and friendly relations between neighbours!”, this is the straightforward answer that we received to our question. “However”, notes Ambassador Hougård, “it is important to stress that the Nordic formula, as we call it, has not always had such a strong sound to it. A hundred years ago, the Nordic region wasn’t at all prosperous, while since the 1970s the Nordic identity has been associated with seemingly endless economic growth.” The Nordic model is relevant to the Western Balkan countries, with examples of economically, socially and technologically driven societies, underlines our interlocutor. “We offer equal opportunities to people, with a pragmatic rather than an ideological approach, which again leads to a strong economy.” Ambassador Hougård believes that the Western Balkan region has the potential to create a common market in which businesses can thrive, while he stresses that protectionism and isolationism must be avoided in order to secure economic dynamism and competition.

What, for example, can the Western Balkans learn from the way you organised your labour markets and flows of workers from one country to another? - Free trade and competition are pillars of the Nordic socioeconomic model. We can certainly be proud of our open markets, with low tariffs and minimal barriers to trade. The idea of a ‘Mini Schengen’, if it stays on the right track and in accord with EU regulations, seems to be moving in this direction, so we are interested to see what comes of that model. When it comes to the Nordic countries, we established a common labour market to create jobs and growth more than 60 years ago. A well-functioning labour market gives Nordic people a chance to practise their professions in other countries. I hope this is an example that Western Balkan countries can follow in the near future. To what extent would a unified labour market across the region impact on the way companies from Denmark view the economic possibilities of Serbia and the region? - The labour market, at least in the countries we are covering from Belgrade, is experiencing the same trends – accelerated labour shortages paired with wage growth. Many companies find it increasingly difficult to fill certain job vacancies in both blue-collar and white-collar segments.

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However, disparities in wages even within a single country increase labour mobility. Having a regional labour market that’s more flexibly regulated would primarily indicate that governments are teaming up and working in the interest of companies that are seeking to invest and grow in the region. Although the unification of the labour market may not solve workforce-related challenges, it provides time to develop and execute other policies and measures aimed at preserving the competitiveness of the local business environment. Environmental issues are becoming a major political topic all around the continent, and there are some suggestions that companies coming from environmental-conscious states would avoid investing in countries that are among the worst polluters. How likely is it that these issues might impact on investments coming from the Nordic region? - Indeed, Nordic countries have all set an ambitious and extensive green agenda and today environment¬¬al issues are a global challenge. The Nordic region, which is relatively happy with the state of affairs in its own backyard, has an even greater responsibility to help and share knowledge in order to make other parts of the world more sustainable. Danish companies tend to lead by example, and I would offer an alternative point of view by asking a question; how can countries like Serbia attract companies that will work in the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly way? In parallel with this, investments might be aimed at reducing pollution – through the production of energy from renewable sources, water treatment and energy efficiency projects and initiatives. This is where the small Denmark punches well above its weight, and we know how to make a difference when it comes to sustainability.

State and private media play an equally important role when it comes to securing political pluralism and the public’s participation in political life. Freedom from editorial pressure, high ethical standards and good protection of journalists are thus key in any media landscape and must not be undermined. The situation in Serbia, on the other hand, seems vulnerable. Considering Serbia’s future EU membership, you need to be more ambitious in creating an unbiased media structure, because having independent and free media is in everyone’s interest. What are the major topics that the embassy is focused on and what events would you like to highlight? - In 2020, Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are

jointly presiding over the Nordic Council of Ministers, and we will work together locally with other Nordic embassies. We are thrilled to inform your readers that one of the priorities will be conducting a project on sustainable food in primary schools, guided by a Nordic example. In October we will gather together our strengths and organise a conference in the Mačva District. This April, we will support the Southeast Europe Space Conference, organised for the first time by the Serbian Office for Space Science, Research and Development. Among others, the director of the Space department of the Danish University of Technologies, Dr Kristian Pedersen, will share the Danish history of Space science, as well as discussing all the ways that a small country, such as Denmark or Serbia, can use space science in order to achieve the UN’s SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Among other activities, a Danish film festival will be on the repertoire this year at the Yugoslav Film Archives Cinematheque, which will focus on the journey from silent motion pictures to modern films.

Considering Serbia’s future EU membership, you need to be more ambitious in creating an unbiased media structure, because having independent and free media is in everyone’s interest

The media play an important role in putting relevant topics for society on the table. If you had to draw a parallel between the Danish and Serbian press, how would you describe their relative positions in society? - There are many similarities, due to the size of our two countries and the social structure. But where Denmark has had a long and uninterrupted period of political stability since World War II, things have been much more complex and challenging in and around Serbia. In both our countries, the constitutions guarantee freedom of the press and media ownership is diverse. But I think that in Denmark there is more transparency and that the media is less politically connected.

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BUSINESS

ANTONIO PASSARELLA, COUNTRY MANAGER AND KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER WESTERN BALKANS, ERICSSON

5G NETWORK Is The Future

Ericsson, a global leader in technology communications and services that is this year celebrating 140 years of its existence, whilst also commemorating 20 years of successful operations in Serbia, today collaborates with many telecommunications operators to develop and test the 5G network

e will see 5G scale up in 2020 and we estimate close to 100 million 5G subscriptions worldwide by the end of this year. Early mover service providers will focus on bringing wide 5G coverage. They will focus on consumer services as enhanced mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access.

We will see 5G scale up in 2020 and we estimate close to 100 million 5G subscriptions worldwide by the end of this year. Early mover service providers will focus on bringing wide 5G coverage. They will focus on consumer services as enhanced mobile broadband and Fixed Wireless Access and we will see trials continue for industries.

You are working intensively on the development and There could be a one-to-two-year delay on 5G in Europe testing of the 5G network. Where will it be possible to if a certain supplier is excluded, because European venapply 5G and what will it bring us? dors donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough supply capac- We and partners have been working This is one of those moments ity. Is this true? with 5G technology for several years - Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often said that the exclusion of when companies like in the labs and in advanced outdoor a particular vendor would delay 5G in Ericsson must strive more field trials. In Serbia we have already Europe by months or years. We think demonstrated 5G with Telekom Srbija. than ever to act with values there is a risk that certain European These tests were key to developing countries will fall behind, but 5G delays and responsibility in leading technologies for the standin Europe are not tied to the choice of technology vendor. Rather Europe ard, as well as competitive product the service of society faces a series of structural problems, portfolios. A year ago we saw the such as a lack of licenses for spectrum, high spectrum fees first 5G networks switched on, which focused clearly on and regulation that is not investment friendly. Countries consumers. These networks were primarily bringing 5G that have implemented national security restrictions on coverage to cities and highly populated areas and there 5G have not reported any delays in their roll-out of 5G. were 13 million subscriptions globally by the end of 2019. 12

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Is it true that non-European vendors are one-to-two Ericsson supports relevant activities towards setyears ahead of European competitors in terms of techting industry standards on security assurance for cloud nology and that no viable alternative exists? services and virtualised deployments that takes into - We find that difficult to believe, given that Ericsson was consideration relevant use cases from a 5G perspective. the first with commercial live networks on four continents. Ericsson contributes actively to security standards supEricssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology delivered the first commercial 5G porting 5G security implementation such as 3GPP, GSMA, live network in Europe with Swisscom, which provided ETSI and IETF. coverage of 90 per cent of the population just eight months However, our experience also leads us to highlight after the launch. We currently have 86 commercial agreethat certifying software or hardware does not mean it ments or contracts with unique operators, 27 of which are is flawless. Unnoticed imperfections of testing lead to live commercial networks. In terms of 5G performance, a false sense of security. For example, the Common Criin South Korea our mid-band 5G delivers better coverteria (CC) certification evaluation process is too rigid in age, 100 per cent better uplink speeds and five per cent its requirement for each product to be evaluated, given better download speeds than the that any patch, update or feature addisecond-best competitor measured tion will render the certification void. Certifying software or in the same city. For this reason, the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5G toolbox hardware does not mean it added Technical Measures and also is flawless. Unnoticed The EU has unveiled a 5G toolbox to Strategic Measures. Member states tackle security threats. Do you agree imperfections of testing lead to are expected to assess the risk profile with its recommendations? of suppliers and consequently apply a false sense of security - Protecting end-users requires an holisrelevant restrictions for suppliers tic approach that considers mitigation in considered to be high risk, including four areas: standards, products and development processes, making necessary exclusions to effectively mitigate risks. network deployments and network operation. Collectively, these four areas define the security status of live networks With the Covid-19 epidemic, emergency mobile networks and hence the de facto end-user security experience. Given are even more crucial than usual. What is Ericssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role? the interdependency between areas, it is critical to ensure - I believe that this is one of those moments when compaa coordinated and comprehensive implementation of the nies like Ericsson must strive more than ever to act with mitigating measures proposed in the joint toolbox. The values and responsibility in the service of society. We responsibility for implementation rests predominantly with support our customers by granting network deployment EU member states, and in some cases with EU institutions. and maintenance, and therefore the availability of voice We stand ready to support this process to ensure a high level and internet services to citizens, public administrations of protection for European citizens and business. and enterprises. 13

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INTERVIEW

H.E. KIMMO LÄHDEVIRTA, AMBASSADOR OF FINLAND TO SERBIA

SUPPORTING NORDIC VALUES In The Balkans

The Western Balkan countries are small in terms of the size of their populations, as are the Nordic countries, and playing together makes all of us stronger in the European and global arena

he political and economic priorities of the Nordic countries in Serbia and the region are practically the same. From year to year, our countries top international rankings measuring happiness, equality, anti-corruption, media freedom, prosperity, environment and innovations. These are the areas where we would also like to see improvement in Serbia and other Western Balkan countries, says Finnish Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta. As Ambassador Lähdevirta explains, the political priorities of Nordic countries are, overall,in line with those of the EU. “In the second half of 2019, Finland was presiding over the Council of the European Union. The priorities of our presidency included rule of law, a more competitive and socially inclusive environment, tackling climate change and protecting the security of citizens. Finland was also committed to working on a credible enlargement perspective for Serbia and other Western Balkan countries. Those priorities were, and remain, the cornerstone of relations of Finland, as well as other Nordic countries, towards Serbia and the region.” According to our interlocutor, more alignment with EU policies, especially those related to the rule of law, will bring numerous benefits for both Serbian citizens and business stakeholders in the long run.

