CorD Magazine, April 2022, No. 210

H.E. RAÚL BARTOLOMÉ MOLINA

DANKO BRČEREVIĆ

Laying The Foundations Of Future Cooperation

We’re Weakened As We Enter A Year Of Uncertainty

ACTRESS

ACTRESS OF THE CENTURY

APRIL 2022/ ISSUE NO. 210

www.cordmagazine.com

AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN

MIRA BANJAC

CHIEF ECONOMIST OF THE FISCAL COUNCIL OF SERBIA

interviews opinions news comments events COMMENT

Serbian Silence

FOCUS

HOW WILL THE UKRAINE CONFLICT IMPACT ON SERBIA

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Life Following The End Of A Day Of “Prolonged Peace”

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HEAD OF EUROPE, EURASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

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MIREK DUSEK ISSN1451-7833

Exclusive

CONTENTS

06 ZORAN PANOVIĆ

23 STRENGTH LIES IN EQUALITY

Comment SERBIAN SILENCE

CORD’S EMPOWERED WOMEN PANEL DISCUSSION

08 MIREK DUSEK

24 DANKO BRČEREVIĆ

MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE; HEAD OF EUROPE, EURASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM LIFE FOLLOWING THE END OF A DAY OF “PROLONGED PEACE”

CHIEF ECONOMIST OF THE FISCAL COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA WE’RE WEAKENED AS WE ENTER A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY

44 WORK IS ON THE BRINK OF A REVOLUTION Architecture

50 MIRA BANJAC

Actress ACTRESS OF THE CENTURY

CURRENT TOPIC

56 CHILL OUT 27 BUSINESS DIALOGUE

12 H.E. RAÚL BARTOLOMÉ MOLINA

58 OFFICE STYLE Fashion

40 DOLLY PARTON

AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN TO SERBIA LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF FUTURE COOPERATION

AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS OF A COUNTRY MUSIC QUEEN

43 SOFIJA STEFANOVIC

PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE FACE-TO-FACE WITH PREHISTORIC MAN

60 CULTURE CALENDAR

16 GLOBAL DIARY 18 S TORM IN THE BACKYARD @CORD_MAGAZINE @CORDMAGAZINE

Focus HOW WILL THE UKRAINE CONFLICT IMPACT ON SERBIA’S PLACE IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?

62 FACES & PLACES

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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“CorD does not criticise or critique. We are a place where people can inspire and be inspired by others” 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

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Comment

BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

Serbian Silence For Putinophiles, but not necessarily for Vučić, the ideal is to repeat the scene from the NATO aggression of 1999, when SPS Secretary General Gorica Gajević descended from the National Assembly to embrace the people following the adoption of the decision to join the alliance with Russia and Belarus

I

n Croatia,from the 1971 collapse of the Croatian Spring to the emergence of Tuđman’s HDZ, there was a Taqiya-like atmosphere that was referred to colloquially as ‘Croatian silence’.

In an entirely different context, Serbia would much prefer a Taqiya-like “Serbian silence” on the topic of Ukraine. However, that’s difficult to do in practise.

For now, “Vučić’s sophism” is working: support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and refusal to impose sanctions on Russia. And all the drama of the war in Ukraine led to the posing of a question in the midst of an election campaign in Serbia: who in Serbia is Vučić playing for fools more: Europhiles or Russophiles?

Research conducted by Demostat confirms that Russophiles are dominant in Serbia (which on the whole also means fans of Putin’s cult of personality), but such research often overlooks the degree of hypocrisy that characterises Serbian public opinion, which in this case means: our soul is with Russia, but we’re with the West when it comes to lifestyle.

Serbia has understandably gone quiet on the ‘Serbian world’ these days, but simultaneously isn’t seemingly emphasising enough of the more recent dates of its golden achievements, such as the December 2015 OSCE Summit in Belgrade, when then Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić was the patron of a meeting between Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry, the then Russian and U.S. foreign ministers. Even the Non-Aligned Summit, had it been held in Belgrade these days instead of in October last year, would have gained much more specific weight. Perhaps an essentially neo-Titoist weight.

