CorD Magazine, March 2022 no.209

AMBASSADOR OF CUBA TO SERBIA

PERO ZUBAC

AUTHOR AND POET

TIMELESS “MOSTAR RAINS”

AMBASSADOR OF GREECE TO SERBIA

No Recognition; Support For Dialogue

www.cordmagazine.com

Respectful Dialogue Needed To Overcome Ukraine Crisis

H.E. YORGOS DIACOFOTAKIS

MARCH 2022/ ISSUE NO. 209

H.E. GUSTAVO TRISTÁ DEL TODO

interviews opinions news comments events COMMENT

How To Be Miss Universe?

FOCUS

Who Really Makes Decisions In Serbia?

Exclusive

HEINZ KOLLER

783002 771451 9

We Need A New Social Contract

ISSN1451-7833

ILO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

CONTENTS

06 HOW

TO BE MISS UNIVERSE?

COMMENT BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

08 WE NEED A NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT

HEINZ KOLLER, ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia

24 BIG TECH MUST STOP HIDING

MARIANA MAZZUCATO, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London

ARCHITECTURAL TRENDS FOR 2022

27 BUSINESS DIALOGUE 40 THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO SHAKE UP YOUR INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEUR

CURRENT TOPIC

44 GREEN & SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

RITU NARAYAN, founder and CEO of Zūm

50 TIMELESS “MOSTAR RAINS”

PERO ZUBAC, author and poet

12 RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE NEEDED TO OVERCOME UKRAINE CRISIS H.E. GUSTAVO TRISTÁ DEL TODO, Ambassador of Cuba to Serbia

43 SHINING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

DR IVANA SIMEONOVIĆ ĆELIĆ, art historian, full professor of the Belgrade Faculty of Fine Arts in retirement, director of ZEPTER MUSEUM

56 CHILL OUT 58 SPRING IN THE CITY Fashion

60 CULTURE CALENDAR 62 FACES & PLACES

16 GLOBAL DIARY

@CORD_MAGAZINE @CORDMAGAZINE

18 ALWAYS “ME”, NEVER “US”

WHO REALLY MAKES DECISIONS IN SERBIA? / Focus

CORD MAGAZINE CORDMAGAZINE

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović,

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Comment

How To Be Miss Universe?

I was with Zoran Đinđić in Banja Luka in February 2003 when he – in his capacity as prime minister of Serbia – paid an official visit to Republika Srpska. The number one topic around the world during those days was the preparation to attack Iraq, and the U.S. sought of its allies (which then already included Serbia) to almost call a referendum on whether the public supported the U.S. campaign to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein.

BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

A

ttending a press conference in Banja Luka, the then Serbian PM was awaited by questions about Serbia’s stance regarding America’s plans for Iraq? And I recall well that Đinđić said that Serbia is a tormented country that’s attempting to consolidate itself economically and democratically from the destructive 1990s, and that it simply doesn’t have the capacity to declare a stance on such important global topics.

Attending a press conference in Banja Luka, the then Serbian PM was awaited by questions about Serbia’s stance regarding America’s plans for Iraq? And I recall well that Đinđić said that Serbia is a tormented country that’s attempting to consolidate itself economically and democratically from the destructive 1990s, and that it simply doesn’t have the capacity to declare a stance on such important global topics.

It seems that, today, the most elegant option would be for President Vučić to say that Serbia has no capacity to declare its stance on such important global issues. However, as Vučić himself always points out, Serbia is no longer weak: it has a strong economy, is leading economic growth in the region and is well armed (and constantly arming), which makes it harder for Serbia to pretend to be benevolent, puerile, or like the winner of the Miss Universe pageant saying that world peace is the most important thing to her, followed by the fixing of holes in the ozone layer.

It is said that the experienced Ivica Dačić, the country’s former head of diplomacy, is the best of all

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Serbian politicians when it comes to ‘pretending to be dead’ (stopping breathing) when he encounters a bear. He has received that recognition from many players in Serbia – everyone from Tadić to Vulin.

And it would now be best for Vučić to have that technique of Dačić’s when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, in order for the whole of Serbia to pretend to be dead. Vučić himself also highlighted this desired

There is no faking sleep. We are kept awake by the Russian bear and NATO. And by Ukraine, which hasn’t recognised Kosovo. This is the biggest challenge to date confronting the Serbian policy of military neutrality, which Vućić inherited from Koštunica and developed

position in his statements regarding Ukraine during his official visit to Monaco.

But there is no faking sleep. We are kept awake by the Russian bear and NATO. And by Ukraine, which hasn’t recognised Kosovo. This is the biggest challenge to date confronting the Serbian policy of military neutrality, which Vućić inherited from Koštunica and developed. It has often been speculated that this famous neutrality is just a euphemism for a pro-Russian stance, though military exercises with NATO troops and Serbia’s fifteen years in the Alliance’s Partnership for Peace programme suggest that a balance has

been achieved. Serbia collaborated even more with NATO in the past, but the media’s pro-Russian public opinion compelled Vučić to push the proPutin perception of reality.

This is also the biggest test for the “four pillars” foreign policy (Brussels, Moscow, Beijing, Washington), which Vučić inherited from Boris Tadić and mythologised. By rendering his foreign policy spectacular, Vučić compensated for the democratic shortcomings of his domestic policy.

Putin has always been a strong asset for Vučić in his election campaigns. Ahead of the April elections, would it pay off or prove fatal for Vučić to meet with Putin?

Vučić often likes to be compared to Tito – both due to the modernisation of the country and a spectacular foreign policy, but there are some areas in which he wouldn’t like to be compared to Tito – such as in terms of his break with Stalin in 1948, which enabled Yugoslavia to introduce liberal communism and develop an exclusive foreign policy position. Although he is a neo-Titoist in a sense, Vučić lacks Tito’s gauge for a second Cold War, which could be incomparably shorter than the first one and won’t not end with an “end of history” like the fall of the Berlin Wall, but could signal end of history in the literal sense.

Besides, during the 2019 espionage crisis in Serbia that momentarily disturbed relations with Russia, Vučić stated with urgency that the idea of creating a new ’48 hadn’t crossed our collective mind.

And Putin also rates Stalin higher than Lenin, which he’s also confirmed with regard to Ukraine.

Interview Exclusive

HEINZ KOLLER

ILO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

We Need A New

Social Contract

The unprecedented pace and scale of the changes triggered by Covid-19, as well as the technological changes, represent a challenge to the Decent Work Agenda, which is structured around its four interdependent pillars: labour standards, employment, social protection and social dialogue. What is at stake today is not to change the Decent Work Agenda, but to make it work for all workers across the world, regardless of their occupation and status 8

March

PRIORITY

What is at stake today is not to change the Decent Work Agenda, but to make it work for all workers across the world, regardless of their occupation and status

T

he latest ILO World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO) Trends 2022 report forecasts that the global recovery of employment in 2022 will be slower than expected, with the workinghour deficit amounting to the equivalent of 52 million full-time jobs, due to crisis-induced labour market disruptions being nearly twice as high as in the previous full-year estimate, which predicted a deficit equivalent to 26 million full-time jobs.

This downgrade of jobs recovery is hardly a surprise, due in particular to new waves of the pandemic and decisions on new shutdowns in several countries during the second half of 2021, says ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Heinz Koller. Global unemployment is expected to remain above pre-Covid-19 levels until at least 2023, while the 2022 level is estimated to stand at 207 million, compared to 2019’s 186 million.

From a regional perspective, all countries in Europe and Central Asia have been hit hard, with many countries having faced several rounds of lockdowns. However, our region experienced the smallest loss of hours worked compared to pre-pandemic levels (2.5 per cent), followed by Asia and the Pacific, at 4.6 per cent, emphasises our interlocutor.

“In most countries of the region, the policies implemented succeeded in mitigating employment losses and unemployment hikes through heavy use of employment retention schemes. Nevertheless, close to 2.7 million workers shifted out of employment in the subregion in 2020, 1.1 million of whom became unemployed and another 1.6 million exited the labour force,” says the ILO regional director.

On the demand side, there was a disconnect between high economic growth and employment creation in many countries. Thus, in the recovery phase, labour market (re)activation will be key for the region, through the extending of active labour market programmes to groups marginally attached to the labour market, particularly young people “not in education, employment, or training” (NEET), emphasises Koller. “In that regard, the ILO in Serbia - in partnership with the European Commission - has already played a decisive role in assist-

TELEWORKING

AMBIGUITIES

ing in the design of the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan, which is due to be ready by June 2022, as the key measure for the activation and employment of NEETs.”

rates combined with limited fiscal stimulus, suffered recovery setbacks.

From a regional perspective, Europe and Central Asia has been the most successful region in terms of closing the gap on the pre-crisis benchmark of Q4 2019, with a gap of 2.5 per cent, followed by Asia and the Pacific, at 4.6 per cent. The reasons behind such a result for the region are twofold. At the early (pre-vaccination) stages of the pandemic, the countries of this region were among the leaders in launching fiscal stimulus programmes on an unprecedented scale in response to the massive labour market disruptions caused by the pandemic. On the other hand, generous stimulus packages led to concerns about inflationary pressures, while the premature withdrawal of fiscal support could risk exacerbating labour market disruptions or slowing down job recovery.

At the later stage of the pandemic, most countries of the region reached high vaccination coverage, which allowed the progressive lifting of shutdowns and reduced losses of working hours, as measured by the “nowcasting” model.

Teleworking is attractive, but may also have detrimental effects not only on the work-life balance, but also on fair working conditions, fair remuneration and health and safety at work

The Covid-19 pandemic led the ILO to come up with a new statistical approach to measuring working hours.

How does the region stand in terms of this measurement?

The ILO has indeed resorted to the measurement of working hours and full-time job equivalents lost due to the various aspects and stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, using its “nowcasting” model. This is a data-driven

We need effective social dialogue at all levels, greater international cooperation and international regulations that safeguard the rights and conditions of all workers, regardless of their employment status statistical prediction model that provides a real-time measure of the state of the labour market, drawing on real-time economic and labour market data.

Globally speaking, this measurement method has captured a “great divergence” between richer and poorer economies, which reflects the evolution of the pandemic to a large degree, but also the uneven availability of fiscal stimulus and vaccines. High-income countries have experienced a stronger but still incomplete recovery, with working hours still 3.6 percentage points lower in the third quarter of 2021 than the pre-crisis benchmark, while low- and lower-middle-income economies, which have the lowest vaccination

The various working arrangements introduced during the crisis have impacted on labour rights in many ways, with both positive and negative aspects

The region that you cover (Europe and Central Asia) is indeed extremely diverse, with a rapidly shifting geopolitical and economic context. How can current changes impact on the possibilities of fulfilling the Decent Work Agenda?

Although the vast region of Europe and Central Asia is very diverse in terms of its geopolitical and economic context, the major challenge faced by all these countries recently has not been a result of any geopolitical impact, but rather the Covid-19 crisis, the impact of which has been quite severe. The Covid-19 pandemic particularly emphasised the importance of occupational health and safety as an element of the Decent Work Agenda.

The second element of the Decent Work Agenda to come under the spotlight in particular in this region, both during and after the pandemic, has been social protection. The pandemic exposed deep-rooted inequalities and significant gaps in social protection coverage, comprehensiveness and adequacy across all countries of the region.

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Interview Exclusive

How should governments respond to these challenges?

The pre-Covid-19 global struggle against the growth of working poverty and inequalities, including in Serbia, has suffered a temporary slowdown due to the global public health crisis.

As the crisis persisted, the initial policy response, which aimed to provide emergency assistance, evolved into a more profound paradigm shift of global economic policymaking.The world’s major economies and multilateral institutions reached a consensus around the concept of “building back better”, i.e., rebuilding the economy in ways that address systemic and structural inequalities and other long-term socioeconomic challenges that pre-dated Covid-19, such as climate change.

The key response to these challenges is in coordinated action, whereby the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work provides a blueprint for a human-centred agenda to overcome the crisis, address existing challenges and lead to a better future. Its successful implementation will rely on four pillars: (a) inclusive economic growth and development; (b) protection of all workers; (c) universal social protection; and (d) social dialogue. The world of work is undergoing deep transformations, driven by technological advances. What do you recognise as major patterns influencing working norms and changing standards that were set 100 years ago?

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The ILO in Serbia, in partnership with the European Commission, played a decisive role in assisting in the design of the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan, which is a key measure for the activation and employment of young people not currently in employment or education The world of work is being placed under tremendous pressure, under the combined effects of globalisation, demographic and environmental changes, and the technological revolution. The Covid crisis has even further exacerbated the pressure on labour markets.

Such transformations certainly offer hope for the advancement of our societies, but also provoke disruptions on the labour market and in the personal lives of millions of workers who fear job losses and dehumanisation within our societies. Major disruptions in the

world of work are generating great uncertainty, leading some to question the sustainability of existing social models, as we have seen with the pandemic crisis over the last two years.

What has really changed over the last 100 years? Work is getting faster, more mobile and often more precarious. At the same time, we see very high unemployment rates across the world, especially among the youth, but also an increasing number of senior workers, leading to rising poverty and inequalities. We are witnessing rapid transformative changes triggered by digitalisation. In particular, the rise of nonstandard (or new forms of ) employment has transformed the classical concepts of workplace and employment relations radically, with the spread of crowd-work and the platform-based economy representing a major change.

These trends also bring a lot of advantages.

Remote work, especially telework, has gained popularity over past decades and became a widespread practise during the pandemic.

At the same time, such transformations have huge implications for workers and employers.

The boundaries of employment contracts and relations have been blurred. From part-time, short-term, self-employed workers, to internet platform work, many are low-paid jobs requiring an intense pace of work, limited flexibility and strong control over workers. Many workers lack the protection of labour and social security laws, including those related to fundamental rights, such as the freedom of association and collective bargaining. To what extent are automation, digitalisation and AI impacting on the world of work?

As mentioned previously, current changes have a huge transformative impact, as they not only influence the nature of jobs, but may also change the nature of the employment relationship and raise a lot of questions in terms of labour law, fundamental rights at work and human rights.

The pandemic has accelerated these changes and deepened the digital divide which - if unaddressed - could widen the development gap between developed and developing countries in an era of digital work. The crisis has also revealed the extent and potential of supply chain disruptions, which has prompted a lot of firms to automate production in order to hedge against future disruptions. Unlike some parts of Europe, where there are a lot of experiments with a shorter work week or flexible working hours, people in Serbia work more than the prescribed 40 hours. What developments do you observe across

the region in terms of the work-life balance?

The issue of reduced working hours is not new.

It was as far back as 1930 that John Maynard Keynes predicted that the generation of his grandchildren would be working three hours a day or a 15-hour workweek. Let’s not forget that ILO Convention No. 1, adopted in 1919, is on working time. Since then, working time reductions have been a trend across the world, albeit with variations among countries.

In a paper issued in 2018, entitled “Working time and the future of work”, the ILO cited evidence showing that reducing full-time working hours, combined with basic guarantees regarding minimum working hours for part-time workers, has many advantages for workers, enterprises and society: fewer occupational safety and health issues and lower costs; more and better jobs; a better work–life balance; and more motivated and productive employees and more sustainable enterprises.

At the same time, we’ve already seen how new models, such as remote and telework, tend to blur the boundaries between work and private life. Remote work has a lot of advantages, including for workers with family responsibility. However, rather than a work-life balance, we seem to see a trend to “work-life blending”. Workers are indeed expected to be available at all times. And yet, being over connected may have detrimental effects, not only on working time and the work-life balance, but also on fair working conditions, fair remuneration, and health and safety at work. How has teleworking, as well as the specifies of work during the Covid-19 pandemic, influenced social dialogue and the promotion of labour standards around the region?

During the first quarter of 2020, the urgent measures implemented by governments, under “fast-track” laws and the “state of emergency”, were often decided upon without proper consultations – not only with parliaments, but also with social partners. Moreover, as underscored by the trade unions, including the ETUC, certain governments have used the Covid-19 crisis as an alibi to “temporarily” undermine labour rights, including trade union rights like collective bargaining and collective actions, as well as basic human rights. Moreover, Labour Code exemptions have been chosen by some governments, including with regard to the extending of working hours in several economic sectors.

Occupational safety and health issues have regained their crucial importance with the Covid crisis, making it more legitimate

Our region experienced the least losses of hours worked compared to prepandemic levels, due to the policies implemented. They succeeded in mitigating employment losses and unemployment hikes through the heavy use of employment retention schemes than ever to decide to include OSH in the fundamental principles and rights at work, as was already recommended at the ILO Centenary Conference in 2019. In November 2021, the ILO Governing Body finally decided that the agenda of the 2022 Conference would include the item of the “Inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work”. Our region, like many others, is struggling to overcome adverse demographics and a mismatch in skills,

both of which are seriously hampering further growth and prosperity. What is the ILO’s role in addressing these challenges?

The negative demographic trends and skills mismatch extend as problems far beyond Southeast Europe. In this connection, the International Labour Conference just adopted (in December 2021) a Resolution on Skills and Lifelong Learning that calls on the ILO to develop a coherent, inclusive and genderresponsive ILO strategy and action plan on skills and lifelong learning for 2022–2030.

These measures should include strengthening the ILO’s work in this area.

As deficiencies in the rule of law, high informality and the sluggish reform of labour legislation contribute to labour force outflows and widening the skills gap in this region, the ILO will pursue its Decent Work Country Programmes, with the main objective of assisting member states in the region in adopting and enforcing international labour standards and creating more and better opportunities for decent employment, as the only sustainable tool for the retention of skilled labour.

In this respect, the ILO welcomes Serbia’s recent decision to cooperate with the European Commission in addressing the challenges confronting social dialogue, occupational safety and health and capacity-building of the institutions in charge of labour rights and the enforcement of labour standards.

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Interview

H.E. GUSTAVO TRISTÁ DEL TODO, AMBASSADOR OF CUBA TO SERBIA

Respectful Dialogue Needed To Overcome

Ukraine Crisis

The United States and NATO must seriously and realistically address substantiated demands for security guarantees from Russia, which has the right to defend itself. Cuba advocates a diplomatic solution through constructive and respectful dialogue, and calls for the preservation of international peace and security ~ Gustavo Tristá Del Todo 12

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COOPERATION

In my opinion, medicine should be one of the pillars of our cooperation

T

he crisis in Ukraine that has been shaking international relations over recent weeks is being compared by many analysts to one of the critical junctures of the Cold War: 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis. According to Cuban Ambassador Gustavo Trista Del Todo, speaking in this CorD Magazine interview, the only way to halt this conflict is to return to dialogue. This former Belgrade student and current ambassador to Serbia, who has amassed many years of experience, says that relations between the two countries are at an enviable level and are characterised by a high degree of understanding and cooperation. On the eve of the 120th anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the ambassador says that there is room to strengthen economic cooperation, with the health sector able to represent an important pillar of that cooperation. Your Excellency, you’ve already spent several years in Serbia, a country you know well from your student days. How would you evaluate current relations between Cuba and Serbia?

In my opinion, relations between Cuba and Serbia are going through a good moment. With the visits of presidents Tomislav Nikolić and Aleksandar Vučić to Havana, and subsequent visits by the presidents of the national assemblies of both countries - Maja Gojković and Esteban Lazo Hernández - a positive level of dialogue has been maintained between both sides and there are no open issues hampering in our relations, but there are common elements in our respective foreign policies.

An example of this is the participation of our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Pedro Luis Pedroso, in the high-level meeting to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the First Summit Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was held in Belgrade last October.

The Serbian and Cuban foreign ministers, Nikola Selaković and Bruno Rodríguez Parilla, met in New York last September. In their conversation it was assessed that relations between the two countries are traditionally excellent and characterised

KOSOVO

Cuba has never considered a change of its position regarding Serbia’s sovereignty over its entire territory

by intense dialogue, a high degree of agreement and the closeness of political positions on key international issues.

Last December’s 9th Session of Political Consultations between the two foreign ministries was held in Havana, during which both sides expressed a willingness to continue strengthening politicaldiplomatic and economic-commercial relations.

For this reason, a delegation led by State Secretary Nemanja Starović travelled to the Cuban capital and, in addition to talks with his counterpart, Vice Minister Anayansi Rodriguez, he had an intense agenda of meetings with various figures from political, economic and cultural life.

We must work to maintain the ascending tendency of bilateral relations, for which solid foundations exist that were established over many years and are being strengthened since 1959, with the Victory of the Cuban Revolution This year will mark the significant anniversary of 120 years since the establishing of diplomatic relations between our two countries. What do you consider as the biggest challenges of the future?

We must work to maintain the ascending tendency of bilateral relations, for which solid foundations exist that were established over many years and are being strengthened since 1959, with the Victory of the Cuban Revolution. Since that date we have been together in the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement and we cooperate in various international scenarios, while we jointly carry out commercial and cultural actions.

CHANGES

The changes that the enemies of the Revolution yearn for have not taken place in Cuba, nor will they

However, economic-commercial collaboration was not at the same level as political developments.

This is influenced by very important factors, such as geographical distance and, in our case, the ironclad U.S. blockade that limits development.I therefore believe that we must work to achieve superior results in that area. Cuban history, culture and music are all very popular in Serbia. How interesting is Serbia to Cubans and how do you engage in that area when it comes to strengthening cooperation?

I always say that culture is the soul of peoples, and that’s why we work with the interest to develop initiatives, with the active support of the institutions of both countries, despite the pandemic.

This has facilitated, for example, performances of Cuban artists at the Belgrade Ballet Festival, thanks above all to the drive and decision of Professor Aja Jung, who is familiar with the quality of our dancers.

The Malpaso company should soon present itself with its innovative performance, which is worth enjoying.

Some of our most important popular musical bands have also performed in Belgrade and made people from the country’s various salsa schools dance.

The skilfulness shown by those people in performing to our rhythms causes astonishment, despite the fact that most of them have not visited our country.

For Cubans, Serbia is very interesting because of its history, its beauty, the development achieved and, above all, the similarity between our two nations. This is very impressive given the distance and the two nations being located in areas as far apart as the Balkans and the Caribbean. Do you see the possibilities for existing good relations and understanding in the political domain to be translated into stronger cooperation on the economic front?

As I stated earlier, this is our great challenge, which in my opinion can be achieved. We just have to work together, to analyse all the options, possible projects and their viability, especially in the financial department, starting with proper conditions. There must be a fast and decisive reaction for each of them.

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Interview

Interest in cooperating with Cuba in the medical field exists in Serbia. Is tangible progress already occurring in this area?

In my opinion, medicine should be one of the pillars of our cooperation. Nobody is unaware of the development of Cuban medicine based on the political will of the State, promoted by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro since the very Victory of the Revolution.

The integral system of completely free care covers the entire population and extends throughout the country, via various programmes, to even the most remote places. There is an education system directed towards training higher level professionals in various specialities, also at no cost to students and with wide access to it. Nurses and paramedics with high technical qualifications are also trained in the same way.

Advances in research are applied massively in the treatment of various illnesses. Our scientists have managed to create unprecedented medicines for the treatment of diseases like lung cancer, reducing the risk of diabetic foot amputation or eradicating the transmission of HIV AIDS from mother to child.

Such development has facilitated Cuba’s aid to more than a hundred countries in the form of health brigades, which reach the most remote parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia. There they attend to patients of any social status, including poor populations who ordinarily lack the possibility of accessing medical assistance.

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There is also the “Henry Reeve” International Contingent of Doctors Specialised in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics, the mission of which is to provide assistance to populations around the world who fall victim to natural disasters and infectious diseases, as well as to support their recovery. Its actions have included assistance in cases of earthquakes, floods or plagues like Ebola or cholera. That’s why this contingent has been nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Cuba is home to the Latin American School of Medicine, which was founded to train doctors who meet the growing demand for primary healthcare in various regions of Latin America and other parts of the world, while they also provide services in their own countries once they graduate.

Mambisa, are still under development, the latter being for nasal use.

I must say that these results were achieved due to the early development of mass vaccination programmes since 1959, with products from our own research institutes. These instates are currently grouped together in BioCubaFarma, a state-owned business organisation that produces medicines, equipment and high-tech services for the improvement of human health. The creators of the vaccines are the Finlay Institute for Vaccines (IFV) and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).

Unver the conditions of a country besieged by the most aggressive force in history, and with few resources, this is undoubtedly a true accomplishment.

Serbian friends are often interested in learning more about the matter, and some even say that they’re waiting to get immunised with a Cuban vaccine. I respond to all of them by saying that they shouldn’t delay, as we are still in the process of immunising our own population and the smartest thing is to take advantage of the capacities guaranteed here. Anyway, I am an advocate of the need to be vaccinated, for the good of our own health and the health of our families and all those around us. Cuba supports the principle of Serbia’s territorial integrity and thus doesn’t recognise Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. Has the government in Havana ever considered changing its stance on Kosovo?

Cuba has never considered a change of its position regarding Serbia’s sovereignty over its entire territory. This is a principled position of support for a friendly country and there is no reason to change it.

You’ve said that Serbian citizens, with whom you can also converse in Serbian, which you speak well, have asked you what’s happening with the Cuban vaccine against covid-19?

Reciprocally, Serbia supports international initiatives aimed at compelling the U.S. to lift its sanctions against Cuba.

These sanctions have been in place for 60 years and it’s interesting that they’ve remained in force even after the political changes in Cuba?

The work of our scientists has certainly made it possible to create three vaccines against Covid: Sovereign 02, Abdala and Soberana Plus as a booster, thanks to which 90% of the population has been immunised with three doses, including children from the age of two, and reached enviable figures of around 500 newly infected daily and about five deaths. Two others, Soberana 01 and

It was in 1959 that the U.S. government first took steps to try to isolate Cuba and sink its economy, including the abolition of the sugar quota and refusals to supply and refine oil by the U.S. petroleum companies that had monopolised it.

On 3rd February 1962, the then President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, signed Executive Order 3447, which formally imposed the

economic, commercial and financial blockade. This measure was accompanied by a secret programme of terrorist activity that included plans to assassinate Fidel Castro and other Cuban leaders, as well as subversive, espionage, media and diplomatic isolation operations that were meant to ultimately lead to a direct U.S. invasion. On 31st May 1964, the blockade was extended to a total ban on exports of medicines and food.

It was later expanded with new measures, including the application of laws like Torricelli and HelmsBurton, which sought to leave the population hungry and miserable.This has been the policy applied by the successive administrations of 13 presidents, undoubtedly a historic record, and it is the main obstacle to my country’s development. It is not an embargo, since it is not a mere economic decision, but rather the blockading of a place besieged and harassed by a very powerful enemy that is pursuing its annihilation.

Barack Obama tried to apply a new dynamic with the same objective of destroying the Revolution with more flexible methods, which facilitated the reestablishment of diplomatic relations, among other things. But the arrival of Donald Trump halted that trend and returned to the previous rhetoric, in the framework of which he issued 243 new measures that have not been abolished by his successor John Biden, despite his promises to apply a similar policy to that of his Democratic Party predecessor.

Anti-Cuban campaigns have been an active part of the arsenal of measures against our small Caribbean island. For example, the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom includes the island on the State Department’s Special Watch List for alleged restrictions in this area. It is an undeniable fact that the authorities fully accept the right of the population to worship the religion of their choice, and to create conditions to do so.

An example of the international recognition of this policy was the historic meeting in Havana between Pope Francis and the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia in 2016, when both of them spoke about combining efforts for the benefit of the common good. With Raúl Castro having stepped down from his position as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, last year saw the end of an epoch in the history of Cuba – one that was mostly marked by Fidel Castro and the country’s strong commitment to leftist ideals. But the new president, Miguel

The determination of the United States to impose the progressive expansion of NATO towards the borders of the Russian Federation is a threat to the national security of this country and to regional and international peace Díaz-Canel, also hails from the Communist Party. Will Cuba nonetheless have to change and, if so, how?

The changes that the enemies of the Revolution yearn for have not taken place in Cuba, nor will they. The new authorities, headed by the First Secretary of the Communist Party, remain faithful to the legacies of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and Army General Raúl Castro, applying their teachings under the new historical circumstances facing the country.

The President himself has expressed that it is only possible to give continuity to the work, together with the generations born and educated in the Revolution and the founding generation, without giving in to pressure, without fear and without setbacks.

The world has been shaken by the crisis in Ukraine, which media have described as representing a realistic possibility of a new world war. Do you see similarities between today’s sharpening rhetoric between Russia and the U.S. and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis?

The determination of the United States to impose the progressive expansion of NATO towards the borders of the Russian Federation is a threat to the national security of this country and to regional and international peace. The U.S. government has spent weeks threatening Russia and manipulating the international community regarding the threat of an imminent massive invasion of Ukraine. It has supplied weapons and military technology, deployed troops to various countries in the region, applied unilateral and unjust sanctions, and threatened other repercussions, while at the same time unleashing an anti-Russian propaganda campaign.

Our country has previously warned about the danger of this kind of politics. The United States and NATO must seriously and realistically address substantiated demands for security guarantees from Russia, which has the right to defend itself. Cuba advocates a diplomatic solution through constructive and respectful dialogue, and calls for the preservation of international peace and security.

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GLOBAL DIARY

“For 30 years we have been trying to agree with NATO on the principles of equal and indivisible security in Europe, and we have constantly faced with either cynical deception and lies, or attempts at pressure and blackmail” – VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT

RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE Russia has launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin demanded Kyiv’s army lay down its weapons. The US, EU and Western allies have ramped up sanctions against Russia, targeting banks, oil refineries, and military exports. Russia launched a military assault on Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February. Western leaders had warned of this possibility for weeks did little to cushion the shock. President Putin announced what he characterised as a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine, and made a barely coded threat of nuclear strikes upon any outside power that might come to its aid.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to not surrender and continue fighting to defend his country.

At least 100,000 Ukrainians have already reportedly fled their homes – with many crossing into neighbouring countries, underlining the regional nature of this growing crisis.

SERGIO MATTARELLA REELECTED ITALY’S PRESIDENT

mandate with 759 votes, far exceeding the threshold of 505, after being persuaded to stay on in the role after ruling party leaders failed to reach an agreement on a candidate who could secure broad support from the 1,009 parliamentarians and regional representatives electing the president.

Sergio Mattarella has been reelected as Italy’s president, ending days of a farcical parliamentary voting process that has exposed deep divisions within the country’s governing coalition.

Mattarella won a second seven-year

BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS 2022 After 16 days and 109 events, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics officially ended with the traditional closing ceremony. A small, but enthusiastic, group of spectators sat in the stands at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium during the bitterly cold night in the host city. Some did the wave and cheerfully waved the Chinese flag while waiting for the night’s festivities to start. Chinese President Xi Jinping sat next to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in the stands, watching the ceremony unfold. With all 109 medal events decided, competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing was officially completed. After three weeks of dominance, Norway stands alone atop the chart with the most total medals (37) and the most gold medals

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“There are no NATO combat troops, no NATO troops at all inside Ukraine. We have made it clear that we don’t have any plans and intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine.”

– JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL

WORLDWIDE PROTESTS SUPPORTING UKRAINE At least 1,728 people were detained after anti-war protests took place in cities across Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Protesters took to the streets in 53 cities — including Moscow, St. Petersburg and the far eastern Siberian city of Novosibirsk — to show their discontent with the Kremlin’s war, according to OVD-Info, a civil society group whose website was blocked by Moscow in 2021 amid a wider crackdown on dissenting voices.

Videos on social media showed protests of varying sizes, ranging from hundreds of people in St. Petersburg and Moscow to a handful in smaller cities like Chelyabinsk in central Russia.

In Moscow, where more than 900 people were allegedly detained, footage posted online showed heavily armed police filling the streets. Pro-Ukraine demonstrations erupted also across the world, as thousands took to the streets from London to New York to Tehran to denounce Russia’s assault on its neighbor.

DJOKOVIC DEPORTED AFTER LOSING AUSTRALIA VISA BATTLE Novak Djokovic has been deported from Australia after losing a last-ditch court bid to stay in the country.

Judges rejected a challenge by the unvaccinated tennis star after the government cancelled his visa on “health and good

order” grounds.

Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” but accepted the ruling. He has left on a flight to Dubai.

It marks the end of a 10-day saga, in which the Serb fought to stay to defend his title in the Australian Open.

Djokovic’s supporters fell silent outside the courtroom as the decision was announced on the eve of what would have been his opening match in the tournament.

KETANJI JACKSON - FIRST BLACK WOMAN ON US SUPREME COURT? US president Joe Biden nominated judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the supreme court, seeking to elevate a black woman to the country’s highest court for the first time in its 232-year history.

Ms Jackson (51) was nominated to succeed justice Stephen Breyer (83), for whom she clerked. Mr Justice Breyer, the most senior jurist in the court’s three-member liberal wing, will retire at the end of the court’s current session this summer.

“Judge Jackson is an exceptionally qualified nominee as well as a historic nominee, and the Senate should move forward with a fair and timely hearing and confirmation,” the White House said in a statement.

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Focus

Who really makes decisions in Serbia?

Always “Me”,

Never “Us”

At a juncture when the debate over whether the opposition can force the current president into a second round of voting is heating up, research shows that citizens would like more rule of law, but also a new “firm hand” which negates that very rule

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“captured state”, an absence of debate on key social issues, imposed minority opinions and numerous violations of the public’s right to know the truth have become parts of everyday life in Serbia, but also its destiny in a way. A large number of citizens who should represent an engine

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of change and a force that uses elections to punish the denying of democracy have become ambivalent towards freedom and obedience to the “firm handed” leader, thus creating space for the constant emergence of leaders for whom “I” always comes before the welfare of the majority.

DUŠKO LOPANDIĆ PH.D.,

PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMAT AND EXPERT ON EUROPEAN LAW AND REGIONAL RELATIONS

PRIVATE INTEREST ABOVE THOSE OF THE PUBLIC THE SCENE AND CONTENT OF DEBATES IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, OR THE STATE OF CERTAIN MEDIA OUTLETS, REPRESENT AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE LOSS OF THE TRADITION OF OPEN SOCIAL DIALOGUE IN THE COUNTRY, A LACK OF TOLERANCE, FREE DEBATE AND THE RIGHTS OF MINORITY POLITICAL VIEWS, WHICH FORM THE BASIS OF ANY DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING

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his issue could perhaps be viewed from two perspectives: an international and domestic context. In the first case, the topic is an issue of the genuine sovereignty of a smaller country, specifically Serbia, in relations with influential international factors: either the great powers and/or great capital that “rule” the world. There’s no doubt that various international players have a certain influence on decision-making in certain cases, but I wouldn’t concur with the trite “barstool” comments that “foreigners make the most important final decisions” in Serbia.

The internal context relates to the issue of the functioning of the Serbian political system, which is demonstrating a significant degree of deviation from the letter of constitutional and legal solutions when it comes to formal and actual decision-making jurisdiction among individual institutions. The constitutional principle of dividing jurisdictions between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary is, in reality, not represented to a sufficient extent. Centralisation in the making of all important decisions, at either the state or local levels, is not even being hidden. Without free and broad debate, THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL and the participation of the public in decision-making on PLAYERS HAVE A CERTAIN INFLUENCE ON important issues, it will prove all but impossible to avoid the DECISION-MAKING IN CERTAIN CASES, BUT I negative consequences of mistaken decisions over the long WOULDN’T CONCUR WITH THE TRITE “BARSTOOL” run. As stated long ago: “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

COMMENTS THAT “FOREIGNERS MAKE THE MOST In a “captured state”, central government or local instituIMPORTANT FINAL DECISIONS” IN SERBIA tions become the prey of partocracy, while decisions are often made that serve the private interests of smaller groups, to the detriment of the “res publica” principle. It could be noted that there are also good results, as well as progress in the areas of the economy or foreign policy of Serbia. On the other hand, the scene and content of some debates in the national assembly, or the state of certain media outlets, represent an illustration of the loss of the tradition of open social dialogue in the country, particularly when it comes to tolerance, free debate and the rights of minority political views or responsibilities towards the public, as the basis of every democracy and democratic decision-making.