What are Nordic and Finnish economic interests when it comes to economic cooperation with Serbia? - The Embassy of Finland often joins forces with other Nordic Embassies, as well as the Nordic Business Alliance, when tackling topics that are important for Serbia and that are closely related to the Nordic values. One of the latest examples was the creation of a Nordic Task Force that worked on improving the business environment and fair competition by tackling public procurement issues. Furthermore, the Embassy has been working on sharing Finnish experiences and knowhow in many other fields, including innovations, digitalistion, transport, smart cities and other relevant sectors. Lately, we have noticed increased interest among Finnish companies in the renewable energy and environment sector in Serbia. Those sectors will require large investments in the coming years if Serbia wants to reach the minimum EU requirements. Companies from Finland, like those from many other countries, also recognise the potential of outsourcing and manufacturing in labour-intensive industries. Do you see something that resembles Nordic cooperation in the Western Balkans’ ‘mini Schengen’ initiative? - We follow the evolution of the “mini Schengen” initiative with interest. In principle, we support regional cooperation,

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developing connections between the Western Balkan countries, as well as initiatives that promote free movement and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. However, it is crucial that this type of cooperation is in line with the obligations related to the EU membership aspirations of the countries involved. For Finland, our experiences with Nordic cooperation were also very helpful for our EU membership. For example, the Nordic Passport Union has been in place since the 1950s, well before the Schengen agreement. However, comparing our system directly with the “mini Schengen” initiative would not be very productive, as the contexts are quite different. The Nordic model of cooperation led to great trust among nations. How can it be used to overcome the distrust among countries in the Western Balkan region? - As I just mentioned, the contexts are different. There has been no war between the Nordic countries during the last 200 years, whereas the Western Balkan countries faced devastating wars during the 1990s after living in the same country. Building or re-building trust in that context is very demanding. It requires that all sides accept their responsibility for the mistakes of the past, as well as completely different narratives and rhetoric from those of the ‘90s. This is not an easy process, but it is the only way for this region to play as a team. The Western Balkan countries are small in terms of the size of their populations, as are the Nordic countries, and playing together makes all of us stronger in the European and global arena. When we set aside the geopolitical context, principles of good regional cooperation are universal. Among them are determination to gather around common goals and develop understanding that when a neighbouring country is doing well it can have a spillover effect on your country. Of course, there are differences and conflicted interests, but there must be a rational viewpoint that we do not want to endanger all other aspects of cooperation until we reach the same understanding on disputed issues. There is no point in losing time waiting for that, while - on the other hand - there is a need to work with what you have and work on having more in common.

- Fake news and tabloid journalism are creating distrust not only between the countries of the region, but also within them. Currently, one can notice at least two different realities in the media reporting. Those divisions are very dangerous, as they also exist between citizens. Coming from different realities, relevant stakeholders struggle to find channels of communication between them and there is no dialogue. The media have the right to pursue their own editorial policies but, first and foremost, they should follow the standards of the profession of journalism. On the other hand, the media alone cannot be held responsible for overall mistrust, which also has a lot to do with the role of institutions tasked with securing the rule of law. For example, when the media reports about a corruption scandal and there is no proper followup to that case by judicial institutions, it might look like the media is creating those affairs. It is therefore crucial that all actors play their roles, as it is only in that way that there can be trust within and between societies in the region. What are your priorities in 2020, and which events would you single out as the most important for us to watch for? - In cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia and the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum, the Embassy of Finland is organising a Western Balkans-Finland business seminar to be held in Helsinki on 17th March. The main focus of this seminar will be on exploring possibilities for cooperation between Finnish and local companies. Another interesting activity during this spring is the promotion of Serbian craft breweries and beers in Helsinki. Specifically, Serbia will most likely be the partner country of this year’s Helsinki Beer Festival, to take place from 3rd to 4th April. The Embassy will participate in a project focusing on healthy food in schools in October. This project is being implemented in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers and other Nordic Embassies in Serbia. Finland supports innovations and the start-up ecosystem in Serbia. Since 2015, in cooperation with the Serbian Innovation Fund, we have been promoting the Slush conference in Helsinki, which is one of the leading start-up events in the world. We have managed to send at least one local start-up to the Slush each year. After a short break last year, we hope that we will be able to reactivate the programme this year and send a local start-up to Helsinki in November.

Finland is committed to working on a credible enlargement perspective for Serbia and other Western Balkan countries

It is often said that the media fabricate fake news and thus create distrust between the countries of the region. How must media freedom be understood when it comes to bringing value to society?

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BUSINESS

ĐORĐE DAVIDOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, WOLT D.O.O.

THE BEST

Food Delivery Wolt isn't just a technology company, nor is it just an app. Wolt is the people who stand behind everything. Wolt is more than 10,000 delivery workers, more than 7,000 restaurants, strong support and more than 750 employees from 20 countries

he Wolt app is extremely easy to use and aims to connect the user with their desired restaurant. Due to the new situation with the Corona Virus, Wolt has also introduced the option of “No-contact delivery” which is now automatically turned on in the app. This means that the courier will leave the food at the customers’ doorstep. Wolt is a technology company that raises the experience of ordering food to a whole new, significantly higher level. How did Wolt manage to reach the level of more than 750 employees and build a great reputation in just six years? - Wolt was founded in Helsinki in 2014, with the first version of the Wolt app already launched in 2015, with 10 restaurants from which customers could only order food to take away. Shortly thereafter, we introduced a food delivery service, and in 2017 we began our expansion and entered the markets of Sweden and the Baltic states. We are grateful and are aware that we were also somewhat fortunate to have set out precisely from Finland, from Helsinki, which has a fairly small population, high population density and bad weather conditions. Our focus from the very beginning was on the development of the technology, increasing efficiency and learning from the customer experience.

Wolt today operates in 20 countries and 80+ cities; we cooperate with more than 7,000 restaurants and over 10,000 couriers. What can you tell us about Wolt’s operations on the Serbian market? - Wolt brought a completely new user experience to Serbia and raised the standards of food delivery to a higher level. We have been operating in Serbia since April 2019. We began with delivery in Belgrade, only to expand to Novi Sad in December. We currently have more than 250 restaurants on the app and are working daily on the introduction of new restaurants, while actively listening to the market and trying to meet the diverse wishes of our customers. We follow examples of good practice, primarily from countries in the region, which is of great help to us when it comes to developing our business in the right direction.

You can use the app to track how the preparation of your food is advancing, as well as the current location of the courier in real time

Your app received an award from Apple, and you recently also found yourself among the rankings of The Financial Times. What is it that such big names have recognised in your app and what sets you apart from the competition? - Apple’s recognition testifies to the flawless user experience

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provided by the app. Apart from Apple, Wired also proclaimed us one of the best European start-ups. We are also very proud that Wolt has been listed by The Financial Times magazine as the second fastest growing company in Europe. These acknowledgements tell us that we’re on the right track. One of the things that sets us apart from the competition is certainly the possibility to track orders in real time, where our user can see exactly where their food is at any time. We succeeded in quickly developing a portfolio of eateries that encompasses fine dining restaurants, international and local cuisine, as well as renowned chains of fast food restaurants. We add new restaurants on a weekly basis, in order to meet the desires of our customers, and strive – through various activities – to enable the most diverse offer for everyone’s taste.

Wolt users don’t need cash, but rather can pay for everything through the app and online, with any Mastercard or Visa card that they generally use to make daily payments. It is enough to enter the card information once, after which you can just select the restaurant and meals in a few clicks. The card remains in the app’s memory, so afterwards the user can order food without having any money or payment cards with them. Alongside all the options that are available to users, due to the new situation with the Corona Virus, Wolt has also introduced the option of “No-contact delivery” which is now automatically turned on in the app. This means that the courier will leave the food at the customers’ doorstep. Those wanting to collaborate with you must respect Wolt’s standards. What does that mean when it comes to deliver operators, and what does it mean for restaurants? How much respect is given to the specifics of the local market? - In order for a restaurant to be included on our app, it has to meet high standards, ranging from hygienic conditions to the way food is prepared. Every restaurant undergoes training in order to meet the rigorous level of service, as well as optimal times for food preparation. Once it becomes our partner, Wolt promotes the restaurant’s brand, both through the app itself and through other communication channels. You will easily recognise our delivery workers on the street. Before anyone becomes a Wolt delivery worker, they must undergo special training, where we harmonise our expectations and theirs when it comes to behaviour and relations with restaurants and customers, as well as the Wolt brand. Their task is to deliver food in the best possible condition, through the optimal time, regardless of weather conditions and other external factors. In this way we gain the standardised and high level of service that we’ve accustomed our customers to receiving.

Customers can take advantage of local user support, which responds to all questions and requests within a deadline of 60 seconds

Could you explain to us how ordering food via your app functions; can we order a delivery a few days in advance, specifying the time; how do users pay; how can we know when our delivery will arrive? - The Wolt app is very easy to use and aims to connect the user with their desired restaurant. The app has several basic options for the user: the user can order for delivery to a requested address, to pick up the food personally from the restaurant or for the desired food to be waiting to be served to them at the restaurant itself. A great option for meal planning is also to pre-order, or to schedule an order for a specific later time. This option is ideal if you know when you want to take your lunch break during a busy day or if you’re planning a dinner at home. You can use the app to track how the preparation of your food is advancing, as well as the current location of the courier in real time. We keep you informed regarding all important steps and you will know exactly when your food will arrive. Customers can take advantage of local user support, which responds to all questions and requests within a deadline of 60 seconds.

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INTERVIEW

H.E. JØRN EUGEN GJELSTAD, AMBASSADOR OF NORWAY TO SERBIA

WE TREASURE TRUST

Between Citizens And Institutions Independent institutions, inclusive parliamentary procedures, media freedom and anti-corruption are indeed the keys to any political ambition regarding societal development. We are happy to support Serbia in its efforts to embrace these values

ome experts suggest that cooperation in the Western Balkan should start from the Nordic example of bringing national parliaments to work together. H.E. Jørn Eugen Gjelstad, Ambassador of Norway to Serbia, believes that this is just one of the strong sides of the Nordic model. “I believe that the most important effect and impact the Nordic model has ever had on Nordic societies is its capacity to create a high level of trust between citizens and their institutions. This is sometimes referred to as the “Nordic Gold”, and rightly so in my opinion. The Nordic region has strong, transparent and effective institutions, which are all kept accountable and anchored within a political system based on the rule of law”, says the ambassador, adding: “this construct has managed to deliver confidence, trust and a basic perception among the citizens that “the authorities care and stand up for me”. Another feature of Nordic societies has been the ability

to foster a genuine cross-party debate in order to forge a broad consensus on issues of national interest, explains our interlocutor. “A third dimension is the effort exerted by the Nordic countries to enter into cross-border cooperation with a view to improving quality of life through increased economic cooperation, the dissemination of technology and access to higher education, services and culture,” concludes Ambassador Gjelstad. Would these solutions be viable at the current level of democracy and freedom of press in the Western Balkan countries? - I truly believe that the values and principles guiding the societal development of the Nordic region, such as independent institutions, inclusive parliamentary procedures, media freedom, anti-corruption, equality, innovation and environmental protection, are the keys to any political ambition regarding societal development. Its opposites can easily bring a society into stagnation or prompt setbacks.