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Manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are a logical occurrence in the former Yugoslavia. There has been a reviving of the traumas of Vukovar and Sarajevo, of Operation Storm and NATO aggression. Alongside empathy

On the whole, we’re still at the level of barstool debates in the style of Serbian comedy film Three Tickets to Hollywood, about the division between the inhabitants of a small Serbian town, under the influence of the Cuban missile crisis, into proRussian and pro-American with the people of Ukraine and manifestations of PTSD, there is also something treacherous: Croats and Bosniaks compare every Russian shot to aggression against them, thus cementing the narratives, identities and policies of Franjo Tuđman and Alija Izetbegović as the only ones that are possible and correct. There is a tacit wish for Mariupol to become the new Vukovar, there is a desire for a Ukrainian Sarajevo, Škabrnja and Srebrenica. Kosovo Albanians are doing the same, dreaming of a Ukrainian Račak, while Serbian Putinophiles enter a paradoxical situation: even that which they use to build the new Serbian identity – flagrant violations of international law,

represented by NATO aggression against Serbia and its heroic resistance, or Serbian refugees from Croatia and Kosovo – are relativised with a level of understanding for Putin’s patience breaking and the belief that the Russian housemaster will confirm with his aggression that Milošević was a figure of the global avant-garde and that the Serbs of the 1990s would have won if there had been such a Russia back then. Though it’s easy to assume that there wouldn’t even have been any NATO aggression if Milošević had reiterated the words of Lech Wałęsa in 1990 - Poland’s Euro-Atlantic position is a given.

It is also paradoxical that the election campaign culminated in Milošević becoming the greatest ace of the Serbian opposition that inherits the anti-Milošević legacy, because Zdravko Ponoš is the only presidential candidate in this race that has a medal for his participation in the war against NATO, which was signed by Milošević himself.

Thanks also to Vučić’s sophism, Serbia hasn’t yet been irreversibly divided between the Serbian Wagner Group and the Serbian Azov Regiment.

On the whole, we’re still at the level of barstool debates in the style of Serbian comedy film Three Tickets to Hollywood, about the division between the inhabitants of a small Serbian town, under the influence of the Cuban missile crisis, into pro-Russian and pro-American.

Serbian nationalists (formally anti-communists) desire the restoring of the USSR. They do favour the denazification of Ukraine, but not the deStalinisation of Russia.

Interview Exclusive

MIREK DUSEK

MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE; HEAD OF EUROPE, EURASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST AT WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

We live in very fast-paced and extremely interconnected world in which the effects of the war in Ukraine reverberate around the countries of the Middle East and Africa, where 80 per cent of their food supply is entirely dependent on either Russia or Ukraine, and innovations from Silicon Valley travel fast to meet globally competitive talents in the Western Balkans. The World Economic Forum is working on these and many other urgent topics, seeking solutions for inclusive and sustainable growth

Life Following The End Of A Day Of

“Prolonged Peace” 8

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INNOVATION

Economic growth, the humancentric agenda and the innovation agenda are at the forefront of our minds as we work on the Western Balkans and Europe as a whole

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his interview with Mirek Dusek, Head of Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East at the World Economic Forum (WEF), was conducted while our interlocutor was at the airport between flights and in one breath. Our topics spanned from ongoing geopolitical threats of the war in Ukraine to excitement with the new WEF summit in Davos taking place this spring, as well as his impressions following very productive visits to Belgrade and Zagreb, during which he discussed opportunities for the technologically driven growth of the countries of the Western Balkans, with both country leaders and globally competitive tech entrepreneurs from the region.

Inevitably, our conversation started with the global effects of the war in Ukraine and other conflicts that are currently in its shadow and reflections on the achievements during the “prolonged peace” in which at least some parts of the world lived after World War II. Geopolitics is a word that governs our world even in the most secluded parts of the globe. If you had to rate today’s geopolitical threats, how would your list look?

We do live in a more geopolitical world and some are saying that the era of the global peace dividend is over. We have seen decades of globally increased interconnectedness, increased cooperation on issues of trade, the environment, but also geopolitical issues. During this same period, we’ve also seen many geopolitical uncertainties in many countries and regions. I found myself doing a lot of work in the Middle East and in this region, and it hasn’t really been a period of prolonged peace, as we had buckets of conflict. However, we can say that we had this period at a geostrategic level, which led to great advances in the fight against poverty, the integration of supply chains, more innovation and more efficacy in raising the overall standard of living in many countries. Now, when I say that we live in more geopolitical world, there is this realisation at a strategic level globally, involving the great powers. There is now more competition within the system and that’s been something that we’ve seen for some years.

When we wrote about the covid-19 pandemic,

RESILIENCE

PROGRESS

we already said at the Forum that the pandemic struck an already vulnerable world; a world in which some of the institutions of the international system were already under strain. And that realisation has now been escalated by war in Ukraine, which has tragic humanitarian consequences in terms of what it’s doing to the international system and great power relations. So, overall, yes, we do live in

We do live in very fast-paced and extremely interconnected world. So, absolutely, in terms of the manifesting of what we call global risks or global trends, it is certainly a feature of this system that this is a much more complex world.