Closer to everyday life, the examples of the building of skyscrapers right below Kalemegdan Fortress, investment works on the territory of Belgrade’s most important “water factory” in Makiš, or the insufficiently researched role of certain stakeholders in the rise and “results” of famous criminal groups, represent just a few examples of anonymous decision-making on important social issues, with huge deviating from the principles of respect for the interests of the public and responsibility towards citizens.

One should nonetheless hope that recent constitutional amendments, as well as the organising of the upcoming elections, will represent positive steps in the direct of the partial normalisation of the system in the sense of respect for jurisdiction over who decides on public issues and how.

March

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Focus

Who really makes decisions in Serbia?

PREDRAG PETROVIĆ,

RESEARCH COORDINATOR OF THE BELGRADE CENTRE FOR SECURITY POLICY

CENTRALISED AND PERSONALISED DECISION-MAKING UNDERMINES PUBLIC TRUST IT IS A PROBLEM THAT CITIZENS WOULD DELEGATE THESE TASKS TO A “FIRM HANDED” LEADER, WHILE THE EXIT IS ACTUALLY THROUGH THEIR GREATER ENGAGEMENT IN TERMS OF PERSISTENT DEDICATION TO ENSURING STATE INSTITUTIONS RESPECT THEIR RIGHTS

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lthough Serbia is nominally a parliamentary democracy, where parliament is the place for deliberating, adopting and confirming the most important political decisions, today’s main centre of decision-making is the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vučić. Vučić informs citizens publicly, on a daily basis, whether he approves or disapproves of something, gives or doesn’t give, often encroaching into the jurisdiction and authority of numerous other state institutions.

The President of the Republic thus often acts as if speaking from the position of Prime Minister, Director of the Police, Chief Prosecutor and Judge, as well as the chief editor of the media.

There are many examples of this, the more dramatic of which include the declaring of a state of emergency without a word from the National Assembly, possessing and failing to submit to judicial authorities a key two-minute video recording of a toll THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC THUS OFTEN booth accident in which one person died (which is evidence), or ACTS AS IF SPEAKING FROM THE POSITION OF the disclosing of secret documents of BIA (Serbia’s security and PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTOR OF THE POLICE, intelligence services agency) in a TV broadcast.

CHIEF PROSECUTOR AND JUDGE, AS WELL AS The consequences of the strong personalisation and centralisation of decision-making in the hands of the President of THE CHIEF EDITOR OF THE MEDIA the Republic are the collapse of the constitutional order and the integrity of state institutions. However, even more importantly, such an attitude of a president towards state institutions undermines the trust of citizens in those institutions, but also in the very democratic order. Thus, for example, according to the latest public opinion survey conducted by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, fewer than half of Serbian citizens consider democracy to be a desirable form of government, almost a quarter of respondents are of the opinion that democracy is desirable, but that under current conditions we need a “firm hand”, while a fifth of those polled believe that all regimes are the same. Moreover, participants in the focus group cited among the desirable qualities of a political leader expertise, education, and regular and candid contact with the people, but they also stressed that a good leader should have a “firm hand”, because it is only with such an attitude that one can achieve something in Serbia. Or, as one focus group participant said, a political leader should have “skills like Vučić, just to work in the interests of his people and not in the interests of others”.

Admittedly, research findings indicate that Serbian citizens want the law to be consistently applied to all, as well as the “cleansing” of institutions through lustration purging and the forming of a special prosecution service and police composed of “honourable” people. The problem is that citizens would delegate these tasks to a “firm handed” leader, while the exit is actually through their greater engagement in terms of persistent dedication to ensuring state institutions respect their rights and the ruling political elite respects the powers of state institutions. If none of that happens, they should punish the ruling political elite faster by not voting for them in elections.

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SREĆKO ĐUKIĆ PH.D.,

FORMER SERBIAN AMBASSADOR AND CURRENT MEMBER OF THE FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN MOVEMENT IN SERBIA

DECISIONS FROM THE TOP DETERMINE OUR (UN)HAPPY DESTINY A DECISION IS A MATTER FOR THE ONE AT THE TOP OF THE POLITICAL PYRAMID. MAYBE WITH OTHERS THE MAKING OF DECISIONS IS PRECEDED BY THE CONSIDERATIONS OF QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS, INDEPENDENTLY OR COLLECTIVELY, BUT WITH US THERE ARE NO RULES

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erbia is characterised by the fact that one man makes all decisions. Decisions are the act of the individual, the leader, even when they are collective. And it is time that tells what decisions are like, how useful or harmful they are for the people and the state. From a distance, decisions and decision-makers can be judged more objectively, with right and wrong decisions obvious. It reflects why such decisions were made, and not some others; what was decisive in that, how much benefit a decision brought to the people and the state, to man and citizen – progress, freedom and human rights, life and cultural progress, or regress.

Developed societies have moved on from the times when a decision was down to the will of the individual. In our country, in Serbia, we haven’t. A decision is a matter for the one at the top of the political pyramid. Maybe with others the making of decisions is preceded by the considerations of qualified individuals, independently or collectively, but with us there are no rules. The history of Serbian society carefully records the beneficial and erroneous decisions of politicians and statesmen, gauging their importance and their place in the DECISIONS MADE AT THE TOP ECHELON OF THE STATE life of the people and the state.

DETERMINE OUR (UN)HAPPY REALITY, BOTH PRESENT Decision-making is the most complex and responsible AND FUTURE, AND NEW RELATIONS. THAT’S WHY IT’S job, choice. An ordinary person makes about 2,000 deciSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHO MAKES DECISIONS sions every waking hour. Most of them are insignificant and relate to the instinctive, automatic, according to ABOUT US AND HOW; WHO ARE THE (IN)FORMAL (CO) human urge (dress, eat, sleep etc.). Beyond that, however, PARTICIPANTS THAT HAVE A DECISIVE INFLUENCE ON decisions are very complex and can only be made in the THE DECISIONMAKER. DIPLOMATS, JOURNALISTS AND process of thoughtful decision-making, insured against mistakes and negative ramifications. Being capable of OTHERS WILL NEVER STOP SEARCHING FOR THAT making the right decisions and able to do so is the most ANSWER, WHEREIN “LIES” THE KEY TO THE SYSTEM, important and top quality of a developed society. And THE ESTABLISHMENT, THE INSTITUTE OF THE STATE in making decisions there should be a suppressing of emotions that play a significant role in life, including in decision-making, and can interfere with choosing between right, correct and wrong decisions. The absence of a critical mind and opinions of others leads to a mistaken decision, given that it is known that, even in meetings, 70% of declarations usually come down to three people, while introverts would rather remain silent than speak. Even the most energetic leader doesn’t have infinite mental energy. Everyone is overwhelmed by fatigue, routine, a lack of energy, all of which are obvious enemies to efforts to make the right decisions. And one more thing: our age is informational and communicational, during which the volume of information expands, as does the skill of choosing the right information to make the right decision (our brain today processes five times as much information as it did in 1986).

Decisions made at the top echelon of the state determine our (un)happy reality, both present and future, and new relations.

That’s why it’s so important to know who makes decisions about us and how; who are the (in)formal (co)participants that have a decisive influence on the decisionmaker. Diplomats, journalists and others will never stop searching for that answer, wherein “lies” the key to the system, the establishment, the institute of the state.

March

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Focus

Who really makes decisions in Serbia?

ZORAN STOJILJKOVIĆ PH.D., FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

CAPTURED, PARTOCRATIC STATE WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY OF FALSELY CREATED CONFUSION, OF ANOMIE AND APATHY, LACKING CONSENSUS OVER KEY VALUES, INCLUDING DESIRABLE FOREIGN POLICY GOALS

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he question in the article headline ranks among the merely rhetorical, because everyone knows the answer: President Vučić. It would be tedious to also cite the numerous examples of him usurping power that does not belong to him - from the electing of personnel to investment decisions. It is also difficult to overlook the view that observes us every day from the front pages of the tabloids and avoid the addresses from the screen. The real questions, however, are: what is the name of the order under which we live out the fate of the slowly boiled frog; who were the beneficiaries, and who the mentors and sponsors, of such a rule; cui bono? And finally, will it ever end?

There is numerous, plainly visible evidence that Serbia is selectively weak, cunning, trapped in a web of clientelism and political corruption, and a partocratic state.

We live in a society of falsely created confusion, of anomie and apathy, lacking consensus over key values, including desirable foreign policy destinations.

Another verification test is the web of indicators that evaluate the extent to which equality and social justice are lacking.

The political path traversed shows that the leader secured EVERYTHING TODAY SUPPORTS THE ASSESSMENT broad mobilisation and a significant parliamentary majorTHAT THE REGIME HAS PASSED ITS PEAK AND ity on a story of fighting corruption, only to change through THAT VUČIĆ, CONFRONTED BY CONFLICTING EXinstitutions, even before rearranging the pre-existing rules of TERNAL AND INTERNAL PRESSURES, HAS FOUND the game. All levers of power were thus seized and an “uneven playing field” was created in the political game.

HIMSELF ON THE DEFENSIVE AND BEGUN GRANTThe ultimate effect is the emergence of a captured state ING TEMPORARY CONCESSIONS that could be described as the meta-organising and institutionalising of corrupt relations that lead to the privatisation of governance. The key consequences of the Caesarism in which we live are the corruption of virtues, moral collapse and the criminalisation of politics and the politicisation of crime.

The external framework for the return to a hybrid regime is primarily represented by the weak transformative influence of the EU. The result is a leader who offers stability through the parallel producing and “resolving” of crises. Vučić is among the gallery of characters who aren’t exactly from the golden age, and he isn’t Pericles, even though he likes to talk about him, but he is capable and he is “ours” – or at least he doesn’t openly belong to the other side.

Everything today supports the assessment that the regime has passed its peak and that Vučić, confronted by conflicting external and internal pressures, has found himself on the defensive and begun granting temporary concessions. To the extent to which Serbia is a relatively rich country of poor citizens, i.e., to the extent that he manages to buy the support of his web of clientele membership that has ensnared every seventh voter, as well as to float between conflicting pressures of his sharply polarised external mentors, things may yet endure. Even more so if the wait for a unified opposition strategy takes as long as waiting for Godot.

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Feature MARIANA MAZZUCATO, PROFESSOR IN THE ECONOMICS OF INNOVATION AND PUBLIC VALUE AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON, IS FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE UCL INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION AND PUBLIC PURPOSE/PROJECT SYNDICATE

Big Tech Must Stop Hiding A major reason why Big Tech firms have achieved such scale and become the gatekeepers to entire markets is that they have been able to obscure most of their financial and operating data. There are obvious steps that regulators can take to close the reporting loopholes that the industry has been exploiting 24

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n 2021, Alphabet (Google’s parent), Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook’s new alias), and Microsoft were among the world’s largest companies in terms of revenue and profit. These five companies alone increased their market capitalization by an amount greater than Italy’s GDP ($2.5 trillion vs. $2.1 trillion). Big Tech now accounts for nearly a quarter of the S&P 500’s index and a quarter of research and development spending by US publicly listed non-financial firms.

Amazon is the world’s fifth-largest employer, and it is still growing.

What can be done about these firms’ growing market dominance? For starters, the situation demands a more proactive regulatory agenda, so that public authorities are not constantly playing catch-up. What we have now is a case-by-case regulatory “war of attrition,” frequently waged by litigation against past business practices.

After a lengthy appeals process, the result almost always amounts to “too little, too late.”

The problem is exacerbated by a lack of disaggregated financial disclosures from the Big Tech companies. Their aggregated disclosures no longer come close to explaining how they operate. Investors and regulators need to know more. How many people use WhatsApp each month, and for how many hours? What is the Apple App Store’s profit margin? What is Microsoft Azure’s share of the cloud computing market?

Yes, sometimes one can find approximate answers to such questions on Google Search, but only when they have been revealed by a company whistleblower, an unredacted court document, or a private estimate from a website traffic company. The answers certainly cannot be found in Big Tech’s public 10-Ks, the annual financial performance reports that all US publicly listed companies must file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

These omissions follow from two features of Big Tech’s powerful platform business model.

First, a platform’s utility is often underpinned by “free” or subsidized products that drive user adoption. Even though these products are eventually monetized – either indirectly through advertising or directly through subscriptions, sales, and fees – they do not have to be included in the 10-K as long as they remain largely “free” to the consumer.

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Feature Consider Alphabet, which owns at least nine products – including YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, and Google Maps – that have more than one billion active monthly users.

Although each product dominates the global market in its sector, Alphabet’s 10-K financial disclosures list only an aggregate “advertising” category and a few limited financial metrics for YouTube and Google Cloud. This opacity has helped the company avoid regulatory scrutiny while establishing a global foothold in key digital markets.

While Big Tech firms sometimes provide monthly active user counts in their earnings calls to investors, these figures are not disclosed systematically in their annual 10-Ks, where the legal onus is higher. A proper disclosure of user “operating metrics” is sorely needed, because these firms’ market domination (and related abuses of power) is increasingly of a non-price nature.

Central to this dominance is a large user base.

A large user base in one product, such as MS Word, can allow a firm to extend its dominance to other markets through bundling (think of MS Teams). Big Tech companies’ market power increasingly lies in the “ecosystems” they control, rather than in a single product. That power allows them to lock in users, squeeze out competitors, and build data fortresses.

The second feature of Big Tech’s business model that aids financial opacity is product diversification. By diversifying their product offerings – often through new product bundles – tech platforms can keep users within their ecosystems, generating more sales. Yet these increasingly diffuse sources of profits are rarely disclosed in their 10-Ks. Although the current “segment reporting” rules were designed to ensure that large, diversified conglomerates release disaggregated financial information, in practice the rules give companies wide discretion to define what counts as an “operating segment.”

Apple, for example, defines its segments not by product but by geography, so it is not required to disclose App Store profits.

This flexibility allows Big Tech companies to hide the financials of some of their leading products, even those that technically exceed the reporting threshold because they account for 10% or more of total assets, revenues, or profit/loss.

Big Tech firms have become so large that even enormous product segments with sales exceeding

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Big Tech companies’ market power increasingly lies in the “ecosystems” they control, rather than in a single product. That power allows them to lock in users, squeeze out competitors, and build data fortresses

$20 billion can be classified in such a way that they do not meet the threshold at all. Hence, the full scale of Amazon Web Services appears to have been kept hidden from competitors for longer than should have been permitted.

The absence of detailed financial and operating information means that regulators tasked with identifying possible abuses of market power are effectively starting from scratch with each case. To determine a firm’s power, regulators must be able to analyze the relationship between prices, costs, and capital outlays; but these factors are obscured when financials are aggregated across products.

Value-creating activities are routinely blended with zero-sum value-extractive activities. And even though Big Tech companies have used

“free” products to become gatekeepers to entire markets, they still are required to disclose only profits and losses.

In a new report, co-authored with Tim O’Reilly and Josh Ryan-Collins, we argue that the SEC’s 10-K disclosures need urgent updating. Regulators must go beyond “profit and loss” reporting to require specific non-financial operating disclosures on all products that meet a certain threshold of monthly active users. This rule would require disaggregated operating disclosures on products like Alphabet’s Google Search, YouTube, Chrome, and Android, or Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The firms already use operating data on users internally to assess product performance, so they would not be burdened by mandatory disclosure in their annual 10-Ks. Moreover, the segment reporting rules need to be given “teeth,” and they need to scale with firm size to ensure the release of “hidden data” from consolidated financial statements. To tackle both issues, companies should be required to disclose detailed financials on any product with at least $5 billion in annual revenues. To put that amount into context, it would trigger disclosure of financial information on Apple’s AirPods and Microsoft’s Azure.

Just as environmental, social, and governance reporting is becoming essential to help navigate climate change, enhanced 10-K reporting is necessary to reveal the nature and extent of Big Tech’s market dominance. Only then can we see if these giants owe their continued growth to value creation or to value extraction.

STOJAN KEMERA, Barry Callebaut Group General Manager for the region of Southeast Europe

QUANTOX

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Shaping Today’s World Of Chocolate And Cocoa Page 28

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STOJAN KEMERA, BARRY CALLEBAUT GROUP GENERAL MANAGER FOR THE REGION OF SOUTHEAST EUROPE

Shaping Today’s World Of Chocolate And Cocoa Barry Callebaut is a global company and leader of its industry that’s shaping the world of chocolate and cocoa today.

Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, mastering every step in the value chain, from the sourcing of raw materials to the production of the finest chocolates, operating as a business-to-business company, fully vertically integrated, with a strong position in cocoa-origin countries and a unique global manufacturing footprint with a diversified local service presence

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arry Callebaut has succeeded in creating a new, modern European hub in Serbia that will serve not only as regional centre for Southeast Europe, but will also cater to the network of customers on a broader scale.

Your regional office for logic for Southeast Europe has existed in Belgrade for a decade

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and is constantly recording double-digit growth. Was that one of the reasons you opted to open a factory in Serbia?

The success of our Regional Headquarters, which have - over the course of a decade - developed a wide regional distribution network and become a valuable supplier and long-term partner to

various customers, was just one of the reasons that Serbia was chosen as a location for the further expansion of the Barry Callebaut footprint in the region. This expansion was implemented in line with our ‘smart growth’ strategy, with the idea to extend to new market segments and expand geographically, in order to supply

current customers, and attract new ones, with a wide range of chocolate, compound and filling products. It was planned for this factory to serve as a regional hub from which Barry Callebaut could address the rapidly growing chocolate markets of Southeast Europe and today, when we look at our fully operational production and growing distribution and exports, it is clear that we made the right choice.

With 55 million euros invested, your factory is one of the most significant investments in Novi Sad, thanks to which Serbia will be among the largest producers of chocolate. No more doubts there?

The investment of 55 million euros is a major investment for Novi Sad and Serbia, but is also very important for Barry Callebaut Group. And to date it has satisfied, and I can gladly say overcome, the very ambitious expectations of all interested parties, both internally within the company and with our customers, but also with our partners in this public-private partnership, key stakeholders in the local community and the Serbian government. This new state-of-the art factory in Novi Sad has been completely built and equipped during the Covid-19 crisis, over the course of just one year, and with zero accidents during construction. It is now operating to its full capacity, annually producing and delivering 50,000 tons of chocolate to different customer segments. So, if there were any doubts, we can leave them behind and let our accomplishments and results speak for themselves.

Just over four months have passed since the opening of the factory in Novi Sad. What are your first impressions?

After the ground-breaking ceremony for the Barry Callebaut chocolate factory in Novi Sad took place on 5th March 2020, we, in our project and our company, like the rest of the world, were hit by the life- and business altering Covid-19 crisis, which confronted us with various challenges and imposed necessary, but strict and rigid rules and measures that had a strong impact on our organisation, our daily work and our overall plans. By making the health

and safety of our employees our first priority, we managed to reorganise our project implementation and process, so during the Covid period, which is still in effect today, we’ve accomplished even more than we planned and, most importantly, during the whole period we’ve proven to be a credible partner and reliable supplier to all our customers.

Thanks to our growing and dedicated team, great network of collaborators, clear operational framework and optimisation of resources, management agility, but also our decisiveness and flexibility in execution, we’ve been able to complete two major projects in Serbia.

By recognising its leadership role, Barry Callebaut takes it upon itself to preserve the industry by making an impact in unprecedented times with ground-breaking innovations and gamechanging partnerships. We made a pledge when launching the Forever Chocolate Strategic Initiative in 2016 and promising to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025!

First, in just one year, we’ve constructed, equipped and launched production at our chocolate factory in Novi Sad and, second, we’ve designed, created and executed our Chocolate Academy in Belgrade, which also features an application lab that will enable us to create customised recipes and solutions for our customers, and which will serve as an education centre where we will host dedicated courses for artisans, innovation sessions for industrial and semi-industrial customers and partners, workshops on new trends, tasting sessions and similar.

Due to the Covid rules, we only managed to organise the symbolic inauguration of our factory four months ago, but we stand ready for 2022, during which we hope to be able to present all our facilities and stories to the interested public more frequently and freely.

Your employees can boast of having the sweetest job in the world, but also excellent salaries. What have your investments brought to Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia in economic terms?

Yes, people do comment that it is the sweetest and best smelling job, and in truth that’s a great metaphor. Barry Callebaut is a premium employer in Serbia, offering respect, security and long-term prospects to young people and families, as well experienced experts. The company values its employees highly, providing a safe and dynamic work environment in a performance-based organisation and competitive working terms, with the potential for development and advancement.

Barry Callebaut is both an attractive employer and a long-term dedicated loyal and respectful partner.

As for Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia, we are dedicated to supporting the local community, starting from referential educational institutions and special individuals, through the attracting and development of talent.

Additionally, Barry Callebaut is mastering every step in the value chain, and is therefore dedicated to investing in local development and the sourcing of raw material, thus enabling the progress of the local community.

Is there still room for the optimism that you showed before the factory opened?

You then presented the great plans of Barry Callebaut in Serbia and globally.

How do you view those plans today?

There was the reason for optimism before opening, and there is even more room for positive thinking today, when we know what we can do and that we can even do it during uncompromising circumstances and difficult times. Barry Callebaut is the heart and engine of the

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chocolate industry, with the mission to be number one in all attractive customer segments. With more than 175 years of chocolate heritage, the Barry Callebaut Group has an unparalleled blend of expertise in cocoa and chocolate, including insights into future consumer trends that are gathered through the existing and growing chef’s network.

By recognising this leadership role, Barry Callebaut takes it upon itself to preserve the industry by making an impact in unprecedented times with groundbreaking innovations and game-changing partnerships. We made a pledge when launching the Forever Chocolate Strategic Initiative in 2016 and promising to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025!

We stand by that promise today and see it coming to life.

Will your positive experience contribute to the arrival of other investors from Switzerland, not only from the food industry, but also from other industries?

I am sure that our experience can be very useful, exemplary and inspirational to various businesses in different industry segments who consider Serbia as their next location for direct investment.

Barry Callebaut is very satisfied with the choice of location and we’ve so far had an exceptionally positive experience in cooperation with the Serbian and provincial governments, the City of Novi Sad and referential institutions that provided us with all the necessary support and assistance. Serbia is now recognised as growing economy and enticing investment location. And this is the result of dedicated efforts to create a positive business climate, develop infrastructure and public administration, support and transform the area of education and drive so much needed regional initiatives and collaboration. It is my expectation that these realisations will present strong arguments for more global companies to opt to invest in Serbia, but also the presence of global business in Serbia will provide security for local companies and investors to grow locally and transform their businesses.

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Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Novi Sad is a modern chocolate factory, the latest new European production location that has been realised with an investment of 55 million euros and is now operating at a capacity of 50,000 tons and has plans to double that capacity. It is a state-of-the art production facility with the highest standards of quality and safety of products, and the health and safety of employees

The Barry Callebaut Academy at Belgrade riverfront brings added-value to products and services by utilising new technologies and proactive scientific innovations, adapting existing products and creating new ones to address specific market needs by feeling the pulse of industry and driving the business ahead of trends in the industry. Making the best possible chocolate takes craftsmanship and passion, which is why Barry Callebaut is driving this industry

The Fast Growing Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 The overall process of Quantox’s growth and expansion is guided by the idea of bringing together IT experts around one goal - creating top-notch digital solutions and experiences that create meaningful and measurable value for brands and users.

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ounded in Čačak 16 years ago, Quantox Technology claimed to be a pioneer of IT decentralisation in Serbia, opening 7 offices all around the country. Today, the growing international team counts more than 400 experts working from 13 development centres in 7 different countries.

Guided by the vision and dedication of the founders over the years, the company’s remarkable growth was rewarded with the

prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 National Award.

Digital production is their main expertise, followed by all-around IT support and unique MSP and infrastructure strategies.

The company is also committed to the development of unique Data & AI solutions that add value and make its competitive differentiation even stronger.

Companies with a need for a strong online presence can rely on the Quantox team

to fully create, control and maintain projects using a complete cloud infrastructure.

Whether working with a startup, a small business or an established company, Quantox’s perspective is always on point – a focus on quality, cost-effectiveness and an agile approach that make a business grow and excel. Its diverse expertise and total dedication allow the team to answer any technological or digital challenge and produce high-quality software solutions.

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“We are proud to see G42 Cloud signing an MoU with the Government of the Republic of Serbia to progress the development of AI and cloud computing solutions” – TALAL M. AL KAISSI, CEO OF G42 CLOUD

LOCAL NEWS

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM CENTRE IN SERBIA Prime Minister Ana Brnabic attended in Geneva the signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Serbia, the first of its kind in the Western Balkans. The agreement was signed at the headquarters of that forum by Director of the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment Mihailo Jovanovic and Managing Director and Head of the Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jeremy Jurgens.

The centre in Serbia will be the 16th in the network of centres of the World Economic Forum in the world and the first in the region of the Western Balkans.

2.5 MLN DINARS FOR THE BEST PROJECTS IN ORGANIC PRODUCTION NLB Banka and Komercijalna banka, members of the NLB Group, are once again jointly launching a competition for organic producers - the 11th in a series of Organic competitions. This time, through #OrganicKonkurs, five projects in the field of organic food production and processing will be awarded with cash prizes in the total amount of 2.5 million dinars.

The competition is open from 10 February 10 to 20 April, and as before, the right to participate have agricultural producers with registered farms who are certified or in the process of certification for organic production, including producers who have a group certificate or contract with the organizer production.

MORE THAN 140 COMPANIES FROM SERBIA AT EXPO 2020 DUBAI FOR “AGRICULTURE AND FOOD” WEEK The focus of more than 270 businessmen from around 140 companies from agricultural and food production industry, participating in the 8th Thematic “Agriculture and Food” Week at the World Exhibition Show “Expo 2020 Dubai”, will be to connect with foreign partners, learn about innovation and international trends in the sector, says Aleksandar Bogunović, Secretary of the Association for Plant Production and Food Industry of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. On the occasion of National Day, 15 February the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in cooperation with the Development Agency of Serbia, the Government of Serbia and the Expo team Serbia organized a special business program at several Expo locations, which includes investment conference, business forums, B2B meetings, with the goal of providing businessmen with new jobs, and present Serbia as a strong investment destination.

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VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INGRAM MICRO

Strong Support To Partners Ingram Micro is a company that’s committed to building dependable and mutually beneficial partnerships with more than 1,700 vendors of global significance, but also with a large number of partners from across the entire region

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n the period ahead - notes Imgram Micro MD Vladimir Popovic, the company expects “further development of the digitalisation of operations, modernisation and the optimisation of business processes and security, as well as higher demand for high-quality digital services”.

What has changed at Ingram Micro over the last two years?

It has always been known that intelligent people learn from the experiences of others, and in today’s times it is certainly worth paying additional attention to the strategies and operational elements of those companies that have managed to overcome all the turmoil and remain as pillars of strong support to their partners and customers. Ingram Micro is just such an example of a company whose experiences can teach others a lot.

We also offer our partners the opportunity to connect with global and local markets, technologies and resources on the market, and to sell their products.

Our services extend beyond the scope of classical distribution: we offer marketing, effective logistics and a services package to enable us to connect our partners with their customers quickly, accurately and efficiently.

We are awaited by a global crisis of skilled/ qualified labour, particularly in the field of business software. How are you resolving this issue?

We cope with this through constant education. We’ve introduced not only classical training, but also professional

We offer marketing, effective logistics and a services package to enable us to connect our partners with their customers quickly, accurately and efficiently

work placements. In that sense, we are proud of the Intership programme that was created by Ingram Micro Adriatic in cooperation with the University of Belgrade Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ETF), the Faculty of Computer Science in Belgrade (RAF) and the Faculty of Electronics in Niš.

This programme offers an attractive agenda for future engineers, with professional development and practical training, opportunities to network with people around the entire business and inclusion in multiple projects.

We’ve just gone through two extremely challenging years. What do you expect from 2022?

Following the end of the pandemic, there will be a shift from total work from home to returning to offices, which will represent some kind of hybrid model of work. The pandemic brought us an increased need for hgh-quality and professional security personnel, which is why at Ingram Micro we’re organising Cyber Security training, though nor should we undervalue the basic training and education provided in virtualisation and management.

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SANJA TODOROVIĆ, CEO, TRIPLE JUMP GROUP

Success Never Fears A Challenge From the very beginning, the Triple Jump Group has been distributing and presenting global brands on the markets of the former Yugoslavia and Hungary, and in recent years has achieved success in the field of real estate and hoteliery

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careers as promising young people. I enjoy working with them and they strongly support the company’s goal of providing young beginners with space for personal development and identifying talents who can contribute to the further development of the company tomorrow.

That is why today’s “new wave” of leaders are young people who have been employed as interns at Triple Jump Group in the last ten years, but at the same time we have good examples of specialists who had previous experience in other companies.

new wave of managers at Triple Jump Group consists of young people who have been employed as interns in the last ten years.

Together with experienced team members and specialists who arrived from other companies, they are the future of our company, says Sonja Todorović.

Triple Jump operates in the fields of sports, fashion, cosmetics, hoteliery and real estate. Do you see this diversity as an exacerbating circumstance, as a challenge or as an inspiration?

Each company has its own basic identity, and for Triple Jump Group it is the distribution and presentation of global brands on the markets we cover - the territories of the entire former Yugoslavia and Hungary.

We learn a lot from our partners: The Body Shop, Converse, Lindex, Arena, MAX & Co ... and that is perhaps the most inspiring part of our business.

Hoteliery and real estate are a “forced” diversification as a result of many years of work and capital accumulation. This is common for companies or people who have been in business for more than fifteen or twenty years, and makes a good addition to the general business and image of the company. Diversity is a challenge because it means entering new programmes, but it is also an inspiration for those who are not afraid to enter new areas of business. A real example of this is our Jump Inn hotel, another is the field of digitalisation, an integral part of current and future business choices.

Hoteliery and real estate are “forced” diversification as a result of many years of work and capital accumulation

The strength of your company lies in managers whose potential your father recognised at the beginning of their careers.

Do you treat new talents in a similar way?

I met today’s experienced experts and managers when I was an intern. They were recognised at the beginning of their

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In your company, women have always been able to hold responsible positions. Are you proud of this as a brilliant example to others and a strong contribution to the development of the economy and society?

The growing participation of women as those responsible for the most important tasks has been alive in our firm for a long time. With such a structure, it is easier to raise awareness towards faster acceptance of other important values that contribute to the development of society. I mean a contribution to environmental protection, the fight against violence, participation in humanitarian activities, and in cooperation with institutional leaders striving to accept such socially responsible behaviour, such as UNICEF, the Safe House, the Oncological Institute ...

We are proud to have “involved” our employees and customers, with whom we can contribute to developing of awareness of socially responsible behaviour. In our company you can really feel the support and satisfaction of all team members because we are so active in this area.

SRĐAN BULATOVIĆ, CORPORATE SECURITY DIRECTOR, MPC PROPERTIES

Security, A Strategic Function Besides ensuring procedural compliance and business process efficiency and providing support and protection to all departments and staff, MPC Properties Corporate Security Sector has a number of other responsibilities without which it would not be possible to do business without challenges

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regional standard of business in the real estate sector. Our facilities have the highest LEED and BREEAM certificates, and I am especially pleased to point out that we are in the process of certification according to the WELL Health & Safety standard for as many as eight facilities in our portfolio and that we will be the first company in the region to have such an important certificate.

The certification process improves the quality of the buildings and the processes that are integrated into them, which contributes to reducing energy consumption, water consumption and waste, and reduces harmful impact on the environment but also contributes to preserving the collective health of staff and users of the buildings, and makes it easier for us to monitor all systems.

he Corporate Security Sector has become especially important during the pandemic. At that time, Mr. Bulatović points out, the focus of the business was to preserve the safety and health of the staff and all stakeholders who are an integral part of a large system like MPC Properties

What is the task of the Corporate Security Sector in your company, which is unique in many ways? What are the areas you cover?

The task of corporate security is to enable compliance with all procedures and the efficiency of business processes, and to provide support and protection to all company departments and staff in their daily work. What makes our sector specific is the fact that it is an integral part of every other sector and process in the company, and we need to understand and see every aspect of the business clearly, from commercial activities, through administration to strategic planning, development and innovation. This is a very complex role, which requires each team member to have knowledge of a range of areas, to be always on standby and to be able to follow changes in market trends at any time. At MPC, the Corporate Security Sector is a strategic function that enables us to preserve business stability and protect our staff, but also the projects themselves.

One could say that at MPC you value monitoring and applying global standards, practices, procedures and the state-of-the-art achievements...

MPC is the company with the longest and richest expertise when it comes to the development and management

We have launched the certification process for the WELL Health & Safety standard for eight facilities. We will be the first company in the region to have such an important certificate of modern shopping destinations and business facilities. For 20 years, we have been introducing the best world practices on the domestic market and setting the

The company’s business success and reputation are rooted in standard physical and technical protection and work on cyber and information security, but also by anti-corruption measures and fraud prevention. Do you deal with that as well?

We cover all these areas and that is why the standards I mentioned are extremely important. They allow us to more easily and simply follow all the changes in our buildings and work processes. It is very challenging to control one large system that connects more than 400 different leaseholders, has its own network of property management services and very complex information security processes. We are in daily contact with representatives of relevant government institutions to ensure that users of all our facilities are maximally protected and safe.

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“We plan to invest 45 billion kuna in transport infrastructure in the following years” – ANDREJ PLENKOVIC, CROATIA’S FINANCE MINISTER

REGIONAL NEWS

NORTH MACEDONIA’S PILOT GREEN FINANCING FACILITY TO RECEIVE FUNDING FROM JOINT SDG FUND Selected from a global pool of submissions coming from over 100 countries, North Macedonia’s joint programme for establishing a Green Financing Facility (GFF) was among a total of 10 programmes considered by the Joint SDG Fund to be the most impactful and investment-ready and to have the greatest co-financing leverage.

With financial support from the Joint SDG Fund, this programme will set up a new financial vehicle, which will provide access to affordable green financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals and households (including marketable but underserved individuals and households) for investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions.

EBRD SUPPORTS STEEL INDUSTRY DECARBONISATION IN SLOVENIA The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is participating in Slovenian Steel Group’s (SIJ Group) €230 million long-term debt facility, with €25 million to support the specialised steel company’s efforts to further reduce its environmental impact.

One of the core objectives of the EBRD is the transition towards a low-carbon economy in hard-to-abate industries, among which the steel and iron sectors rank first when it comes to CO2 emissions and second when it comes energy consumption. SIJ Group already has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the steel industry globally, manufactures its products from 100% recyclable steel scrap and is aligned with the EU Taxonomy.

MONTENEGRO SEES EUR 308.4 MLN OF FDI The total inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in November last year amounted to EUR 764 million, while at the same time EUR 308.4 million flowed out of the country, according to preliminary data from the Central Bank (CBCG).

The net inflow of foreign direct investments amounted to EUR 455.6 million, which is 10.8 percent more than in the same period in 2020.

Based on investments of residents abroad, EUR 99.8 million flowed out of the country, while withdrawals of funds of non-residents invested in Montenegro amounted to EUR 208.6 million.

The inflow of foreign direct investments in the form of equity investments amounted to EUR 404.7 million, which is 53 percent of the total. Of that, EUR 245.7 million was invested in real estate and EUR 159 million in companies and banks.

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“Digital transformation in the ICT industry around the world, and even in our country, more than in any other industry, is a constant journey and a driver of change” –- CHRISTOPH SCHOEN, MFIC PRESIDENT

FRENCH-ITALIAN MONCLER POURS EUR 10 MLN IN ITS ROMANIAN FACTORY The French-Italian luxury clothing manufacturer Moncler will invest EUR 10 mln in its factory that it has operated since 2015 in Bacau, in eastern Romania. The new building will be completed later this year. “The new building will stretch over 8,000 square meters and will include a new production space equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, as well as a research and development center. At the same time, Moncler is building a kindergarten for the employees’ children,” the company said in a statement released on 21 February. When fully operational, the new unit will hire approximately 300, bringing the capacity of Moncler Industries Yield, the group’s Romanian subsidiary, to a total of 1,500.