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Based on this background, I am happy to see that there is a declared political will among Western Balkan countries to align themselves with these values and principles in their dialogue with the EU. When it comes to pollution, the Western Balkan region is often described as a black hole close to Europe. How can environmental challenges be translated into economics possibilities? What knowhow can Norwegian investors bring to Serbia when it comes to the circular economy? - We can still hear from some corners that the transformation of our energy systems to a low- or no-carbon economy is an impediment to economic growth and prosperity. I am happy to say that there is plenty of documentation refuting this claim, including the Norwegian report “The New Climate Economy”. Current reports on this issue show that technological innovation and investment in efficient low-emission solutions will create new opportunities, more jobs, increased corporate earnings and sustained and well-balanced economic development. The green economy has not only become profitable; this segment of the global economy has the strongest growth rate and the brightest future. The new climate economy is about to become the major driver of the modern global economy. And I truly believe that we should all relate to that. It is time to embrace the idea that we have the brainpower and the technology to carry out a transitional change for the entire global environment and to make it clean. In this context, I would highly recommend that the Western Balkan countries avail themselves to the opportunities provided by the EU’s preaccession process, such as access to funding, expertise and projects with the potential to transform their energy-mix into a more environmentally-friendly construct. I hope to see Norwegian renewable companies taking a greater interest in the Western Balkans through the coming year, and I would most certainly like to take part in such an endeavour.

- Norwegian exports to Serbia have increased over the past decade, and are now 3-4 times the level of Serbian exports to Norway. Norway exports mostly chemicals, fish/ salmon and polyethylene. Those three sectors account for approximately 70 per cent of Serbian imports from Norway. Norwegian imports from Serbia have been dominated by agricultural products, car engine transmission systems, plastic and paper masses. We have seen that the business climate in Serbia for Norwegian companies has improved somewhat over the years, but there is still some way to go, in particular when it comes to meeting the interests of small and medium-sized companies. SMEs represent a significant segment of the Norwegian economy, and Serbia has to step up even further to make itself an attractive partner to high-tech orientated Norwegian companies. If the business framework is made right, I can see huge potential for future cooperation. What are the most important goals that Norway will pursue in Serbia in 2020? - Through the coming years, Norway hopes to see progress along various axes within Serbian society that correlate with the priorities set out in our programme of grant allocations for Serbia, aligned with Serbian priorities and the EU accession agenda. In this regard, I would like to specifically mention economic development rooted in innovation and a more predictable framework for how the market operates; environmental protection; media sector reform, with a focus on the empowerment of free media; strengthening the rule of law with a specific focus on anticorruption and independent institutions; and women’s rights and gender equality within society.

We have seen that the business climate in Serbia for Norwegian companies has improved somewhat over the years, but there is still some way to go

What are the characteristics of economic exchange between Nordic countries and Serbia? How much has the business environment in Serbia changed over time?

Which activities of the embassy would you like to highlight? - I would like to additionally stress that activities related to culture will also be a priority in our bilateral cooperation with Serbia. And I’m taking a special interest in cooperating with your excellent talents within areas like music, film, literature and visual arts. In that context, I would like to mention a novel programme we have called “Jazz in the Residence”, which aims to give young, talented Serbian musicians an arena to present themselves to an international audience. 19

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BUSINESS

TOMICA OREŠKOVIĆ, LOKOMOTIVA CEO

WHAT I LEARNED About Working From Home, While Working From Home Four aspects of remote work you need to pay attention to

orking from home is fairly different compared to working in an office. It is often more relaxed and allows us to focus more easily on specific tasks, while we are close to family and working in an environment that we have created, designed and decorated for ourselves. The following paragraphs are an overview of several aspects of working from home that need to be addressed so that we can truly benefit from the experience. COMMUNICATION What we took for granted is no longer possible. There is no colleague with whom you can consult sitting next to you, you can’t glance over the shoulder of a colleague at the table behind you and reply to a client’s email together, or chat about “things” in the lift. All of that is gone. Ensuring an uninterrupted flow of information is one of the biggest challenges for remote teams. Working from home quickly teaches us that communication is one of the key prerequisites for the success of virtually any project. When working remotely, even those who always thought they could do everything on their own very quickly realise how much information they received and shared with their colleagues every day. Although the right tool can help establish and facilitate it, effective communication, above all, requires good organisational structure and well-established processes. Who, with whom, when and why information is communicated is as important as the information itself, and far more important than the technique or tool used to communicate. SMALL TEAMS The management of processes and people is also a significant challenge for remote teams.

The universal solution to this problem is to re-shape the organisation and set up as teams that are as small as possible. Ideally, teams should be the smallest possible functional units. A team of three will find it easier to communicate with each other, to choose communication tools and schedule meetings, than a team of 20. It will be easier to share tasks, agree on a common approach and coordinate activities to make the process more efficient. Waiting for a colleague to finish something is a significant source of inefficiency within organisations. It is much easier for managers to manage an organisation with six teams of three members each than one team of 18 members. The 18-member team is, in reality, 18 teams of one member each. ERGONOMICS Even though working from home is generally comfortable, sitting is harder and more uncomfortable than sitting in the office. The reason is simple: most of us don’t have proper office furniture at home. If you are using a laptop, you may be tempted to work from the sofa or from bed. Don’t! Stand up, stretch and walk regularly. DISCIPLINE Make your daily work schedule and stick to it. Get up in the morning at the same time as when you went to work in the office, change out of your pyjamas into comfortable clothes that will not embarrass you if you need to suddenly join a video conference, set aside some time for a lunch break and work until the time when you would usually leave the office. And one more thing. When you are working from home alone, there are no colleagues around you to lift you up, pull you in and help you focus. You are the source of your own enthusiasm and the generator of your own energy. www.lokomotiva.tech

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LUKA IGNJATOVIĆ, DATA SCIENTIST, POLARIS (I&F GRUPA)

BUSINESS

THE MARKETING

Appliance Of Data Science

Data science revolves around the interpretation and analysis of data arriving from different sources, as well as different types and structures of data. Various scientific methods, processes, algorithms and front-end solutions are fed with countless rows of data in order to extract patterns of behaviour, insights or information.

hen it comes to applying data science in marketing, the goal is to provide insights that let marketers know if their decisions have paid off. These insights can help brands dig deeper into customer psychology by quantifying intent, desires, experiences and behaviour. This, in turn, will enable business strategists and planners to optimise their media spend, improve media buying efficiency, reach narrower target audiences and pick the right creatives, leading to significant improvements in media planning and cost efficiency. In order to achieve these goals certain rules have to be in place when handling data, along with appropriate digital infrastructure and a team of people. In terms of infrastructure, specialised tools have to be in perpetual use to ensure past, present and future data is stored. Rules in the form of internal conventions are necessary when handling data. This ensures understanding among everyone in the organisation who’s involved in data-related processes. Lastly, a team of people that work with the data has to be ready to apply mathematical, statistical and programming knowledge to extract insights. In the world of marketing, data scientists work closely with people from agencies during projects, because their invaluable domain knowledge puts raw data points into context. The projects that can be offered by data science departments’ blend of skills are extremely diverse in goals and content, like maximising TV exposure for a new brand on the market or raising brand love for an already established

one. It is merely up to the client to ask the questions or have a media/sales objective in mind. Then data science teams can build the right analytics or modelling solution to meet their needs. It should be noted that there is a trend in the industry that includes shifting the data storage paradigm from relational databases to a newer one called “big data”. Big data’s defining properties are 3Vs (volume, variety and velocity) and they have emerged out og a technological need to handle data that comply with the aforementioned three Vs. We here at I&F Grupa jumped aboard the “Data Science” bandwagon early-on by establishing a brand new analyticsfocused agency – Polaris. The task was not an easy one, as all the existing client data infrastructure and reporting processes needed to be maintained, while simultaneously being updated and improved. We have also successfully built and tested media and sales models that help brands plan for the future by identifying their leading sale indicators and optimal media spends to improve their profit margins. Building synergy between the technical and business side in data science is very much a continuous process, so you can expect even more of our solutions that offer improved segmentation of user bases, more powerful media buying, advanced social media marketing, and more precise results management and understating of key metrics to our clients.

www.polaris-see.com 21

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INTERVIEW

H.E. JAN LUNDIN, AMBASSADOR OF SWEDEN TO SERBIA

COOPERATION IS

Inspirational And Rewarding Sweden supports a number of initiatives in the area of reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, which is important for the prosperity of Serbia and the region. They complement other projects supported by Nordic cooperation

ordic Day is a manifestation of Nordic interstate and inter-parliamentary cooperation, which is one of the oldest and most complex models of regional cooperation in the world. We spoke with H.E. Jan Lundin, Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia, about possible parallels and inspiration relevant to the Western Balkan region.

Which dimension of Nordic cooperation would you single out as the most relevant for the Western Balkan region? - I believe the Nordic experience is interesting, since there was a time when our relations were quite difficult. Nordic cooperation has remedied that. Two things come to mind: first, Nordic countries have made great efforts to facilitate life and work in neighbouring Nordic countries for their citizens, including issues such as school access and social security system access for neighbours from other Nordic countries. Only lately has the EU introduced similar solutions, and the “mini Schengen” initiative by Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania should be welcomed in this context; second, Nordic Ministers meet quite regularly, except the foreign ministers. The point made is that our relations should be closer than “foreign” relations, and should focus on everyday societal issues addressed by other ministers in each government. 22

Maybe here there are things that might be institutionalised by the Western Balkans? What are the priorities of Nordic cooperation for 2020 that resonate with your engagement in the region? - In addition to comments made by my Nordic colleagues, I might like to mention the joint project on sustainable food that’s made possible by a grant from the Nordic Council of Ministers, and which will start in the Loznica region in September, addressing sustainability with regard to school meals. We are also preparing some kind of event together with the Nordic Business Alliance in the autumn, at which we will probably present the Nordic Innovation Policy in a specific field. The state of media freedom is still rated the best in Norway, Finland and Sweden. What we can learn from you? Where can we start untangling the situation we have today? - Transparency and the protection of journalists are extremely important in this regard. I believe the institutions and rules for this largely exist in Serbia today, but it takes time to build a culture in which critical and investigative journalism is not only allowed, but encouraged. Sweden shall certainly continue cooperation