BULGARIA WILL DEVELOP NEW NUCLEAR FACILITIES Bulgaria will develop new nuclear facilities and this is written in the coalition agreement, said on the sidelines of Parliament Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev. He explained that the purpose of his visit with the Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov to the United States was to discuss options in case energy supplies to Bulgaria are threatened due to the crisis in the region. Regarding the development of small nuclear facilities in the United States, Vassilev pointed out that there is still no working prototype. On the other hand, new available technologies are considered.

BOSNIAN INVESTMENT FIRM BUYS HOTEL IGMAN The Place, Bosnian investment and consulting firm signed an agreement to buy the former hotel Igman from public enterprise ZOI ‘84, the government of Bosnia’s Sarajevo Canton said.

The Place is already working on the new design of the hotel, Emir Granov, director of The Place, said in a statement published by the government of Sarajevo Canton. The Place, owned by a group of local and foreign investors, agreed to buy the former hotel Igman for over 2.6 million euro, news provider Klix reported. The buyer plans over 15 million marka of investments within the first three years after the acquisition.

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BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (BIS)

BIS Commemorates Silver Jubilee The British International School, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Serbia, is currently being attended by pupils, aged from two to 18, who come from more than 30 countries

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e are proud to announce that the British International School (BIS) will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary in June 2022.

It is hard to believe how much time flies and that the academic excellence we’ve provided to our students over past decades has brought us to the school’s Silver Jubilee.

BIS can be proud of its highquality teaching staff, including both those who earned their qualifications in the UK and those trained locally, many of whom have been working at the school for many years BIS has expanded its student body over the course of these 25 years, and it continues to grow – now boasting students from over 30 countries. We are proud to now have pupils aged from two to 18 learning at our four campuses. Our alumni have gone on to study at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Cambridge University, Oxford University, the London School of Economics, Imperial College, the University of Edinburgh, Berkeley University USA, the University of Rotterdam, the University of Vienna and many here at the University of Belgrade, to name but a few.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching staff, whether they be qualified educators from the UK or our highly qualified local teachers, many of whom have been with us for many years. Their knowledge, application and experience of our adapted British curriculum has led to the quality learning that occurs at BIS.

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10th Anniversary: Guest of Honour H.E. Mr Hans Ola Urstad, Ambassador of OSCE

15th Anniversary: Guest of Honour H.E. Mr Toshio Tsunozaki, Ambassador of Japan

20th Anniversary: Guest of Honour H.E. Mr Denis Keefe, Ambassador of the UK

The Pride Of Serbian Hospitality THE ART OF PUSHING BOUNDARIES

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uring the just over three years of its existence, the Gorski Hotel & Spa has become synonymous with luxury, impeccable service and raising the standards of hospitality, both on Kopaonik mountain and across the region.

Luxurious and elegant, it offers an unsurpassed mountain experience that’s enriched with numerous facilities that ensure relaxation and indulgence year-round.

This opinion is shared by guests who love the mountain both in the summer and winter, and who return season after season. Such an opinion is based on a series of successes achieved by a team of dedicated professionals with inexhaustible energy.

CONGRESS CENTRE ON PAR WITH THE BEST OF EUROPE The Gorski Hotel Congress Centre has certainly pushed the boundaries of everything previously seen in the organisation of corporate gatherings on Kopaonik. The Centre consists of four halls, the largest of which is a multifunctional hall encompassing 470m2

Treat yourself and your team by working from a congress centre and hall that has its own terrace.

Combine work with outdoor activities that will relieve stress and fill you with mountain freshness. Treat your team to a mountain paradise getaway during the working week and try your hand at quad riding, horseback riding, archery or trophy hunting, or an all-round mountain event and equipped with next-generation technology.

Thanks to soundproof partition walls, this hall can be divided into two smaller spaces able to accommodate up to 250 seats. Three smaller halls are also available, one of which has its own terrace, as well as a spacious

lobby for coffee breaks and buffet snacks.

The Centre exudes sophistication, with predominantly wood and mountain materials, and will leave you feeling warm and welcome. It is possible to organise events on the Congress Centre terrace, where team meetings and events will certainly be more productive thanks to the fresh air.

By being ever attentive to our guests and tailoring team building and other events to their needs, we have created business packages for our clients that include smaller or larger groups of participants. We have given our all to plan their time down to the finest detail.

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Feature

NATHAN KOESHALL, CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, CATALYST BALKANS

Five Predictions For Balkan Philanthropy In 2022 The last two years have been a watershed moment for Western Balkan philanthropy as individuals and the businesses have responded with an unprecedented solidarity during and throughout the COVID crisis. This outpouring of goodwill has provided an opportunity for the domestic giving ‘marketplace’ to emerge and mature

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for improving their schools, municipalities partnering with citizens to improve public infrastructure, and community-based media and cultural institutions being supported by their audiences to improve the quality of cultural life in their communities.

Society takes another step away from the expectation that government is solely responsible for the public good and warms to the idea that civic-citizen partnerships can do more than government or citizens can do on their own.

ooking forward to the coming year, five predictions for how the philanthropy might continue to blossom are offered as we collectively move forward to insure that vulnerable populations are cared for, that innovation is supported, and that culture, education and health care are given the extra support.

INCREASE IN DONATION PAYMENT OPTIONS As credit and debit card usage rises throughout the region, an increasing number of nonprofits will set up their own e-payment solutions in 2022. Electronic and mobile banking giving will be empowered by the spread of QR code-activated donation solutions. Experiments that link crypto-giving with NFT auctions will begin to be more visible and broadly used.

LAUNCH OF NEW GIVING FUNDS, POOLS, AND ENDOWMENTS A greater number of ways to give also predicated the need for more collective ways to make a greater impact. Pooled funds and the use of the endowment model will begin to emerge and accumulate to a larger sum that can achieve impact in an area of common interest.

MORE DIVERSITY IN THE CROWDFUNDING SPACE Not all crowdfunding is philanthropy, but there will continue to be new entrants in the donation- and perk-based crowdfunding space throughout the region, with new platforms scheduled to launch in Serbia,

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Kosovo, and North Macedonia. Providing citizens and companies with a greater number of campaigns that can be supported gives donors a greater sense of agency in how to direct their giving and helps to make fundraising more transparent.

THE EMERGENCE OF CIVIC AND COMMUNITY-BASED GIVING There is something valuable when a community rallies around a common idea and gives together to solve a problem. We will be witness to classrooms raising funds

CONTINUED MIGRATION OF CORPORATE GIVING TO STRATEGIC CAUSES A trend over the last 4-5 years has been in how the corporate sector has increasingly given to support solutions to problems rather than addressing the symptoms of those problems. Investments in education will be increasingly directed to scholarships that enable students to better concentrate on a quality educational experience, while giving towards healthcare will more and more focus on building the capacity of the health care establishment to diagnose, treat and keep citizens healthy.

Companies will begin to give more to address pressing environmental issues like pollution and will work to increase their contributions to the circular economy and lower climate impacts that their core business may contribute to.

2022 is bound to be better than 2021 in many spheres of society, with the domestic philanthropy ecosystem being a particular area where we can look forward to many positive and inspiring changes.

Porto Montenegro

Boka Place - A New Home Of Luxury And Glamour Boka Place is the New Adriatic Hotspot for Shopping, Dining and Hospitality, just a few steps away from the buzz of the marina and the glamour of the Yacht Club.

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ne of the great assets of Boka Place will be the world’s first hotel SIRO – a new hospitality concept created by Kerzner International, the group behind Atlantis and One & Only Resorts.

Founded some 15 years ago by a consortium of visionary developers, Porto Montenegro is set in the spectacularly beautiful Bay of Kotor on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast. From its historic origins as a naval base, it has been transformed into an exquisite waterfront destination, with low-rise apartment buildings, tree-lined pedestrian boulevards and an array of chic boutiques, restaurants and cafes surrounding a breathtaking superyacht marina.

A gateway to Porto Montenegro’s laidback elegance, our new neighbourhood – Boka Place – is just a few steps away from the buzz of the marina and the glamour of the Yacht Club. Positioned to become one of the Bay of Kotor’s most sought-after locations, it will bring together 45 new retail offerings – from shopping and dining to recreation and entertainment.

A great asset of Boka Place will be the world’s first hotel SIRO – a new hospitality concept created by Kerzner International, the group behind Atlantis and One & Only Resorts. Adding dynamism to the neighbourhood and encouraging a health and fitnessinfused lifestyle for hotel guests and Boka Place residents alike, the 96-room SIRO will feature an exceptional wellness sanctuary and fitness centre. Available to all residents, the immersive lifestyle experience offered by SIRO will redefine the notion of wellbeing.

On completion, Boka Place will feature a total of 213 residences, including studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses, and two- and three-bedroom duplexes. Buyers may choose from a range of SIRO-managed residences or purchase their own private units, with property prices starting from €240,000. Residents will benefit from invitation-only events and exciting summer clubs for children, among other privileges.

The 69 private residences in Boka Place offer exclusive access to their own pool, as well as privileged access to SIRO wellness programmes. Porto Montenegro offers management of these units as part of its bespoke M-Residences rental management scheme, a well-established programme with a proven track record of return on investment. As an added attraction for buyers, Boka Place offers a limited-time deferred payment plan, available until 31st May 2022 - for its private residences. These

homes can now be purchased with a 30% upfront payment, with the remaining amount payable upon the building’s completion in 2023 - interest free.

Development of this new neighbourhood continues to gather pace and, for those who decide to become part of the Boka Place journey by investing in a property, it promises to deliver a very solid return on investment – both financially and in terms of an exceptional lifestyle.

But there’s more to this story than attractive real estate. It is very easy to fall under the spell of Boka Bay: it has a special, indefinable magic that goes beyond the spectacular natural surroundings – a serenity that is increasingly valuable, yet ever harder to find, in today’s world. And that makes the prospect of a home in Porto Montenegro hard to resist.

To learn more, visit www.bokaplace. com or contact us at bokaplace@portomontenegro.com

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“Any potential sanctions against Russia should not include energy imports” – MARIO DRAGHI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER

WORLD NEWS

SINGAPORE WANTS TO IMPOSE NET WEALTH TAXES Singapore wants to introduce net wealth taxes and is studying the possibility of making those with greater means pay more, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told CNBC on Monday. However, the minister pointed to the challenges of such wealth taxes, which would inevitably cause money to flow away from Singapore. As part of its 2022 budget, Singapore increased taxes for higher earners, including duties on real estate and motor vehicles, to ensure that those who make more money pay more. Singapore, a wealth management hub, is looking at a broad range of wealth taxes “very closely,” Wong said. They include taxes on capital gains, dividends, and a net wealth tax on individuals.

ELON MUSK’S SPACEX TO SPLIT ITS PRIVATE STOCK 10-FOR-1 Elon Musk’s SpaceX is splitting the value of its common stock 10-for-1, CNBC has learned, with the company’s valuation having soared to more than $100 billion. The split means that for each share of SpaceX stock owned as of Thursday, a holder now has 10 shares after the conversion. With SpaceX valued at $560 a share during its most recent sale, the split reduces SpaceX’s common stock to $56 a share, according to a company-wide email obtained by CNBC. “The split has no impact on the overall valuation of the company or on the overall value of your SpaceX holdings,” the email said.

UK ECONOMY GREW 7.5% IN 2021, MOSTLY RECOVERING FROM ITS PANDEMIC PLUNGE The British economy grew 7.5% in 2021, official figures revealed Friday, rebounding from its historic 9.4% plunge in 2020 when pandemic restrictions stifled activity. On a quarterly basis, U.K. GDP (gross domestic product) is estimated to have increased by 1% in the final three months of the year. It follows a downwardly revised 1% increase the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. In December, GDP contracted by 0.2% as the omicron Covid-19 variant forced renewed caution and containment measures, though economists polled by Reuters had expected a more severe 0.6% contraction. The largest contributors to the quarterly rise in output were from “human health and social work activities driven by increased GP visits at the start of the quarter,” according to the ONS, along with a “large increase in coronavirus (Covid-19) testing and tracing activities and the extension of the vaccination programme.”

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“We are shutting down EU airspace for Russian-owned, Russian-registered or Russian-controlled aircraft” –URSULA VON DER LEYEN, THE HEAD OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

AHEAD OF ITS FIRST SPAC APPROVAL, DUBAI’S SHUAA CAPITAL SAYS IT WANTS TO LAUNCH MORE Dubai-listed investment bank Shuaa Capital is still in the final stages before its first blank-check company can be listed on the Nasdaq in the United States, but the bank is already eager to launch more special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) in the near future. “The intention is to raise the other SPACs within quick succession,” said Fawad Tariq Khan, managing director and head of investment banking at Shuaa Capital. In 2021, the bank said it wanted to set up three such companies with capital of $200 million each. “For some of these businesses that are growing and have global ambitions … a Nasdaq listing gives them currency for future acquisitions, future growth and so on,” he told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” in an exclusive interview.

NEXT BITCOIN BULL RUN WON’T HAPPEN UNTIL END 2024 Bitcoin may not see a bull market until late 2024 or the beginning of 2025, if past price cycles are any indication, according to the co-founder of Huobi, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Du Jun told CNBC that bitcoin bull markets are closely tied to a process called halving, which occurs every few years. This relates to so-called miners on the bitcoin network, which run powerful specialized computers to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions on the bitcoin network. Miners are rewarded in bitcoin as a result. Halving is written into bitcoin’s underlying code and cuts in half the reward that so-called miners get for validating transactions on the cryptocurrency’s network. It occurs roughly every four years.

EUROPEAN STOCKS WRAP UP WORST MONTH SINCE OCTOBER 2020 European stocks closed higher, the last trading day of January, as investors weighed upcoming central bank decisions and geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index provisionally closed up 0.6%, with tech stocks jumping 2.9% to lead gains as most sectors and major bourses entered positive territory. The benchmark is on pace for its worst month since October 2020, however, as investors reassess their allocations amid fears over higher interest rates. In terms of individual share price movement, British biotech firm Oxford Nanopore climbed 7% to lead the Stoxx 600. At the bottom of the European blue chip index, French care home operator Orpea slid 7% after firing its CEO following allegations of patient abuse.

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Entrepreneur RITU NARAYAN

FOUNDER AND CEO OF ZŪM

Hard work always pays off — My dad used to always say that to my family, whenever someone felt disappointment or discouragement in the home and I completely agree with it. Being able to have a long view of any situation, relationships, work, etc will eventually ensure that you are making decisions based on a long term goal with the biggest impact in mind and if you keep at it, you’ll eventually find yourself in the right place at the right time.

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s a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ritu Narayan.

Three Things You Need

To Shake Up Your Industry 44

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Ritu Narayan is founder and CEO of Zūm.

She founded Zūm to help solve a very real world problem: getting her two children to and from school and other activities, while working a demanding, full-time job as a product executive at eBay. Ritu is an alumni of Stanford Graduate School of business and earned an undergraduate degree in computer science at the Delhi Institute of Technology.

Thank you so much for doing this with us!

Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

When I was a child in India, my mother sacrificed her career to focus on her children, and especially on our education and development. When I started a family of my own, I was a technology executive with a fulfilling job and big aspirations. But when my children began going to school, I had to decide to either slow down or give up my career because of a lack of safe, reliable school transportation for my children. So, not much had changed since I witnessed my mother face the same dilemma 30 years ago. I realised my challenges are the same as millions of parents in the U.S. This problem is universal and generational.

I knew I had to find a solution that would open up new possibilities and opportunities — not only for myself, but every other family in America. With a plan in mind, I partnered up with my siblings, Vivek and Abhishek, to reimagine school transportation and from that, Zūm came into existence.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

School buses have long played an important role in society — in fact, they are the largest mass transit system in the U.S. — but the “one bus fits all” approach does not meet today’s needs of modern families, drivers, and districts and is literally miles behind today’s other mobility experiences.With Zūm, we are changing something that has otherwise been systemic and outdated. There is so much potential that is lost when children don’t have a reliable and safe means of transportation to school. Not only do their parents face issues at work, but kids are commuting twice a day, and when that commute is disruptive, it damages the learning experience.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was Zūm’s first driver and learned so much from that process. There’s one particularly vivid memory where I picked up a student around my son’s age, 10 years old at the time, and I just didn’t know how to talk to him. I wondered, “should I talk to him as a child? As a young adult?” I was so worried about communicating with him in the right way that I accidentally missed a left turn I meant to take. From there, he started giving me directions and was even reassuring me that everything would be fine. It was quite a funny moment but as Zūm’s first driver, it was a stressful experience. It taught me to be not only more at ease in my future rides, but as an entrepreneur breaking new ground.

Being able to have a long view of any situation, relationships, work etc. will eventually ensure that you are making decisions based on a long term goal with the biggest impact in mind We all need a little help along the journey.

Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I’ve been very fortunate that my parents always made education a high priority in our home. From a very young age, my parents both offered the unwavering support that I needed to grow and move forward. Now, I can see that the unconditional support and guidance that was provided by my parents helped me to thrive and I was able to become the first female engineer in my family and years later start my own company.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can

you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

Growing up, “disruptive” was not a positive word — being disruptive in class or at the dinner table is not something that is encouraged. In my experience, however, whenever you are trying to bring about positive change through curiosity and growth, you are disrupting the current status quo.

That disruption can generally be gauged as positive or not positive if you’re focusing on the stakeholders and number of people impacted by a successful outcome. In the case of Zūm, parents and school districts had just accepted that there were no alternative transportation options. If the organised system isn’t working for a large number of its users, it’s time to reevaluate and see what can be changed. We were able to observe the trends and needs around us to create a system that can reimagine and modernise something that was previously just accepted as an unwavering solution.

Can you share three of the best pieces of advice you’ve received on your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Hard work always pays off — My dad used to always say that to my family, whenever someone felt disappointment or discouragement in the home, and I completely agree with it. Being able to have

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Entrepreneur a week, but I always refer back to the book Atomic Habits by James Clear — it has all the answers for life and startups. Throughout the book, he discusses how making small changes every day can have a big impact. If you only improve by 1% every day, then at the end of the year you will be 37 times better than where you started.That is mind boggling.“Overnight success” does not happen overnight, even what can be considered “rapid growth” takes place over time.

This book provides great insight into how you can make lasting changes.

a long view of any situation, relationships, work, etc will eventually ensure that you are making decisions based on a long term goal with the biggest impact in mind and if you keep at it, you’ll eventually find yourself in the right place at the right time.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

We have been on this journey for six years now and it feels like we’re still just getting started. We’re transforming student transportation so it can do what was always intended: to achieve community potential. Our next move is to unite a transportation system that will modernise the old one by setting a higher standard for safety, creating opportunity and equitable access for families, drivers, and districts and leading sustainability to create healthier communities for generations to come. Our goal is to drive meaningful change today for student transportation that will be the blueprint for sustainable, communityfirst transportation in the future. This immense and untapped opportunity for good goes beyond school communities in our towns and cities. Think 100% clean, flexible and efficient mass transportation for education, healthcare, higher education and private transportation.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

There was a Harvard Business Review study conducted that talks about how women are asked

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If you only improve by 1% every day, then at the end of the year you will be 37 times better than where you started limiting questions and it is very telling, and accurate in my life experiences. So much of my time is wasted answering questions such as “how will you ensure this doesn’t fail?” when I see my male counterparts being asked questions like “how big can you make this?” Female disruptors face the challenge of their ideas being criticized as “too risky” rather than “bold and brave”. You can’t be what you can’t see and as a female in business, it is important to me to use my platforms to share my voice and normalise women disruptors and idea makers. The more I persist and make Zum successful, the more likely someone else will be to see someone who looks like them, and feel emboldened to do it too. If we can remove the systemic bias and provide more examples of success stories, we’ll be able to remove barriers for the rising generations.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

I love reading and I average at least one book

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-) I’d love to inspire people to combine both the concept of self care with exploring the possibilities of who you can be. Life isn’t about treating anything as an obstacle that can’t be faced, instead use everything to help yourself grow and explore. What I love about my company is that we are providing parents the opportunity to do just that — they can explore and achieve their maximum potential at home or at the office because they can trust that their child’s transportation has been taken care of and they don’t need to make the choice between furthering their aspirations or ensuring that their children can also meet theirs at school.

Can you please give us your favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

You can’t be what you can’t see — This has been a frequent thread throughout my life. I’ve tried to continue to be an inspiration and a role model, doing and exploring things that were not previously done so that other females see it can be done by a woman.

But you cannot always find a role model leading your way. In these situations, you’re responsible to picture yourself doing the unimaginable. Visualise yourself reaching that success and mastering what others have not yet mastered. Once you have the image of outcome you want in your mind, it becomes more realistic and attainable.

How can our readers follow you online?

On Twitter at @ritun and @ridezum LinkedIn: Ritu Narayan This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Source: Authority Magazine

PROFILE

Shining Light In The Darkness The future is uncertain and the past is still unfolding. I don’t know what’s been the most important element on the path of my life and work, and there have been many elements. What has endured since the early days is my inclination towards everything that’s valuable, beautiful and ennobles the soul... My interest in our cultural past and everything representing tradition that we mustn’t forget – and, of course, how that impacts on the future – is what led me to that which became my life credo

DR IVANA SIMEONOVIĆ ĆELIĆ, ART HISTORIAN, FULL PROFESSOR OF THE BELGRADE FACULTY OF FINE ARTS IN RETIREMENT, DIRECTOR OF ZEPTER MUSEUM

M

y interest in professorship, and at the same time in working in a gallery or museum, which emerged during my studies, thanks to the contributions of my two favourite professors, Vojislav J. Đurić and Lazar Trifunović, turned into lifelong callings.

The professorship came first, and then....

When what is now already long ago, in the 1990s, Mrs Madlena Zepter wanted to establish her own Gallery, I was already a professor of art history at the Faculty of Fine Arts who was partial to modern and contemporary art, particularly domestic art.

She invited me to form a gallery, propose a programme and working mode, and for us to start working. That was during that era when it was tough to live and most people were barely existing; when life had almost ceased and the city was in “darkness”. The Zepter Gallery was a “shining light” in New Belgrade’s “darkness”. With everything created by its opening, a programme without declines

and its endurance, this Gallery gained a large number of visitors – not only among experts and avid art lovers, but rather also among those just getting acquainted with modern and contemporary art.

Changing locations several times – from New Belgrade, to the centre of Belgrade, Zemun, and back to Belgrade again – this Gallery also represents the precursor to that which opened in the middle of Knez Mihailova Street on 1st July 2010 as the ZEPTER MUSEUM. Located in the city’s historical core, in close proximity to the most important institutions of culture and education, and housed in an important architectural monument to Art Nouveau architecture that was built in 1922 according to the designs of architect Dionis Sunko, the ZEPTER MUSEUM is the first private art museum in Serbia, founded using the funding of its owner (the Zepter family).

And we were thus able to stand on a par with, unfortunately, the few museums of our nation’s capital. And they were not our competitors, nor were we theirs. The ZEPTER MUSEUM opened at a time when the city’s two most important museums – the National Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art – were both closed for long periods due to renovation works. During that period when these two museums were closed, our museum was the only one where the public, and the many foreigners who were in Belgrade at the time, and particularly students of art colleges, could familiarise themselves with

the original works of artists and the phases of fine art in Serbia during the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the new millennium.

Art galleries, and particularly museums, have manifold roles: an enlightenment and primarily cultural mission that preserves the past and turns the future. Our Museum, alongside a permanent exhibition that changes from time to time due to a lack of space, has numerous programmes of its own. We are a living organism, where various events, meetings with the public and conversations with artists take place, and where promotions of art books, thematic meetings and expert discussions are held. We cooperate with other museums and galleries, both in the country and abroad. We have a publishing section and long-term production of graphics. We are also particularly proud of the award of STOJAN ĆELIĆ, an artist, critic, theorist and academic, which we founded in 2014.

We provide an opportunity to the youngest artists, who are just embarking on their artistic journey, and those who are still completing their studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade.

We aren’t just a vault of the heritage that we preserve for the future, rather we also create that future.

My professorship is over. There are no more parallel streams. What remains is the ZEPTER MUSEUM that I’ve headed, together with the gallery prehistory, for almost thirty years.

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Architecture Architectural trends for 2022

Green & Sustainable Buildings

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Sustainable lifestyles improve the quality of our lives, protect our ecosystem, and preserve our natural resources for future generations. A holistic approach to sustainability in the corporate world involves considering everything from manufacturing to logistics to customer service. By adopting green and sustainable strategies, the company maximizes both its short-term and longterm environmental benefits.

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oday, sustainable design is the essence of architectural design. The mission is to improve health, welfare, and safety in any way possible.

The goal of designers should be to find ways to save energy and improve the life cycle. As a part of this plan, one aims to reduce the overall life cycle costs of buildings and structures.

Using sustainable building materials aims towards cost reduction, better use of materials, and waste minimisation, with enhanced quality of life ensuring a productive working environment. As one enters one of the most significant talent crises the world has seen, it is also necessary to look at sustainable practices as a differentiator. Looking beyond access to daylight and green materials, one should also look into exciting and intensely green trends embedded into the design and culture.

Here are some of the best most efficient buildings to mark new architectural trends.

MANITOBA HYDRO PLACE, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

Architects: Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects Serving as an office tower, Manitoba Hydro Place uses 70% less energy than a comparable office building of conventional design. The building features active and passive systems, such as south-facing winter gardens, a solar chimney, and programmable lighting. Working in harmony these systems make the most of the surrounding environment and natural processes.

MUSEUM OF TOMORROW, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

GARDENS BY THE BAY, SINGAPORE

Architect: Santiago Calatrava Amongst others, the building’s sustainability features include channelling water from the Guanabara bay to regulate the temperature inside

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Architecture Architectural trends for 2022 the building and supply water for the Museum’s surrounding reflecting pools as well as mobile PV solar panels which can be adjusted depending on the sun’s rays throughout the day.

VERTICAL FOREST, MILAN, ITALY

Architects: Boeri Studio The residential building consists of a plant-based facade that, unlike others built with materials such as steel or glass, does not reflect the sun’s rays but filters them by creating a welcoming humidity-regulated internal microclimate without harmful effects on the environment.

PIXEL BUILDING, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Architects: Studio 505 The first office building with zero carbon emissions, Pixel consists of a rooftop clad

MANITOBA HYDRO PLACE, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA

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with both fixed and mobile PV panels as well as vertical wind turbines. What’s more, is that the building was built using uniquely designed concrete that contains half of the embodied carbon traditional concrete has while keeping the same architectural features.

SANKO HEADQUARTERS, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

VERTICAL FOREST, MILAN, ITALY

Architects: RMJM Milano The building will host offices, meeting rooms but also a restaurant and an auditorium. Its sustainability features include outside greenery that contrasts solar radiation, making the inside of the building cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning. There is also a void in the atrium that allows for natural light to illuminate the inside of the building, making for reduced use of electricity, most of which is renewable.

MUSEUM OF TOMORROW, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

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Architecture Architectural trends for 2022

PIXEL BUILDING, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

BULLITT CENTER, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.

SANKO HEADQUARTERS, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

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ONE ANGEL SQUARE, MANCHESTER, UK

ONE ANGEL SQUARE, MANCHESTER, UK

Architects: 3DReid The double-skinned facade and open atrium allow for minimisation of heating and cooling tasks as well as natural heating, cooling and lighting of the building. A combined heat and power plant, which runs on rapeseed oil grown on the Co-operatives own lands,

devises the building’s own source of heat and power, cutting costs by 75%.

BULLITT CENTER, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.

Architects: Miller Hull Partnership Bullitt Center is the greenest commercial building in the world and its main fea-

ture is incorporating all the sustainable features a building can have: net-zero energy, net-zero water, net-zero carbon, composting toilets, toxic-free materials, an enticing stairway and 80% daylighting using high-performance windows. Meaning that 100% of the building’s energy comes from renewable sources.

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My life Pero Zubac, author and poet

TIMELESS “MOSTAR RAINS”

A gentleman with a bow tie and polite manners. His poems are just the same: picturesque, aromatic, beautifully worded, romantic... He stopped counting how many books he’s published, both for adults and children, anthologies, parodies, essays... He’s edited magazines, written librettos for ballet and opera, screenplays for films and television shows... His books have been translated into countless foreign languages, while his poem “Mostar Rains” is known around the planet and recited with enthusiasm in many countries.

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Zorica Todorović Mirković

I

n our country,Mostar Rains was an interpretation challenge to reciters, actors, writers… It has been recited by Rade Šerbedžija, Gojko Šantić, Ivan Bekjarev, Gidra Bojanić, Miloš Žutić, Dragan Nikolić, Zoran Radmilović, Miroslav Antić, all in their own unique way, while experts say that it was done most beautifully by Rale Damjanović. His poems have been recited at school performances, while now they’ve have found their place in Serbian language textbooks.

Apart from books, as a child he was also interested in sport. Specifically, boxing and football. In the Nevesinje bazaar, he formed a team for mini football, which is still talked about today. He was close to Josip Broz Tito, for which he has never been forgiven by some individuals. But that doesn’t bother him.

He has always written and read. And still does so today...

Although you were born in the Herzegovina town of Nevesinje, many think that it was in Mostar where you came into the world back in 1945?

Duško Trifunović once said, speaking at some literary forum, that the people of Nevesinje won’t forgive me for having never been a municipal writer, but rather a county one – thinking that Mostar adopted me after “Mostar Rains” and Mostar was a county and Nevesinje a municipality.

What are your earliest memories of childhood, your family, city etc.?

Back in my high school days, I memorized one thought of Vladan Desnica: “Childhood – that handful of immortality”. I still think that childhood is the cradle of naivety, innocence, the all-encompassing beauty of growing up, regardless of possible poverty and personal misfortune, if they happen during those years. I had a happy childhood, bathed in the care of five golden sisters and two sisters and two cousins. Nine children in a big house with heavy green Turkish partitions on the ground floor, lots of windows and a small city park and city cistern opposite the house. We were separated from the city post office by the Zubčev alley, which is still paved with marble dating back to ancient times, and we could hear the sound of the Jedreški stream flowing under the alley.

And then my stepmother’s son, Slobodan, who was two years older than me, arrived from his uncle’s in Nikšić. Later, my brother, a successful doctor, moved to the other coast early on. Of my sisters Zora, Milica, Danica, Janja and Bojana, and

MILENA, PERO AND MEJ ZUBAC

I still think that childhood is the cradle of naivety, innocence, the allencompassing beauty of growing up, regardless of possible poverty and personal misfortune, if they happen during those years Vasa and Ljubica’s daughters, Mila and Branka, and two stepbrothers, Aca and Miloš, the only ones who are still alive are Milica in Smederevo and Branka in Nevesinje.

The town was beautiful, small, nestled in the hills. Did everyone know each other?

The postman meant a lot to me as I awaited letters from my first crushes during secondary school, from Vera from Osijek and from Ljiljana from Belgrade, two policemen, city electrician Toša Šipovac, two tailors, Vaso and Meho, photographer Senad Dugalić, two cobblers, Mišo and Sveto, two barbershops, Kazazić and Haznadarević, a hotel, two taverns, JNA [Yugoslav National Army] House and a large barracks that housed more soldiers than half the population of the town. The cinema in JNA House and Lazo Turkalj, who “played

films” and was, after the Pašajlić brothers, Mladen and his brother and Ilija Dugalić, goalkeeper of the football club Sloga, and later Velež. A small school for up to four classes in the centre, and with a large primary school next to the park. The pupils’ dormitory across the street from my window, where war orphans and other kids without parents lived, the Jedreški stream, which flowed through the town like a small river, a chemist’s, clinic, doctor Muftić and dentist Jugo, several shops, Zema (Zemaljski warehouse) and lots of greenery and fields of flowers. An Orthodox church, a Catholic church and a mosque. Father Risto Mužijević, who always had silky sweets in the pockets of his robes, which he handed out to children. The garden of Salko and Emina Eminović, across the street from the mosque, was surrounded by a high wall that contained the only drinking fountain in the town.

Father Obren often took me to Salko’s Garden. He and Salko would nibble on snacks, drank hot brandy, sometimes sing old Dalmatian or Herzegovinian songs. I would play with the glittering droplets thrown by the fountain onto the green rose garden.

And all that remains of all that is my poem “House of Eminović”: (“House of Eminović opposite the mosque, the first sharbat drinks and the first okra, / the first Eid al-Adha and the first sacrifices, dry almonds, on the Sheriff ’s chains…”)

When we enter our later years, the memories of dear people, of what we’ve experienced with them, awakens in us tenderness, special emotions...What do you keep in that album of the unforgotten?

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My life Pero Zubac, author and poet I have been in my “later years” for a long time and my memories are still not awakened. Some things have been erased, mostly the injustices I’ve experienced in my life, or - to put it another way – repressed in the corners of memory. I remember and most often recall moments of happiness, serenity, gentleness, joy, calmness. My album of the unforgotten is large.

Glistening winters and the snows of childhood, sledge rides down the Grebak, the first films in the Nevesinje cinema, St. George’s Day holidays in Batkovići, the warm care of my sisters, my first crushes, Olga and Lola, the town library and librarian Vinko Milas, so committed and dedicated to books and recommendations for children to read, football matches and little pictures of footballers that I collected from the wrappers of chocolates, carefully and with devotion, blue flowers in the Nevesinje field, buttercup grass, the smell of elderberry and linden trees in the gardens, the first scout detachment, a carefree existence, collecting medicinal herbs (rupturewort, linden, elder, orchid) and my first earnings from submitting the plants to be sent to Belgrade, where my uncle Mile Soldo, aka Forta, was the director of company Jugobilje. And the table football that we invented and played with buttons as footballers, and my uncle was a tailor and I had the best button team, and that beautiful button with a wind jacket that sometimes came to us as Unra’s assistance, along with Truman’s eggs and plant-based cheese from America. And the snowballs were dry and soft. It didn’t hurt when they hit you.

The Zubac family also had a house in the village of Batkovići, where your youngest uncle, Bogdan, lived, and aunt Stana with her children.

It was at their place that you celebrated your family patron saint’s day of St. George and the feast of St. Elijah. The church and the faithful were frowned upon during that post-war period and people mostly celebrated “in secret”?

Vaso and Obren weren’t party members, so they were allowed to celebrate, but Obren did that at Bogdan’s place in Batkovići because he had been the director of socially-owned companies until his retirement (hotels, agricultural cooperatives, trade companies). Some ‘first fighters’ [WWII Yugoslav Partisan combatants] also came to the celebrations, and the priest came to Vaso’s, so whether we wanted it or not he would burn incense in our rooms and on the veranda. I loved the smell of

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ANTIĆ AND ZUBAC WITH STUDENTS ON THE TRAIN TO SPLIT

JOVANKA, TITO, VLADIMIR AND PERO ZUBAC - VILLA RAVNE

slightly impoverished from today’s perspective of the celebrating of major holidays.

I have been in my “later years” for a long time and my memories are still not awakened. Some things have been erased, mostly the injustices I’ve experienced in my life, or - to put it another way – repressed in the corners of memory incense and myrrh, and still do. That’s something you don’t forget. And every Easter, which was my favourite holiday during my childhood, I went to the church tower with my friends to ring the bell, and looked forward to coloured eggs and competing to see which has the strongest shell, then the town was full of people who were filled with some universal happiness.

Did you recall the Christmas and Yuletide traditions of your childhood?

I remember some holy serenity from Christmas evenings and mornings, and some blessedness on the faces of all of us who were celebrating: česnica loaf, roast meat, cakes, the scent of Christmas bread,

It is inevitable for certain “pictures” to be erased from our memory, but there are also those that remain forever. You mention with joy Nevesinje’s winters, snows...

In my memory, the snows of Nevesinje were a brighter fascination than the rains of Mostar, and their whiteness is described in many of my poems, especially those intended for children. There were days when buses couldn’t traverse the road from Mostar to our town. There were no sledges, except for larger sleighs that villagers used to come to the town with the help of horses, on Thursdays, on market day. The snows of childhood are my everlasting joy.

You lost your mother, Joka, at the age of just five. That is an irreparable loss, even though the widow Božana, whom your father married, worked hard to take your mother’s place for you and the other children?

I remember her only for good things. And the relatives multiplied: her brothers, the Živkovićs, Milan and Đoko in Belgrade and Ljubo in Straševina near Nikšić, sister Jela married to Vuk Nikčević, in Belgrade, their numerous children, were the new wealth of my upbringing.

You learned to read both the Cyrillic and Latin scripts early on, and the most interesting

And every Easter, which was my favourite holiday during my childhood, I went to the church tower with my friends to ring the bell, and looked forward to coloured eggs and competing to see which has the strongest shell, then the town was full of people who were filled with some universal happiness LAPOS ORCHESTRA

book for me was also Stanojevic’s Encyclopedia.

My sisters taught me to read both the Cyrillic and Latin scripts, so I dragged that thick Encyclopedia with me to the park and read randomly on the bench, so they say that they took me to school for the children to see a kid who knows and is capable of all sorts and isn’t yet of school age.

You mention your teacher, Ibrahim Karadž, as one of the leading lights of your childhood?

My wonderful, good teacher! We would see each other later, whenever I visited Nevesinje, and there is one interview with him in Mostar’s Sloboda, when he spoke as the President of the Association of National Liberation War [NOR] Fighters in Nevesinje, and half of the article is about me. I keep it as a dear reminder of Ibra. Recently, my extensive (beautiful, white and thick) bibliography from 1962 to 2020 was published by Gordana Đilas, and that dear bibliographic unit was also registered.

You visited the Town Library every day, to take and return the books you read. That was also an opportunity to chat with the town librarian, whose name you haven’t forgotten?

I’ve already mentioned my Vinko, whose sister Nada is married to my cousin Aca, and we actually spoke recently, and in one poem I wrote the verses “If there were no Vinko Milas, none of us who’ve been renegades of the world for knowledge would recognise our own star”.

You completed the first two years of high school in Lištica near Mostar, then later continued your schooling in Zrenjanin, at the Second Experimental High School. You spent six days a week at school, then the seventh day working on your craft?

That school in Lištica was an experiment, a type of classical grammar school where even the physical education teacher had to be a national champion in some sport. In the first year that was Petko Radović, the national champion in boxing in the bantamweight division, who I recently met in Sarajevo via my friend, handball player Mustafa Demir, after a break of about sixty years. Next to the pupils’ dormitory on the hill, with playgrounds and a large park, was a large, dormitory-type library. My beautiful Široki Brijeg years. And afterwards two years in Zrenjanin at the famous Lerik’s Gymnasium [High School]. My beautiful boarding school days, with Bogdan Gušić, my father’s friend and a journalist, taking care of me, my schoolmates, my crush Smiljana Župunski. I received the “Lenka’s Ring” award for the most beautiful love poem (“Defence of Memory”), which also preserves within it for eternity Smiljana Anja Župunski, an intelligent and beautiful girl.

When did you start writing and publishing your works?

In the second grade of high school, when I was taught literature by poet Zdravko Ostojić. I

started writing poems and sent one to Sarajevo and it was published in the student newspaper ‘Dani’ in the section “Moment of Poetry”. The title of the poem was “Sadness”. The year was 1962.

Which poets and writers did you love in your youth, and whose manuscripts do you read today?

Yesenin, Mayakovsky, Pasternak, Šantić, Dučić, Rakić, Dis, Ujević, Cesarić, Desanka, Kaštelan, Sarajlić, Antić, Raičković,Trifunović, Leso Ivanović, Georg Trakl, Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman, Miklós Radnóti, Nichita Stănescu…

I read contemporary poets, I receive many manuscripts with a request for a recommendation, I write the odd essay, order books that I would like to read from publishers. In the last few days, I received a new novel as a gift from Geopoetics: Iron Curtain by Vesna Goldsworthy. It is such an intoxicating book that I stop reading so it will stay with me for the next few days. The only other book I remember reading like that was Death and the Dervish by Meša Selimović.

Although you wrote about Mostar, you never actually lived there. This was perhaps best described by your fellow writer, friend and comrade Duško Trifunović, in the preface to Neđo Šipovac’s extensive monographic study?

“The best poet from Mostar, after Aleksa Šantić, is Pero Zubac, who passed through Mostar when travelling from Nevesinje to Široki Brijeg, where he attended school. There he wrote his love

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My life Pero Zubac, author and poet selection “The Most Beautiful Poems of Pero Zubac”, published by Belgrade’s Prosveta in 2004. I most like this passage from his preface: “… And finally something very, very personal. In the half-light of the former building of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad’s Njegoševa Street, I was approached by a young man in a long coat, resembling Prince Myshkin, absolutely absent, to be read as dedicated, and asked me to agree to his seminar paper on Dis. Who knows, maybe it was because of that purple and Novi Sad twilight that the new Dis visited me.

I never asked if Zubac wrote that seminar paper on the poet of murk, riddles and secrets. But, in essence, the overall solution of this lyricist, so aloof, so dedicated, was that supposed seminar paper.

Students have long since been our modern classics.”

(Draško was no longer at the faculty, and I published the paper in two instalments in Novi Sad student newspaper INDEX)

MIŠO MARIĆ, VLASTA KNEZOVIĆ AND PERO ZUBAC, NEVESINJE

story, and then that love story became a term for Mostar and Mostar’s singing. Interestingly, there was nothing there. There were some things, but they didn’t cross the regional ramp…” Duško in typical Duško style!

You wrote the love poem Mostar Rains in 1965, out of boredom, with no inkling that it would make you famous. While you were waiting for your friend and fellow poet, Rade Tomić, to write his poem on the premises of the then Youth Organisation in Novi Sad, you threaded a sheet of paper into a typewriter and wrote those famous verses in one go?

It was a September evening. I didn’t have indigo and I typed it in one copy. And that night I posted it to Zvonimir Golob, the editor of Telegram in Zagreb. He published it under the name Perica Zubac, which was how I signed it; that’s what everyone in Nevesinje called me, on 8th October, 1965. If that letter had gone astray, if Zvonimir had forgotten it, that poem would not exist. He told me once, long ago, that he would include it in his anthology of world poetry, which he unfortunately didn’t manage to finish and publish during his lifetime.

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In my memory, the snows of Nevesinje were a brighter fascination than the rains of Mostar, and their whiteness is described in many of my poems, especially those intended for children Although that legendary poem won over the sympathies of critics and readers, you didn’t include it in your first book of poetry. You only did so at the insistence of your then professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, Dr Draško Ređep?

Draško Ređep wrote about me several times, very affirmatively and beautifully, and for one article about me, entitled “Breath of Youth” and published in Politika, he was awarded the Milan Bogdanović Award, the top prize for literary criticism in our country. His last essay about me is included in his

Mostar Rains’ Svetlana was an intriguing character. Everyone wanted to know the identity of this girl, who still makes this poem magical.

The poet initially said that Svetlana does not exist, then later revealed that Svetlana is a non-existent girl who was woven into the poem on the basis of the characteristics of Mirjana Šimić from Mostar, Ljiljana Njanje Canić from Belgrade, Vera Steiner from Osijek and Dragana Vajdić from Novi Sad, who later became your wife.

The answer is in your question. Of those four golden girls from my early youth, I composed Svetlana. All “platonic” loves.

Irina Chivilikhina’s Russian translation of Mostar Rains was published in Moscow magazine Robotnica (1988), which had a circulation of 19.75 million copies. Your poems can also be found on other Russian sites and with “Orwell”, alongside Njegoš and Goran Kovačić. Mostar Rains was also published on a Finnish website, alongside two Desanka Maksimović poems.

The internet extended the literary life of Mostar Rains, multiplying it a thousand times, and it has been translated into 20 world languages.

Belgrade publisher Admiral Books published the jubilee edition in 2015, in thirteen languages, then another translation was published in Polish, then in Hungarian, Spanish, German, and the most recent, from 2019, in Bulgarian.

You didn’t visit Mostar for a long time. You

only returned to the city on the Neretva in 2005, after a decade and a half away, with the book Return to Mostar. That was unforgettable for you and for guests and visitors?

As noted by my friend Milan Gutić, who drove me there and followed me throughout my stay in Mostar: “Unrepeatable. Now, and never again like this”. The evening was beautified by the Mostar Rains Ensemble: Mišo Marić, Šerif Aljić, Kemal Monteno, the Planjanin brothers…

Poetry lovers from both banks of the river flocked to the National Theatre.

That success was repeated at the book’s promotions in Sarajevo and Banja Luka. Was that the reason for you to continue writing that book?

In Sarajevo, Gradimir Gojer, my dear friend and then President of the BiH Writers, said in his welcome address that my arrival in Mostar and Sarajevo meant more to the citizens of BosniaHerzegovina than all the visits of politicians from around the world and the region combined. And Raif Dizdarević confirmed that writing in Oslobođenje: “I had dinner with Pero and Slavko Pervan, but the magic ended with Pero’s return to Novi Sad”.

You didn’t move to Novi Sad with the intention of staying there, yet you’ve lived in that city with your family since 1963?

I came and stayed. I never regretted that or had a desire to change the city where I live.

Novi Sad is the city of your past and present.

You have wonderful sons, Vladimir and Miloš, and grandchildren, Milena and Mey, to whom you are particularly attached. That is joy, while there is also sadness. Many of your nearest and dearest have long since departed to join the infinite. Apart from your wife Dragana, they include Miroslav Antić, Duško Trifunović et al?

My family: Nataša and Vladimir, Dragana, Miloš, Milena and Mej and I are like one being.

So different, fortunately, and so close, fortunately.

We protect one another.

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that my concerns over my health, the dream of longevity, is not about hope that I will add something to my artistic name, but rather that I will spend longer in the embrace of the family and watch my grandchildren, Milena and Mej, beautify and extend my life.

Many of my friends are on the “other shore”, together with my Dragana. In my dreams I most

WITH FAMILY

I received the “Lenka’s Ring” award for the most beautiful love poem (“Defence of Memory”), which also preserves within it for eternity Smiljana Anja Župunski, an intelligent and beautiful girl often encounter Antić, my stepbrothers, my Duško and Dragomir Brajković, an old friend and generational sibling, and everyone in those dreams is happier and more relaxed than they were in our life, which is not at all easy and as bright.

It’s tough to list all the awards that you’ve received. Could you single out some of them without doing harm?

With the latest three: the ‘Biblios Lifetime Achievement Award’, the ‘Sretenje Order of the

Second Degree for Services to the Republic of Serbia and its Citizens in Literature, Especially Poetry’, and the Award of Banja Luka’s Children’s Kingdom Festival,‘Prince of the Children’s Empire’.

The total number is three more than the number of years I’ve lived.

Do you still write and, if so, what?

After the children’s poetry book Poems for Milena, for which I received the province’s highest award for children, ‘Sima Cucić’, I’m transposing the manuscript of the book DEDOLOVKA poetry book for Mej, and I’ve submitted a book of poems from recent years, entitled “My sister – loneliness”, to Vesna Goldsworthy to write me a foreword, and she was glad that we will “be together in one book”. It will be published by my new precious publisher, Tomica Karadžić, owner of Grafoprint from Gornji Milanovac, who prior to the new year published a wonderful edition of the poetry book Defence of Memory, along with Miloš’s book of selected and new poems “Returnees to Love” and Miloš’s selection of Duško Trifunović’s poems, “Save the one I love for me”. Miloš is very much following in his father’s footsteps. And that makes me feel very proud.

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CHILL OUT Images Shortlisted In The 2022 Sony World Photography Awards The talents of some of the world’s most gifted photographers have been recognized in the latest stage of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards. Following on from announcing the winners of the National Awards segment of the competition in early February, the awards judges have now revealed the finalists and shortlisted entries in the professional phase of the contest. The professional competition rewards snappers for producing collections of work that show technical skill and demonstrate an ‘original approach to contemporary subjects’ across 10 different categories.

After 500 Years New Law Could Make Mexico’s Matadors A Thing Of The Past The heated debate over whether Mexico City should ban the centuries-old sport of bullfighting picked up steam over the weekend as this season’s bullfights came to an end. Activists were pictured outside the city’s arena Sunday - as has become routine - holding signs with photos of mutilated bulls that read, ‘Torture is not Culture’ and burning bullfighting capes. Last year, the assembly’s Animal Welfare Commission gave preliminary approval to a law banning public events ‘at which animals are subject to mistreatment and cruelty that result in their death.’ But the bill never made it to a vote before the full assembly.

Upside-down House Drawing In Tourists In Colombia Tourists are head over heels for this new attraction.

An upside-down two-storey house, complete with a red topsy-turvy car parked in the driveway, has been built in the Colombian town of Guatavita, a short distance from the capital of Bogota. Inside the house, known as Casa Loca, visitors walk on ceilings where floors would normally be, while furniture is positioned above them. The imaginative property was designed by its Austrian owner, Fritz Schall, who lives in Colombia with his family.

Inspiration for building the house came from a trip to Schall’s native Austria with his grandchildren in 2015, where they saw a similar house.

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Novak Djokovic Makes Winning Return In The First Match For Over Two Months Novak Djokovic had been around the world in the eighty days since he last played a competitive tennis match. Yet all that happened in that time, including his deportation from Australia, did not appear to have upset the international citizenry of Dubai when he returned to action. Having routinely dispatched Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-3 to make the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, some of them even formed a tunnel of love for him. A crowd of several hundred gave the 34-year-old Serb an adoring guard of honor as he made his way back from the stadium to the player garden immediately afterward.

European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter Captures A Huge Eruption From The Sun A huge eruption from the sun has been caught on camera by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter probe. It is the largest such eruption ever observed in a single image with the full solar disc in shot, according to ESA. The burst of radiation erupted from the side of the Sun facing away from Earth and extended millions of miles into space. Solar eruptions, or prominences, are large structures of tangled magnetic field lines that keep dense concentrations of solar plasma suspended above the Sun’s surface, sometimes taking the form of arching loops.

They are often associated with coronal mass ejections, which if directed towards Earth, can wreak havoc with our technology.

Third Of Younger Investors Would Rather Buy Crypto Than Invest In A Pension A third of 18 to 24-year-olds would invest in crypto rather than save in a pension - but some experts warn they are ‘gambling’ with their futures. Among young men, the figure putting crypto over a pension climbs to almost half, while for women it is just over a quarter, according to the survey by money management app W1TTY. The W1TTY report surveyed 2,000 members of Gen Z in the UK on their financial habits and attitudes towards savings and investments. A further 30 per cent of 18-24-yearolds - the age group known as Generation Z - said they were not sure if they would rather invest in cryptocurrency than a pension.

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SPRING IN THE CITY 10

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1. Burberry - Eur 1,690 | 2. Burberry - Eur 1,850 | 3. Oliver Spencer - Eur 186 | 4. Johnstons of Elgin - Eur 310 | 5. Eton - Eur 181 | 6. Saint Laurent - Eur 749 7. Maison Margiela - Eur 403 | 8. Tod’s - Eur 485 | 9. Jacob Cohen - Eur 310 | 10. Matsuda - Eur 764 | 11. Loewe - Eur 2,530 | 12. IWC Portugieser - Eur 8,196

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13. Paige - Eur 236 | 14. Me+EM - Eur 129 | 15. Balmain - Eur 2,014 | 16. Christian Louboutin - Eur 720 | 17. Saint Laurent - Eur 878 | 18. Alaia - Eur 2,106 19. Christian Louboutin - Eur 924 | 20. Alaia - Eur 1,497 | 21. Diana von Furstenber - Eur 553 | 22. Saint Laurent - Eur 893 | 23. Tom Ford - Eur 299 24. Gucci - Eur 253 | 25. Suzanne Kalan - Eur 2,834 | 26. Pomellato - Eur 2,045 | 27. Vilhelm Parfumerie - Eur 216 | 28. Rolex Explorer II - Eur 8.900

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Culture

calendar Orthodox Celts

17 March - Belgrade Youth Center The tradition continues: the Orthodox Celts will reunite their loyal audience to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Favorite “Serbian Irish” return to their favorite concert hall to hold a big Belgrade concert on 17 March, at the American Youth Center in the Belgrade Youth Center. The band will present well-known hits from their long and successful careers, but also start with the celebration of the band’s 30th birthday.

18th Francophone Song Contest 5-26 March

Every year in Serbia, hundreds of amateur singers between the ages of thirteen and twenty-eight try their luck at the Francophone Song Competition organized by the French Institute and the Student Cultural Center Nis. Since the very beginning of this event in 2004, more than 1,000 young people who are learning French have participated. They perform with one song in French, in front of a jury made up of professionals from the world of music and French.

Regional selections will be held in 4 cities: Belgrade, Kladovo, Nis and Novi Sad (Saturday, 5 March 2022).

The finals will be organized in Nis, on Saturday, March 26, 2022 Enrollment lasts from December 22, 2021 to January 31, 2022, and the number of participants is limited.

First Prize for Seniors: Tablet iPad 8. First Prize for Juniors: Airpods Contact: concourschansonfranco.bg@gmail.com

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Brain Awareness Week 14-21 March - SANU Gallery

Where does our ability to reason logically, solve problems, learn from experience and adapt to our environment come from? Which regions of the nervous system participate in cognitive functions? What is meant by intelligence disorders? Is there a connection between creativity and intelligence? These are just some of the questions you can get answered at this year’s Brain Awareness Week, which will focus on the evolution of intelligence.

RECOMMENDS

A History of What Comes Next

No Logo

Germany, 1945. Mia, a nineteen-year-old girl, is sent by the OSS to find Wernher von Braun. Her mission: stop the Russians getting hold of Germany - and the world’s - foremost rocket scientist. Von Braun is suspicious. And so he should be. For Mia is no ordinary girl. She only looks human. And helping the Allies win the Second World War is but one part of her plan. Because there’s an even darker conflict on Earth. A secret struggle thousands of years old. It has engulfed and taken generations of Mia’s people. But can the firing of rockets finally bring about its end?

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come. When No Logo was first published, it became an instant bestseller and international phenomenon. Its riveting expose of the branded and corporate world in which we live became a rallying cry for rebellion and self-determination. Engaging, humanising and inspiring, No Logo is a book that defined both a generation and its language of protest. Its analysis is as timely and powerful as ever.

Tate: Colour: A Visual History

The Cult of We

Discover the story of color through significant scientific discoveries and key artist’s works over 400 years. From Isaac Newton’s investigations through to Olafur Eliasson’s experiential creations, this stunning book documents the fascinating story of color with an extraordinary collection of original color material that includes charts, wheels, artists’ palettes, swatches, and schemes. “In 1704, the scientist Isaac Newton published Opticks, the result of many years of researching light and color. By splitting white light, Newton identified the visible range of colours or the rainbow spectrum. In Opticks, he built a color system around his findings, and he visualised this system in a circular shape, making it one of the first printed color wheels.

The inside story of WeWork, its audacious founder, and what its epic unraveling says about a financial system drunk on the elixir of Silicon Valley innovation—from the Wall Street Journal correspondents (recently featured in the WeWork Hulu documentary) whose scoop-filled reporting hastened the company’s downfall. Longlisted for the Financial Times and Mckinsey Business Book of the year award WeWork would be worth $10 trillion, more than any other company in the world. It wasn’t just an office space provider. It was a tech company—an AI startup, even. Its WeGrow schools and WeLive residences would revolutionize education and housing.

The Korean Mind

Tintin and the Picaros

Understanding a people and their culture through code words and language. Today, South Korea as an economic, technological, and entertainment superpower. How, as a country, did they rebound from war, poverty, and political unrest? And how can that success be replicated in other cultures? These answers can, in fact, be found in understanding the beliefs that Koreans hold close and the values they see significant. Author Boye Lafayette De Mente identifies the unique qualities that comprise the Korean identity and articulates their modern expressions of Korean culture and history in this book.

Herge’s classic comic book creation Tintin is one of the most iconic characters in children’s books. These highly collectible editions of the original 24 adventures will delight Tintin fans old and new. Perfect for lovers of graphic novels, mysteries and historical adventures. The world’s most famous traveling reporter gets caught up in a revolutionary adventure. Bianca Castafiore has been imprisoned by General Tapioca! Also accused of threatening Tapioca’s dictatorship, Tintin, Calculus, and Haddock jet off to the jungle HQ of the revolutionaries, and hatch a plot surrounding the upcoming carnival and Haddock’s sudden and mysterious disgust for whiskey...

Sylvain Neuvel 1700rsd

Alexandra Loske 3887rsd

Boye Lafayette De Mente 1700rsd

Naomi Klein 1295rsd

Eliot Brown 2024rsd

Herge 1417rsd

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&FACES PLACES 3/2/2022

International Women’s Club Of Belgrade Held Its First Event In 2022 The International Women’s Club of Belgrade held its first coffee morning event of the year 2022 on February 3rd hosted graciously by the Marriott hotel at the CREDO restaurant. It was attended by a large number of members and some guests. The attendees were treated to a surprise dance performance organized by the club board and a health and safety demonstration by the Minute Nurse institute. President Sonia Shehryar welcomed the members back from their winter holidays, announced the new members who joined the club recently, and shared information about future club plans for charity work with the members.

8/02/2022

French-Serbian Chamber Of Commerce’s Bonjour Kragujevac Event The French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized the event Bonjour Kragujevac, which gathered the highest French diplomats in Serbia, as well as the French-Serbian business community. Attendees learned more about the economic potential of this city and met with leading local companies.

After the presentation and B2B meetings, a visit to the State Data Center in Kragujevac was organized. The meeting in Kragujevac is the first in a series of events BONJOUR SRBIJA, which will be held during the year also in Kikinda, Nis, Novi Sad and Zrenjanin.

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SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

10/02/2022

SPK Members Meeting With The Ministry Of Mining And Energy The meeting of the members of the Slovenian Business Club with the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Serbia was held on 10 February 2022 at the Mona Plaza Hotel in Belgrade.

Attendees had the honor to be addressed by the Ambassador of Slovenia H.E. Damjan Bergant, who underlined that Slovenia relies heavily on green energy and congratulated the Ministry on the adoption of the law on RES. After the introductory speech of the ambassador, State Secretary of the Ministry of Mining and Energy Jovanka Atanackovic addressed the businessmen, emphasizing that green energy is the most important project for our country because it creates energy independence and that businessmen can count on stable business conditions.

10/2/2022

Day of Diplomatic Workers Marked By The Russian Diplomacy Wreaths were laid at the New Cemetery in Belgrade on the occasion of the Day of Diplomatic Workers on the grave of Nikolai Henrikovich Hartwig, the Russian imperial ambassador to the Serbian court. Wreaths were laid by representatives of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Serbia, the Russian House, the Trade Representation of Russia in Serbia, and others.

The Day of Diplomatic Workers was also marked in the north of Kosovo, in Kosovska Mitrovica. Professors and students of the Russian language department at the University of Pristina with temporary headquarters in Kosovska Mitrovica laid wreaths at the monument to Grigory Shcherbin, the Russian consul in Kosovska Mitrovica.

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&FACES PLACES

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

15/2/2022

Serbian Statehood Day Marked With A Series Of Events The Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia - the Meeting was marked today with a series of manifestations with the highest state and military honors.

The central celebration was held in Orašac at the place where the decision to raise an uprising against the Turks was made on 15 February 1804, and Karađorđe Petrović was elected leader. Statehood Day is also marked in memory of the Sretenje in 1835, when the Sretenje Constitution was adopted, which was considered one of the most liberal constitutions of that time.

21/2/2022

Exhibition “Connect, mark” With The Cooperation Of The Austrian Cultural Forum The exhibition “Connect, Mark” was opened on 21 February 2022 in the gallery of the Association of Artists of Vojvodina (SULUV).

This unusual exhibition connected artists from abroad with the local Novi Sad scene, who in previous months created and worked together with the cooperation of the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Foundation “Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture”. “Connect, mark” is part of the current program port “Migration”, one of the eight parts of the program that make the concept of the European Capital of Culture 2022.

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&FACES PLACES 23/2/2022

NALED Presented 14th Gray Book Abolishing the fee for land conversion, speeding up and simplifying the legalization process, and introducing eInstructions are three reform priorities for 2022, chosen

by NALED members, out of 100 recommendations for reducing bureaucracy brought by the new, 14th edition, of the Gray Book.

As many as 21 recommendations found their place in the Gray Book for the first time, and among the 10 priorities are the introduction of “green” public procurement and eAgrar, the establishment of an online register of non-tax duties, the introduction of non-cash payment of all taxes and fees. certificates and the use of e-delivery notes in the trade of goods.

25/2/2022

JBAS Presented With Award For Achievements On the occasion of the national holiday of Japan, Emperor’s Birthday, JBAS has presented a special award for extraordinary achievements in strengthening the ties between Japan and Serbia. “Ever since its establishment, JBAS has been supporting Japanese companies operating in Serbia, as well as Serbian businesses cooperating with Japan, thus contributing to deepening our relations.

Apart from its regular activities, JBAS plays a significant role as an advisor to new Japanese investors coming to Serbia”, stated H. E. Takahiko Katsumata.

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22/2/2022

“Vasilopita Cutting” Of The Hellenic Business Association Of Serbia The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia held the traditional reception of “Vasilopita Cutting”, following the custom that marks the beginning of a successful year in the Greek business community. The event gathered a large number of members and friends of the Association, while Greek businessmen were especially honored by the Minister of Economy, Mrs. Andjelka Atanaskovic, who attended the reception. The event was also attended by Ambassador of Cyprus H.E. Demetrios Theophylactou and representatives of the Office for Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Embassy of Greece, Mr. Vasilios Skronias and Marios Belibasakis. The event held at the hotel Hyatt Regency Belgrade was opened by the HBA President Mr. Stylianos Zakof.

CONTENTS

04 LET HUMANS CONCENTRATE ON WHAT HUMANS DO BEST

08 HR REVOLUTION OR REIMAGINING REQUIRED

& INCLUSION AS A VEHICLE TOWARDS 07 DIVERSITY EXCELLENCE

09 WE OWE OUR SUCCESS TO OUR STAFF

EVEN BOLSTAD, PRESIDENT OF THE EAPM, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HR NORGE AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE WFPMA

TATJANA JOVANOVIĆ, HR DIRECTOR AT HEMOFARM

MARIJA KOSANOVIĆ, HR MANAGER, GEBRÜDER WEISS D.O.O.

IVANA TODOROVIĆ, HEAD OF HRO AT BANCA INTESA

IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs

HR 2022

ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs

2

CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić

Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING: PULLEN EDITORIAL HALIFAX

SALES MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

FINANCE: Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

DIRECTOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com HUMAN RESOURCES 2022 PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance international media

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IMPORTANCE OF LIFELONG LEARNING AND 10 THE DEVELOPMENT IN TODAY’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

IVA TERZIĆ, TEAM LEADER FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, HR BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP DEPARTMENT, OTP BANKA SRBIJA

12 EDUCATION IS A MATTER OF PRESTIGE

MARIJA TEŠIĆ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COTRUGLI BUSINESS SCHOOL

14 PEOPLE FORM THE FOUNDATION OF EVERY SUCCESS HR, CURRENT NEWS & INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS

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HUMAN RESOURCES 2022 3

INTERVIEW

EVEN BOLSTAD, PRESIDENT OF THE EAPM, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HR NORGE AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE WFPMA

Let Humans Concentrate On

WHAT HUMANS DO BEST I see technological development as an important part of the solution for everything from demographical shifts to environmental sustainability. That also includes HR, where AI will replace a lot of manual work processes and incorporate better quality into others. Yet the work cannot be done without the active presence of mature, ethical and knowledgeable HR and leadership professionals

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s an economist and technology optimist, Even Bolstad, president of the EAPM, managing director of HR Norge and board member of the WFPMA, has a lot to say about current trends in skilling and reskilling, telework, the use of artificial intelligence and experiments with work time. Many of his thoughts are provocative and contrary to current flows, yet they

are well supported. That’s why this interview represents an intriguing journey into the present and future of work.

How have rapid technological changes and the adoption of AI changed the supply and demand of skills & competencies? What skills & competencies do employers want the most and what can and can’t they receive?

There are skills gaps all over the place. If we don’t invest in and prioritise basic education, higher education, reskilling and upskilling, we will all suffer from that - individuals, society and companies.

Certain kinds of engineering and ICTskills are the most obvious answers when it comes to the question of where demand is most urgent. The demand side is massive, and for some skills the

WAGES

ETHICS

If we don’t invest in and prioritise basic education, higher education, reskilling and upskilling, individuals, society and companies will all suffer

If the market has sufficient labour resources, the free movement of services creates a “race to the bottom”. As such, I personally strongly support the underlying idea of the EU minimum wage

Not making use of AI could easily be unethical.

Not only because AI will make better judgements than humans in many cases, but also from the perspective of the humanisation of working life and value creation

What challenges does Europe’s shrinking and ageing population create for employers and HR managers?

Demographic changes come in tandem with increased demand for personnel with STEM competencies (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). There is nothing new in this; we have known it was coming for decades.

But companies have been short-sighted and governments, universities and others have not been able to build capacities in the education system. Many also consider STEM education more challenging than other studies, and students choose studies that are less challenging.

Given that at least some STEM education is also more expensive to deliver, one might say that customers and producers have found each other in short-termism.

An ageing population, with the medical ability to prevent and cure more and more, and the increased life expectancy of inhabitants, also creates pressure on health services. Some of this pressure might be alleviated through the increased use of technology. But you also need

a higher share of the total working population employed in professional and public healthcare services. As a society, it is pivotal to retain the participation rate – i.e., the percentage of the potential workforce that is actually working – at a high and increasing level. If this is not achieved, we are unable to finance healthcare, education and other elements in modern welfare systems.

How have the massive shift to work from home and telework impacted the world of HR? Is it your view that employees will return to offices like before or not?

The toothpaste is out of the tube, and you will never put it back. The home office period has been tough and many have struggled, but it has also been a blessing for many. We don’t like a

As a society, it is pivotal to retain the participation rate – i.e., the percentage of the potential workforce that is actually working – at a high and increasing level, otherwise we won’t be able to retain our welfare systems home office if it is imposed upon us; we want to choose it for ourselves. And most of us want a combination, often not more than two or three days per week. Moreover, preferences vary with age, position, size of home, the distance travelled to work, family situation, job type, job seniority, personality and a lot of other factors.

In general, increased flexibility is a blessing.

But, again, a warning: it might also be a trap for equal opportunities. If flexibility means that mum is staying and working at home, while dad is forging a career, a lot of what has been achieved over the last decades will be lost.

Bad for mum, bad for companies and bad for society. Equal rights and equal opportunities often start with inherited expectations on how to divide responsibilities at home. If we are not

able to cope with that, it is difficult for work life to compensate.

Telework also created opportunities for companies to hire workers from abroad. How massive is this trend?

Telework, at its core, has to do with the price differences between markets opening up to each other. Translated to HR, it’s about labour being cheaper and more available in one country than another.

As an economist, I would say that, if labour was in short supply, these price differences would be settled primarily through increases in wages where demand is concentrated, as we have seen happen when it comes to skilled ICT in the Baltics and elsewhere.

This, again, creates several new challenges.

Firstly, as employers cynically might state, salaries are conterminous. If wages within one group increase, that has a knock-on effect on other groups that might not be able to produce enough value to defend the pay-out through their individual productivity.

Secondly, international competition in wages might drain the whole community for the essential competencies that are necessary to raise the community in general. As an example, if municipalities are unable to hire engineers or teachers, free labour competition might be regarded as sub-optimalisation put into the system. As one Norwegian politician once put it: “It is like peeing your pants to keep warm”.

Rather short sighted – not very sustainable.

And, of course, if the market has sufficient labour resources, the free movement of services opens up a “race to the bottom”. As such, I personally strongly support the underlying idea of the EU minimum wage.

We have seen a surge in new apps for worker surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some of these apps proved to be invasive and detrimental to the psychology of workers.

What are your standards with respect to surveillance apps, either in the workplace or in telework?

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salaries are just going through the roof. In this area, the skills gap is global, and companies are conducting global talent searches. Some stay and continue living in their home countries, while others might very well work for international employers and also migrate. Many of those who are mostly sought after are quite young and willing to move. This might create a brain drain, especially from countries where the salary level is generally low.

Searching for talent globally also creates the global convergence of salary levels. Cheap engineers from country X get a salary increase, but at the same time they put a cap on salaries for similar engineers in country Y. This again stimulates automation and digitalisation in country X, which again often means higher overall productivity. On the other hand, migration, the brain drain and limited access to competencies might be devastating for a home industry and services in the development of their countries.

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SKILLS

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INTERVIEW HR 2022

Here I am obviously influenced by the fact that I am a Scandinavian, where workers rights go hand in hand with trust and mainly constructive dialogue with unions and workers’ representatives.

Although we struggle from time to time, most of us feel a strong commitment to go from parties to partners. By that, and through transparency, we uphold, gain and strengthen trust.

Data protection laws and the GDPR are integrated parts of balancing the need of individuals with the effective distribution of labour.

Let’s be honest, ethics is not always a beacon of behaviour. There will always be bandits out there. Although most leaders are trustworthy and understand the concept of psychological safety and trust-based leadership, we have to impose barriers on those who aren’t.

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HR companies intensively test AI in their search for the right candidates. What are your concerns and principles regarding the ethical use of AI? At my core, I am a technology optimist. That means that I see technological development as an important part of the solution for everything from demographical shifts to environmental sustainability. That also includes HR. AI will replace a lot of manual work processes and build quality into others.

At the same time, we know that no technology is better than the people that develop the systems and the data you enter into that system. AI might, as an example, accelerate discrimination, let’s call it cumulative, negative stereotyping on steroids. Although AI

With demographic shifts – an increasing elderly population with more need for care – I struggle to see how the idea of “less need for work, we need to share” is valid for the decades to come and its use have been here for decades, it is still immature. But let us embrace it and stay positive, without letting the use develop into a “technological home-alone party”, without mature, ethical and knowledgeable HR and leadership professionals present and active.

When it comes to ethics, my perspective is that not making use of AI could easily be unethical. Not only because AI will make better judgements than humans in many cases, but also from the perspective of the humanisation of working life and value creation. Let humans concentrate on what humans do best. In general, that will create more interesting work and better workplaces for each and every one of us, increased value creation with more to share at the company level - and with that also better communities and societies securing welfare and prosperity. It’s a win-win-win. Remember the Luddites from the first industrial revolution.

Let’s not follow in their footprints.

We have seen many people in the U.S. resigning from their jobs citing dissatisfaction with the way they were treated by employers.

Meanwhile, some employers in Europe are testing a four-day workweek and the EU is pushing for the right to disconnect to protect workers from overly pushy employers. Are we on the cusp of changing the work environment in favour of workers’ wellbeing?

As far as I see it, there are two main reasons to impose a four-day week. One has to do with the work-life balance, health, wellbeing and workers protection; the other is based on the idea that work is a limited resource and has to be shared among employees. From there on, and secondly, there are two alternatives: a four-day week with full wage compensation, or – as in Belgium – a four-day week without reducing the total number of weekly hours and thereby more a matter of flexibility.

The four-day week might be seen as an alternative to the “six-hour day” and other discussions on societal reforms. There have been experiments ongoing for decades, but I don’t see proof that one can balance increased productivity with a better work-life balance.

That leads to the unpleasant question: are you willing to have reduced wages and welfare in order to get shorter working hours? Most people will answer “no” to that question.

With demographic shifts – an increasing elderly population with more need for care – I also struggle to see how the idea of “less need for work, we need to share” is valid in the decades to come.

Sorry… Some of us are privileged and could – if we wanted – reduce the number of hours we work and thereby also live a comfortable life with lower salaries. Countries with high GDP per capita seem to lead the way, while those with lower value creation are stuck with longer days. Another paradox, at the individual level, is, of course, that those of us who have the opportunity to have more free time often feel strongly fulfilled by working – and often a lot. As an example, I seldom work less than 50 hours per week – often more. Not because I have to, but because I enjoy it. With kids having flown the nest and good health, meaningful work with a high level of flexibility is a totally different situation than the alternatives. Those who are really in need of more time are those who struggle to handle expenses that exceed their income. If society wants to do something about this imbalance, the tax system would be an appropriate tool, in combination with the opportunity to work fewer hours, but to do so with a salary that’s proportionately lower.