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with Serbia in this regard, through support to organisations such as CRTA, KRIK etc., but also to Serbian authorities wherever that may help. How has the progress on reforms achieved by Serbia over the years impacted on economic cooperation between our two countries? - Here perhaps we can start by assessing Serbia’s progress with reforms. Yes, certain progress has been achieved. However, when it comes to business and the economic environment, there’s still much that can and should be done. The reform of the judiciary still has some way to go and corruption still remains one of the major impediments to fair and transparent business cooperation. Sweden supports a number of initiatives in this area through its development cooperation with Serbia, in order to help with the reform process. Economic cooperation between the two countries is steadily increasing, although it started from a low base. We don’t yet have the final figures for 2019, but in 2018 overall trade was 322 million euros, which was a considerable increase on 2017, when it was 287 million. Over a hundred Swedish companies are doing business in Serbia, many of them with mixed Swedish and Serbian capital. The role of the Serbian diaspora in Sweden could be seen as significant when it comes to investment in Serbia. The arrival of IKEA and its plans to invest another 50 million euros during this year and next in the development of a retail park next to their store, which opened in 2017, is an important segment of the economic cooperation between our two countries. Companies such as Tetra Pak, Ericsson, Securitas and Transcom are all here. We could mention some of the most recent investments, such as the arrival of Rimaster in Paraćin and NIBE Industier AB’s acquisition of the Gorenje TIKI hot water tank production plant in Stara Pazova. There are many more companies across various sectors that are facilitating the flow of business and trade cooperation between our two countries and we hope that this will continue to expand.

for a future “beyond” fossil fuels. Energy production is largely fossil-free thanks to our fortunate position, with plenty of hydro power and renewable energy, complemented by nuclear power at least for a few decades more. Transport is the big challenge, but also here a gradual transfer to non-fossil fuel is happening, and in a few years Volvo will probably no longer produce fossil-fuel based cars. Serbia is blessed with the world’s greatest deposits of lithium, which are used in making batteries. I believe this will be a great asset if used strategically when departing from fossil fuels, in for example energy production, which is a necessity implied in the recent “Green Deal” initiative launched by the European Union. The Serbian public recently had the opportunity to see an exhibition devoted to Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat, businessman and humanist. Which events would you recommend to the Serbian public in the weeks and months ahead? - The exhibition about Raoul Wallenberg, entitled “To me there’s no other choice”, has been shown in six cities in Serbia to date and has been at the core of many workshops about values and civil courage with young people. Being Sweden’s special envoy in Budapest between July and December 1944, Wallenberg issued security passports and protected Jews in buildings designated as Swedish territory, thereby saving thousands of lives. Our project partner, the Centre for Developing Children’s Right to Culture - C31, has done a tremendous job in involving young people in primary and secondary schools in Bečej, Zrenjanin, Šabac, Kragujevac, Belgrade and Smederevo in values-based dialogues highlighting that everybody is a hero and can make a change. The exhibition will conclude its tour in Smederevo on 20th February. For us, activities of this type are very important, as the Swedish Government will hold a conference in Malmö on 26th–27th October 2020 aimed at combating anti-Semitism and passing on the memory of the Holocaust. Just recently, I handed over an invitation from Swedish Prime Minister Löfvén to President Vučić to take part in the conference. I also think the Serbian public might be interested in a series of public dialogues called “Serbia 2030 – what is our path?”, organised jointly by Nova Ekonomija, Vreme, Danas, Beta, Fonet, Juzne vesti and TV N1, and supported by Sweden within its Drive for Democracy programme. These public dialogues will be held once a month until June, and topics have been chosen that are considered as being of great importance to Serbia’s future.

The “mini Schengen” initiative of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania should be welcomed as an enterprise that resembles the Nordic approach to cooperation

Nordic countries are said to be among the regions that will be strongly hit by climate change, which also applies to our region. What we can learn from your example in fighting climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss? - I believe each country has its own specific situation, and one cannot always apply solutions in other countries. Sweden is preparing

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DENMARK What can be learned from Denmark

How The Danish Food Industry Produces MORE WITH LESS? The agri and food industry is a major industrial sector in Denmark. Around 20 % of total industrial turnover still comes from the food industry and that places the sector in a remarkable position seen from a global perspective. Denmark is recognised globally for its sustainable food production. Both customers and producers are dedicated to leaving a better world for future generations. The Danish food cluster is home to one of the most sustainable and least polluting productions in the world. When doing business with the Danish food cluster, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find a wealth of experience and knowhow within resource efficiency and discover how to produce more with less â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while actually saving money. Throughout the Danish food production chain, you can find innovative, new solutions for a world that soon has to feed nine billion people. Denmark is also among the happiest and most satisfied nations on earth! 24

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ompared to other countries on a similar level of economic Financially, cooperatives have a unique construction: Cooperatives are development Denmark has an extremely important agriculture owned by the members – by the farmers - but the financial contribution is and agribusiness sector. Danish agri and food cooperatives rather limited. Because farmers agree to deliver their production to the seem to have been successful in obtaining international comcooperative, the need for capital in the cooperative is reduced. In a way, petitiveness. The transformation and the structural development of the farmers’ commitment to deliver their production to the cooperative is the cooperative sector has more or less been completed. In Denmark, the major contribution and support from the farmers, and indeed a stable cooperatives play a major role in the agri and food industry - especially supply from the farmers, is a very important asset for any company. in sectors close to the farmers in the food chain. Cooperatives have In this way cooperatives need less capital, and the farmers can be ownsucceeded in building up greater market power to strengthen the ers of their own cooperative company without adding huge capital input. marketing of farmers’ products. The lessons learned by Danish agriculture and cooperatives might The development of the industrial structure among Danish agribenefit farmers and cooperatives in foreign countries - in several ways. cooperatives has been very rapid during the latest decades. Through First of all, the cooperative movement is based on the principle of mergers and acquisitions the number of firms has fallen dramatically, supporting one another and other cooperatives. The transfer of knowledge and the result has been increasing concentration ratios in almost all and support to build up new cooperatives in e.g. developing countries is groups of the food industry. Structural development, concentration and completely in line with the values and ideas of the cooperative movement. globalisation in recent decades have Secondly, Danish cooperatives take resulted in the agri and food companies part in the globalisation process through now being among the largest in Europe. export and increasingly also through To a large extent, agriculture all over the foreign direct investment, global strateworld faces similar problems and chalgic alliances, foreign joint-ventures etc. lenges. For this reason, it is essential Partnerships with companies or group of that knowhow, experiences and lessons farmers in foreign countries are common, can be transferred and adopted by agand the concept of such cooperation is riculture in other countries around the that all partners are supposed to benefit. world. In many ways, the experience and Thirdly, Danish cooperatives and the success behind Danish agriculture Danish agribusiness have developed and and agribusiness can be transferred to strengthened their structure, competitiveother countries. ness and market power in many decades, However, profound studies of specific and farmers from other countries - whose needs and conditions are necessary. The DENMARK SUPPORTS SMALL FARMERS IN VIETNAM agribusiness sector is less developed - can transfer of knowledge from Danish agri copy or learn from the Danish experiences. and food businesses can take place through jointThe process of developing agribusiness often has ventures or foreign investments, in which mutual and to go through similar stages, so companies at an equal benefit is obvious. However, the transfer of early stage are more or less able to learn from the knowledge can also be facilitated by development experiences of companies at a later stage. assistance from industrialized countries. Fourthly, the combination of a highly competitive For decades, Danish agriculture and agribusiagribusiness and a dominance of cooperatives is a ness have been characterised by a high market unique case, from which lessons from successes and share for cooperatives and strong international failures can be learned. Researchers, consultants competitiveness. The structure of companies in and farmers from many countries study the Danish the sector has, to a high degree, been export and cooperatives in agribusiness in order to learn and globally oriented. Also, in a global perspective, the copy from the Danish experiences. world market shares, the competitive strengths and the size of cooperative The Danish food industry is dominated by two major branches – the food companies etc. in Denmark is remarkable. dairy and meat industries - which account for more than 50 % of the turnoCooperatives have succeeded in building up more market power to ver for the sector. The export orientation has been high for many years, strengthen the marketing of farmers’ products. By pooling products in larger almost dating back to the beginning of the 20th Century. In general, about and larger cooperatives, the market position has improved, and managing 60-70 % of agricultural production is exported, which indicates strong the globalisation process has been facilitated. Barriers to globalisation international competitiveness. have been avoided as the big cooperatives had resources and products Today, Danish companies are in the top 3 in several important sectors to invest in international marketing. in the agri and food business in Europe. The result is remarkable considerCooperatives are recognized as being structurally robust in many ing that Denmark accounts for less than 0.5 % of the total economically areas. Vertical integration, traceability, supply management etc., give active population within agriculture in Europe, and less than 0.7 % of the cooperatives a competitive advantage. Many cooperatives have proved total agricultural land in Europe. to be extremely competitive having a high quality management and busiSource: Study ’Economical benefits ness administration. of using precision agriculture technology’

Structural development, concentration and globalisation in recent decades have resulted in agri and food companies now being among the largest in Europe

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FINLAND What can be learned from Finland

EDUCATION SYSTEM - One Of The Best In The World Finland's education system is considered one of the best education systems in the world. It has been a top performer since the first Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) triennial international survey back in 2000. Finland's education system works because its entire structure has been around several core principles. First and foremost, equal access to education is a constitutional right. Another important principle is that one should be allowed to choose their educative path, which should never lead to a dead end. Learners can always continue their studies on an upper level of education

2017 article published in the Smithsonian reported, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ninety-three percent of Finns graduate from academic or vocational high schools, 17.5 percentage points higher than the United States, and 66 percent go on to higher education, the highest rate in the European Union. Yet Finland spends about 30 percent less per student than the United States!â&#x20AC;?

Education is one of the cornerstones of the Finnish welfare society. Finish educational system offers equal opportunities for education for all. Education from pre-primary to higher education is free of charge in Finland. The new core curricula for pre-primary and basic education adopted in 2016 focus on learning, not steering. Finnish teachers are highly educated and strongly committed to their work.