Diversity & Inclusion As A Vehicle

INTERVIEW

IVANA TODOROVIĆ, HEAD OF HRO AT BANCA INTESA

TOWARDS EXCELLENCE

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eing a proud member of Intesa Sanpaolo, one of the soundest and most profitable banks in Europe, serving approximately 20 million customers in 12 countries, we have experienced and proved that this kind of forward thinking can truly be ignited if people are heard and empowered to express their opinions that would lead to impactful solutions. Furthermore, generally speaking, this type of culture brings an increased level of resilience to organisations, sparks innovation and builds the kind of transformational capacity that is essential in the context of the ever-changing environment we all face today. Why do we find the Diversity & Inclusion approach so important? Our industry has been playing an important role in supporting the economy by enabling the financial inclusion of a growing number of clients and diversifying products and services along the way. In order to keep pace as an organisation, we need to be able to bring people together and respond to different views and perspectives, while always challenging our decisions effectively in the process.

That exact approach has been stimulating the constant evolution of the diversity agenda of Banca Intesa. When we think of our company, which numbers over 3,000 employees working in branches and offices across the country, we take into account their different backgrounds, ages, genders, heritages, individual peculiarities, orientations, strong personalities, but that they are tightly connected by the same values and common goals: to provide our customers with the best solutions. The unique expertise

The unique expertise of our people, derived from their rich individualities, is what makes our brand so solid, with unprecedented success on the local market of our people, derived from their rich individualities, is what makes our brand so solid, with unprecedented success on the local market.

As an illustration, the average age of employees at Banca Intesa is 41, while the work experience of our employees ranges from those with 30 years in business to university graduates. When it comes to gender equality, for example, 75% of our employees are female, with 50% of women holding managerial positions.

Starting from the aforementioned demographics, we have been maintaining and fortifying our D&I based competitiveness broadly throughout our organisation by constantly improving our policies, internal processes, initiatives and the programmes we promote, to agile concepts of working.

Our recently adopted D&I Policy explicitly highlights respect, meritocracy and equal opportunities as its basic values. It defines our commitment to gender equality, aimed at ensuring fair opportunities in the processes of hiring, elevating talents and promoting personnel. Furthermore, the dissemination of the culture of inclusion is translated into training courses, communication and numerous initiatives, such as international talent programmes for our employees, workplace flexibility supported with initiatives like quiet hour, wellbeing programmes and support programmes for parenting.

All of these efforts have yielded astonishingly fair results, as reflected in the employee satisfaction score, which is why we will persist in building relationships based on appreciation for human rights and diversity, cultural and other differences, and constantly improving them. In a nutshell, for Banca Intesa, diversity is about a never-ending quest for excellence.

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It has been commonly acknowledged that the echoes of different voices and opinions in diverse ecosystems that appreciate multiple approaches to problem solving contribute to us constantly advancing ourselves and the environment in which we work and, consequently, pushes our market towards sustainable growth and prosperity

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BUSINESS

TATJANA JOVANOVIĆ, HR DIRECTOR AT HEMOFARM

HR Revolution Or

REIMAGINING REQUIRED In the context of the future of work, HR will need to focus on creating an agile workforce. In the new world of labour, we will have to develop a methodology for planning the skills or abilities that are needed for both today and tomorrow

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n order to more easily comprehend the consideration of how the HR world will look in the future, one should start from the aspect of context. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the new technologies it has brought favour digital companies.

They are appearing out of nowhere at an accelerated rate, and as a form of competition that didn’t exist until yesterday; they penetrate the market incredibly quickly and bring revolutionary changes. Let’s just take the example of how Airbnb and Booking. com completely transformed the travel and tourism industry. The same goes for iPhone, LinkedIn, Twitter or Kindle. The list is huge and is growing with every new day, with each industry affected.

The Covid-19 pandemic, and the new reality that has appeared with it, has additionally accelerated the need for new technologies and demonstrated the direction in which the world of tomorrow will move. It demanded an overnight shift to models of working from home (very often in segments where we’d thought that would be absolutely impossible), while also requiring the use of digital skills and platforms that most people didn’t even know existed. It also demanded the removal of boundaries between private life and business, and between home and working environments, thus prompting angst over how to fit everything in and reconcile the irreconcilable.

We have seen from this ‘in vivo’ demonstration that the world of tomorrow will be so different and that today’s concepts will not be appropriate in the future. They were designed for some other time and that’s where they should remain. It is clear now that if we

We will probably have to discover new models of work and organisation, including horizontal management, project organisations, flexible workforce (e.g., through the outsourcing of work via platforms like Upwork or Gigwalk) continue to build the HR profession through enhancement and ‘evolution’, it will not remain relevant. The world that’s preparing for tomorrow will need a revolution or reimagining of the HR profession.

In the context of the future of work, HR will need to focus on creating an agile workforce.

In the new world of labour, we will have to develop a methodology for planning the skills or abilities needed for both today and tomorrow.

Moreover, we will probably have to discover new models of work and organisation, including horizontal management, project organisations, flexible workforce (e.g., through the outsourcing of work via platforms like Upwork or Gigwalk). This will require us to simultaneously juggle the combination of a workforce that’s on and off the payroll, and to design a string of interventions focused on their experience (we today call it employees’ experience). This actually requires HR to understand what should be done at the individual level, in order to quickly integrate each individual into the company and have an accelerated learning curve, with the aim of instant productivity.

Here, it will be necessary to understand the style, preferences, capabilities and limitations of each individual, and to design individualised, consumerised and personalised involvement.

By so doing, HR will create a competitive advantage, generate value and use technologies to facilitate the return of the ‘human’ factor to ‘human resources’.

HR can thus remain relevant in the years to come. The experience of other industries and professions teaches us that everyone will inevitably be affected, while the speed and scope of this impact will be dictated to a great extent by our ‘appetite for change’.

That appetite will determine where we end up on the S-curve of transformation: at the front, as someone who wishes to be a change leader; in the middle, going with the flow, or…

The choice is ours.

We Owe Our Success

TO OUR STAFF

BUSINESS

MARIJA KOSANOVIĆ, HR MANAGER, GEBRÜDER WEISS D.O.O

Despite the challenges, Gebrüder Weiss Serbia has completed the past two business years successfully.

They have managed to expand their business and increase the number of employees, giving a big accent on staff development and education

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The pandemic has given special importance to the logistics and transport industry, but it has also put you in front of a lot of temptations and challenges. In that sense, how do you assess the last two years?

In the last two years the whole world has found itself in unusual circumstances and there is not an industry that has not faced smaller or bigger challenges. Finding solutions, adjustment of the processes and in the end the survival of the business mainly depended on previous experiences, work methods, availability, and advancement of existing technologies.

I can certify that it is possible to quickly adjust to different circumstances, to find functional solutions, grow and develop no matter of the challenges in front of us. In our case, the numbers speak for themselves, and despite of the challenges, we have successfully finished both business years, we expanded our business, and on the other hand we increase the number of employees, emphasized the importance of development and education, improved the working environment, took care of our employees and their health, satisfaction, and overall engagement.

Satisfied staff, a positive working environment, good working conditions, the opportunity for growth and development, these are the basics in the fight for talent on the market Staff demand in your industry is constantly growing worldwide, giving candidates the opportunity to choose an employer. How do you reconcile the expectations of both sides? What do you offer and what do you expect?

The labor market is changing constantly. Not only due and during the

pandemic but it has been the last ten years. Generation change is happening, new opportunities and markets are arising as well as new jobs. Transport and logistics in that sense follows the trends and changes, but despite all the technological improvements and digitalization in business processes,

You are constantly introducing new services. Does that mean that your staffing structure is changing, that there is more need for experts who will be focused on finding solutions that can fully meet client’s expectations?

One of the company values is service excellence and for us that means that the client is in the center of all our business processes. We owe our success to our educated and professional colleagues, who have a vision, are innovative and focused on finding solutions. We will continue to go in that way, and in our company their opportunity can find young, innovative, educated, unexperienced but with great ideas people, as well as experienced people, from the same or similar industries. I would like to emphasize that our company is included in the dual education program in which we cooperate with the Traffic and Technical School in Zemun. Every year 5 pupils have practical classes in our company, and after graduation a job opportunity at Gebrüder Weiss awaits them.

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there are still some positions that are in some way still traditional and the man is still the center of events. Having that in mind, we are very people orientated and we strive to respond and fulfill their needs, how we could achieve company goals. Happy employees, positive work environment, good working conditions and the possibility to grow and develop represent the basis for our fight for talents if the market. We recognize that and act with that.

ebrüder Weiss Serbia is included in the dual education program. Every year, five best pupils from the Traffic and Technical School in Zemun, have practical classes in the company and after graduation a job opportunity waits for them.

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INTERVIEW

IVA TERZIĆ, TEAM LEADER FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT, HR BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP DEPARTMENT, OTP BANKA SRBIJA

The Importance Of Lifelong Learning And Development In

TODAY’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Learning is a process that continues from the very moment of a person’s birth. It is for this reason that many view this process as a given. Children are naturally curious beings that learn through the process of exploring the world around them.

From the instant of their birth, people are directed towards new things. When our curiosity regarding some new phenomenon is satisfied, we seek to investigate it, and that process leads to us reaching new revelations and making new discoveries. Does that feeling also stay with us later, when we grow up; do we continue to learn, with that same zeal, through the process of exploring the world around us?

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he only constant in life is change - said Heraclitus. Change that can occur anywhere, in our careers, change in our personal life, change in our community and organisations. Lifelong learning is one of the most effective ways of facing changes.

Learning is essential to our existence. Just as food nurtures our bodies, so information and constant learning nurture our minds.

Today’s employees can choose the tools they want to learn something new every day. Thus, for example, they can build a habit of reading, hold discussions with experts they know and ask them questions, join certain organisations, learn while teaching others, i.e., learn for themselves while transferring knowledge to others, conducting their own research, observing the world around us, applying what they’ve learned, utilising MOOC platforms like Udemy and Coursera, listening to TED videos and podcasts etc.

Similarly, company leaders should set an example through their own behaviour by encouraging lifelong learning and enabling employees to access learning opportunities through motivation and acknowledging efforts to learn and adopt new skills.

Companies can also go a step further by allocating time to learn during working hours, such as setting aside an hour to read business books, listen to webinars or practice new skills.

With consideration for all of the aforementioned, in order for lifelong learning to function, companies must have teams, programmes and systems that enable the creation of such an environment, which includes expert content and instruction, coupled with the utilising of internal experience and knowhow. Every employee should receive access to constant flows of information and understanding. Employees can not only learn from one another and collaborate mutually, but rather they also need to be able to do so while performing their everyday roles and responsibilities. This results in learning becoming an essential part of the job, and not a special activity on a special platform. When lifelong learning exists, that helps employees adapt with new skillsets. Companies want their employees to remain engaged in their work and to be skilled in what they do. When a culture of

lifelong learning exists in a company, it results in engagement and productivity.

A question that will also arise is whether supporting an environment of lifelong learning to develop employees will lead them to leaving the organisation. However, the reality is actually the opposite, with employees who lack opportunities to develop themselves or participate in joint activities more likely to seek work elsewhere.

Even when companies establish tools that facilitate lifelong learning, they still require individual members to bring new ideas, considerations and resources that can benefit everyone else. As such, supporting lifelong learning is just as important as a company deciding that it really wants this form of learning.

Lifelong learning is essential for us to prepare for the future in the best possible way.

However, it isn’t possible for lifelong learning to become part of a company’s corporate culture in just one day, rather time is required for everyone in the company to grow accustomed to it. Building a culture of lifelong learning helps organisations to more effectively engage their employees and empower them with skills that benefit both parties. The learning process also gradually becomes a habit that helps employees to research and acquire knowledge about all the things that are changing constantly. Lifelong learning helps an individual to utilise everyday business situations in the best possible way and take control of their career. That’s why I think it’s crucial – when we recognise that feeling of curiosity to learn something – that we research, solve problems and continue, as adults, to learn through the process of exploring the world around us with the same zeal and as naturally as children. Lifelong learning is becoming the lifestyle of each of us.

OTP banka Srbija is the largest creditor both to the corporate and retail sectors, as well as the market leader in factoring, leasing and e-commerce services. OTP banka is focused on innovation and the digitalisation of its operations, which enables customers to gain new benefits with a focus on advancing digital banking and improving the customer experience. One of the key strategic directions is the green transition, i.e., a commitment to sustainable operations and ecological projects.

Thanks to OTP banka’s presence, with 184 branches in 91 towns and cities, clients across Serbia have at their disposal a wide range of products and services, as well as an efficient service and offers that are tailored to their specific needs, while its network of almost 300 ATMs is the largest in our country.

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Continuous learning is our self-motivating persistence in acquiring knowhow and competencies in order to expand our skillset and develop future possibilities. It is part of our personal and professional development in endeavouring to avoid stagnation and realise our full potential, enabling us to practise the skill of constant adjustment.

Continuous learning, better known as lifelong learning, is a concept that encourages the endless expanding of knowledge and skills. The more knowledge of various fields that we acquire, the better we will understand the changes that happen. Lifelong learning is an irreplaceable resource for every career and company.

Lifelong learning and constant development are today essential parts of acquiring the skill of critical thinking and uncovering new ways of relating to people from different cultures. Living life without learning constantly is simply unthinkable. And if we find ourselves in the role of an employee, learning becomes our power to advance.

Lifelong learning also provides the possibility for us to develop new ideas and innovative solutions to modern problems and the conflicts that we face in the workplace. In a society led by technology, continuous learning is no longer optional. Companies and workers who fail to grasp the importance of continuous workplace learning will inevitably struggle to keep their operations afloat.

On the other side, the main reason that every company should support the concept of lifelong learning and constant development is that, without such an agile and adaptable culture, they will stagnate or fail to progress in the business environment. The speed at which things are changing, such as industrial trends and technological progress, means that we must always be one step ahead. Constant technological progress continues to change the very nature of jobs, and it is thus necessary for companies to move extremely quickly towards reliance on their own ability to learn and adjust swiftly.

Lifelong learning in a business environment implies the observing of experiences to date as opportunities for new learning and the re-examining of assumptions, values, methods, policies and practices. Employees are expected to be their own researchers, who will come up with ways to access relevant information, resolve specific situations and handle challenges.

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MARIJA TEŠIĆ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COTRUGLI BUSINESS SCHOOL

Education Is A

MATTER OF PRESTIGE COTRUGLI is one of the most highly rated business education programmes in Southeast Europe, which, among other things, is recognised around the world and accredited by the Association of MBAs

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and simultaneously consultants of global companies, and they are actually the ones who bring and transfer their rich experiences and real-world situations and challenges from business environments to our alumni, which they also upgrade with their own important theoretical models and knowledge.

This fusion that COTRUGLI nurtures – with modern theoretical foundations on the one hand, and applied experiences and expertise on tangible and relevant examples from the most successful companies on the other – is that which makes the programme itself so prestigious.

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ith unconcealed pride over the successes achieved by the members of its alumni, COTRUGLI Business School Executive Director Marija Tešić highlights that they view education as a matter of prestige, which makes a difference not only in the life and career of the individual, but rather also in entire systems and, ultimately, on the market.

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The demands of the modern market impose the need to learn and advance continuously. Is that what actually brings so many businesspeople to your school and MBA programme?

Today’s labour market is very dynamic and traditional education models are moving ever further away from concepts that ultimately lead to the building of a successful career in business. There are numerous reasons for that: digitalisation and the advancement of technology, the expansive growth of new professions, education that’s in a constant redefining process, the development of creative industries that demand the complex management of people and processes. There are many reasons, but only one conclusion: it is essential to continuously invest in specialist business learning. However, in that process itself, one should choose whom to give one’s time and money wisely, because this market segment is very competitive, with various seminars and ad hoc courses.

Selecting the right business advancement programme should nonetheless be viewed strategically and chosen on the basis of what a particular investment will bring one in the long run, and not only in terms of knowhow and expertise, but rather also in terms of

One chooses whom to give one’s time and money wisely, because this market segment is very competitive, with various seminars and ad hoc courses business networks and new contacts, as well as potential future career advancement opportunities.

Is that which is taught at your school applicable to real-world situations? Is that the greatest value of the MBA programme?

Professors of the COTRUGLI MBA programmes are world-renowned lecturers from the world’s leading business schools,

The title of MBA means that one’s knowhow, abilities and status are recognised worldwide. Does this title also equate to an advantage in terms of securing employment for the candidate who holds it?

We carried out an important survey among the members of our alumni during this year, through which we gleaned excellent data. As many as 74% of participants in the COTRUGLI Business School MBA programme have achieved advancement in their careers after completing their studies, while 64% of them have received raises and achieved long-term financial progress since enrolling in their studies. All this serves to confirm to us that we have a programme that has significant applications in practice, that takes our alumni “a step further”, but even that isn’t all that this programme provides for them.

It’s extremely important to consider that our students are part of the top management teams of the region’s largest companies in various industries, which is great networking that they receive through our programmes.

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INTERVIEW

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HR, CURRENT NEWS & INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS

People Form The Foundation

OF EVERY SUCCESS

HR SECTOR BECOMING EVER-MORE IMPORTANT The value of any company, be it small or large, has long since been expressed not only in terms of annual profits, turnover, number of company cars, salary levels and other financial indicators, because the quality of employees testifies to that value a lot more. It’s for this reason that the high-quality and professional management of human resources is one of the most important jobs, which is why the HR sector is becoming ever-more important

FIVE HR TRENDS IN 2022

reflected in the labour market, but also the HR sector, which has entered a new period in which trends like work flexibility, intangible benefits, wellbeing, digitalisation, the development of a growth mindset among employee and the embracing of diversity and inclusion are becoming an integral part of new corporate cultures.

HR 2022

EVER MORE EMPLOYEES FEEL WORK BURNOUT

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The coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the entire world, has led to many changes to business processes and the way employees work. The majority of companies have faced numerous challenges that have implied changing plans and priorities, adapting to new circumstances and adopting new models of communication, working from home and increasing care for employees and their needs. All this has been

According to the latest research, a work burnout trend is on the rise and affecting employees who work from home in particular, which is why it turns out that they need additional support.

That’s the reason why this whole year will be dedicated to empowering employees through the creation of psychological resilience.

This need has arose because not all employees have optimal working conditions at home, which makes it difficult to establish a balance between private and professional life, or a strict boundary between working hours and free time. Due to a desire and need to protect employees from stress and other unwanted consequences of work burnout, many companies have introduced strict working hours and, for those who work from home, introduced the practise of openly discussing these problems with colleagues and immediate company superiors.

17% of managers gave this answer. Nearly half (47%) of managers say that their companies intend to focus on multiple scenarios, which is a significant increase from the 23% in pre-pandemic period.

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HIT

BY WAVE OF RESIGNATIONS

Despite the fact that Tim Cook has increased the yields of shareholder dividends by 1,000 per cent over course of the past decade, since taking over the helm at Apple in 2011, those same shareholders are today irrirated by the fact that the CEO’s salary package last year totalled 99 million dollars, according to the BBC. Institutional Shareholder Services called on shareholders to vote against approving his salary package, expressing resentment over the fact that Cook’s package consists of shares, money and coverage of expenses, while they were particularly irked that he spent $630,600 on his personal security and $712,500 for his personal use of a private plane.

COMPANIES SHIFT FOCUS TO PEOPLE

Due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, companies are introducing radical new ways of working and doing business, which places the focus on issues related to the field of human resources. Companies are no longer developing plans for known scenarios, but are rather preparing strategies focused on people that enable companies to better adapt to immediate circumstances.

Deloitte’s survey of global trends in the field of human resources, which included the participation of more than 3,600 managers in 96 countries, showed that human resources are at the centre of attention. Prior to the pandemic, 6% of managers said that their companies would focus in future on preparing plans for uncertain events with major consequences, while now, in the midst of a pandemic,

The last year has seen the term “The Great Resignation”, or “The Big Quit”, appear in Western media and spread fear among many employers.

Though it remains difficult to assess how many workers voluntarily resigned in developed countries during the pandemic, the research that’s available shows alarming figures. Over the course of just one month in 2021, as many as four million employees resigned in the U.S., while a global survey conducted by Microsoft shows that more than 41% of workers are considering resigning or changing their careers.

A similar situation has emerged in the UK and Ireland: more than 38% of workers are considering resigning and changing jobs over the next six months. Most of the resignations are in the retail and hospitality sectors, while those tendering their resignations are increasingly millennials and members of so-called Generation Z (born after 1997).

At a time when Serbia has more than 115,000 unemployed workers aged under 30, it is difficult to talk about voluntary resignations. Young people in Serbia often lack opportunities to even gain employment, and youth unemployment is up 10.34% compared to 2020, but these youngsters nonetheless have significantly higher expectations compared to previous generations when it comes to the earnings that they consider normal and acceptable.

Around 20% of respondents believe that a monthly salary of 50,000 to 80,000 dinars is sufficient for a decent life, while as many as 48% of respondents cite a range of 80,000 to 100,000.

HR SECTOR SALARIES ABOVE AVERAGE According to portal InfoPlate.rs, salaries for employees in Serbia’s HR sector range from a minimum of 40,034 dinars to the “highest average” of 122,060 dinars, though in reality the maximum salary is higher. Depending on the job, position and company in question, salaries vary as in any other sector, but it is certain that the three highest paid positions are department heads, with salaries ranging from 61,913 to 178,583 dinars, HR Business Partner, with salaries between 67,941 and 170,658 dinars, and specialists in charge of the staff selection process, i.e. recruiters, with salaries ranging from 55,056 to 122,786 dinars

ENGINEERS EARN WELL EVERYWHERE Some professions have always been much better paid than others, primarily because they are in higher demand. Even if a certain field has many experts and strong competition, it seems that you won’t do badly in terms of earnings if you choose “wisely”. In the U.S., the top ten spots for salaries are occupied by accountants, aviation engineers, architects, lawyers, business analysts, chemical engineers, civil engineers, electrical engineers, financial analysts and graphic designersv . No relevant research has been conducted in our country that would provide us with comparative data, though it is known that IT experts and engineers don’t have problems either with finding work or with salary level.

HR 2022

APPLE SHAREHOLDERS SABOTAGE COMPANY’S CEO

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HR 2022

INTERVIEW

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Contents

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NO RECOGNITION; SUPPORT FOR DIALOGUE H.E. YORGOS DIACOFOTAKIS, AMBASSADOR OF GREECE TO SERBIA

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RIGHT PEOPLE IN PLACE THOMAS VARVITSIOTIS, PRESIDENT OF THE V+O GROUP, AND TONIA GOGOU, GENERAL MANAGER OF V+O COMMUNICATION, DIRECTOR FOR THE SE REGION

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NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR COOPERATION STYLIANOS ZAKOF, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HELLENIC BUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

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GROWING WITH TARGETED INVESTMENTS VASSILIS KARANASIOS, DIRECTOR, CORAL SRB D.O.O.

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ALWAYS A STEP AHEAD STYLIANOS TSOKTOURIDIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMIL YU INDUSTRY A.D.

HEALTH IS THE MARATHON OF LIFE PROFESSOR DR IOANNA BATSIALOU, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND OWNER OF IOANNA REGEN CLINIC

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS OUR FUTURE IOSIF VANGELATOS, GENERAL MANAGER, AND MIRJANA RADIĆ, FINANCE MANAGER, INOS BALKAN

MORE STIMULATING INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT CREATED FANINA KOVAČEVIĆ-POPAZ, EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE HELLENIC BUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

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HBA ACTIVITIES THE MAGIC OF ITHACA

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GREAT POTENTIAL FOR DEVLOPING OUR COOPERATION DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN GREECE AND SERBIA

IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić

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Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING: PULLEN EDITORIAL HALIFAX

SALES MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

FINANCE: Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

DIRECTOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com GREECE 2022 PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance international media

Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fax: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs office@cordmagazine.com www.cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs ISSN no: 1451-7833 All rights reserved alliance international media 2022

COMMENT

Flourishing FRIENDSHIP The strategic partnership between Serbia and Greece is the result of a long period of excellent bilateral relations and a true friendship nurtured over many years. A new step in the same direction therefore feels like a natural way of honouring this tradition

D

ates like 18th January 1879, when diplomatic relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Greece were established, will always serve as important milestones in the official history of our relations, but the tradition of close relations between our two countries dates back much further.

In recent history, the Thessaloniki Summit of 2003 stands as a major turning point in the European Union’s relations with the Western Balkans, but also as a symbol of Greek support to Serbia’s path to EU accession, followed by intensive investments in Serbia. Greece was at one point the second largest foreign investor in Serbia, with 1.4 billion euros invested. While this trend came to an abrupt end following the global financial crisis, which hit Greece particularly hard, the Greek business community in Serbia has retained an important and welcome presence.

As in many other cases in which a high level of bilateral relations are not always accompanied by an equal level of economic cooperation, Greece and Serbia are realising their trade exchange potentials rather slowly. Greek businesses are active in Serbia in the areas of wholesale and retail trade, science, innovation and communications, the processing sector, construction, hotels, agriculture and the food industry, consulting and legal services, employing close to 10,000 workers in the country.

According to official Serbian statistics, trade between the two countries totalled 636 million euros in 2021, representing a year-onyear increase of 13.3%, with Serbian exports

According to official Serbian statistics, trade between the two countries totalled 636 million euros in 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 13.3%, with Serbian exports amounting to 234 million euros (an increase of 29.8% compared to the previous year) and imports totalling 402 million euros (up 34.2% on 2020) amounting to 234 million euros (an increase of 29.8% compared to the previous year) and imports totalling 402 million euros (up 34.2% on 2020). The Greek side has also highlighted new areas of cooperation that are yet to be exploited, such as IT and green energy.

Given that good political relations are always an imperative for advancing relations in the economy, culture and other fields, it is important to note the recent dynamics of political dialogue between our two countries. Over the last five to six years, we have witnessed a large number of visits from high-ranking Greek officials, until cooperation was established at the level of a strategic partnership in December 2019. Among them were the first session of the High Cooperation Council, held in Thessaloniki, and the official visit of then Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos to Belgrade in 2017, the second session of the High Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Greece in 2018 and the official

visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to Athens and the third session of the High Cooperation Council in 2019. Other important visits included the visit of Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković to Athens in 2021 and the visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Belgrade in 2022. Finally, the President of Greece is expected to come to Belgrade at the beginning of March 2022, at the invitation of President Vučić.

The joint declaration represents a cornerstone in advancing cooperation between the two countries in terms of political cooperation and cooperation in international organisations, cooperation in the field of defence, security and civil protection, economic cooperation, cooperation in culture, education, civil society, youth and sports, scientific and technological cooperation and cooperation in the field of environmental protection. One can only expect such a development to yield enduring and even more fruitful cooperation between our countries.

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INTERVIEW H.E. YORGOS DIACOFOTAKIS, AMBASSADOR OF GREECE TO SERBIA

No Recognition;

SUPPORT FOR DIALOGUE During his recent visit to Belgrade, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis clearly stated that Greece's stance regarding Kosovo remains unchanged ~ Yorgos Diacofotakis

T

he official visits of Greece’s top officials, including the latest visit of its prime minister and the upcoming arrival of its president, only serve to confirm, as Ambassador Yorgos Diacofotakis notes in this CorD Magazine interview, “that Greece and Serbia are connected not only by history, culture and religion, but also by a common vision for the European future of the region”.

Your Excellency, Greece celebrates its Independence Day on 25th March.

This holiday is a day of remembrance commemorating the 1821 outbreak of the War of Greek Independence. How will you mark this national holiday here in Serbia?

On 25th March we celebrate the outbreak of the Greek Revolution for Independence against the Ottoman Turks, which led to the creation of the modern Greek state.

I am well aware of the great honour that comes with serving my country in a city that’s inextricably linked to Rigas Feraios (1757-1798). His vision of freedom and solidarity among the Balkan peoples undoubtedly inspired the protagonists of the Greek Revolution. Together with his comrades, Rigas Feraios was tortured and killed in Nebojša Tower in Kalemegdan, Belgrade. The place of his martyrdom and his statue are eternal monuments of the Greek Revolution and a place of pilgrimage for all Greeks.

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RELATIONS

COOPERATION

EU

It is well known that our bilateral relations are excellent, with frequent exchanges of visits by high-ranking government officials

We believe that there is potential for further cooperation in key areas such as innovation, renewable sources of energy, petrochemicals, construction, education, health, transport and waste management

We are constantly working to ensure that the issue of the Western Balkans remains at the top of the EU agenda

Last year was a landmark year, as we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of the Greek Revolution (18212021). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were not in a position to organise events to celebrate it properly. However, with the permission of the Serbian Government and the assistance of the City of Belgrade, some of the most famous places in the capital were highlighted with the colours of the Greek flag, i.e., Nebojša Tower, the National Assembly, Albanija Palace and the Old Bridge. We are grateful for this.

This year, given the fact that the epidemiological situation is still uncertain, we have decided not to plan any open-to-the-public activities. However, traditionally, the members of the staff of the Embassy attend a thanksgiving Mass at the Chapelle of the Patriarchate, carried out by His Holiness the Patriarch. This is a very moving moment, which shows how close our peoples are to each other.

countries and where does the greatest potential exist?

It is well known that our bilateral relations are excellent, with frequent exchanges of visits by high-ranking government officials. The recent visit of Prime Minister Mitsotakis and the upcoming visit of President of the Hellenic Republic Sakellaropoulou confirm that Greece and Serbia are connected not only by history, culture and religion, but also by a common vision for the European future of our region.

The Joint Declaration establishing a Strategic Partnership between Greece and Serbia, which was signed in the context of the 3rd Session of the High-Level

During his recent visit to Belgrade, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis clearly stated that Greece’s stance regarding Kosovo’s status remains unchanged. At the same time, Greece firmly supports the continuation of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, with a view to reaching a comprehensive and legally binding agreement in accordance with the EU acquis, which will contribute to strengthening the stability and security of the whole region. Greece fully supports the mediating effort by Miroslav Lajčák, the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština.

Your Excellency, what do you expect from the upcoming visit to Serbia of the first female President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, which has been scheduled for 2nd to 3rd March?

The upcoming visit of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, to Serbia, serves as an excellent opportunity to reaffirm, at the highest level, our strong historical ties of friendship and solidarity. Building upon the excellent momentum created by the recent meeting of President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis here in Belgrade, President Sakellaropoulou’s visit reflects the great importance Greece attaches to strengthening and deepening our bilateral relations, as well as our unwavering support to Serbia’s European bid.

What do you consider as the greatest challenges to the further development of bilateral relations between our two

I am well aware of the great honour that comes with serving my country in a city that’s inextricably linked to Rigas Feraios (1757-1798). His vision of freedom and solidarity among the Balkan peoples undoubtedly inspired the protagonists of the Greek Revolution Cooperation Council on 10th December 2019 in Athens, has set solid foundations for advancing and expanding the scope of our bilateral cooperation. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the pace of some common projects had to slow down, but it seems that both countries will very soon be able to continue this cooperation, especially in the fields of energy, trade, infrastructure, transport and tourism.

Following the opening of the Kosovo office in Athens, which Pristina presented as a fully functional diplomatic mission, there were speculations about Greece drifting away from its position on Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. Has there really be any change?

Severe winter storms hit Greece this January and prevented the planned arrival of PM Mitsotakis in Belgrade. He had been scheduled to attend a joint session of the two countries’ governments, together with a large group of ministers. Has a new date been agreed to hold this joint session?

Indeed, the 4th Session of the High-Level Cooperation Council, scheduled for 28th January 2022, had to be postponed due to the worst weather conditions ever seen in Athens. We are looking forward to organising it by June.

Do you see room to advance economic cooperation between Greece and Serbia to a level that would correspond with the exceptionally friendly relations and understanding between the two countries on the political front? Which areas do you consider interesting?

We believe that there is potential for further cooperation in key areas such as innovation, renewable sources of energy, petrochemicals, construction, education, health, transport and waste management.

Today, we have the knowhow and the potential to develop synergies, support innovation and the digital economy, and promote partnerships between the two countries, involving both the private and public sectors.

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INTERVIEW In addition to the aforementioned, I’d like to point out that, over the past two years, Greece has embarked on a remarkable digital transformation process. There is a strong commitment from the government to invest in speeding up the digitalisation of the public and private sectors.

On the other hand, let me just mention the importance of the railway route of Corridor 10. It connects Belgrade with the port of Thessaloniki via North Macedonia.

The upcoming visit of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, to Serbia, serves as an excellent opportunity to reaffirm, at the highest level, our strong historical ties of friendship and solidarity It needs modernisation and digitalisation.

This project could boost bilateral trade by itself and turn Serbia into a transit hub from the Mediterranean to the heart of Central Europe and beyond.

It was almost 20 years ago, at the Thessaloniki Summit, that the European integration prospects of the countries of the Western Balkans were first made tangible. Two decades on, multiple analyses mention “enlargement fatigue”, both in the EU and around the region. Will this process ever enter the stage of the formal enlargement of the EU to encompass the Balkans, or is the current maximum possibility merely in strengthening external ties between the region and the EU? Greece has always been a staunch supporter of the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. We are constantly working to ensure that the issue of the Western Balkans remains at the top of the EU agenda. Our belief is that the accession of the Western Balkans to the EU is important for the Union from a political and economic perspective, but also from a security perspective. It is therefore not just another enlargement, but a strategic geopolitical choice that strengthens the EU and the Western Balkan countries alike.

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However, the road to European integration is a long one that requires serious reforms and the adoption of European standards and common values of the Union, based on peace, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights, tolerance, solidarity and good neighbourly relations.

These hard and long-term efforts, however, are worthwhile, because they will lead the region of the Western Balkans to stability and progress and will contribute to the prosperity of the peoples.

Given the ongoing pandemic, this year will again see a large number of Serbian tourists ask your embassy about requirements to enter Greece. Will last year’s agreement – whereby citizens vaccinated with any vaccine could enter the country – remain valid, or will testing also be required?

Since its outbreak, the pandemic has caused a severe impact on the tourism

industry worldwide, and that is an undeniable fact. However, Greek tourism managed to demonstrate remarkable resilience to the effects of this unprecedented crisis.

The health protocols we adopted were implemented in an exemplary way. The number of tourists proves that Greece did well and managed to secure safe holidays for its guests.

Greece has eased travel restrictions as of early February this year. Fully vaccinated visitors with a valid European Digital COVID Certificate are not required to have negative tests in order to enter the country. This decision will definitely facilitate tourists in making their travel arrangements to Greece.

Greece is taking the necessary preparatory steps this year to welcome our visitors for the summer season, earlier than ever before, as of 1st March. We hope that the number of tourists this year will be above the pre-Covid level. Our Serbian friends are most welcome, as always.

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INTERVIEW STYLIANOS ZAKOF, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HELLENIC BUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

New Opportunities

FOR COOPERATION Serbia and Greece have huge potential to advance their economic relations, particularly in the fields of tourism, energy and trade exchanges. The two countries’ readiness to continuously strengthen their bilateral relations and advance cooperation at all levels creates the possibility for new Greek investments in Serbia, as well as additional engagements of Greek companies that are already active in the Serbian market

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CHALLENGES

EXPERTISE

OPPORTUNITIES

Among Greek companies that operate in Serbia, those in the hospitality and hotel sector have been confronted by the biggest challenges

Greek companies have expertise in transitioning to renewable energy sources and could play a significant role in implementing the Green Agenda for Serbia

Greece wants to become an energy hub and to offer various possibilities for energy diversification, including gas interconnection between Serbia and Bulgaria

Greece and Serbia, as well as possibilities for their development and further advancement. The stable environment for the country’s economic development was confirmed, as well as the fact that the arrival of an increasing number of international companies demonstrates that Serbia’s positive economic climate has also been recognised by investors from different countries. During these discussions, special emphasis was placed on the development

of events in the Western Balkan region, but also on the participation of Greek companies in the implementation of the “Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans” in Serbia.

O

ver the course of the past year, Serbia and Greece have held meetings at the highest political level, in which they reaffirmed their strategic partnership, at both the economic and political levels, best testifying to which is the recent visit of the Greek Prime Minister to Belgrade and his meeting with the Serbian President, assesses Stylianos Zakof, President of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia.

Greece supports Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, while at the same time providing continuous support to Serbia’s European integration process.

It was noted at the meeting that Serbia and Greece have great potential to advance their economic relations in areas such as tourism, energy and trade exchange. Specifically, Prime Minister Mitsotakis spoke about Greece wanting to become an energy hub and to offer various possibilities for energy diversification, including gas interconnection between Serbia and Bulgaria, which will enable Serbia to access gas supplies from the Greek port of Alexandroupolis.

The trade exchange between Serbia and Greece is also on the rise and totalled 636 million euros in 2021, while the two countries’ highest officials stated that this positive trend could reach a billion euros in the period ahead.

You had the opportunity to meet with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Konstantinos Fragogiannis, during his visit to Serbia in 2021. What were the main topics of this meeting?

The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia’s board of directors and members had opportunities to meet with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Konstantinos Fragogiannis in April and November, during his official visits to Belgrade. Greek business leaders spoke with the minister about Serbia’s business environment, current issues related to economic and trade relations between

How are your members coping with Covid-19?

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the economic activities of all countries, following reduced operating revenues and reduced demand for goods and services, but also aggravated supply chains. When it comes to Greek companies that operate in Serbia, the service sector, and especially the hospitality and hotel sector, have been confronted by the biggest challenges. A gradual recovery was noticed in many sectors during the second half of

The HBA promotes its members among key actors, such as government institutions and other bilateral associations and chambers, whilst also endeavouring to promote Greek business practices as being successful and socially responsible last year, particularly among companies with operations that aren’t overly dependent on global supply chains. At the same time, small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the service sector are still confronted by the consequences of an altered market and the challenges of creating new business models. Simultaneously, forecasts on the global economic recovery and exit from the pandemic suggest that the Serbian economy will record positive long-term prospects.

How do they perceive the overall macroeconomic situation on the Serbian market, in terms of business prospects?

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INTERVIEW The Serbian economy has already returned to its pre-pandemic growth level, primarily thanks to rising private consumption and an increase in total investment. At the same time, data on real GDP growth show that such an increase is the result of activities in industry and construction. The Government of Serbia has continued to promote and invest in the modernisation of infrastructure over the next decade, along with the planned construction and modernisation of roads, railways, bridges and ports. Also, it is focused on investing in healthcare, while there are also prospects in agribusiness. It is similarly important to note that Serbia embarked on the path of green transition during the previous year. Alongside this, we should also mention the IT sector, as the fastest growing sector in Serbia.

In which aspects has the HBA supported its members the most?

The Greek business community in Serbia is well networked and we strive to support each other selflessly. The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia aims to bring the Greek and Serbian markets closer and offer members an opportunity to do business in a secure investment environment. It is in this regard that our members primarily expect to receive full support for their operations in Serbia in terms of communication with Serbian and Greek institutions and the protection of their interests. We provide support to our members, but also potential investors, through the provision of information on entrepreneurship in the country and clarifications regarding bureaucracy.

Moreover, the HBA promotes its members among key actors, such as government institutions and other bilateral associations and chambers, whilst also endeavouring to promote Greek business practices as being successful and socially responsible.

Where do you see the role of Greek companies in the implementation of the “Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans” in Serbia?

The Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, which encourages the long-term economic recovery of the region based on the pillars of green and

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There are many opportunities to expand cooperation in fast-growing sectors like IT, healthcare, agribusiness and green transition digital transition, as well as supporting regional integration, is important to further the development of trade relations, while it also represents a geostrategic contribution to regional stability. Greece actively supports the European integration perspective of the Western Balkan countries and stands ready to contribute to its socio-economic development and accelerate the EU accession process. Alongside this, the presence of Greek investments has been recorded over recent decades in the Western Balkans, particularly in Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia and EU member states Bulgaria and Romania.

Under the scope of the National Strategic Extroversion Plan, the Greek government has expressed a clear readiness to actively participate in the Plan for the Western Balkans, given that it envisages numerous Greek activities in the region, based on turning outwards and covering all areas that relate to sustainable development, energy and transport, with an emphasis on

interconnection, infrastructure, the natural environment and knowledge sharing.

In which areas of that plan do Greek companies have the best expertise?

The Greek energy sector is undergoing a huge transformation. Greece brought the decision to close its lignite-fired thermal power plants under a very short deadline and shifted to facilities that utilise renewable energy sources. The rise of renewable energy projects, mostly based on solar power and wind energy, simultaneously testifies to the expertise of Greek companies operating in this sector, which could play a significant role in implementing the Green Agenda for Serbia. Additionally, they could also contribute to its application in the circular economy, wastewater treatment, waste management and the protection of nature and biodiversity. Greek companies that are already present in the construction sector could also participate in the implementation of this plan.

STYLIANOS TSOKTOURIDIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALUMIL YU INDUSTRY A.D.

BUSINESS

Always A STEP AHEAD Alumil Yu Industry, which produces high quality aluminium systems, ranks second in its group in terms of size, behind only the parent company in Greece. Alumil Yu Industry currently employs 380 people and also expects to achieve growth in the coming years

G

iven the aforementioned, it is no coincidence that our products, which are certified by the most recognised institutes worldwide, can satisfy all specifications and expectations of our esteemed customers ~ says proud MD Stylianos Tsoktouridis.

What kinds of staff numbers and results do you have as you enter the 20th year of your operations in Serbia?

Alumil YU has been growing continuously, in terms of manpower and assets, since the day it was founded. Throughout this time, we’ve developed a fully integrated production, logistics and commercial corporation with an annual capacity of 15,000mt of state-of-theart, precision engineered, surface treated aluminium profiles, which are distributed to the Serbian and European markets. We currently employ 380 people and also expect to see growth in the coming years. Specifically, Alumil YU increased its revenues by 19% in 2021 compared to 2020, and manpower by 21%.

Demand for high-quality apartments in modern buildings has been on the rise for several years already. Does this mean that you’re constantly enriching your product portfolio?

Alumil produces high quality aluminium systems that are designed and developed by the Group’s innovative Research & Development Department, then tested and certified by internationally accredited certification institutes and laboratories, such as IFT Rosenheim, A.A.M.A. Istituto Jordano, CSTB, ATG, EXOVA and many more.

Research & Development is part of our DNA. Our experienced and specially trained engineers are designing new systems and continuously inventing technical solutions.

The company’s advanced laboratories undertake ongoing research on systems that

Our experienced and specially trained engineers are designing new systems and continuously inventing technical solutions incorporate excellent design, a top performance and outstanding energy efficiency. By using state-of-the-art equipment (e.g., 3D Printers, CNC Machines) and, thanks to our Advanced Testing Centre, we are always at the forefront of technological development; always a step ahead of the rest.

In addition, we maintain collaborations with leading European universities and research centres and are in direct contact with the R&D departments of renowned manufacturers of aluminium system accessories.

Apart from your products, you are also renowned for the Alumil Academy. For whom is this knowledge development centre intended?

Alumil Group created the specific institute called Alumil Academy in order to provide our partners with knowledge and training on Alumil’s products and to certify those who adhere to

Alumil’s high standards.

It is a school that is directed to all our partners that are aiming to be better manufacturers, by providing high-quality products and services. However, most of all, the Academy is a platform that spreads the message that the company and its partners have the same target: excellence and success.

Alumil Academy is also intended to attract new partners into the Alumil family, who will understand the company’s culture and received education about our products.

The education process contains technical skills improvement, deep learning of the characteristics and features of the products, practical use of the equipment, high standards of training to achieve a general understanding of the company culture.

This is a personalised programme that covers every participant’s needs. We followed the internationally recognised academic procedure in forming the Academy’s programme.

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DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN GREECE AND SERBIA

Great Potential For

DEVLOPING OUR COOPERATION

SERBIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Greece were established on 18th January 1879, and the first Serbian embassy in Greece was opened in 1882. That is when new diplomatic relations between the two countries began, but since they belong to the same cultural and civilisational arena, the Serbian and Greek peoples have a tradition of close relations that dates back much further

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elations today between our two countries are good and meaningful, with a constructive political dialogue. This was intensified at the end of 2016 with a large number of visits of high-ranking Greek officials, until the establishment of cooperation at the level of a strategic partnership in December 2019. For Serbia, Greece is an important international partner and the EU member with which it traditionally has the closest relations. Special impetus to the further development of relations and cooperation between Serbia and Greece was given by the First Session of the High Cooperation Council, held on 13th July 2017 in Thessaloniki, and by the official visit of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos to Belgrade on 2nd and 3rd October 2017. The second session of the High Council for

Cooperation between Serbia and Greece was held in Belgrade on 21st December 2018. During 2019, bilateral relations between Serbia and Greece were raised to the highest level by the official visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on 10th December 2019, at the invitation of President Pavlopoulos, and by the Third Session of the High Cooperation Council on 11th December 2019 in Athens, when the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of

a Strategic Partnership between Serbia and Greece was signed. In this way, Greece became the first country in the region of Southeast Europe with which Serbia has signed a document envisaging a strategic partnership. Our country also has this strategic level of bilateral relations with Russia, China, Italy, France, Azerbaijan and Hungary.

The joint declaration concretises the intention to advance the lasting friendship

The joint declaration concretises the intention to advance the lasting friendship of the two peoples, based on close historical ties and excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, to the level of strategic partnership, clearly defining areas for cooperation in order to achieve the goals set out in the document

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DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN GREECE AND SERBIA

of the two peoples, based on close historical ties and excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, to the level of strategic partnership, clearly defining areas for cooperation in order to achieve the goals set out in the document.

The document elaborates in detail cooperation areas of interest through six chapters: a) political cooperation and cooperation in international organisations, b) cooperation in the fields of defence, security and civil protection, c) economic cooperation, d) cooperation in culture, education, civil society, youth and sports, e) scientific and technological cooperation and f) cooperation in the field of environmental protection.

Despite the difficult circumstances after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the adoption of a comprehensive and substantial Joint Declaration has contributed to even more intensive cooperation between the two countries in virtually all areas of mutual interest, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively.

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Exceptional mutual interest in maintaining political dialogue at the highest level was confirmed by the visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Belgrade on 16 February 2022 After the stalemate caused by the pandemic, it was planned that the dynamics of the meetings would be newly intensified by holding the Fourth Session of the High Cooperation Council on 28th January 2022 in Belgrade, but the meeting, which had been fully prepared with eight bilateral agreements ready for signing, had to be postponed due to bad weather in Greece.

Exceptional mutual interest in maintaining political dialogue at the highest level was confirmed by the visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Belgrade on 16th February 2022. In a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, the extremely high level of bilateral relations based on common history, culture, religion and a European future was emphasised, and the intensification of cooperation in

the fields of tourism, trade, infrastructure, transport and energy was announced. Excellent bilateral relations and readiness for their further intensification were confirmed during the visit of Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković to Athens on 2nd November 2021, in meetings with Greek President Katerina Sakaleropoulou and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. We are also expecting the visit of the President of Greece to Belgrade at the beginning of March 2022, at the invitation of President Vučić.

It is particularly important for Serbia that Greece, as one of the five EU states and four NATO members that have not recognised the unilaterally declared independence of “Kosovo”, remains in principle in that position. At the same time, Greece supports the dialogue between Belgrade

and Priština and the efforts of EU special envoy Miroslav Lajčak, and wants to normalise relations and reach a legally binding agreement in the interest of both parties.

In addition to further improving bilateral relations, Serbia and Greece are also committed to the stability and progress of the entire Balkan region, which is also being realised through a trilateral forum of cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus.

The first trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Serbia, Greece and Cyprus was held on 5th April 2021 in Belgrade, and the next meeting should be held in Thessaloniki. The trilateral format aims to contribute to a stable and prosperous region, through political, economic, infrastructure and energy cooperation, as well as mutual support in matters of vital national and state interest. A trilateral meeting of Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia on Corfu is also expected.

Greece continuously supports the integration of Serbia into Europe, at the same time seeing this process as being in its own interest. It is one of the EU members who unreservedly supported the start of accession negotiations, and was engaged, together with other friends of Serbia in the EU, in formulating as favourable a text as possible of the Negotiating Framework for Serbia.

Extremely good political relations, geographical proximity, the fact that Greece is an EU member with which the Republic of Serbia realises two-thirds of its trade

to drop to 22nd place due to the economic crisis in 2011. Most investment in the period until 2008 was realised through greenfield investment in the banking sector, but Greek banks sold their bank branches in the Balkans due to the package of financial assistance for the purpose of financial consolidation.

According to data from the Business Registers Agency, there are 347 active business entities in Serbia whose majority owners are natural or legal persons from Greece (mostly in wholesale and retail trade, science, innovation and communications, the processing sector, construction, hotels, agriculture and the food industry, consulting and legal services). According to the data of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, there are about 150 larger Greek companies operating on the Serbian market, employing close to 10,000 workers. Despite the trend of decreasing inflows of Greek investments due to the long-term crisis, interest in investing in Serbia is still present, and the structure of investors is changing in favour of small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2021, trade amounted to 636 million euros, an increase of 13.3% compared to 2020, of which our exports amounted to 234 million euros (an increase of 29.8% compared to the previous year), and imports 402 million euros (a growth of 34.2% compared to 2020). We hope that, after the normalisation of the situation caused by the pandemic, the volume of exchange

Aggregate Greek investment in Serbia is estimated at around 2.2 billion euros.

In the period from 2000 to 2010, Greece was the second largest foreign investor in Serbia, with 1.4 billion euros invested, only to drop to 22nd place due to the economic crisis in 2011 and a duty-free trade regime (the Stabilisation and Association Agreement) provide an excellent basis for economic cooperation which, although good, is still not proportionate to its potential.

Aggregate Greek investment in Serbia is estimated at around 2.2 billion euros.

In the period from 2000 to 2010, Greece was the second largest foreign investor in Serbia, with 1.4 billion euros invested, only

will return to the previous level and grow in future, so that it will soon reach one billion euros.

The structure of imports and exports is very diverse. As in the case of other large investors, trade is firmly linked to investment and is therefore sensitive to changes in the status of investments, to the departure or arrival of individual investors on our market.

The field of tourism is also very important for Serbia, because more than 50% of tourists from Serbia spend their summer holidays in Greece, which in the years before the pandemic amounted to about a million tourists per year. For its part, Serbia is interested in increasing the number of Greek tourists, because the period of the Covid-19 pandemic had a particularly negative impact on the number of Greek tourists in Serbia. In 2019, with 74,794 visitors, Greece ranked 10th in the number of tourists who visited Serbia.

During 2020, 13,395 Greek tourists visited Serbia, which is 82.1% fewer than in 2019.

In 2021, 15,131 Greek tourists visited Serbia, an increase of 13% compared to 2020, realising 30,916 overnight stays.

The Memorandum of Understanding on the development of railway infrastructure of common interest, signed by the two ministries at the first session of the High Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Greece, enables significant improvement of cooperation in this type of transport. The process of modernising the railway connections between the two countries is underway. The two sides see a particular potential in the possible growth of the Belgrade-Budapest highspeed railway project into a modernised Budapest-Belgrade-Thessaloniki-Athens railway project, with a reduction in the total travel time from Central Europe to Piraeus from 96 to 72 hours.

The Declaration of Strategic Partnership envisages strengthening and establishing cooperation in activities in the energy and mining sectors, such as diversification of natural gas supply routes and the connection of gas pipeline systems in Southeast Europe, the use of renewable energy sources and the connection of electricity transmission systems.

Both states are also committed to cooperation in the field of culture. We soon expect to see the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of culture, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture and Information of Serbia and the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Greece on cooperation in the field of film and a Memorandum on combating illicit trade in cultural goods.

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BUSINESS

THOMAS VARVITSIOTIS, PRESIDENT OF THE V+O GROUP, AND TONIA GOGOU, GENERAL MANAGER OF V+O COMMUNICATION, DIRECTOR FOR THE SE REGION

Right People IN PLACE V+O is a leading, independent and integrated communications agency in the EMEA region, encompassing a Group of 13 companies with a solid business presence and dynamic activity in Southeast Europe: Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia and N. Macedonia

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his agency is always seeking new ways to enhance its services and deliver strategies that have impact and understanding, towards clients’ needs and the concerns of the society and citizens.

The plan is to continue working with the same dedication and passion, with a firm belief in the power of communications.

Twenty years of V+O’s success in the region, congratulations! How would you describe your journey from the small business perspective to one of the regional leaders in strategic Corporate Comms and Public Affairs, through the continuous changing of markets, and also through V+O’s unique family approach towards your employees?

Thomas Varvitsiotis: V+O embarked on its business journey 20 years ago, with people sharing the same vision and passion. We began as an entrepreneurial project of a small team of PR executives, which grew over the years to become a leading communication consultancy group that re-shaped the local and regional communications sector. We currently represent a diversified client portfolio of 215 Greek and multinational companies that play a pivotal role in the regional economy.

We pride ourselves on being trusted strategic advisors to our clients, able to take on any kind of complex and challenging reputational, transformational and operational issues. We deliver Corporate Comms & Public Affairs strategies of impact, addressing our clients’ needs with consistency and the best possible strategic solutions to safeguard and promote their corporate reputation, focusing on tangible results.

During this twenty-year journey, we have achieved a lot. We took risks, believed in and enhanced the strengths of our team, and invested in our development, even when the challenges intensified.

Despite our growth, we continue to operate as we did in the beginning. We have become a

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hub of creativity and a catalyst for growth, for both our clients and our people, which does not stop evolving and looking ahead of its time. A company of truly passionate people, restless of mind. Our 165+ PR experts are the soul of V+O; they are the PR professionals that make us proud, every day, of what V+O is and does.

And we thank them for that. We are a business family, more than a company. We also thank all our customers and partners, who have trusted us all these years and helped us grow with them.

As director for the region, you take care of six markets and 165+ employees. Could you please tell us about the biggest professional challenges you face and the success that gives you the greatest sense of pride?

Tonia Gogou: When heading for V+O’s international expansion, we had to confront and overcome the business challenges of the local markets and the diverse demands of our clients, across sectors and industries. None of that would have been tackled if we didn’t have, from the outset, the most essential component: the right people in place and the most experienced minds in action.

We focused on creating a strong network of people, local PR experts who could share V+O’s vision and passion for PR excellence. Local partners of high PR expertise, who could adapt

and further develop V+O’s strategic mindset and agile comms strategies, on every market where we are involved.

Creating successful collaborations that endure and evolve over time is not a simple thing.

Our people know their markets and understand the needs of their clients and partners. The V+O network’s teams have gained the trust of their clients; they act as trusted partners and provide creative comms strategies and impactful consultancy, based on thorough market assessments and global insights.

Investing in people is the most important thing for us. Our people are our most valuable asset.

V+O’s business value revolves around its people, our teams in Greece and abroad. Passionate people, always looking ahead.

We are a company that has created its own network in the region of Southeast Europe, providing holistic and top-notch PR services, at all levels. We always work as ONE team, aligned with the same vision, values and business ethics. We have PR experts on-board who are committed and share the same strategic comms orientation and creative thinking that saw V+O grow into a leading regional PR consultant.

This is why high profile, international and local business champions, across the region, have placed their trust in us over the years, in every country in which we operate.

VASSILIS KARANASIOS, DIRECTOR, CORAL SRB D.O.O.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS

Growing With

TARGETED INVESTMENTS Coral SRB D.O.O. has been operating under the Shell brand in Serbia since 2017. During the four years that is has been present in Serbia, this company has succeeded in imposing itself as the first choice of many drivers

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e are currently operating nine retail filling stations in Serbia under the Shell brand, while we have more than 120 employees, confirms Coral SRB Director Vassilis Karanasios, noting that the company’s development is based on a dynamic strategy that ensures the evolution of the filling station of the future.

Over the four years that you’ve been present in Serbia, you’ve succeeded in imposing your company as the first choice of many drivers. How did you succeed?

Coral SRB D.O.O. has been operating under the Shell brand in Serbia since 2017. Holding company Coral SA constitutes the continuation of Shell Hellas, a company that has been operating in Greece since 1926. We secured the use of the Shell brand in Serbia through a longterm license agreement. In practice, all research and development on fuels being undertaken at the global level is being transferred to Serbian drivers through our retail stations. All this experience, innovation by Shell and the high quality of our products and services, helped us to gain the trust of customers.

You currently have nine retail filling stations in Serbia. Do you plan to further expand and enrich your offer?

Coral SRB is currently operating nine gas stations in Serbia under the Shell brand. It has invested more than 14 million euros over recent years and employees more than 120 employees.

Having the support of one of the largest energy groups in Greece, we grow with targeted investments throughout the country. We are very happy to introduce the Shell brand and fuels to the Serbian market. The Shell brand brings strong expertise and, most importantly, aims to strengthen the local economy.

Over the course of the next five years, the strategic plan is to operate 50 gas stations carrying out equivalent investments.

Our intention is to employee more than 500 employees in the coming years.

You face stiff competition on every market where you operate. How do you cope with that? Through quality, loyalty cards, gifts, promotional campaigns etc.?

We believe in healthy and dynamic competition, which pushes up the quality and standards.

The leading differentiated V-Power fuels, designed to maximise engine performance, are available at our petrol stations.

100-octane Shell V-Power gasoline, our most advanced fuel, with boosted DYNAFLEX technology and higher octane for improved engine performance and efficiency. It is the only fuel to be co-engineered and recommended by Ferrari.

Shell V-Power Diesel, with DYNAFLEX technology, helps to restore 100% of an engine’s performance. It is our most effective fuel at helping to improve engine cleanliness by removing deposits that may have already formed. In addition, Shell V-Power Diesel has

The Shell brand and fuels on the Serbian market. The Shell brand brings strong expertise and, most importantly, aims to strengthen the local economy GTL, which is a special synthetic component developed exclusively be Shell’s laboratories, produced from natural gas.

95-octane Shell Gasoline and Shell Diesel, both with DYNOFLEX technology, incorporate new friction-reducing molecules. They enable an improved performance under rough conditions, both on highways and in cities.

Customers can visit our “Shell Select” convenience stores at our stations and choose from a wide range of products and enjoy their coffee. Special loyalty programmes will soon be launched on this market. Our development is based on a dynamic strategy that enables the evolution of the station of the future.

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INTERVIEW IOSIF VANGELATOS, GENERAL MANAGER, AND MIRJANA RADIĆ, FINANCE MANAGER, INOS BALKAN

Circular Economy

IS OUR FUTURE

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t seems that the recycling industry will be among the top beneficiaries over the coming years. Demand for secondary raw materials will be high and stable, while adequate financing will secure the necessary capital expenditure for capacity expansion projects.

Given that your company has been present in Serbia since 200s, do you get the impression that a lot has improved, that awareness is shifting; that we now grasp the fact that waste is a commodity and a valuable resource?

During all these years, we’ve been witnessing the transformation of Serbia in political, economic and social terms. Environmental awareness is also part of those reforms. The appropriate legal framework is in place and citizens’ awareness

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is increasing. People do now understand that natural resources are not infinite and that our quality of life depends strongly on how efficiently we utilise those resources. Serbian society is realising that we need to reengineer many areas of human activities. We need to rethink how we cultivate the land and how we breed animals; how we produce food and energy and how we utilise our waste. The economic model is no longer linear. The principles of the circular economy are a vital component in the effort to decrease the environmental impact of human activities and, of course, waste is a valuable resource and commodity.

Despite Serbia not being an EU member state, lots of work is being done in an effort to harmonise laws regulating environmental

protection and the circular economy. Would you say that we are on the right track?

Though Serbia is not yet an EU member state, it has signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU – which has been in force since September 2013 – and Serbia was granted EU candidate status in March 2012. The SAA represents the necessary legal framework or tool for the improvement of cooperation with EU institutions. The SAA creates the required ecosystem for the country to adopt all essential reforms, including environmental protection policies, and thus achieve integration with the EU acquis. Some might argue that the process is slow, but I believe strongly that we are on the right track.

As recyclers, we are witnessing the continuing

The VIOHALCO Goup has been present in Serbia since 2003 and is this year celebrating the 15th anniversary of its acquisition of Inos Balkan, a 70-year-old company sourcing secondary raw materials to service the national and regional metal industry

efforts of the Serbian government to create an appropriate legal framework, while at the same time securing the financing necessary to support the reforms. Executives with high technical and administrative capacities are now forming the management team of the Ministry of Environment and the old bureaucratic administrative model is giving way to a modern, flexible and transparent regulatory framework.

You belong to one of the fastest growing industries. Is this also demonstrated by the fact that ever more attention is being paid to promoting and developing the circular economy model?

As the world economy is rapidly recovering from the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, huge and growing demand for industrial commodities will form the landscape for the years to come. States all over the world have adopted enormous financial packages to support their economies and boost financial recovery.

Projects that will lead to an economy of zero CO2 emissions are dominating those governmental stimulus packages and it seems that our industry will be among the ones to benefit the most over the coming years. Demand for secondary raw materials will be high and stable, while adequate financing will secure the necessary capital expenditure for capacity expansion projects.

Your work requires good roads and a stable economic situation, but also good, dedicated workers. Are you lacking any of those factors?

Serbia is clearly orientated towards providing an attractive business environment for foreign investments, but we need to address the lack of skilled employees urgently The performance of a business organisation is correlated to some basic aspects. Human resources and innovation, access to financial markets and low transaction costs, public infrastructures and rule of law, political and macroeconomic stability are among the most vital.

Serbia is clearly orientated towards providing an attractive business environment for foreign investments, but we need to address the lack of skilled employees urgently.

Your company is among the five largest operators in the Serbian recycling industry, and thus contributes significantly to enhancing the country’s export potential. Do you plan to continue increasing your capacities?

The Western Balkans in general, and Serbia in particular, are of vital importance to our group.

We are a long-term investor in the country and are planning our steps in Serbia in alignment with the business expansion strategy of our group.

Over the course of the last six years, we have managed to triple the quantities of secondary raw materials that we are processing and we

aim to achieve even higher quantities. We are exploiting all potential supply channels, aiming for bigger quantities and lower transportation costs. Furthermore, we are investing in new facilities and equipment that will enable us to achieve our targets.

Inos Balkan is also known for its strict environmental protection policies and a policy of zero tolerance. Do you succeed in adhering to all the postulates that you set for yourself?

Our company, Inos Balkan, is a 70-year-old company sourcing secondary raw materials to service the national and regional metal industry.

Inos Balkan is owned by Viohalco - a Euronext listed, Greek owned, metal processing conglomerate that is extremely keen to invest continuously throughout the region, co-investing with the EBRD and the IFC. Viohalco owns and operates aluminium, copper, brass, zinc and steelworks, and manufactures all kinds of cables, as well as pipes for oil and gas plants.

Inos Balkan, as a Viohalco company, conducts its business activities under a strict set of corporate principles, inducing full compliance with all legislative frameworks, i.e., environmental, financial and labour laws and regulations. In this context, Viohalco carries out extensive and frequent internal audits of its subsidiaries to check for full adherence to the prescribed procedures. For Inos, the environmental compliance policy is a principle, part of our corporate values portfolio, and not an obligation, which certainly distinguishes us from our competitors.

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BUSINESS

PROFESSOR DR IOANNA BATSIALOU, MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND OWNER OF IOANNA REGEN CLINIC

Health Is The

MARATHON OF LIFE IOANNA REGEN Clinic is the first and only institution in the region that provides a unique holistic, multidisciplinary, personalized approach to the patient. For 20 years, professor Ioanna Batsialou PhD and her team have maintained a quality of service at the highest level regardless of trends and external influences

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reventive medicine delays or prevents the occurrence of diseases and affects the quality of health as a whole, and regenerative medicine develops therapies and treatment methods for regrowth and renewal ~ explains professor Batsialou, who brings love and care for others to all fields.

You are Greek, but you have also been a citizen of Belgrade for more than 30 years. What brought you to our capital?

I am from Greece and after 30 years of living and working in Serbia, I feel as Serbian as I am Greek. I studied at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, where I also received my Ph.D., and I stayed because of the people and the mentality that is close to the Greek. I also stayed because of love - my husband, whom I met here and with whom I have a daughter.

What’s more, I stayed because of the work I successfully started here as a pioneer of mesotherapy and anti-aging medicine more than 20 years ago, and because of the clients with whom I have built precious, friendly relationships.

We tried to gather all your specialisations, subspecialisations, titles, functions and jobs, but we did not succeed.

What do you do for a living? You are a brand of your own ...

In such a responsible profession as medicine, daily training is necessary, so learning and specialisations never stop.

Medical achievements and new technologies have opened the way to mod-

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The importance and beauty of charity should be nurtured despite the chaos and lack of time

ern methods of treatment, and in short I would say that I deal with the medicine of beautiful and healthy aging. I brought regenerative and anti-aging medicine to Serbia in order to prevent diseases and

insist on elegant aging without serious disease, and aesthetic medicine – my area of subspecialisation – is there to support the face and body to give beauty and dignity to inevitable aging.

Despite the obligations of business, it is very important to transfer love and care for others to all areas of life and to give to those who need it the most. Several times a year, we organise humanitarian actions with the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer (NURDOR), distributing packages for more than 40 children for the holidays. I am a donor of the Women’s Safe House for victims of domestic violence, N.K.V. Katarina Karađorđević, the Zvečanska Centre for the Protection of Infants, Children and Youth, the Novak Đoković Foundation, the Tiršova Children’s University Clinic and the Church Folk Kitchen in Belgrade. I also initiated the action “One brick - a new temple” for the construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vračar, which was built in 2018.

The importance and beauty of charity should be cared for despite the chaos and lack of time. I am of the opinion that whenever we give, we grow. This applies to all areas of my life and I try to give my love, dedication and knowledge to my family, colleagues and associates, patients ... Giving does not only mean material things, and this is something we may have forgotten today.

There is no corporation behind you, no big investors. Does this allow you to build a unique approach to the patient?

It is much harder to build a successful business anywhere in the world as an independent entrepreneur, but that is exactly what allows me to transfer my beliefs and values to work. My colleagues from the faculty, with whom I have been building business and friendly relations for more than 20 years, work with me at the clinic, which gives us the opportunity to maintain a quality of service at the highest level, regardless of trends and external influences. Although there are beautiful but also difficult moments, patients never feel the difference and we manage to provide them with an individual approach and completely personalized therapies that are the only ones that give maximum results.

Your IOANNA REGEN Clinic provides a holistic approach in the field of regenerative, aesthetic and anti-aging non-operative medicine for health and perfect appearance. Are you unique in this in the region?

The ongoing pandemic has once again reminded us that health is a marathon in life, not a 100m sprint. Regenerative and preventive medicine are the basis of good health, and aesthetic and anti-aging medicine are a support for beautiful and healthy aging. Preventive medicine, in the form of genetic analysis done once in a lifetime, give us an insight into the initial

Regenerative and preventive medicine are the basis of good health, and aesthetic and anti-aging medicine are a support for beautiful and healthy aging status of the organism, its preferences and predispositions – tells us which drugs are most effective for therapy, which diseases we are susceptible to, what foods to avoid and how our skin ages. Preventive medicine is the basis of beautiful, “good and healthy” aging. In order to avoid serious diseases,

expensive therapies and medicines, the goal is in preventive and systematic examinations, in introducing gradual changes in lifestyle and educating patients and the general public about what it means to live healthily and age beautifully.

In addition to unique and comprehensive procedures and the best apparatus and equipment, you also have top experts from Serbia and abroad. Who makes up your team?

The goal of the IOANNA REGEN Clinic is to engage the most eminent experts from Serbia, the region, but also world-renowned doctors in order to offer comprehensive facial and body therapies, because only a healthy person is a beautiful one. If there are endocrinological or cardiac problems, it will affect the skin of the face and body, the way of aging, and therefore we must always consider the overall health of the patient. We are very proud of our team of specialist doctors, they are extraordinary experts but also people who have dedicated their entire lives to caring for patients. The core of our professional team consists of professor Dr Dragan Dinčić, General and Deputy Chief of the Military Medical Academy in Cardiology, Dr Goran Cvijović, endocrinology specialist, professor Dr Dušan Škiljević, specialist in dermatovenerology, Dr Vladimir Arsenijević, specialist in general surgery and soft surgery, professor Dr Jagoda Jorga, diet therapist and nutritionist, professor Dr Branislav Trifunović, pediatric and plastic surgeon, and Ivana Buzadzić, geneticist.

Our team is what sets us apart and allows us to approach each patient in a multidisciplinary manner.

Our region is known for the fact that people want to be beautiful and cared for, to keep themselves well. Are Serbs and Greeks similar in that?

I believe that every region, every nation wants to be beautiful and well cared for - the issue of aesthetics is a broader one whose overall context must be considered.

It is also a question of modern trends, the entire culture and tradition, and what Serbs and Greeks are similar in is exactly that.

Our mentality is close, a disposition and love of the beauty of living.

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INTERVIEW FANINA KOVAČEVIĆ-POPAZ, EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE HELLENIC BUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

More Stimulating Investment

ENVIRONMENT CREATED The Government of Serbia has taken significant steps towards the creating of a stimulating investment environment over recent years, with the aim of incentivising economic growth.

These moves, as well as measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises, prompt optimism among the members of the Hellenic Business Association

A

lthough the business environment is still under the influence of the pandemic to a great extent, Serbia’s stable macroeconomic position, coupled with the Government’s orientation towards innovation and energy transition are influencing an improvement of the business environment, which benefits Greek companies.

For its part, the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia also contributes strongly to its members being well informed, and to better networking within the association and with other companies that operate in Serbia.

What were the most valuable pieces of information that your members were able to receive from the HBA in order to maintain smooth operations during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic?

We’ve been providing to our members, since the outbreak of the pandemic, all relevant information related to its impact on companies’ regular operations in Serbia.

We simultaneously inform them about the rules for crossing borders between Serbia and Greece, given that we receive a lot of inquiries regarding this issue. Together with our colleagues from other bilateral cham-

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bers, we organised a working meeting with the Ministry of Finance and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia on the topic of macroeconomic movements in the economy of the Republic of Serbia under the context of COVID-19. We also launched a special Member to Member edition that provides business support to member companies of five bilateral chambers during the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst also promoting their products and services to the wider business community in the country. We intensified exchanges of contacts and the marketing promotion of members within the association itself, and we additionally had an opportunity – after a long period – to organise informal gatherings and some of our traditional activities that received a great response from members.

How satisfied were your members with the support provided to the business sector by the Government of Serbia?

The risks and uncertainties associated with the years of the pandemic have had a major impact on business activities. At the same time, the Government’s timely reaction and implementation of support programmes has contributed significantly to countering those negative consequences. Tax policy measures and direct assistance to the private sector, as well as measures aimed at preserving liquidity, have had a positive impact on maintaining the stability of the private sector and preserving jobs over the past two years. It is extremely important that these programmes included small and medium-sized enterprises, which were most in need of state support to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic. A large percentage of our membership comprises SMEs that have utilised this type of assistance and consider it very useful.

What were the main topics discussed in the exchange of views with the Government of Serbia and what were your initiatives regarding the improvement of the overall business climate?

The Government of Serbia has taken important steps to create an stimulating investment environment over recent years, with the aim of incentivising economic growth and creating new jobs. With the introduction of electronic invoicing, the progresshas been made in the area of e-business in Serbia, while at the same time significant strides

have been made in the further reform of public administration, which ultimate goal is to provide services that meet the needs of the economy in an efficient way. A very important topic during previous years has been the Government’s engagement in the field of energy transition, via the amending of the legislative framework that represents the basis for the Green Agenda, and which will simultaneously - through concrete steps - impact positively on investments in the field of green transformation. There is certainly still room for the further improvement of the business environment in the areas of the judiciary, labour relations, simplifying import procedures, reducing administrative procedures in business etc., all of which would allow Greek and other companies to more effectively develop business activities.

How did you maintain cooperation with other bilateral business associations?