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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) combines education, teaching and care in a systematic and goal-oriented manner. The goal of ECEC is to promote children’s development, health and wellbeing as well as to improve children’s opportunities for learning. Local authorities, i.e. municipalities, are responsible for providing ECEC for children under school age. A client fee is charged for early childhood education and care. The fee is determined on the basis of the family’s income and size and the time that the child spends in ECEC. The National Curriculum Guidelines on Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland, approved by the Finnish National Agency for Education, guide the planning and implementation of the contents of ECEC and function as the basis for drawing up the local ECEC curricula. PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION The goal of pre-primary education is to improve children’s opportunities for learning and development. Pre-primary education plays an important part in the continuum stretching from early childhood education and care to basic education. Since 2015, participation in pre-primary education has been compulsory for all children in Finland. Pre-primary education is provided free of charge. The person who has custody of a child must ensure that the child participates in preprimary education or other corresponding activities meeting the objectives set for pre-primary education. The National Core Curriculum for Pre-Primary Education, approved by the Finnish National Agency for Education, guides the planning of the contents of pre-primary education and functions as the basis for drawing up the local curricula. BASIC EDUCATION The nine-year basic education, or comprehensive school, is compulsory for all children aged between 7 and 16. Compulsory education begins in the year during which a child turns seven and ends when the basic education syllabus has been completed or when ten years have lapsed since the beginning of the compulsory education. Every child permanently residing in Finland must attend compulsory education. Basic education is free of charge. Free school meals are also provided. In 2015, there were around 2,500 schools providing basic education in Finland. Comprehensive schools are maintained by the local authorities (municipalities) and other education providers. Less than two per cent of comprehensive school pupils go to a private or state school. GENERAL OR VOCATIONAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION After comprehensive school, students continue to the upper secondary level and choose between general and vocational education. General upper secondary education (lukio in Finnish) provides, as its name suggests, general education. It does not qualify students for any particular occupation. At the end of general upper secondary school, students take a national school-leaving examination known as the Finnish matriculation examination. Those who pass the examination are eligible to apply for further studies at universities, universities of applied sciences and vocational institutions. General upper secondary education usually takes three years to complete. Vocational qualifications include upper

secondary qualifications, further qualifications and specialist qualifications. Vocational upper secondary qualifications provide the basic skills required in the field. Further and specialist vocational qualifications enable people to develop their skills at different stages of their career. The scope of vocational upper secondary qualifications is usually 180 ECVET points, further qualifications 150 points and specialist qualifications 180 points. At the beginning of vocational education and training, the student and the institution draw up a personal competence development plan for the student, outlining the content, schedule and methods of study. Vocational education and training can also be delivered in workplaces through an apprenticeship agreement or a training agreement. Prior learning acquired in various ways can be recognised as part of the studies. Both young people and adults can apply for vocational education and training. Graduates are eligible to apply for further studies at universities or universities of applied sciences. FINNISH HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM The mission of universities is to conduct scientific research and provide education based on it. Universities of applied sciences (UAS) provide more practical education that aims to respond to the needs of the labour market. Universities, offering higher scientific and artistic education, award Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as well as postgraduate degrees, i.e. licentiate and doctoral degrees. Universities of applied sciences award UAS Bachelor’s degrees and UAS Master’s degrees. The target completion time for a Bachelor’s degree at a university is three years and for a Master’s degree two years on top of that. The completion of a UAS degree takes usually between 3.5 and 4.5 years. The requirement for Master’s studies at a university of applied sciences is a UAS Bachelors’ degree or another suitable degree and at least three years of work experience after the completion of the previous degree. ADULT EDUCATION AND TRAINING Adult education and training encompasses education leading to a qualification, degree studies, training preparing for competence-based qualifications, apprenticeship training, further and continuing education updating and extending the professional skills, studies in subjects relating to citizenship skills, working life skills and society, and studies in different crafts and subjects on a recreational basis. Adult education and training can either be paid for by the student himself or herself or it can be apprenticeship training, labour policy education, or staff-development and other training provided or purchased by employers. Adult education and training is provided by educational institutions mainly providing education for young people, educational institutions providing only adult education, private companies, and workplaces (staff-development). Finland has vastly improved in reading, math and science literacy over the past decade in large part because its teachers are trusted to do whatever it takes to turn young lives around. Source: Finnish National Agency For Education 27

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NORWAY What can be learned from Norway

Most Inclusive AND ADVANCED ECONOMY Norway is one of the world’s most prosperous countries, and oil and gas production account for 20 percent of its economy. Other important sectors include hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. State revenues from petroleum are deposited in the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. Unemployment is low, but an aging population could prove challenging in the future

orway’s economic freedom score is 73.0, making its economy the 26th freest in the 2019 Index. Its overall score has decreased by 1.3 points, with lower scores for judicial effectiveness, trade freedom, and government spending outweighing modest improvements in monetary freedom and the tax burden. Norway is ranked 15th among 44 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages. Norway’s rich endowment of natural resources and vibrant private

sector have funded a large state sector and extensive social safety net without disrupting economic stability. Although oil prices are recovering, the drop in investment after the global oil shock underscored the need for economic diversification. The government has identified the aluminum industry, health care, fisheries, and green technology as potential areas for growth. Norway’s business environment benefits from monetary stability and an independent judicial system that provides strong protection of property rights.

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The small Nordic country of five million people does things differently. It has the lowest income inequality in the world, helped by a mix of policies that support education and innovation. It also channels the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, which manages its oil and gas revenues, into long-term economic planning. Norway has managed to translate economic growth into high and rising living standards, with a GDP per capita of $89,741, well above the average of $44,656 for 30 advanced economies. Although the cost of living is also high in Norway, when adjusted for purchasing power parity it still has the highest median income of the economies, at $60.4 per person per day. How does it achieve this? Like the other Nordic countries, Norway does not have a statutory minimum wage, but 70% of its workers are covered by collective agreements which specify wage floors. Furthermore, 54% of paid workers are members of unions, compared to 11% in the United States and 25% in the United Kingdom. Overall, Norway tops the employment part the index, both in terms of how accessible and stable employment is, and how well workers are paid. Inclusiveness goes beyond employment to take into account other key factors such as education, efforts to close the gender gap and the carbon intensity of its economy. On the education front, Norway comes in second on our index for the quality of the schooling it delivers, while it also tops PISA’s Social Inclusion Index, a measure of how socio-economically diverse its schools are. The government has prioritised education as a means to diversify its economy and foster higher and more inclusive growth. It promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, along with vocational and entrepreneurial skills. This year, it has launched a five-year Masters course for teachers, aimed at raising the quality of teaching and raising the status of the profession. In the business sphere, it runs a Research Based Innovation (BIA) programme allowing companies to apply for Research and Development (R&D) grants as long as value is created not only for

the company but for society too. Similarly, the SkatteFUNN R&D tax incentive scheme offers a tax credit to encourage R&D spending by Norwegian companies. Norway does consistently well at closing the gender gap – whether on access to education, labour force participation or income. The ratio of women to men in the job market is 0.95, while the ratio of female to male earned income is 0.79. Norway ranks fourth out of 30 advanced economies on both counts. Back in 2003, Norway imposed a gender quota obliging companies to ensure at least 40% of board members were women. Norway provides early childhood education and care for children from zero to five years of age, while parents are legally entitled to place their children in kindergartens from the age of one. The Norwegian state heavily subsidies childcare, capping fees and using means-testing so that places are affordable, although some parents report difficulty in finding an available place. Kindergartens focus on seven areas of learning, including language, numbers, creativity, nature and ethics. Since 2013, Norway has provided for 49 weeks of parental leave at full pay (or 59 weeks at 80% of earnings). Additionally, mothers and fathers must take at least 14 weeks off each after the birth of a child. On the environmental front, although Norway has historically benefitted from selling fossil fuel reserves, some 98% of its energy production currently comes from renewable sources, mainly hydropower. Other policies include support for electric vehicles which means that half of all new cars bought in Norway are electric or hybrid. Overall, Norway has identified the weaknesses that its economy is exposed to – such as oil price shocks – and harnessed its natural strengths to deliver broad-based growth, employment and high living standards through long-term policies. Calls for inclusive growth have mounted. While Norway is more fortunate than most, it does offer some valuable lessons to policymakers from other parts of the world.

Norway has managed to translate economic growth into high and rising living standards, with a GDP per capita of $89,741, well above the average of $44,656 for 30 advanced economies

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SWEDEN What Can Be Learned From Sweden

Sustainable And DYNAMIC EXPORT Swedish exports are a linchpin of the economy that create growth, employment and increased prosperity. By exporting and importing goods and services, Sweden’s business sector has been able to grow strongly far outside of the country’s borders and to take advantage of the global marketplace

he combined value of Swedish exports and imports is equal to 86.4 per cent of GDP. The average applied tariff rate is 2.0 per cent. Sweden implements a number of EU-directed nontariff trade barriers including technical and product-specific regulations, subsidies, and quotas. Open-market policies that sustain flexibility and competitiveness facilitate large flows of investment. A public-private partnership is at the core of “the Swedish model” and co-creation is encouraged everywhere. This

unique focus is seen as key for solving the challenges Sweden is faces and is also widely regarded as a major factor behind Sweden’s long and robust annual growth. It has also allowed Sweden to create a world class tech industry, made them a global leader in digitalization and to put sustainability as an integral part in everything that’s done. This makes them an attractive partner for co-creating solutions for the future; a business-critical competitive advantage in an increasingly purpose-driven world.

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ATLANTIC PORT OF GOTHENBURG

hours worked to such an extent that we achieve the lowest The World Economic Forum ranks Sweden among the top unemployment rate in Europe by the year 2020. The export ten most competitive countries in the world. Sweden is also industry already directly and indirectly employs over 1.3 milone of the easiest countries in the world to do business with, lion people in Sweden. according to the World Bank. With the current trends in economic globalization, proA key feature of the Swedish economy is its openness moting exports has become a common strategy to boost and liberal approach to trade and doing business. Sweden has economic growth. Exports of environmental technologies traditionally been an export-orientated nation, and typically represent a new window of opportunity for economic growth maintains a trade surplus, i.e. the value of goods and services and a contribution to global sustainability. With this in mind, it exports is greater than the value of imports. Swedish government have designed initiatives that aim to Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource promote exports within this sector. To address their objecbase of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. tives, governments provide initiatives to promote foreign Sweden’s engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and commerce with their environmental technology sector. exports. Telecommunications, the automotive industry and Sweden’s new export strategy has the pharmaceutical industries are also of been developed in close collaboration great importance. Main export partners The World Economic Forum with the business sector. In the strategy, are Germany, United States and Norway. the Government addresses the challenges In addition to maintaining competitive- ranks Sweden among the top ness in goods and manufacturing, growth ten most competitive countries faced by Swedish exports with a large number of concrete measures. in contemporary service sectors such as in the world. Sweden is also Trade is driven by the business sector, information and communications technolbut the State can provide support and ogy (ICT) has been strong in Sweden. one of the easiest countries in complement the market. However, the Sweden’s present economic and social prosperity was built on the lessons the world to do business with, State does not have unlimited resources learned from the financial crisis in the early according to the World Bank and thus has to priorities so that support is provided where it is most beneficial. 1990s. Governments pursued reforms The State’s promotion of the business sector’s exports and and fiscal sustainability became institutionalized. Stable internationalization will, within the scope of the EU’s rules economic policies combine with competitiveness, innovation governing state aid, rectify those market failures that surand an open approach to trade to make Sweden a model for round international trade by supporting small and mediumeconomic success. sized enterprises with: The Swedish Government’s overall goal is to increase • Information about exporting and internationalization the number of people in employment and the number of 31