Our Association cooperates actively with other bilateral chambers and business associations in the country, both through joint initiatives and joint events. During September

Inter-chamber cooperation has proved its worth as a successful model for connecting and promoting member companies over recent years, and we will continue to apply this type of synergy in our activities last year, 11 bilateral chambers organised the International Networking Cocktail Reception, as an event that aimed at strengthening the Serbian economy by connecting domestic and foreign companies. Likewise, together with our colleagues from the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian Business Club and the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, we organised a Speed Business Meeting last December, an event that promotes networking and exchanging business contacts.

Inter-chamber cooperation has proved its worth as a successful model for connecting and promoting member companies over recent years, and we will continue to apply this type of synergy in our activities.

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HBA ACTIVITIES

The HBA FINDS A WAY The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia aims is to bring the Greek and Serbian markets closer, and also to encourage the continuous improvement of the country’s business environment. This association provides its members with full support in communicating with Serbian and Greek institutions, promotes the interests of the Greek business community in Serbia and encourages Greek investment initiatives in the country. With the invaluable support of HBA member companies, the association supports promotions of the Greek language and culture, while at the same time implementing humanitarian and corporate social responsibility initiatives which stress the importance of solidarity and care for the community DONATION TO THE SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE IN SREMSKA KAMENICA

HBA Board of Directors President Zakof, Vice President Sliousaregko and BoD Member Dapčević visited the SOS Children’s Village “Dr Milorad Pavlović” during January 2022. This shelter currently houses around 100 children and young people without parental care. On this occasion the HBA donated more than 800 products for the daily life of residents, to a value of 200,000 RSD. The HBA board members handed over the donation to the institution’s director, Mirko Jankelić, who in return submitted a note of thanks to the Association in appreciation for the humanitarian aid provided. The funds required for this donation were partly collected at the traditional Christmas dinner for the HBA members, with the remainder allocated from the HBA budget.

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HUMANITARIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER

The HBA held its traditional Christmas dinner event at Belgrade’s Taverna Piatakia in December 2021. The evening included the organising of a charity lottery to raise funds for the purchase of products intended to ease the daily life of children resident at Sremska Kamenica’s SOS Children’s Village Dr Milorad Pavlović. The HBA was particularly grateful to members Alfa foods, Diplomacy&Commerce, Chipita, Extra Coffee, Farmalogist, Hrana Mediterana, Hotel IN, Hyatt Regency Belgrade, Junior, Metropol Palace, Mercure Belgrade Excelsior, Mezestoran Dvoriste, Ioanna Regen, Kessidis Group, Leto shop, Mitsides Point, Taverna Piatakia, Sterile and Super Vero, which donated more than 60 products and services for the needs of the humanitarian lottery, as well as to all representatives of members, who enabled the implementation of this initiative by purchasing lottery tickets.

SPEED BUSINESS MEETING A Speed business meeting was jointly organised by the HBA in November 2021, in cooperation with the Croatian Business Club, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, held at Belgrade’s Metropol Palace Hotel.

The meeting was attended by 30 companies from different sectors, with representatives utilising the opportunity to exchange business contacts and mutually connect.

MEETINGS WITH GREEK DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER AND SECRETARY GENERAL FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

The HBA BoD and members had opportunities to meet twice with Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Konstantinos Frangogiannis during 2021. The meetings were held at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade during April and November, with the second meeting also attended by this ministry’s Secretary General for International Economic Affairs and Openness, Ioannis Smirlis. These meetings included discussions of current issues related

to economic and trade relations between Greece and Serbia, as well as possibilities to further develop and improve these relations.

MEETING OF THE UNION OF GREEK BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE

Under the scope of the 6th Summit in Thessaloniki in November 2021, a meeting of the Union of Greek Business Associations in Southeast Europe was held and attended by Secretary General at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Smirlis.

SUMMER GATHERING OF MEMBERS The HBA organised its traditional dinner during July 2021, which was held in the pleasant ambience of restaurant Mezestoran Dvorište. The event provided an opportunity for members to meet in an informal atmosphere prior to the summer holiday period.

Business Club and the Belgian-Serbian Business Association, held a working meeting with the Serbian Ministry of Finance and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia in May 2021.

During the working meeting, “Macroeconomic trends of the economy of the Republic of Serbia in the context of Covid-19”, participants were addressed by Ognjen Popović, acting assistant minister of finance and Mihailo Vesović, director of the CCIS Division for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalisation, and presented with current and expected trends of the Serbian economy.

ONLINE “CUTTING OF THE VASILOPITA”

MEETING WITH SERBIAN PATRIARCH PORFIRIJE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Members of the HBA Board of Directors met with His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije in the building of the Patriarchate in Belgrade in October 2021. The topic of discussions was the launch of reconstruction works on Zemun’s Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, where regular services are held to cater to the needs of Greek Orthodox believers and Greek citizens permanently resident in Belgrade.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING COCKTAIL RECEPTION The fourth International Networking Cocktail Reception was organised during September 2021 at hotel Metropol Palace. Representatives of 11 bilateral business associations welcomed more than 200 guests, who received the opportunity to exchange business experiences and continue their communication through business cooperation.

The annual HBA General Assembly was held at the Hyatt Regency Belgrade in June 2021, representing the first “in-person” event to be organised since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Members adopted the HBA’s financial report and the report of the Board of Directors during the assembly, after which the evening continued with a cocktail reception that provided an opportunity, after a long period of stagnation, for members to strengthen their mutual business and social ties.

ONLINE WORKING MEETING OF BILATERAL CHAMBERS WITH THE SERBIAN MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY OF SERBIA The Hellenic Business Association, together with the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian Business Club, the Slovenian

The HBA held its traditional event of ‘Vasilopita Cutting’ in an online format for the first time, during March 2021. The event represented a continuation of online activities, but also the Association’s initiative to adapt the tradition of cutting Vasilopita to suit current working conditions. Speaking in his address, HBA BoD President Zakof emphasised that the HBA is always ready to provide its members with support, particularly during this time when it is of great importance for representatives of the Greek business community to provide one another with selfless support. The event continued with the presenting of awards to companies commemorating the 10th anniversary of their HBA membership, with companies Chipita and Kleeman awarded this year. Member company Move One Relocations was nominated as this year’s “lucky member” and received the Gold Vasilopita coin, in an alternative way – via a raffle.

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TOURISM

The Magic Of ITHACA Famous the world over as the home island of Homer’s mythical hero Odysseus, Greece’s Ithaca is an iconic island. But Ithaca is so much more! With a lush carpet of greenery, dotted with quaint villages and offering exotic beaches, Ithaca oozes an abundance of charm!

T

he epic island home of the wandering Odysseus may be famous in world literature, but this hidden gem is mostly unknown to tourists. A forested, hilly island with a jagged coastline, sailors love its sheltered harbours and swimmers adore its emerald waters, and you can discover places with wonderful names, such as the Cave of Nymphs and the Fountain of Arethusa.

The only way to immerse yourself this magical place is to explore it fully. Ithaca’s most picturesque villages are Vathy, Kioni and Frikes. It is interesting to note that these villages managed to retain their traditional identity despite the development of tourism.

Vathy, in particular, is the island’s centre of ac-

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Frikes

Kioni

Vathy

Frikes

tivities and the location of most Ithaca hotels.

As for Ithaca’s beaches, they share the same exotic setting as their Ionian neighbours!

Filiatro, Sarakiniko and Agios Ioannis are three of the island’s best beaches. However, if you’re searching for a more secluded alternative, head to Gidaki beach!

Apart from relaxing and recuperating, the best things to do in Ithaca are swimming, hiking and sightseeing. The medieval village of Anogi, the Cave of Loizos and Katharon Monastery are among this island’s ‘must-see’ places.

The Cave of Nymphs

ITHACA CULTURE AND FESTIVALS Unlike the Greek mainland and the islands of the Aegean, which have been influenced or impacted by Turkey over the centuries, Ithaca has been more strongly influenced by Italian.

This is evident in their language, cuisine and the island’s architecture. However, like the greater part of Greece, Ithacans’ religious

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TOURISM

THE MAGIC OF ITHACA

The Archaeological Museum of Ithaca

Bust of Homer

Arethusa Fountain

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The statue of Odysseus in the port of Vathy

roots are Orthodox Greek; they enjoy the ritual of attending church and priests on the island enjoy the respect and reverence given to them.

The obvious difficulties facing a community living on a small island have made Ithacans resourceful in their daily lives and welcoming to visitors, who bring a slice of the outside world to their villages. Ithaca is still worlds away from take-away food and shopping complexes, existing instead on bread baked in wood-fired ovens and then taken on the road, house to house; gypsies selling their wares from the back of their trucks, fruit brought in by ‘Manaves’ from the Peloponnese and larger neighbouring islands by men who drive from village to village enabling the locals to access that which the rest of the world takes for granted. The simplicity of life is astounding and difficult for many, particularly the elderly, though even they will clamber through the groves to collect olives from the trees. Here being self-sufficient is a necessity and not an ideal, and that is demonstrated through their determination to remain resident on the island despite the rest of the country offering greater comfort and opportunity.

Strong family values represent the core of the entire community. The extended family

Panagia Spileotissa

Filiatro Beach

The Church of Anogi

Stavros archaeological collection

Independence Day

Carnival

is still as deep rooted in Ithacan culture as it ever was, even with the modern world tempting to influence it into adopting 21st century yuppiedom.

Few people on Ithaca celebrate birthdays, but almost everyone celebrates their ‘Name Day’. This custom stems from the Greek Orthodox religion, in which all children are baptised with a name that’s acceptable to the church. These include the names of Saints or names with a holy quality to them. If you have wondered why everyone is called Dimitri or Yiorgos, this is the reason. Over the past 15 years, western celebrations of birthdays have slowly crept into Ithacan culture, but ‘Name Days’ still take precedence.

The Ithacan Summer is filled with celebration. It’s a perfect opportunity to party with the locals and everyone is welcome. Join in the dancing, eat pork straight from the spit and watch dawn break over Ithaca as you enjoy the festivities of the ‘Panighiria’ festivals.

Other events that are celebrated on Ithaca include the Wine Feast in August at Perahori, a small village nestled in the mountains above Vathy, and Ithaca’s Festival of Theatre, including a contest for plays being performed for the first time, which is held in Vathy each May.

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EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

3

Contents CAN WE REINVENT 06 HOW OURSELVES? COMMENT

08

IMPLEMENTING REFORMS AT ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION

BRANKO RUŽIĆ, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

LIVE IN THE AGE 14 WE OF ENGINEERING

VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ PH.D., FULL PROFESSOR, DEAN, FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

FOR 18 EXERCISE THE GREATER GOOD SUCCESSFULLY 12 DEVELOPING DESPITE CHALLENGES

ALEKSANDAR KAVCIC, FOUNDER OF THE ALEK KAVCIC FOUNDATION

BUILDING DEEPER 20 UNDERSTANDING WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

RYAN BOLLHORN, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST, THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

THAT’S TAILORED TO 22 SCHOOL THE CHILD

CHARTWELL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

VLADAN ĐOKIĆ PH.D., RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

YEARS OF EDUCATION FOR A 15 TEN HEALTHY SOCIETY PROFESSOR NATAŠA JOVANOVIĆ LJEŠKOVIĆ, PHD, DEAN OF THE FACUTY OF PHARMACY, NOVI SAD

IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić

4

Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING: PULLEN EDITORIAL HALIFAX

SALES MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

FINANCE: Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

DIRECTOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com EDUCATION 2022 PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance international media

No37 Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fax: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs office@cordmagazine.com www.cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs ISSN no: 1451-7833 All rights reserved alliance international media 2022

Human Resources 2022 HAPPY CHILDREN 24 WHERE GROW UP

FRANÇOIS ALLAIN, BOD PRESIDENT, ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DE BELGRADE – THE INTERNATIONAL FRENCH SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

PEOPLE TODAY HAVE 30 YOUNG BETTER PROSPECTS GIZ

THAT OPENS ALL 26 DIPLOMA DOORS

GORDANA MEDAKOVIĆ, IB PROGRAMME MANAGER, AND DRAGANA IVANOVIĆ ĐORĐEVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATION SYSTEM CRNJANSKI

TURN STUDENTS INTO 32 THEY GREAT WORKERS SLOBODAN JANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, INMOLD

IN LEARNING 28 INTEREST THROUGH WORK DUAL EDUCATION

GIVES YOUNGSTERS AN 34 GRUNER OPPORTUNITY

GRUNER

5

COMMENT

How Can We

REINVENT OURSELVES? With rapid digitalisation, the need to address the skills gaps is more urgent than ever. For policymakers, this is not only an issue of addressing what the economy needs in order to grow, but also how to close the gap between those whose skills are in great demand and those whose jobs will vanish with automation and digitalisation

A

skills mismatch is probably one of the most quoted syntagms among policymakers, educators, HR companies and experts worldwide. Serbia is one of those countries where “labour shortages, combined with skills mismatches, could significantly impair the competitiveness of the economy”, as stated on the website of the World Bank in Serbia.

The gap between education and market demand was evident long before Covid-19, but the pandemic accelerated the need for new workforce skills dramatically. Policymakers, educators, parents and children suddenly found themselves in a world of work that was even stranger and harder to understand than before. As we read in this edition, the Serbian Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development, as well as the head of the most prestigious university, believe that they have good understanding of what is needed and what has been done.

On the other side, companies are themselves developing their own training and retraining programmes to fill the knowledge gaps present among their employees. In this area, remote work has placed new demands on employees who, in many instances, discovered that they lack a number of the skills needed to help them perform their tasks and live up to the business priorities set by their companies. In a nutshell, from nursery school kids to senior employees, everybody is in a position to reinvent themselves.

It always was difficult to comprehend which skills would be future-ready. It is challenge to write strategies for a time that’s ten or twenty years ahead. Along with classical knowledge or IT skills, today’s demands are for social and emotional 6

It is difficult to comprehend which skills would be future-ready. It is challenging to write strategies for a time that’s ten or twenty years ahead. As we have already witnessed, today it is not only classical knowledge or IT skills that are in high demand, but also some skills that were unheard of 20 years ago, such as empathy and adaptability skills like empathy, leadership qualities and adaptability.

Lifelong learning is now increasingly seen as skills building. According to McKinsey, skill building is more prevalent than it was prior to the pandemic, with 69 per cent of organisations engaging in more skill building now than they did before the Covid-19 crisis.

With rapid digitalisation, the need to address skills gaps is more urgent than ever, and is today considered a multi-time investment. For policymakers, it is not only a matter of addressing what the economy needs in order to grow, but also how the society can close the gap between those who possess skills that will be easily replaced

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

by automation or artificial intelligence and prepare them for tasks in which humans make a difference.

In summary, there are many dilemmas before us. What is the right balance between modernising existing education structures and inventing something completely different? How can we reconcile new demands of the economy with existing patterns of knowledge gaining? How can we foster innovation while retaining fundamentals?

How can we give companies a say while preserving the autonomy of universities?

How can we ensure that no one is left behind? For better or worse, our decisions will affect individuals, businesses and societies.

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INTERVIEW BRANKO RUŽIĆ, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF SERBIA AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

Implementing Reforms At

ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION By adhering to the framework established under the Education Strategy 2030, the Ministry is working – in cooperation with numerous partners – to create conditions to ensure the greater inclusion of children in preschool institutions, the development of dual education in secondary schools and higher education, and teacher training that forms the basis of every successful education system

T

he Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing until 2030, which the Government of Serbia adopted in June 2021, represents the foundation for the systemic improvement of education and upbringing. This strategic document keeps pace with the continuity of the reform process conducted at all levels of education over recent years. According Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and 8

Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development, Branko Ružić, the new strategy will “enable the inclusion of even more children in education, the monitoring of the demands and needs of the labour market and, in accordance with that, the development of the knowledge, skills and competencies of pupils/students”.

Considering the importance of developing competencies among both pupils and teachers,

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

the Strategy has envisaged their improvement and the modernisation of teaching and learning processes, as well as the conditions under which teaching is conducted.

When it comes to the inclusivity of education, we can see that the new strategy places great emphasis on increasing the inclusion of children in preschool education and introducing compulsory secondary edu-

SUPPORT

IMPROVEMENT

MATRICULATION

Our goal is to secure good conditions for children and the work of educators in nursery schools, to impact on reducing waiting lists to enrol in preschool institutions, but also to provide parents with support

We plan to allocate around 18,500 computers to teachers. This will certainly help teachers to further advance, provide pupils with support and encourage the digitalisation of teaching processes

The State Matura exam will be introduced for three-year secondary schools in the 2022/2023 academic year, and for general, art and vocational school graduation in the 2023/2024 academic year

cation. What are the necessary prerequisites for these two goals to be met?

The Ministry, in cooperation with numerous partners, is working to create conditions for the greater inclusion of children in preschool institutions. The total percentage of the inclusion of preschool-age children is experiencing a growth tendency,alongsidethetraditionallyhighinclusion of children in the years prior to starting school.

Our goal is to secure good, modern conditions for children and the work of educators in nursery schools, to impact on reducing waiting lists to enrol in preschool institutions, but also to provide parents with support.

One of the activities that should enable the capacities of nurseries to increase is the Inclusive Preschool Education Project, which we have been implementing on the basis of a World Bank loan since 2018. Upon realisation, this project will secure 11,000 new places in nurseries across Serbia. Likewise, in cooperation with the Novak Đoković Foundation, we are working to adapt and convert the existing spaces of nursery schools in multiple cities.

Apart from this, the new Basic programme of preschool education has been applied successively in preschool institutions since 1st September 2019. The experiences of institutions implementing the Godine uzleta [Years of Rising] programme are positive, and changes are evident in the spaces where children learn, in the ways their learning is supported and in their participation among the community of their peers.

When it comes to the introduction of compulsory secondary education, which is also envisaged in the Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing until 2030, an important prerequisite is the amending of legal regulations and the Constitution.

education is becoming compulsory?

Dual education occupies an important place in the Strategy for the Development of Education and Upbringing. The strategy envisages a system for monitoring and evaluating the National Model of Dual Education, in order to be able to reach a conclusion on the sustainability of dual education, the extent to which employability increases for students and what the positive effects are in terms of increasing the competitiveness of the economy. The number of companies interested in cooperating with schools is growing every year, while the number of schools involved

be implemented without the inclusion of employers, with whom work-based learning would be implemented. The creation of dual study programmes should be based on the objective needs of employers for qualified staff with specific developed competencies. The ratio in the number of hours of active teaching that should be conducted at the higher education institution and work-based learning with the employer is determined by the study programme, with active teaching – encompassing lectures, exercises and other forms of active teaching – must be represented by an average of at least 450 hours of the entire

One of the changes that’s prompted the most comments in the past is certainly the introduction of dual education. Where is its place in this strategy and how much will the schools that provide this type of education be represented now that secondary school

Since the start of the 2021/2022 academic year, dual study programmes are being implemented at higher education institutions in Serbia for the first time. There are currently 32 study programmes accredited under the dual model of study, at nine higher education institutions in the dual education system is also growing continuously. Approximately 150 secondary vocational schools are currently included in this system, implementing 54 dual educational profiles. The economy has expressed its need for specific profiles of personnel, which led to an initiative to develop 14 new dual educational profiles, including for example tourist technician, industrial robotics technician, railway safety technician, haberdasher etc.

Interest is simultaneously focused on the introduction of dual education to tertiary education. What will this fundamentally change compared to the approach of existing programmes for educating personnel in this way?

The dual model of studies in higher education represents a form of cooperation between employers and higher education institutions, which – given employers’ active participation in both creating and implementing study programmes – should contribute to improving the relevance of higher education from the aspect of labour market needs. The dual model, in contrast to the standard one, is unable to

study programme per year, while work-based learning should also encompass an average of at least 450 hours per year at the level of the entire study programme.

Due to the relevant practical experience gained, students who complete their studies under the dual model have significantly increased labour market competitiveness and will have better chances of gaining employment with the employers with whom they carried out their work-based learning, but also with other employers engaged in the same field.

The Strategy’s priorities include the development of competencies and human resources, and the modernisation of teaching and learning processes, including the conditions under which they take place.

This requires the significant modernisation of education staff. How much resources both material and human – are realistically needed to implement this?

We are working continuously, through various projects and in cooperation with partners, to digitalise and improve the system to the greatest 9

INTERVIEW different instruments for the support of teaching and learning. For example, this model can be used to support education in rural areas, education for children with disabilities, for athletes, as well as for pupils that are resident abroad. The goal is for the education system to have digital materials ready and active learning activities designed, which will be easily distributed to all schools in the system and ensure an appropriate level of quality for remote education if it is needed in the future, but also under regular circumstances as a form of support to other schools in the transition to hybrid teaching, which is encompassed by the development plans of practically all schools.

possible extent, but also to improve processes and conditions for learning in our schools. That’s why the plan includes the equipping of another 21,500 digital classrooms. Likewise, at the end of last year, with the aim of improving teaching practises, the Ministry allocated 7,000 computers and 480 printers to primary and secondary schools throughout Serbia. We are also continuing with these activities this year, and the plan is to allocate almost 20,000 computers for IT cabinets. About 18,500 computers are also planned to be allocated to teachers. This will certainly help with the further specialisation of teachers, while providing support to students and encouraging the digitalisation of teaching processes.

The strategic goals also include increasing the achievements of pupils in final exams and reducing the number of those who drop out of school. According to some information, 25 per cent of pupils who complete primary school today don’t enrol in secondary school. How can this be fixed?

Data show that around 99% of eighth grade pupils take the final exam. With the aim of improving the achievements of pupils and ensuring greater fairness in the education system, the Ministry is taking steps to improve conditions for working and learning. Pupils and teachers are this year preparing for the final exam at the end of primary education that is harmonised with the new primary school teaching and learning programmes.

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The establishing of online state primary and secondary schools can be used to support education in rural areas, in education for children with disabilities, for athletes, as well as for pupils that are resident abroad Accordingly, schools have also already started organising preparations for sitting the final exam, as well as additional teaching.

Interestingly, of the total number of pupils who complete primary school, 97% enrol in secondary school. When it comes to the remaining three per cent of pupils, they certainly include children who won’t continue with secondary education, but it should be considered that this number also includes pupils who are enrolled in private, international schools, the military academy and religious schools, as well as students who will leave to study abroad.

The draft of the education strategy until 2030 foresees the establishing of online state online primary and secondary schools.

Will this be a complementary modality for situations like pandemics or a comprehensive transition to hybrid education?

It certainly isn’t about a comprehensive transition to online education, but rather about

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

Last, but certainly not least, we’ve been reading for years about the introduction of the ‘State Matura’ exam, but it seems that this government’s term will expire without it having been introduced. Will the next government be able to follow in your footsteps and finally introduce it?

The State Matura [school-leavers’ matriculation exam] will be introduced for three-year secondary schools in the 2022/2023 academic year, and for general, art and vocational school graduation in the 2023/2024 academic year.

The decision was taken to shift the date of introducing the State Matura because it is a project that requires comprehensive preparations for each segment of the process. We’ve also adopted amendments to the Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System, in order to create conditions in a timely manner for efficiently and professionally preparing for the implementation of the State Matura.

In order for us to once again verify the quality of tasks and procedures at the level of the system, we will organise a second state matriculation pilot exam from 4th to 8th April 2022. This second pilot should be conducted in 519 public schools and all private schools that have applied for inclusion in the pilot project.

All teachers will thereby receive an opportunity to see what the state matriculation exam will look like. I must remind your readers that our intention is for the State Matura, in the final epilogue, to have a certification character, i.e., for it to confirm the level of knowledge acquired by pupils in secondary vocational schools, art schools and high schools, but also for it to have a qualification character, in terms of passing and enrolling in certain higher education institutions.

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INTERVIEW VLADAN ĐOKIĆ PH.D., RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

Developing Successfully

DESPITE CHALLENGES The vision of the University of Belgrade is to continuously fortify its reputation as a leading educational and scientific research institution of the region, to attract an ever-greater number of students, improve study programmes and reform the system of work. During the previous period, we’ve launched many initiatives aimed at achieving these goals

I

f we observe a brief overview of the World Bank’s suggestions for Serbia’s further post-covid economic development, one of the fundamental challenges mentioned is the inappropriate supply and demand of skills, i.e., education that isn’t adapted to the needs of the economy. That’s why the first question we posed to Vladan Đokić Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade, was: what, in this regard, can the Education Strategy 2030 change?

12

“Continuous monitoring of the qualifications framework, alongside analysis and an understanding of what skills and knowledge are essential to cover the needs of the labour market at the national level, certainly represents one of the priority tasks for higher education institutions in Serbia, equally in reaccrediting existing study programmes and developing new ones,” says our interlocutor. “The demand for highly qualified, socially engaged professionals is increasing and changing in line with

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

numerous global challenges. We also see this in the indicators of the European Agenda for Higher Education, which predicts that half of existing occupations and jobs will require high qualifications by 2025, and which recognises the existence of numerous shortcomings in the education process and the skills that are acquired in higher education. In our context, this issue has only become more pronounced and evident under the circumstances of covid, though there are clear pre-existing indicators

MISSION

PARTNERSHIP

AGILITY

The University of Belgrade represents the most important academic institution in our country and the region, and our goal is to maintain our leadership position

The key is in partnerships of knowledge, the transfer of knowledge and ensuring an environment for future professionals to acquire practical skills during the period of their studies

Thanks to great experience in the digitalisation process, the University of Belgrade positioned and handled itself very well under the conditions of the pandemic and is successfully implementing its study programmes

that additional efforts are required, both in strategic and operational terms, to tailor higher education to the needs of the economy and labour market.”

Our interlocutor notes that this was one of the starting points in the drafting of the Education and Upbringing Strategy until 2030.

“However, it is my view that the determinants of the Strategy represent a broader conceptual framework for systemic advancement, and that individual tasks and goals must be established and implemented through specific initiatives and activities. One such initiative is the cooperation in providing support of the Public Administration to higher education institutions in the educational process, formalised by agreement in October last year. This marks an important step in public administration reform, both from the aspect of ensuring students acquire practical skills and from the aspect of achieving a high level of competencies for work in the real world.”

Before I mention several key perspectives that can play an important role in changing education, I would like to note that ensuring continuous work on the realisation of longterm strategic goals makes it essential for the University to define – in the form of the Strategy that has not yet been formally established – the directions of its development over a period of at least one decade, while monitoring the fundamental projections of the strategies of the Republic of Serbia and relevant international documents. Considering the very uncertain circumstances, particularly the current situation and the ramifications of the pandemic, the strategic

You are seeking the return of nationalised property to the University, based on the example of how the assets of religious communities were returned. Are there any individuals who donate to the university today; and who would you expect to be a patron of higher education in Serbia?

During the Interwar period, our University was one of the three richest universities in Europe, with revenues from more than 80 endowments and funds. Our University is now focused on an initiative to resolve the status of assets that were confiscated from the administrations of national institutions and endowments, with the aim of returning

One possibility for improving the existing quality of studies is the introduction of vocational programmes and dual education models. How much interest in following this path exists at colleges?

When it comes to the University of Belgrade, of our more than 320 study programmes at various levels of study, there are currently two existing study programmes of basic vocational studies on offer, as well as three study programmes of specialist vocational studies, which indicates the need for colleges to at least encourage consideration of this type of study programme. The university should nurture academic studies in the classical form, but also deliberate on all possibilities for developing vocational programmes, as well as the dual education model to the extent that it has the capacity for that, to the benefit of the entire society.

decisions that will be brought are very important to the long-term development of the University. First and foremost, it is essential when defining the Strategy to respect the University’s established traditional values and identity, through an appreciation for new circumstances in national, regional and international circles. Strategic perspectives in this framework should relate equally to the development of the processes and outcomes of education, the development of digital education and distance/online learning, the establishment and implementation of all-encompassing processes and procedures linked to the improving of human resources, the improving of student standards, the promoting and strengthening of scientific research activities, the encouraging and strengthening of international cooperation, and the advancing and optimising of the organisation of work, in which the primary goal in establishing the Development Strategy is actually finally strengthening the financial security and independence of the University.

How reliant would the Strategy for the Development of Universities be on the need for change in the field of education?

The university should nurture academic studies in the classical form, but also deliberate on all possibilities for developing vocational programmes, as well as the dual education model to the extent that it has the capacity for that, to the benefit of the entire society property in an institutionalised way. Numerous notable and wealthy Serbs have bequeathed their property to the University of Belgrade, with funding from revenues used to reward students’ professional and scientific works, to help impoverished students and student institutions, award scholarships and cover the university’s general needs, so this issue is significant because it would open new avenues of funding for the academic community. There are also positive examples today, both of individuals and socially responsible companies, but they are not as voluminous as they were during the golden age of Serbian endowment.

Money from endowments and funds used to be used to reward students’ professional and scientific works, to help impoverished students and student institutions. Are those needs today sufficiently addressed through other support instruments? What would it be wise to spend the money of donors on now?

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INTERVIEW

It’s important that we launched the initiative to establish postdoctoral research positions at the University. Our laws don’t currently recognise postdoctoral research and this restricts further training for many researchers. This sub-specialisation could help when it comes to retaining young people in the country and encouraging our scientists who’ve earned their doctorates abroad to return home, while it would also attract foreign researchers. Finally, in this way, the University of Belgrade would be even more strongly affirmed as an institution of integrity.

Space perhaps exists in this area for modern forms of endowments – of everything from equipment to facilities and funds.

During the period of the Covid-19 crisis we saw a significant difference between private and public faculties when it came to the possibility of switching to online teaching. What lessons have you learned when it comes to the digital transition of our higher education?

Thanks to great experience in the digitalisation process, the University of Belgrade positioned and handled itself very well under the conditions of the pandemic, and is now in the third academic year of successfully implementing study programmes that have been adapted to the situation. The last school year’s exam results and passing grades, which were conducted in accordance with the combined model of teaching, didn’t differ significantly 14

The intention is to use the period ahead to improve the process of selecting teachers at the University, which should be carried out as transparently and fairly as possible, in order to avoid situations in which the results of elections can be interpreted in different ways from previous years, and we can conclude on the basis of this that the quality of education and acquired knowledge will not be imperilled.

I am more concerned about the social aspect, i.e., the alienation of students deprived of a lively, interactive academic atmosphere.

Issues of urbanisation and environmental protection draw citizens onto the streets and disturb them, regardless of their party affiliations. Why are so few experts from universities today included in discussions about Serbia’s needs in any area of development?

The challenges of our environment today include social transformation, globalisation, the endangering of the environment and ever-mounting pressure on public services, the healthcare system, infrastructure and housing, as well as the increasingly strong

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

positioning of information technology. The University of Belgrade’s strength lies in the variety and specificity of its members, with 31 faculties and 11 institutes, which contribute to enhancing its repute and significance in different ways. Some of them do so through academic excellence, some through social engagement, some through improvements to the healthcare system, as we see with the pandemic, and some do so through their participation in important state construction and infrastructure projects. It is very important that the Committee for Environmental Protection was established, for the first time since the formation of the University, as an expert and advisory body of the University Senate. The members of this committee are relevant experts from various scientific fields, who are tasked with presenting stances - argued from an expert perspective - that highlight the importance of environmental protection, as well as the activities, processes and procedures that would contribute to that.

What forms the basis of the University’s reputation today and what can make or break it? Have you recently had any opportunity to receive feedback on how the public views you and, if so, what does that indicate to you?

The vision of the University of Belgrade is to continuously fortify its reputation as a leading educational and scientific research institution of the region, to attract an ever-greater number of students, improve and innovate study programmes and reform the system of work in order to further affirm its place among the ranks of universities in the region and around the world. We’ve launched many initiatives aimed at improving the work of the University. We’re planning to introduce a greater role for students in managing the University’s bodies and organs, due to the recently-adopted Law on Student Organisation, which we waited almost a decade for. One of the most delicate issues is the selection of teaching staff. The intention is to use the period ahead to improve the process of selecting teachers at the University, which should be carried out as transparently and fairly as possible, in order to avoid situations in which the results of elections can be interpreted in different ways.

BUSINESS PROFESSOR NATAŠA JOVANOVIĆ LJEŠKOVIĆ, PH.D, DEAN OF THE FACUTY OF PHARMACY, NOVI SAD

Ten Years Of Education For

A HEALTHY SOCIETY

Novi Sad Faculty of Pharmacy successfully educates future pharmacists, medical biochemists, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors of science, specialists. Its goal is to be recognised as a leading educational institution for health professionals in the 21st century

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fter the first 10 years, we can proudly say that we are educating really high-quality health staff. We are flexible, we have attractive and current content in the curriculum and we manage to respond to rapid changes in society. Our knowledge has no expiry date ~ says professor Jovanović Lješković.

How do you position yourself as an educational institution for the 21st century.

What is the formula for your success?

The pandemic has reminded us how important it is to have high quality health personnel. We feel a great responsibility for our students who need to be ready for the 21st century healthcare system. Good quality education is crucial for good staff, so educational institutions must be flexible, respond to rapid changes in society and offer attractive and current content in their curriculum. It is extremely important today that faculties have good leadership with a clear vision and mission. In that sense, our faculty continuously invests in teaching staff, equipment, digitalisation and, most importantly, in the selection of current curricula and practice.

What are the key benefits of the curriculum you offer? Can you explain that with the example of the pharmacy study programme?

In addition to basic professional subjects, students also have the subjects Rare Diseases, Biological Drugs and Immunotherapy, Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine, Oncology Pharmacy, Drug Addiction and Abuse, Pharmacoeconomics, Marketing,

exposure to various career opportunities and the introduction of courses aimed at professional development. The curriculum itself is designed so that students choose and create their own path through it. Compulsory subjects are followed by narrow professional and elective courses that open the door to specific areas of pharmacy.

Each of our subjects is like a building element, like a brick, say. And the final product of our five-year curriculum will be a typical house, known as the 21st century pharmacist.

Inside the house, the obligatory subjects will form the foundations and load-bearing walls, while with their personal choice of professional and elective subjects, each student will create and decorate their own pharmaceutical interior.

Serbia is intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and digitalisation of health on their agenda Professional Development, the Digital Pharmacy, and so on. I think that we are not only the first in the region but also among the first in Europe to introduce the subject of the Digital Pharmacy because it is important for our students to know what is happening in the field of digitalisation, telepharmacy and the application of artificial intelligence in medicine and pharmacy.

We bring students closer to all the different worlds of pharmacy already in the early years of our courses, through early

Enrolment time approaching? How to choose an occupation for the 21st century?

You need to think of your own interests and motivation and keep in mind that science is making incredible advances. Just look at what is being done in the fields of pharmacy, medicine, molecular biology, genetics, today we are all talking about mRNA, gene therapy, immunotherapy, biological drugs, personalized medicine, the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, prediction, disease prevention or choice of therapy. The possibilities in the area we call “Life Sciences” are amazing.

We are pleased that Serbia has lately been intensively positioning itself on the map of countries that include biomedicine, biotechnology and the digitalisation of health on their agenda, and this is the chance for young people.

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BUSINESS VLADIMIR POPOVIĆ PH.D., FULL PROFESSOR, DEAN, FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

We Live In The

AGE OF ENGINEERING Interest in mechanical engineering studies among young people is growing year-on-year, as is the quality of newly enrolled students, because it is increasingly easier and faster to gain employment if you have a degree from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Thanks to this fact, young engineers are also increasingly opting to stay in their country, to remain in Serbia to work

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lthough every administration of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has done as much as could be done under the given circumstances, we must advance decisively. This is the right moment to decisively continue with the gradual reform of the faculty, because if we don’t change, then we will stagnate and slowly disappear ~ says Vladimir Popović Ph.D. You rated last year as being excellent for the faculty. What were all the things that marked the year?

First of all, I would like to thank you for expressing an interest in the activities and development of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. We had university elections over the course of spring, through which a new administration of the Faculty of MechanicalEngineeringwaselected,whichtook over its duties on 1st October. The members of the Dean’s Collegium are now three ladies, for the first time in this faculty’s history. The previous year was marked by exceptional interest among students in enrolling in all of our faculty’s study programmes, the continued excellent results of our student teams (Formula student, Beoavia – aviation, Confluence Belgrade – shipbuilding, Robotoid, ZeptoHyperTech – biomedical engineering), as well as the presenting of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the World Expo in Dubai.

There has been increased interest in mechanical engineering studies among youngsters for years, but what’s new is that ever more of them want to stay in Serbia 16

after graduating. How has that changed?

We’ve been working on this for years, but the circumstances, including a good policy of the state, have also helped us. That increased interest contributed to raising the quality of newly enrolled students, such that this year the average grade of our freshmen coming from secondary schools stands at 4.40, and approximately 60 per cent of new students come to us from high schools.

I agree with your observation that ever more of our graduates are choosing to remain in

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

their country. Contributing to this the most was an increase in offers of high-quality jobs for engineers, as well as continuous increases in salaries, particularly over the last five years. A large number of high-tech companies have opened their development centres in our country, which is crucial to future development.

You have excellent cooperation with many companies, including renowned firms like ZF, Bosch, Siemens, Brose and Endava, but

also public enterprises and companies like EPS, NIS, Petrohemija etc. What are students brought by this collaboration?

There is practically no significant company operating in our country with which we don’t cooperate. Apart from the aforementioned companies, there are a number of domestic private companies with which we’ve developed cooperation. All this enables students to have high-quality work placement student internship, and after that also the possibility of choosing the right employer.

I wish to highlight our excellent cooperation with the Association of Students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering regarding all issues that impact on education activities, but also our students’ further career development. A number of them are starting work well before the completion of their studies, which used to be a rarity.

When it comes to the popularity of our study modules, the largest number of students traditionally enrol in thermotechnics, mechanical production engineering, which also encompasses artificial intelligence, robotics, intelligent technological systems, automated control, aviation etc.

You’re also recording increased interest among students from the region, but also from the UAE. This isn’t only important in financial terms, but also in terms of expanding your influence, right?

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has always attracted the best school pupils, both from the surrounding countries and from the regions of North Africa and the Middle East. That interest waned significantly as a result of the wars and crises of the end of the previous century and the beginning of this one, but it is now being reactivated.

There’s a lot of room in this area to improve the work of our faculty, because we have an exceptional tradition of educating foreign students. We had several meetings, both in Dubai and Belgrade, with universities and companies from the UAE, and we expect a larger group of students to come from this country in the next school year.

The influence of our country is thus expanded in the best way, because our graduates and doctors of technical sciences find themselves, or will find themselves, in important positions in their own countries.

All of the aforementioned determines the position of our faculty as the best school of mechanical engineering in the wider region.

Despite a lot having already been done, your faculty is still working to harmonise its study programmes with the needs of the market. Is the dual education model, which is being developed according to the needs and specifics of the higher education system, part of this process?

The key reason for my candidacy to become dean is the fact that I believe deeply that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – despite its

with companies on the basis of mutual interest. We are currently working with ZF to develop a study programme based on the dual model of study.

Conditions for studying are increasingly improving, but what working and research conditions do your young scientists have, given that they should bring accelerated economic development to our country?

Both conditions for studying and conditions for scientific work are increasingly better, but there’s always room for improvement.

Our faculty has the constant support of

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has always attracted the best school pupils, both from the surrounding countries and from the regions of North Africa and the Middle East greatachievementsinthepastandatraditionto beproudof;despitemanygreatgenerationsand renowned professors who’ve carried its name around the world – still can and must advance.

I believe that, even today, at this faculty there exists new energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to improve many segments of work, in order for our faculty to remain a cornerstone of education and science in the future.

That’s why we’re constantly innovating our programmes and subjects, and introducing new accredited study programmes. I would like to point out the new Industry 4.0 master’s studies programme, as well as the undergraduate study programme in Information Technology in Mechanical Engineering.

The dual education model opens new doors to even more intensive cooperation

the state in its development, without which merely maintaining the monumental building of the faculty would be difficult. As I spent four years performing my duties as the Secretary of State responsible for Science and Technological Development, this topic is one that’s extremely close to me. The time in which we live is the time of engineering, and that’s a fact that supports our efforts.

Our generation of professors and this administration are tasked with utilising all of these opportunities in the right way. And we should always be mindful of the fact that, in a house with tradition, nothing begins or ends with us, and we are all just a stage in the development and building of the reputation of our house: the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Belgrade.

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INTERVIEW ALEKSANDAR KAVCIC,FOUNDER OF THE ALEK KAVCIC FOUNDATION

Exercise For The

GREATER GOOD No one can be inventive without thinking originally and distinctly. At the Foundation we aren’t afraid of inventing new methods that raise the level and quality of education. And demonstrating inventiveness, and leading by example, is also an educational tool – one that teaches and emboldens others to think differently themselves.

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first grader who starts school in the next 2022/23 school year will never have to buy textbooks - because – in a nutshell – it is at this point that the Alek Kavcic Foundation’s idea of providing free books to children aged seven will be realised. While the Foundation doesn’t fill its book collection by grade, children in each grade receive the

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We expect more schools, parents and pupils to benefit from free textbooks in the next school year, as the number of textbooks offered in our programme grows

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

possibility of coming closer to receiving free schooling. However, this battle still isn’t over for many reasons.

Who is the winner of your ongoing struggle to secure free school textbooks?

The students are undoubtedly the winners. They are the ones who benefit from a free public education. As a reminder, free

education, without hidden costs (such as textbook costs), is a basic human right guaranteed by both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Serbian Constitution. Upholding rights guaranteed under the constitution is certainly a victory for all citizens of Serbia, especially those of school age.

How many schools and parents have voted for your offer, as you say, with their wallets?

More than 300 (of a total of about 1,300) schools in Serbia use some of the books that are free on our website besplatnabibioteka.com. However, interestingly, a good percentage of those schools are actually unaware that the books they use are free, and they still require pupils and/or parents to buy textbooks. We are working to change this. We expect more schools, parents and pupils to benefit from free textbooks in the next school year, as the number of textbooks offered in our programme grows.

Your disputes with Klett are well known, but what about the state? Is your cooperation with the state publisher of school textbooks a sign that your ideas are at least being partially embraced, or not?

Our free textbook programme is growing, and is well received by both the state publisher and the readers, i.e., schoolchildren. Sadly, Klett, which is a German multinational publishing house that owns three publishing companies in Serbia (Klett, Logos and Freska), has a problem with our growing programme. Klett’s main motivation is fear for their shrinking profits. It is unfortunate that profit is a motivator for a multinational company that tries to market itself as an “educator” that is, supposedly, primarily interested in dispersing knowledge. Klett has launched lawsuits against me and against the Alek Kavčić Foundation, but out legal team is handling these lawsuits very well and I expect us to prove victorious. There is no law that prevents the Foundation, or me personally, as a citizen of Serbia, from supplying free textbooks to my fellow citizens, for the benefit of Serbia as a nation.

A German company should not have a say in this matter.

If the schedule is correct, then the list of textbooks required for the fourth grade is already known, while the list for the eighth grade will be published soon. How many books on this list will be yours?

We don’t fill our book collection by grade. Rather, we work on providing textbooks for all grades in parallel, concurrently. Naturally, eighth grade has more subjects than first grade, so it is going to be easier to provide all textbooks for first grade than eighth grade. In fact, at this point in time, we have completed all textbooks for first grade, so a first grader who

There is no law that prevents the Foundation, or me personally, as a citizen of Serbia, from supplying free textbooks to my fellow citizens for the benefit of Serbia as a nation.

A German company should not have a say in this matter starts school in the next 2022/23 school year will never have to buy textbooks. We expect to successively fill the rosters of other grades within the next two years, and the Foundation will provide all those elementary school textbooks, for all school subjects, free of charge.

Until recently, your offer only included books in pdf format or printed versions.

Is your digital version of books going to be free and how can this equate to the financial sustainability of your endeavour?

A digital textbook doesn’t differ much from a pdf textbook. In fact, a digital textbook is a pdf, but it has more than just text and pictures, in the form of interactive material, videos, exercises etc.

But it must be understood that the pdf is the background of any book, whether it is interactive or not. The creation of any digital, electronic or cyber textbook requires some funding, but it is a one-off expense. Once the pdf and/or the digital textbook is created, it is done; it doesn’t need extra monthly maintenance. All that is required is to put it on a website for everyone to download and use. Putting something on a website requires no additional cost (except for the negligible costs of a few dollars per month to maintain the website), so our programme is in fact financially SUSTAINABLE. That is actually the beauty of it.

At the end of the day, what is more important for the improvement of the quality of education in Serbia: free access to textbooks or the freedom to think differently?

Both. They are complementary. Free education is a basic human right, so textbooks must be free. A free education is a prerequisite for a nation’s prosperity.

Being inventive in the way we utilise resources is an exercise in thinking freely and differently. No one can be inventive without thinking originally and distinctly.

We, at the Foundation, aren’t afraid to invent new methods that raise the level and quality of education. Demonstrating inventiveness, and leading by example, is also an educational tool – one that teaches and emboldens others to think differently themselves.

If you could add one thing from the U.S. method of teaching, what that would be?

Inventiveness in the classroom. Moulding all teachers to conform to the same boring standards is not the best way to educate.

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BUSINESS RYAN BOLLHORN, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION SPECIALIST, THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

Building Deeper Understanding

WITH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

At the International School of Belgrade (ISB), we believe that students should have experience of solving real-life problems. Research shows this kind of authentic learning experience makes the learning process more relevant and builds deeper understanding. It also helps students develop entrepreneurial skills and understand the importance of failure.

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tudents learn to solve real-life problems by researching ideas, designing solutions, pivoting from failure, building models, putting solutions into action and then reflecting on their process. Research clearly shows that this type of real-life, project-based learning has a positive impact on motivation and creates deeper understanding for students.

While working on real-life problems, we have learned that technology applications can help students develop solutions in a

Applications such as Fusion 360 and TinkerCAD are professional tools which are being used to provide students with real-world skills virtual space as well as a physical space.

For example, 3D CAD software is having a significant impact; allowing students to generate ideas and build them completely within a 3D world. These final designs can be printed using 3D printers and used to construct a final product.

Applications such as Fusion 360 and TinkerCAD are professional tools which are being used to provide students with real-world skills.

Virtual learning spaces have also had a significant impact on student learning.

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Recently, ISB’s Grade 5 students explored a virtual Chemistry lab using Minecraft Education to experiment with the construction of elements and compounds. This virtual learning experience led to students developing a more profound understanding of chemistry concepts.

This real-life approach, along with the use of modern interactive applications,

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

helps create a more relevant learning experience for our students. The opportunity to experiment and play with different concepts using innovative tools should not be a replacement for hands-on learning, it should enhance and transform the entire learning experience, allowing students to do and learn things that would otherwise be impossible.

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BUSINESS

School That’s Tailored

TO THE CHILD

Chartwell International School, which is located in a beautiful and tranquil Belgrade residential area, has been providing education to children from the ages of two to 18 for more than 20 years

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wide range of subjects is offered throughout the school – from foundation to secondary level, designed to stretch and challenge each individual, providing everyone with the opportunity to discover and consider their own particular interests and talents With over 40 different nationalities of pupils, Chartwell is a world of its own. In a tightknit establishment that celebrates cultural diversity, the unifying factor is the school’s accreditation from Cambridge University, which recognises Chartwell as an international school, as well as its registration with the Serbian Ministry of Education.

Academic standards are keenly monitored at Chartwell International School, while class sizes are small enough – with a teacher-pupil ratio of as little as 1 to 3 – and are tailored to suit the academic needs, interests and potential of each child, including additional personalised tuition if needed. Contemporary teaching methods are applied, with an interdisciplinary approach to subjects.

Although the Chartwell management team leads the way, it is the Chartwell teachers that represent the success and beating heart of the school. They come from a variety of backgrounds and have varied experiences, but they all share a love of teaching, empathy for their pupils and a commitment to their education. All are well qualified for the role they play. Encouragement and motivation are keywords in the lexicon of Chartwell’s teaching philosophy.

Lessons at Chartwell International School are taught in English, but a variety of other world languages are also offered in tandem. Cultural diversity is very important at Chartwell. The school traditionally celebrates UN Day, promoting tolerance 22

Chartwell fosters a strong family atmosphere and is not governed by rules, but rather by respect for others and common sense and respect. Poetry and music evenings are organised, at which children recite poems and sing in their native languages and those that are taught at the school. British traditions are respected, with celebrations of Valentine’s Day, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Christmas, while Chartwell is the only school in Belgrade to celebrate Bonfire Night.

Chartwell fosters a strong family atmosphere and is not governed by rules, but rather by respect for others and common sense. This is a place where students come for more than just study – Chartwell is a home away from home.

This is what makes the school a unique, tension-free environment, where pupils and teachers chat during breaks, play sports together, resolve problems and jointly participate in various projects. Regardless of their many cultural differences, pupils

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

and teachers respect each other and work closely to achieve the best possible results.

With an awareness that education encompasses much more than the academic programme, great emphasis is placed on that extracurricular activities that are offered on a daily basis and range from sports to fencing, dance, drama and languages, while Chartwell’s pupils are also involved in the life of the community.

Chartwell’s goal is to provide teachers and pupils with conditions under which they will all be able to achieve their best results. The school will continue to optimise class sizes, in order to be able to tailor the curriculum to suit the individual needs of pupils. Moreover, this school has also implemented the latest air purification technologies in its new buildings, using HEPA filters and UV lights, which provide fresh air for the improved efficiency and concentration of pupils and staff.

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BUSINESS FRANÇOIS ALLAIN, BOD PRESIDENT, ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DE BELGRADE – THE INTERNATIONAL FRENCH SCHOOL OF BELGRADE

Where Happy Children

GROW UP

EFB is part of a global AEFE network of 552 international French schools in 138 countries. The curriculum in all these affiliated schools is the public schools in France, which makes it much easier for children to integrate into a new school when their family moves to a different country

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he time of borders is slowly coming to an end, with the trend of global citizenship taking over. People are moving around the world more than ever before. EFB aligns with this trend and has been empowering generations to explore the world since it opened in 1951.

You are simultaneously the parent of an attending pupil and the President of the Board of the French School of Belgrade - EFB. Could you please explain this double-role model?

Every parent who has a child attending EFB automatically becomes a member of the Association – like a shareholder. All parents are invited to participate in regular General Assemblies, though attendance is not obligatory. They are invited to vote on certain strategic topics and to decide who will represent them, together with other members, on the Board. The members of the Board work closely with the school management team on a voluntary basis and contribute with their own set of skills and competencies. The model is interesting and flexible: it enables parents to get involved directly in the management of the school if they wish to.

You’ve spent more than a decade living in Belgrade. Your spouse is Serbian, and your son speaks both languages. How does EFB fit in?

EFB is a French school, but Serbia is its country of adoption – just as it is mine. It was crucial for my wife and I that our son adopts both traditions as his own. Cultural immersion is an important principle of EFB 24

Children can attend EFB from the age of two and a half until the end of high school, which ensures smooth transitions through different stages of education and Serbian language studies are mandatory. In addition to French and Serbian, kids start learning English from the age of five and another foreign language from the age of 12, so four languages in total! There is also an optional bilingual French-English section, where kids have English lessons and other subjects taught in English every single day. And with more than 30 nations represented at our school, EFB is a truly multicultural environment.

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

The EFB slogan is “For a life without borders”. What message are you sending with this statement?

EFB being a part of the global AEFE network ensures an easy integration into a new French school if the the family moves to a different country. Children simply continue their education where it previously stopped, without any exams to determine the grade.

After passing the French Baccalauréat exam at the end of their high school studies, students can apply for any French university, whether public or private, but also universities in the UK, U.S., Canada, or pretty much anywhere around the globe.

EFB provides not only education, but also orientation and counselling throughout the high school years, in order for our students to be able to find their spot in the world.

EFB is known as a place where happy children grow up and that’s loved by parents. Why do you think that is?

Children can attend EFB from the age of two and a half until the end of high school, which ensures smooth transitions through different stages of education. On top of that, EFB offers a range of additional services: school lunch, tutoring and help with homework, daycare services and a range of extracurricular sports and artistic classes to choose from for optional afterschool activities. Basically, you can drop your kids off at 8am and pick them up as late as 6pm, and then spend quality time with them, without having to worry about homework or driving them around for activities. From the perspective of a busy parent, this is a great advantage of EFB!

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BUSINESS GORDANA MEDAKOVIĆ, IB PROGRAMME MANAGER, AND DRAGANA IVANOVIĆ ĐORĐEVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, EDUCATION SYSTEM CRNJANSKI

Diploma That Opens

ALL DOORS

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme has been known for more than 50 years and is implemented at more than 5,000 schools in more than 157 countries. It provides an internationally recognised secondary school diploma that’s also a diploma enabling direct enrolment in colleges worldwide, for the most famous and highest rated universities

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ducation System Crnjanski is specific in many ways, including the fact that enrolments are carried out yearround. Parents enrol their children in the international section of the programme upon returning from abroad, and they opt for the national programme when they want to change their environment and the approach to teaching and development in general.

What are the main characteristics and greatest qualities of the IB programme implemented at your school?

GM: They are, first and foremost, a comprehensive approach to the education and development of each pupil, encouraging the individual qualities and abilities of each pupil through the choice of subjects and programmes, learning on the basis of concepts that are mutually intertwined and complement one another in different subjects. We nurture critical reviews and re-examinations of that which is being learned or has already been mastered, teaching our pupils how to present and defend their own opinions in a well-argued, impartial and objective way, as well as accepting and respecting opposing opinions, and along with that we also devote great attention to developing their awareness, learning and consistent applying of the rules of academic integrity, as the basis of the personal honesty and integrity of each individual.

How many of your pupils go on to study abroad?

GM: Accomplishing the full diploma programme enables direct admission and enrolment in any university around the world. We can note with pride that members of our alumni include 26

Gordana Medaković

students who’ve successfully completed Yale, the London School of Economics, the University of Warwick, King’s College London, Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts, ETH Zurich, Bocconi and Erasmus, as well as other renowned and respected faculties worldwide.

Usually around two-thirds of each generation, between 10 and 15 pupils, opt to study abroad after successfully completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).

You apply a holistic teaching principle that is centred around the child and aims to develop lifelong learning models. Are you trying to educate future leaders who will change the world for the better?

GM: Precisely. Fundamentally, the IB philosophy of education aims to enable the intellectual development of the pupil, but also to encourage and nurture the development of their social and emotional skills, which will help the pupils to be able to respond to the many challenges of the modern world.This education programme, thus, develops an awareness within young people that they should use what they’ve learned

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

Dragana Ivanović Đorđević

to help improve the lives of others, and that through daily leadership they consciously choose to be a driving force for good around the whole world.

What is the goal of the parents who place their trust in you, apart from ensuring that their children receive the best possible education?

DIĐ: The motives among parents who choose to school their children in the Education System Crnjanski, which encompasses both primary and secondary school, certainly include - apart from the exceptional teaching staff and level of dedication – a sense of security and a climate in which cooperative relationships of respect are nurtured, between employees, pupils and parents, and among the pupils themselves.

Parents often assess us as a “school with high demands”, but also a place where their children can – in the space of a “real school”, and in humane and dedicated relations – get the best education and properly prepare for the continuation of their education, but also for an independent and responsible life.

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D UA L E D U C AT I O N

Interest In Learning

THROUGH WORK Based on the model of Europe’s most famous and most successful dual education systems, implemented in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, Serbia was the first country in the region to adopt its Law on Dual Education in 2017, the full implementation of which began on 1st September 2019

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he development of dual education in our country has prompted a need for the formal education system to be adapted to the personnel needs of the economy. Following the completion of their education under the dual model, students can either gain employment with an employer or launch their own business, while they also have the qualifications required to continue their education.

If dual education in Serbia had a tradition dating back 100-200 years, like Germany, we could boast of the fact that more than 80 per cent of the students of three-year dual education programmes find a job with the employer with whom they had their internship. Approximately 25 per cent of German interns earn the right to enrol in university, but they opt instead for an internship, while in Switzerland, for example, the dual education system includes 128 education profiles, each of which is led by a different company.

Serbia is neither Germany, nor Switzerland, nor Austria, which also has a great dual education system, so it cannot boast of such impressive results, but nor are our figures negligible.

LEARNING BOTH AT SCHOOL AND WITH AN EMPLOYER In the period of just five years, which is how long dual education has been in the focus of Serbia’s education system, we’ve reached a total of 54 dual educational profiles, 10,000 pupils enrolled in dual programmes, 150 schools and 900 companies engaged in the dual education system, while in the meantime an additional step has been taken, such that today three colleges and 28

For this academic year, 30 per cent of the companies that registered are new, while the offer for the dual model will also include nine new educational profiles five academies of vocational studies are implementing 26 study programmes under the dual model.

By definition, secondary dual education is a model of teaching under the system of secondary vocational education and training in which the curriculum is implemented in both a school and a company, under the guidance of the employer. It thus ensures

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

that students acquire knowhow, abilities, skills and attitudes, through theoretical classes and exercises in school, but also through learning on the job in a company.

“The dual education system ensures a more effective response from the education system to the needs of the economy and labour market, technological change and the need for new competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes,” say representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.

LISTENING CAREFULLY TO THE NEEDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET Such an education model enables the acquiring, advancing and developing of competencies in accordance with the needs of

the labour market, post-graduation employment, the development of entrepreneurship, the innovative and creative abilities of each individual, but also strengthening the economy’s competitiveness. The most important advantage of this education model is in the quality of knowledge and skills that students acquire, but also the opportunity to gain employment at companies based in their area.

“For this 2022/2023 academic year, 30 per cent of the companies that registered are new, while the offer for the dual model will include nine new educational profiles: telecommunications electrical technician, agricultural machinery operator, culinary technician, hotel and restaurant technician, tourist technician, plumber, industrial robotics technician, haberdasher and chemical products manufacturer,” explains a spokesperson of Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia.

Depending on the educational profile selected, the pupil can start visting the company to learn through work already in the first year of studies. They acquire knowhow that’s practical and applicable, in a real work environment, from the very beginning of their schooling, while upon completion of their schooling the student can gain employment with an employer, launch their own business or continue their education.

STUDENTS FIND WORK FASTER AND EASIER The dual model of higher education studies, which began being implemented in Serbia with the first study programmes of October 2021, contributes to increasing higher education’s relevance, enabling graduates to secure employment faster and easier, and modernising teaching processes through cooperation with businesses and contact with modern technologies. With the introduction of the dual model of study, the aim is to provide students with the opportunity to significantly increase their labour market competitiveness and job opportunities with the employers that hosted their work placement learning, but also with other employers operating in the same field.

Higher education institutions may organise programmes of academic or vocational

Three colleges and five academies of vocational studies are today implementing 26 study programmes under the dual model studies according to a dual model, through which knowhow, skills, abilities and attitudes are acquired, improved and developed in accordance with the study programme and qualification standard, through active teaching at a higher education institution

and practical training and work with an employer.

The dual model of study makes learning through work an integral part of the programme, in accordance with a dual model of study that carries a number of ECTS [European Credit Transfer System] points and represents an organised process during which students, working under the supervision of company mentors, apply theoretical knowledge in a real work environment, have direct contact with business procedures and technologies used in the business world, connect with employed professionals and prepare for the world of work.

The dual education system at the level of secondary and higher education, which is regulated by the Law on Dual Education and the Law on Dual Model of Studies in Higher Education, contributes to improving human resources capital, which will further ensure the easier and faster integration of high school and university students into the world of work. Dual education is also developed in accordance with the Master Plan for the Implementation of the Law on Dual Education.

It is also worth noting that donor and partnership support for the establishment and development of Serbia’s National Model of Dual Education was provided by German development agency GIZ, under the scope of its DECIDE project and the project “Reform of Secondary Vocational Education in Serbia”; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), under the auspices of the project “Support for the development and establishment of the National Model of Dual Education”, and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

WE’RE INVESTING IN AVIATION CENTRES “Confirmation of the loan agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank will enable the reconstruction and equipping of two centres – one in Belgrade and the other in Vršac – to cater for the needs of aviation education in Serbia under the dual education model,” announced Serbian Education, Science and Technological Development Minister Branko Ružić.

This investment will enable us to create additional conditions for the education of aviation personnel in Serbia and the region, while helping to secure careers for future pilots, flight controllers and other related occupations, noted Ružić.

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BUSINESS

Young People Today Have

BETTER PROSPECTS

On behalf of the German Development Cooperation, GIZ has been closely cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and other relevant institutions in Serbia for eight years in order to strengthen the dual education model and better align the education system with labour market needs

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any companies, public and private, are engaged in the project of German Development Cooperation, along with secondary vocational schools. Two of these are Vlasotince Technical School and Obrenovac Technical School

ALEXANDER BEETZ, Programme Manager for Sustainable Economic Development and Employment at the German Development Cooperation with Serbia

WE ENCOURAGE COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES One of the main goals of the German Development Cooperation with Serbia is 30

to improve the prospects of young people in Serbia and to make it easier for them to find work and live in their country

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he education system plays a key role in improving young people’s chances of finding a good job. A big step forward was made with the introduction of the cooperative model of education in 2014. Close cooperation between schools and companies, and greater scope and better quality of practical teaching in companies are some of the main characteristics of the new approach. Experience from implementation of the cooperative model was essential for the development of the national model of dual education in Serbia and the adoption of the Law on Dual Education, which entered into force in 2019.

Currently, German Development Cooperation (implemented by GIZ) focuses on working with Serbian partners to improve the quality of dual education.

We work on capacity building of schools to become regional centres of competence - model schools that offer high quality dual education and non-formal trainings.

In parallel, we provide advisory support to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development to improve the legal and regulatory framework for the implementation of dual education.

Our goal is to improve the employability of young people so they can find good quality jobs and decent earnings. On the other hand, we encourage employers to be actively involved in the training of future staff in accordance with the needs of their companies. This contributes to increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the Serbian economy.

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

MILIVOJE ĐORĐEVIĆ, principal of Vlasotince Technical School

WE FOLLOW THE NEEDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET Thanks to the projects of German Development Cooperation implemented

by GIZ, we have established an important public-private partnership, equipped school workshops, built capacities of teachers and instructors from companies...

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lasotince Technical School is very successful in implementing dual education. We educate students in nine educational profiles and cooperate with more than 30 companies. We have been

accredited for adult education through non-formal trainings and the process of recognition of prior learning. Since 2016, we have increased the number of students by 50 percent.

Our school constantly monitors the needs of the labour market in order to fulfil its purpose, and that is why we cooperate with companies so that we can offer our students education for the occupations that are in demand.

Besides gaining practical knowledge and skills during the time spent in companies, students also learn teamwork, business communication, workplace discipline and many other skills that they cannot acquire in school. In that way, we provide them with good conditions for professional development and a chance to build a career in their own town. On the other hand, companies recognize their interest in being actively involved in the education of their future staff because “good workers are not found by chance, you have to make them”, as the owner of one of our partner companies says.

Employers are aware that they have to invest in education of their future workers and that it is a great development opportunity for every company to participate in education. Therefore, our school’s cooperation with companies is growing bigger and better every day.

RAJKA BABIĆ, principal of the Obrenovac Technical School WE ARE AMONG PIONEERS OF DUAL EDUCATION Thanks to the introduction of dual education, we have improved cooperation with local companies and increased interest in three-year vocational education profiles for occupations that employers need

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brenovac Technical School was one of the first secondary vocational schools in Serbia to start implementing a dual education model. We started in the 2014/15 school year by introducing a cooperative model with elements of dual

education, and now we have four dual profiles: locksmith-welder, electro-fitter for network and installation, electrician, and machine tool maker.

MIHAILO JEVTIĆ, director of Stelit 90 d.o.o. in Obrenovac

THEY WERE OUR STUDENTS, NOW THEY ARE OUR COLLEAGUES A quarter of the current staff in our company’s production plant is trained through cooperation with the Technical school, i.e. through dual education of locksmith-welders

Our partner companies Stelit 90, Cardboard factory UMKA, JKP Toplovod, PE EPS and Thermal Power Plant Nikola Tesla A and B have provided our students with conditions for acquiring professional competencies that will make them competitive on the labour market. This includes a larger number of hours that students spend at work-based learning in the company, training on modern machines under constant supervision and mentorship of instructors who have been trained to work with students. They gain the ability to apply theoretical knowledge acquired in school to practical work in the company, and the opportunity to learn at first hand how the company works and what it means to be part of a team.

The employers have also assumed all the obligations prescribed by the Law on Dual Education, including the obligation to pay financial remuneration to students for work-based learning. As our students say, companies invest in them so that, when they hire them in the future, they will have high quality craftsmen.

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telit 90 is a family business, founded in 1990. Our primary activity is the design, production and installation of process equipment and plants, equipment for dust removal and industrial ventilation, energy equipment, metal structures and equipment for environmental protection and waste processing. Thanks to many years of experience and highly professional staff, Stelit 90 is today one of the leading manufacturers of process equipment.

For many years, we have been cooperating with the Obrenovac Technical School in implementation of dual education, primarily for the locksmith-welder profile. During that time, we have managed to train a lot of young staff. Most of the students who had practical part of teaching at Stelit are now employed by us, some have already become lead craftsmen. The support of the German Development Cooperation is important, cooperation with the school and teachers of practical subjects is excellent, we are all going in the same direction better education of young people and better preparation for the job for which they are studying. We are looking forward to continuing cooperation and expanding capacity for training of future staff.

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BUSINESS SLOBODAN JANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, INMOLD

They Turn Students

INTO GREAT WORKERS Požega company INMOLD exports its IML robots and sophisticated high-quality tools for injection moulding of plastics and non-ferrous metals to markets around the world. Now it has begun dual education at the technical school, which has paid off, both for the local community and the company

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ll our staff are from an area of 25 km in radius, and the average age is under 32 ~ says Mr Janković, noting that all interested high school students who graduated from schools in Požega, Užice, Kosjerić, Lučani and Arilje have the chance to become part of INMOLD. In a short time, Inmold has grown from a company with 25 staff to one with more than 400. How do you explain that?

There are several reasons for that, but I certainly have to mention the great experience from previous companies that I and some of my associates brought to Inmold, all my personal capital that I earned by selling part of the company of which I was a co-owner until 2006, a loan obtained from the Development Fund at the very beginning when I opened the company… The right choice of activities is also important, the huge need for tools and robots for IML technology for the production of thin-walled packaging for the food 32

and chemical industries around the world, the huge number of companies that have started operating in Serbia, Macedonia and BiH and the right moment to introduce dual education into the activities of INMOLD as the best way to provide young and professional staff adapted to the business. Probably my personal commitment and that of my associates to the business, to the work and the quality of work we do has also contributed to success, with the support of the current government for further development and growth of INMOLD, especially at our new site in Priboj, our expansion and providing the conditions for normal work, a stable family and private life, our commitment to employing people living in INMOLD’s vicinity and a whole range of other factors.

Which markets do you cover?

We are engaged in the production of IML robots and sophisticated high-quality tools for injection moulding of plastic and non-ferrous

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

metals, which we export to Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, USA, Pakistan, Japan, China, Canada...

For decades, our educational system has ignored the needs of the market, but that is slowly changing. Isn’t it high time that the education authorities start providing exactly what employers need?

Yes, that’s right ... We somehow managed to influence the local community technical school to change its awareness of the needs of the labour market and to get young people out of school with occupations that are needed by business. Seven or eight years ago, the state launched a campaign to educate people needed by industry, and we are now actively working on that, which I am very pleased about.

By the way, the tough school bureaucratic apparatus is hard to change, but it is getting better in Serbia because it is being worked on in many towns. The state has managed to change the legal regulations in education, so

now more care is taken about the profiles offered to children.

For a whole decade, you have been training and providing scholarships to students of the technical high school and students of mechanical engineering, which has increased the interest in manufacturing occupations and the mechanical profession. How much has this stopped the outflow of young people from Western Serbia?

All our staff are from a 25-kilometre radius of the company, and the average age is under 32. High school students who graduated from schools in Požega, Užice, Kosjerić, Lučani and Arilje and who are interested in working at INMOLD get the chance to become part of our team. All students from these parts who want to return and start working can get a job at INMOLD even if their education does not meet our needs, because we organize so many retraining courses for them.

The fact that more than 50 of our workers have bought an apartment in the last few years estifies to their firm determination to stay in this area. In addition, every year we have several marriages between INMOLD staff members, and we can also boast that we had about 20 babies last year.

Students are paid for the time spent at INMOLD, so children can earn very decent pocket money and decide for themselves how to use it. Cash compensation is determined according to clear criteria and is very stimulating.

You have more or less included your daughters Dušica and Nevena and your sons Slobodan and Dušan in the business. You must be proud of them because they returned to the family company after studying abroad ...

Yes, it is a great joy for me. My children are here. They were educated abroad, learned languages, had internships in foreign companies and came to INMOLD to make it even better and bigger with their youth and enthusiasm. Three of them are already married, I have two grandchildren, my daughters-in-law and sons-in-law are determined to live in Požega, and because of that, I’m the happiest man in the world. All this is a guarantee that INMOLD will operate well and successfully in future.

Your experts work with interns according to the plan and programme you designed on the basis of the German and Austrian systems.

How is practical training in your company organized and what does it look like?

We try to acquaint children from the first year of high school with their obligations.

Their stay at INMOLD consists of learning specific jobs and of free daily activities of their choice - table tennis, basketball, table football, quizzes...

In the grades that follow, the load gradually increases.We always insist on tidiness, discipline, elementary and general education, hygiene and ecology, and there are also specific jobs that include work in real production in real conditions, on machines that are similar to those on which they will work after graduation. In addition to practical work, we also organise theoretical training in mathematics, English and several mechanical subjects, because what they learn at school is not enough to do the work at INMOLD. This approach takes the stress out of starting an employment relationship.

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BUSINESS

Gruner Gives Youngsters

AN OPPORTUNITY

Apart from bringing salaries for almost 750 workers, German company Gruner has brought something even more valuable to Southern Serbia: its dual education model, which provides young people with an opportunity to gain employment immediately upon graduation, and to plan their future in their home region

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runer has been cooperating with the Vlasotince Technical Vocational Secondary School since 2015, when the programme to train the first generation of industrial mechanics was launched, while today future mechatronics technicians, electronics technicians and CNC operators are being trained here.

Alongside its production of smart meter relays, “start-stop systems” for the automotive industry, injection moulded plastics and metal parts for its own purposes, Vlasotince-based company Gruner Serbia is also renowned for the dual education programme that it conducts in this southern Serbian town. This is a company that’s proud of all its workers, both production personnel and highly educated experts, and particularly the youngest employees, who arrived straight from school benches.

The dual education programme was launched in cooperation with the Technical Vocational Secondary School in 2015 and has developed gradually since then.

Beginning with just one department of industrial mechanics, the initial profile, it has grown to now encompass the training of future mechatronics and electronics technicians and CNC operators. According to Gruner representatives, continuing cooperation with the school forms the basis of the company’s further development, production capacities’ expansion and future increases in employee numbers.

Plans include the opening of a cutting-edge training centre that would provide students with tangible, practical knowhow. Approval has been given for the 34

Gruner is a company that’s proud of all its workers, and particularly the youngest ones, who arrived straight from school benches equipment required for mechatronics technicians to be under the ownership of the school and used at Gruner’s training centre, where all trainees will be provided with appropriate work and study conditions. The goal is for these young people to complete their schooling and earn their diploma having acquired all the necessary skills and knowhow defined by both the curriculum and the needs of employers – not only in Vlasotince, but also among other companies throughout Serbia.

The pupils of the Technical Vocational Secondary School that are included in the

EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities

dual education programme have stressed how they’re extremely satisfied to know that, thanks to their hard work, study and dedication, they will be able to gain employment as soon as they graduate.

Gruner’s owners are also satisfied, because dual education has helped them to quickly find professional personnel for their specific needs. If the dual education model were to be conveyed to also include higher education institutions, colleges would be producing young experts capable of performing specific tasks immediately upon graduation.

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EDUCATION / Challenges & Opportunities