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Given Sweden’s population of 10 million people, its total • Information about individual export markets $166 billion in 2018 exports translates to roughly $16,500 for • Information about export promotion in the form of every resident in Sweden. guarantees and funding solutions In macroeconomic terms, Sweden’s total exported goods • Contacts with buyers, procurers and decision makers represent 30.6% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for • combined presentations of Swedish solutions and 2018 ($542 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US experiences dollars). That 30.6% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for • help with bureaucratic barriers to trade. 2018 compares to 36.5% for 2014, seeming to indicate a From a continental perspective, 71.6% of Swedish exports relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on internaby value were delivered to European countries while 13.2% tional markets for Sweden’s total economic performance. t were sold to Asian importers. Sweden shipped another 7.6% is interesting to note that Sweden also to North America. Smaller percentages provided $73.1 billion worth of exportswent to buyers in Africa (1.8%), Latin Sweden’s new export related services to global customers for America (1.4%) excluding Mexico but strategy has been developed an additional 13.5% of GDP in PPP. These including the Caribbean, and Oceania (1.2%) led by Australia. in close collaboration with the metrics include a significant amount of re-exporting activity. Sweden’s top 10 exports accounted Another key indicator of a country’s for almost three-quarters (72.3%) of business sector. In the strategy, the overall value of its global shipments. the Government addresses the economic performance is its unemployment rate. Sweden’s unemployment rate • Machinery including computers: challenges faced by Swedish was 6.8% at May 2019 up from 6.5% one $27.1 billion (16.4% of total exports) • Vehicles: $24.9 billion (15%) exports with a large number year earlier. There were on average 5 132 000 employed persons aged 15–74 in 2019, • Electrical machinery, equipment: of concrete measures 34 000 more than in 2018. There were 373 $14.9 billion (9%) 000 unemployed persons, up by 28 000. • Mineral fuels including oil: $13.2 This corresponds to an unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent, billion (8%) 0.5 percentage points higher than in 2018. Youth unemploy• Paper, paper items: $9 billion (5.4%) ment increased by 2.6 percentage points and amounted to • Pharmaceuticals: $8.7 billion (5.2%) 20.0 per cent. • Iron, steel: $7.3 billion (4.4%) The number of underemployed persons increased for • Plastics, plastic articles: $5.7 billion (3.5%) the first time since 2013. The same is true for the number of • Fish: $4.7 billion (2.9%) latent job seekers. • Wood: $4.3 billion (2.6%) 32

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KSENIJA PURKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE NORDIC BUSINESS ALLIANCE

INTERVIEW

DIALOGUE IS CRUCIAL

Photo: Anđela Grozdanić

In Hard Times

We believe that good policies come as a result of permanent dialogue and trust between the public and private sectors. That is especially so now – when the global pandemic is changing the way we work and live. Our cooperation, trust and dialogue are essential

gether. How are these principles applied when it comes owadays, when the world is witnessing a viral to the Nordic engagement in Serbia? outbreak that’s unprecedented in the modern - Members of the Nordic Business Alliance in Serbia history of the world, the Nordic Business Alligather around the core Nordic principles, such as transance is contributing actively to the continuing parency, cooperation, innovation and corporate social efforts of the Government and ad-hoc bodies aimed at responsibility, regardless of their country of origin. helping Serbian society cope with the consequences Our members are Nordic, but also other international of the Covid-19 crisis. Although it is obvious that the and local companies gathered around those core valassociation’s initial plans developed for 2020 will go ues. In practical terms, we strive to through some changes in scheduling, the good dialogue already the major topics that the Alliance is Members of the NBA in Serbia maintain established with the Government on working on won’t be changed, says gather around core Nordic topics such as the environment, digital Nordic Business Alliance President technologies, innovation and tourism. Ksenija Purković. principles - transparency, We believe that good policies come cooperation, innovation and as a result of permanent dialogue and Nordic countries and companies cooperate very well and often act to- corporate social responsibility trust between the public and private 33

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Photo: Anđela Grozdanić

Although the Covid-19 pandemic will impact on our work in 2020, our mission and strategic goals will remain the same, and they are related to environmental protection, ICT and healthcare

sectors. Especially now - when the global pandemic is changing the way we work and live - our cooperation, trust and dialogue are essential. Luckily, we can work and communicate digitally, which will hopefully minimise the impact of the pandemic outbreak. If we take the example of the Nordic Days event, how do you decide which topics are important to be pursued? Which of them are in your focus in 2020? - Our goals for 2020 are a result of deep internal consultations among members. Taking into account the interests and structure of our members, we have decided to launch several working groups. Those groups will promote good practices in the areas and interests of our members. The Nordic Business Alliance in Serbia has established several working groups in this regard: the Task Force for Environmental Protection, Waste and Renewable Energy; the Task Force for ICT – Information and Communication Technologies; the Task Force for Healthcare and Public Health. Of course, we are fully aware that the Covid-19 pandemic will impact on our work in 2020 and that we 34

will most likely have to recalibrate our activities for this year. Nevertheless, our mission and strategic goals will remain the same. Considering that Nordic countries are among the most advanced, both in terms of innovation and, for example, in education, how do you relay acquired knowledge and knowhow with your Serbian counterparts? One example of the use of digitalisation and innovation for good is related to healthcare in Nordic countries. Which of those solutions can be applied in Serbia? - New technologies and innovation are things for which Nordic countries are famous. Innovation is spread over practically all parts of society – business, public services, transport, tourism, environmental protection and, of course, healthcare. We had several opportunities during 2019 to communicate good practices and the benefits of innovation to institutions - sometimes via more private platforms organised by the embassies of Nordic countries in Serbia, but also via conferences like the one entitled Innovation and Digitalisation in the Serbian Healthcare Sector, which was held at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in November last year. This conference was supported by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia, and we had a fruitful debate on the integration of both digital technologies and innovation into the Serbian healthcare sector. I also have to note that last year was

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relatively good for innovative pharmaceutical companies in Serbia, as more innovative medications found a route to patients thanks to the decision of the National Health Insurance Fund of Serbia, and we also salute the efforts of the state to embrace more innovative medications in the upcoming period. How does this impact on the work of pharmaceutical companies when it comes to bringing new solutions to the Serbian market? How would you assess the level of cooperation with the Serbian government vis-à-vis these initiatives? - As previously pointed out, we see more progress in cooperation and dialogue in general. Within the NBA we have three innovative pharmaceutical companies and have been maintaining a constant dialogue with institutions, both individually and collectively, throughout the year. We are aware that introducing innovative medications requires additional funds. Nevertheless, we believe that the wellbeing of patients and benefits to society outweigh the financial pressure in this case. The dialogue also ensures that we are listening to the needs of institutions and the community, and we are trying to respond adequately when possible. We are nowadays witnessing a viral outbreak that’s unprecedented in the modern history of the world, and we know that in such difficult times we need to be there for society. During these days we are consulting

Photo: Anđela Grozdanić

Last year was relatively good for innovative pharmaceutical companies in Serbia, and we also salute the efforts of the state to embrace more innovative medications in the upcoming period

actively with the Government and ad-hoc bodies to help in coping with the medical consequences of the crisis. As a female who chairs a major business alliance, how often do you see businesswomen occupying leading positions in Serbia? How do we fare compared with the level of equality in Nordic companies? - It is a pleasure to be at the helm of the NBA. I am also happy to tell you that, even in our board of governors, ladies usually represent the majority in meetings. Female empowerment is essential for the NBA, but even beyond that I believe that women still need to be more empowered to take on leading roles in society. Although there are successful women in the Serbian corporate world, we can do better. According to the EU Gender-Equality Index, Scandinavian countries top the list when it comes to gender equality in general. Serbia, on the other hand, is doing better than some EU member states, which means it isn’t that bad. According to some information I came across recently, females hold around 30 per cent of all managerial positions in Serbia. We can certainly do better than that! 35

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Nordic culture and society have been having a bit of a moment internationally. Entire books have been written about the concept of hygge, and various Nordic words have been doing the rounds (lagom and kalsarikännit being rather different examples)

MYTHS

About Nordic Society

t seems that the Nordic countries are being noticed for more than just woolly socks and buzzwords, though. The “Nordic model” and Scandinavian society are being referenced by politicians and commentators more and more. In Europe, the Nordic countries are often brought up either as examples of successful welfare states – or as areas that breed depression and isolation simply by

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NORDIC PEOPLE DO NOT LIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

NORDIC PEOPLE ARE THE HAPPIEST IN THE WORLD

virtue of geography. As is often the The majority of people across volcano. The rest of the Nordic countries are not too far behind (88, 87, 85 case though, the truth is more nuanced the Nordic countries live and 82 per cent for Denmark, Sweden, than is often portrayed. in urban areas these days. Finland and Norway, respectively). Picture a Nordic home. Chances So, while Nordic cities and towns are you see a small red cottage with In Iceland, the proportion are fairly small on a global scale a pile of firewood outside – perhaps of city dwellers is a rather high (Stockholm’s metropolitan area is with a fjord or a forest in the distance at 94%, though you’re the largest in the Nordic region with and the calm of the countryside all 2.4 million inhabitants), the vast maaround, adding to the cosy atmosphere. never that far from a hot jority of Nordic people do not live in It is true that the populations of spring or a volcano. The rest the countryside. But you’re never too the Nordic countries are not very large relative to the size of the countries of the Nordic countries are far from a lake to jump into, a forest to wander in or a fell to climb. themselves. Iceland has a populaListening to some of the comtion density of 3.4 people per square not too far behind (88, 87, 85 kilometre. Denmark is fairly densely and 82 per cent for Denmark, ments popping up in the North-Amerdialogue about Nordic societies, populated (134.76/km2 – although the Sweden, Finland and Norway, ican you might be forgiven for thinking that UK still has twice as many people per respectively) they are all single-party dictatorships square kilometre – 270.7). Sweden, where you get assigned a job, a place Finland and Norway are all relatively to live and a haircut. sparsely populated (23, 16 and 13.8 people per square At times, the European media seem to paint a pickilometre, respectively). ture of blissful socialist societies with flawless social With stats like these, you might well think that evesecurity systems and schools that have done away with ryone has a fjord or a forest for a back garden. However, classrooms, tests and bullying altogether. the majority of people across the Nordic countries live The success of the workers’ movement and the social in urban areas these days. In Iceland, the proportion of democratic parties did shape the Nordic region in the city dwellers is a rather high at 94% – the same as Puerto 20th century. In Sweden, the local social democratic party Rico – though you’re never that far from a hot spring or a 37

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PEOPLE IN FITNESS COURSE NORDIC WALKING IN NATURE

ESPLANADE PARK IN HELSINKI, FINLAND

While all Nordic countries have a history that involves pivotal healthcare, social security and educational reforms pushed through by social democratic parties in the 20 century, the power of the social democrats is certainly not what it was in the past

was in power from 1932 to 1976, which allowed it to introduce significant social reforms, during a period which came to be known as Folkhemmet (“the people’s home”). Folkhemmet was not so much a socialist utopia as it was a compromise between capitalism and socialism, and reliant on the practice of consensus in politics and th society at large. Looking at Nordic governments today, the social democratic parties are certainly still a driving force – even if their glory days seem behind them. Norway has a centre-right coalition government – Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg is from the Conservative Party. Denmark’s social democrats have just won the largest share of the vote in the country’s latest election and are looking to form a broad coalition with ideas from both the left (a stronger welfare state) and the right (an even tougher immigration policy). Iceland’s coalition government includes parties from the left to the right and it is headed by Katrín Jakobsdóttir of the Left-Green Movement. At the moment, both Sweden and Finland have a PM from a social democratic party. Sweden’s government is a minority leftgreen coalition government and Finland’s has just announced a left-green-centre coalition government after tough negotiations. Like elsewhere in the world, the Nordic political map has 38

been shaped by the rise of new right-wing populist parties, which often attract voters by focusing on immigration and nationalism. In Sweden, the Swedish Democrats, whose Eurosceptic, antiimmigration and socially conservative agenda got them 17.5% of the vote in the latest election in 2018, are in opposition, largely because most major parties refused to negotiate with them. While all Nordic countries have a history that involves pivotal healthcare, social security and educational reforms pushed through by social democratic parties in the 20th century, the power of the social democrats is certainly not what it was in the past. A common stereotype about the Nordic countries is the idea that, as they are plunged into darkness half the year, depression is rife and suicide rates are extremely high. This is something that is hard to measure: misreporting and inaccurate statistics mean that global rates are not entirely reliable. It does seem that current suicide rates in the Nordic countries are relatively low on the global scale, although they do make it into the top 100 according to the WHO: Finland is in 32nd place and Iceland in 40th place (Sweden, Norway and Denmark are in 51st, 74th and 89th place, respectively). However, this is not the whole picture. Greenland is not included on this list as it is not an independent country, but an

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exactly central to the Nordic identity. According to the United Nations, happiness is about wellbeing: income (GDP per capita), social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and the absence of corruption. It’s hard to argue with GDP or life expectancy figures. Apart from these facts, the survey also takes into account “national averages of positive and negative affect” – that is, people’s emotional experiences. Gallup conducted a survey of positive and negative emotions (e.g. experiencing respect, pain or worry or feeling well-rested or sad) in which the Nordic countries did not score anywhere near the top (the top three comprised Paraguay, Panama and Guatemala). It seems that people in the Nordic countries feel comparatively safe, if not enamoured with their existence. As long as “happy” does not mean “ecstatic” or “joyful”, Nordic people can be as content with the term as they (generally) are with their lives.

COPENHAGEN, CITY OF CYCLISTS

autonomous constituent country under Denmark. The suicide rate in Greenland began to rise in the 1970s and it is now the highest in the world. The rates in other Nordic territories have fallen considerably in recent decades – Finland’s was among the worst in the world only a few decades ago. It seems that societal changes might go further to explaining depression and suicide rates than climate – according to studies, the spring peak is a widely spread phenomenon on a global scale (and seems to be related to the change in temperature). NORDIC PEOPLE ARE THE HAPPIEST IN THE WORLD The World Happiness Report was first published in 2012 and the Nordic countries have featured heavily in the top 10 every year since. In the 2019 report, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland occupy the first four places, with Sweden in seventh place. The reactions in the Nordic countries themselves have been somewhat mixed – of course people have it good, but “happy”, really? Being cheerful and happy-go-lucky isn’t

N O R D I C

CO U N T R I E S

REAL ESTATE IN SERBIA

2020 CONSTRUCTION : DRIVING SERBIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEVELOPMENT

www.energogroup.rs office@energogroup.rs

Serbia 2020:  ZF Pančevo, Phase 2  Mei Ta Barič, Phase 5  Ušće Tower Two Belgrade  Kneza Miloša Residence Belgrade  Barry Callebaut SEE, Novi Sad  EFW Vinča

INTERVIEW

ZORANA MIHAJLOVIÄ&#x2020; PH.D., DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA AND MINISTER OF CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Construction Will Continue Driving Serbia's Development After The Pandemic

The completion of major infrastructure projects and the launch of new ones, as well as the creation of a favourable legal framework governing construction, have served in this sector imposing itself as the most important driver of GDP growth. The Government of Serbia and the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, together with construction companies, are doing all they can to ensure the biggest infrastructure construction sites in Serbia remain active even under the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to overcome this crisis with the least possible negative consequences for the economy

he previous year was undoubtedly one that recorded positive results in Serbia in the field of infrastructure, but it was also a year in which the construction sector confirmed itself as the branch that drives Serbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic growth. Such a result did not come about by chance, but rather represents the result of implemented reforms and more effec-

April

tive public investments in infrastructure. The construction of 130 kilometres of highway was completed in 2019, of a total of 350 kilometres constructed since 2012. The construction of as many as three motorways was completed during the course of last year: the southern and eastern arms of Corridor 10 to the borders with North Macedonia and Bulgaria, while 120

kilometres of the Miloš the Great Highway was also opened to traffic. If we add to this the fact that 2019 also saw the launch of construction of the Moravian Corridor, the Sremska Rača-Kuzmin highway section, and the highway and expressway Ruma-ŠabacLoznica, as well as the Požega to Preljina section of Miloš the Great Highway, and the continuation of construction of the hi-speed railway from Belgrade to Budapest, and then add to that the project to construct around 8,000 apartments for members of the security forces, construction of the Belgrade Waterfront development, commercial projects in the real estate sector, as well as new large infrastructure projects from the “Serbia 2025” investment plan, we can expect positive trends in the construction sector to continue in the coming years.

when that growth rate stood at 13.4%, but last year it actually doubled, amounting to 35 per cent, while in some quarters it even totalled more than 50 per cent. With these kinds of results, the construction sector has imposed itself as the branch of industry with the highest growth rates in the Serbian economy. Also contributing to the growth of the con-

ning and construction, legislation, cadastral records, conversions, construction products – are reflected well in the growth of the number of active construction sites: there were approximately 1,500 construction sites active in Serbia five years ago, only for that number to total more than 56,000 in March 2020. The number of building permits issued is

FASTEST-GROWING BRANCH OF INDUSTRY Everything that’s been done in the field of infrastructure, as well as the adoption of reformist laws in the field of construction, has yielded measurable and visible effects in the construction sector’s share of GDP, the value of implemented construction works, increases in

The State has now already created the conditions to build in Serbia, both through a favourable legal framework and through investments in infrastructure, which will continue through the new “Serbia 2025” investment programme, in which investments of €9 billion – of a total of €14 billion – are planned for transport infrastructure. There is and will be work, especially for domestic companies the number of active construction sites and the number of building permits issued. The construction sector’s share of GDP totalled 3.2% in 2014, only to reach 5.7% by the end of 2019. The value of construction works implemented in 2019 is estimated to have totalled approximately 3.8 billion euros, which is more than double the value of 2013, when it amounted to approximately 1.6 billion. High growth rates for construction in 2019 followed an otherwise very good year in 2018,

struction sector – alongside the construction of highways and the modernisation of railways – is the project to build housing for members of the security forces. More than 2,000 apartments are currently under construction in six cities Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Sremska Mitrovica, while in Vranje the first residents have already been given the keys to their newly built apartments. The positive effects of numerous laws adopted in the field of construction - on plan-

also increasing year on year. A total of 7,668 building permits were issued in 2014, only for that number to increase almost threefold by 2019, to 21,856 issued building permits. MORE WORK FOR DOMESTIC CONSTRUCTION FIRMS The State has now already created the conditions to build in Serbia, both through a favourable legal framework and through investments in infrastructure, which will continue through the new “Serbia 2025” investment programme, in which investments of €9 billion – of a total of €14 billion – are planned for transport infrastructure. There is and will be work, especially for domestic companies, which need to increasingly associate mutually and further strengthen their capacities, as there is also work for the world’s best companies, from China, Russia, the U.S., the EU, Turkey and Azerbaijan, which bring the very latest knowhow and technologies to Serbia while working on large infrastructure projects.

April

the whole economy continue. At this juncture, it is estimated that losses in transport amount to around 120 million euros, including all types of traffic, with the greatest losses being experienced in air transport. It is estimated that transportation losses will amount to around 600 million euros by the end of the year. The Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure issued a recommendation for all investors to do everything possible to maintain the level of activity on construction sites in the implementation of infrastructure projects, the construction, renewal and reconstruction of roads and railways, in the field of housing construction, municipal infrastructure and other works, while it is obligatory for all investors to provide workers with all necessary protection When it comes to private investors, including in the real estate sector, in addition to general political and economic stability, their interest in investing in Serbia is further enhanced by the country’s ratings on the Ease of Doing Business Index for 2019, especially in the area of building permits, where Serbia today ranks ninth in the world, after being ranked 176th in 2014. Alongside the reform of building permits, for which Serbia is already recognised worldwide, other reforms are underway in the field of construction. One of the most significant is the reform of cadastral records, under the scope of which it has been made possible to register a property in one place, with a public notary, instead of touring the counters of several institutions. The end goal of this reform is for the cadastral record to function fully electronically. The reform of spatial planning, e-prostor [e-space], should enable the introduction of an electronic data exchange system between holders of public jurisdictions in the process of preparing planning documents. This practically means that the process of a unified procedure, like the kind we have with building permits, will be applied in the process of drafting planning documents. The end goal is to consolidate, within the framework of e-prostor, information from the real estate cadastral records and planning documents, in order for this information to be made publicly available, also in electronic form, in such a way that information can be obtained

April

Even during the state of emergency we will maintain regular communication with all investors on the largest infrastructure projects in the country, in order for us to successfully traverse this difficult time together, and we will be ready and open to hear all their problems, as well as their proposals for measures and suggestions for each cadastral plot regarding the possibilities and limitations of construction, i.e. restrictions against construction in the case of protected areas under certain protection regimes or land not earmarked for construction. SHARED BATTLE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC The construction sector in Serbia is nonetheless not immune to global shocks, such as the Corona virus, which has disrupted plans for the functioning of all countries where it has appeared. The Serbian Government responded in a timely manner to the problems caused by the Corona virus epidemic in Serbia, in order for us to preserve the health of workers, but also to ensure that the largest infrastructure construction sites in Serbia remain active and that the implementation of major infrastructure projects that are significant to Serbia’s GDP and

against the Corona virus, in accordance with the decisions of the Government of Serbia. Even during the state of emergency we will maintain regular communication with all investors on the largest infrastructure projects in the country, in order for us to successfully traverse this difficult time together, and we will be ready and open to hear all their problems, as well as their proposals for measures and suggestions, which both the Government and the Ministry will consider most seriously. Just as we achieved significant results for Serbia in the field of infrastructure and construction by working together in the previous period, I believe that we will also overcome this current crisis by working together, and that we will enable the construction sector to remain – both during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and after it passes – the branch of industry that is the main driver of the development and growth of the Serbian economy. ■

MIA ZEČEVIĆ, NOVASTON CEO BUSINESS

We're Expanding In The Sectors Of Office Spaces And Logistics From the very inception of the company, all the way to the creation of the Novaston platform with five companies, at Novaston Asset Management they have insisted on quality and expertise in the professional management and maintenance of business facilities. It was that way at the beginning and remains the case today, when Novaston is conquering new markets

s CEO Mia Zečević explains, in order to be competitive at all times and to provide a personalised approach, creativity and innovation to every client on each of the demanding markets in which the company operates, all Novaston employees constantly advance through professional courses and training. • Your company has grown into a platform with a team of 60 employees based in Serbia and Croatia. On what major projects are you currently engaged? - We started with the Novaston Asset Management firm and five employees, while today our platform includes in its framework Novaston Project Management, Novaston Facility Management, Novaston Marketing Consultancy and Novaston Croatia. Over the past two years, our company has been a significant part of the development of the retail segment. Our experts participated in the opening of large shopping centres – Promenada in Novi Sad and Ada Mall in Belgrade – and we’ve provided project management and publishing mediation services, as well as marketing. We were also engaged in the opening of the STOP SHOP retail park in Sremska Mitrovica, while NMC and NPM participated in the rebranding of former Shoppy outlets in Subotica, Borča and Smederevo. • You have announced the coming expansion of your operations in the sectors of business premises and logistics. In this sense, when will

Belgrade be able to approach regional capitals? - Yes, viewed strategically, our goal in the period ahead is to focus our activities on the business premises and logistics sectors. Our team of experienced experts has already positioned itself with the offer of a complete service in the field of real estate sales and management (with an emphasis on modern retail centres), ongoing and investment maintenance, projects for constructing and furnishing modern office space. The development of the business premises sector in Serbia is progressing very dynamically, with leasing prices at a record level, although real estate sales are rarely realised. The offer of modern office space totals approximately 800,000m2 - Class A. The vacancy rate is below five per cent, while we expect that rate to be at the level of 6-9% in the coming period, due to the

facilities have been constructed in Serbia since 2000. Company CTP Invest is today building logistics and manufacturing facilities at several locations, while it is currently in the construction phase of the largest industrial park in Serbia - CTPark Belgrade North. • You have also positioned yourself firmly on the Croatian market. Do you have plans for BosniaHerzegovina, Montenegro and the territory of Kosovo? - Last year was crucial for our positioning on the Croatian market. And there we are also a strategic partner in expanding the portfolio of the STOP SHOP retail park of Austrian company IMMOFINANZ, which is one of our most important clients. We also cooperate with NEPI Rockcastle, the investors who purchased the Arena Centre and Arena Park, then

We are the exclusive partner of IKEA in the development of the Belgrade Retail Park project, covering an area of 36,000m2, the opening of which is planned for 2021 expansion of this type of real estate, as well as for leasing rates in first-class projects to be reduced. Otherwise, the business premises market in our country is still lagging slightly behind compared to the countries of the region. When it comes to the logistics sector, around a million square metres of industrial and logistics

also the SES Group, with their King Cross Jankomir project, as well as other international and local partners in Croatia. Our plans also include further development through the implementation of several projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and on the territory of Kosovo, but it is still too early to talk about that. ■

April

NEWS

SEEBBE CONSTRUCTION FAIR POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE

CLINICAL CENTRE OF VOJVODINA COMPLETING THE CLINIC FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES

The International Building Trade Fair 46th SEEBBE has been postponed due to a coronavirus pandemic to prevent further widespread of disease. This flagship event in the construction industry in the region of South-East Europe, entitled "Dreams of Basics", was to be held from 22 to 25 April 2020 in Halls 1, 1A, 2, 3, 3A, 4 and at open space of the Belgrade Fair, but has now been postponed for 10-13 June 2020.

The Clinical Centre of Vojvodina has announced a public procurement for the preparation of project-technical documentation for the adaptation and upgrading of the Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Novi Sad. It is a project of reconstruction and improvement of two clinic facilities. The project envisages the extension of one floor on the building with the previous removal of the existing floor of the attic with the usable surface, design of elevators, treatment of facade walls, replacement of external joinery and shutters...

THE CHINESE BROKE THEIR OWN RECORD IN CONSTRUCTION DUE TO COVID-19 Authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan have built a hospital with 1,000 beds to treat coronavirus patients. Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xiangwang allowed the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s army usage of the Hushenshan Hospital with 1,400 medical workers. According to Chinese media, the new hospital is prefabricated and built in just six days. According to CNN, this is not the first time that hospitals have been built in China in a short period of time, in 2003, when the SARS epidemic broke out, a hospital was built in six days and seven nights.

THE WORLD IS FACING A LABOUR SHORTAGE The construction sector is facing an increasing shortage of skilled workers year after year, and this trend is currently threatening to become alarming. That is why the workforce today is demanded, competitive and very expensive. To fill the gap in the market, women are slowly getting involved in the game, although they currently make up only 9.9 per cent of workers in the construction industry. The lack of qualified staff is expected to be compensated by Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010. Despite their efforts to pursue occupations that offer greater social prestige, the level of salaries in the construction sector is likely to make them change their minds.

April

NEWS

CONSTRUCTION TRENDS FOR 2020 Despite the rapid development of technology, innovations in the building materials industry and the architectural creativity, trends in construction are slow to change, as this industry shows a kind of resistance to excessive innovation. Currently, it is not known what of the planned 10 trends, which we list here, will actually come to fruition by the end of this year, which we will, unfortunately, remember by the pandemic of the coronavirus and not by the revolutionary achievements.

VISUALISATION OF OBJECTS It is expected that billions of dollars will be invested in the development of applications for project visualization, as much savings could be made in with the help of the application. For builders and developers, AR facilitates the use of wearable technology as well as 360-degree video to enable 3D visualization of future projects in their real-world environment, automated building measurement, rapid and accurate simulation of architectural and structural changes, and effective hazard simulation for safety assessment.

GREATER USE OF DRONES IN CONSTRUCTION In just one year, the number of drones has increased by 239 per cent. This technology is primarily used to quickly map large areas over long distances, to read air currents and to produce heat maps. The drone also serves to perform dangerous work, and therefore reduce the number of accidents at work, the number of fatalities. As a result, its use reduces the number of compensation claims. Drones can also reduce the number of thefts from construction sites that cost $ 300 million to $ 1 billion worth of equipment each year in the world.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM) The development of information technology helps industry leaders stand out with greater efficiency. BIM allows users to generate computer representations of buildings and utilities. The ease of managing these models and sharing the data can provide superior part prefabrication, resulting in timely and accurate completion.

April

NEWS

MODULAR AND PREFABRICATED CONSTRUCTION Modular and prefabricated construction is experiencing rapid development over the last few years. It is projected to grow at 6.9 per cent annually, reaching $ 157 billion by 2023 due to a lack of skilled labour. New technology has also made these prefabricated and modular buildings larger. An example is the recent opening of the 21-story CitizenM Bowery Hotel in New York. The 100,000-square-foot hotel has 300 modular rooms.

INTRODUCTION OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Construction management software is used to maintain efficiency, productivity and logistics. Having great construction management software is a vital component to staying competitive, building a valuable business and mastering operational efficiency. The best building management software solutions in 2020 include Procore, CoConstruct, Buildertrend, ProjectSight, RedTeam, Projul, PlanGrid, Sage 300...

GREATER REPRESENTATION OF GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS Green building has become the expected standard for buyers and tenants of residential and commercial properties. Unfortunately, many sustainable and environmentally friendly facilities are considered a luxury as they are initially more expensive, despite long-term savings, but this is expected to change significantly in the next few years.

April

INCREASED USE OF ROBOTS TO IMPROVE SAFETY In most cases, robots are entrusted with simple jobs, while human with a “thinking” jobs. For example, robots at construction sites can detect unfavourable working conditions. They can also detect high or extremely low temperatures, as well as strong winds, which should signal danger to workers and equipment. These “signals” from robots, workers are evacuated, and expensive equipment is removed from the construction site.

OBO BETTERMANN BUSINESS

Lightning Protection When creating lightning protection, various standards must be taken into account

he most important European standards by which components for lightning protection are designed and manufactured by OBO Bettermann are the corresponding European standards, which are valid in Serbia: · IEC 62305-1:2006 Lightning protection—part 1: Basic principles · IEC 62305-1:2006 Lightning protection— part 2: Risk management · IEC 62305-1:2006 Lightning protection— part 3: Protection of objects and people · IEC 62305-1:2006 Lightning protection— part 4: Protection of electrical and electronic systems within structures The lightning protection offered by OBO complies fully with these standards. The task of a lightning protection system is to intercept all atmospheric discharges that could get into

the building. Discharges must be intercepted at the point of impact, must be diverted to the ground and electricity must be absorbed in the ground. The idea is to prevent thermal, mechanical or electrical effects that cause damage to objects that should be protected or pose a danger to humans through contact or step voltages in buildings. As for the materials that are recommended for making external lightning protection lines, these are hot-dip galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper and aluminium. Our recommendation is to use aluminium lightning protection for several reasons : · Best price · Round cross-section of conductors allowing easy manipulation · Can be combined with almost all other materials In Menden, OBO Bettermann headquarters

was established in 1995” BET” (technology centre for testing electromagnetic compatibility and lightning protection), which operates as an independent institute and is engaged in the development and testing of elements of an external lightning protection system, grounding materials, elements for potential equalization and surge arresters. When it comes to external lightning protection, their function is tested in accordance with DIN EN 50164-1, Requirements for connection components “. Only such a proven and tested components have found their place in the production program of OBO Bettermann. Given that” BET” is an independent institute, these services are provided to anyone who wants to test the equipment in the field of a lightning protection or to test it for electromagnetic compatibility. ■

April