If, for example, we take a look at the repercussions or cascading effects of the war in Ukraine, first there are, of course, the tragic humanitarian consequences reverberating throughout the international community. However, then, of course, there are staggering cascading effects.

We see the impact on the world food system.

We are realising how interconnected we are in terms of food supply chains. We can see in certain countries of the Middle East and Africa that 80 per cent of their food supply is entirely dependent on either Russia or Ukraine. So, this is a huge disruption that can lead to their economies being subjected to heavy pressures overnight. Another example is the energy security issue, or the energy system issue in which we suddenly see a huge impact on the system and a complete re-evaluation of how countries, and stakeholders within countries, view their energy system and energy security.

And this is not only in Europe, but rather we also see it around the globe. It is also important to know why we have set up this system globally again during this period of “prolonged peace”, if I may use that phrase. We have had amazing efficiencies within that system, which has led to unprecedented innovation and led to growth, with many countries raising their standard of living. It is now about how we make sure that, in response to the realisation that we live in a world that’s more exposed to risk, we can come together as much as possible and consider how we build more resilience. We’re actually preparing a new WEF initiative, in which we’re examining the notion of resilience, but not through the prism of defence, which would be the usual instinctive reaction. This is more about how we use resilience to drive future inclusive and sustainable growth.

We live in a more geopolitical world than ever, but that doesn’t mean this should lead to passivity.

We can come together as much as possible and consider how we build more resilience

The pandemic struck an already vulnerable world, a world in which some of the institutions of the international system were already under strain. That realisation has now been escalated by war in Ukraine a more geopolitical world, but that doesn’t mean this should lead to passivity or that this thing just happened to us. There is a great deal of urgency regarding what needs to be realised, hopefully, and this is what the WEF is working on. We are seeking to find ways for international stakeholders to cooperate.

For example, the African Trade Agreement, as a pan-continental free trade agreement that we’ve seen emerge over the past years, is an amazing achievement of multilateralism in that region. We also see great strides elsewhere, most obviously in the Abraham Accords between Israel and some countries of the Middle East. Viewed from this perspective, how fast are global challenges emerging today? Is our world faster in that respect than it was a century or two centuries ago, or are we too deeply immersed in the current historical perspective to see the bigger picture?

During the period of “prolonged peace”, we had amazing efficiencies within that system, which led to unprecedented innovation and growth, with many countries raising their standard of living

In a globalised world, do we still have regional threats that are confined to one area, continent or state? In that respect, how do you see the state of regional affairs in our part of the world?

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Interview Exclusive I think that, overall, in this world that is slightly more fragmented, there is more competition geo-economically and geopolitically. Regions and regional cooperation are so important and play a more important role, particularly if you compare today to a decade or two ago. We see countries and regions responding not only to the current cascading effects of war in Ukraine, food and energy, but we see also their covid response that preceded this crisis. Again, there were actions from both individual countries and regional groupings that played a major role. The Western Balkans is a region of key importance, obviously in Europe. At the WEF, we have a long and rich history of engaging both public and private sector leaders, as well as young people in the region, in support of the things that we believe can be the fundamentals of future growth. We focused a lot on supporting competitiveness.

We published our Global Competitiveness Report, which represents a major piece of knowledge that countries use to benchmark themselves in terms of economic indicators.

We’ve been working on this agenda with many institutions in the Western Balkans.

We’ve also been working on skillset innovation capabilities in the region through private sector involvement. We were very recently proud to launch the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Belgrade, together with Prime minister Brnabić, who came to Geneva to launch it with us. We also have good cooperation with, and support from, President Vučić. We believe that we can help by connecting economies like those of Serbia and Western Balkans with economies around the World. The purpose is to integrate and exchange knowhow on technological governance. We have published quite extensively on the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You might know that 15% of global GDP is generated by the digital economy. So, we already live in the age of the digital economy, and by 2040 it’s contribution could be 26%. A major part of global GDP is driven by the digital economy. We believe that, while a lot of innovation has been driven by private sector players in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, it is so important that stakeholders around the world are on the front foot, wherever they can be, in terms of making sure that these technological advances have a positive impact on society. And that’s where technological governance comes in, and where we believe that connecting to this global network of countries that work together on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, initially in Serbia and Belgrade, but perhaps also in other countries of the region, will also contribute

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further innovations. My last point on this is that we are preparing our annual meeting in Davos, to run from 22nd to 26th May. We are following the tradition that we’ve established over past years by inviting the leaders of the Western Balkan economies to discuss the economic future of the region. We’ve been confined to our homes for two years, working from if we’re lucky, while Davos has been missing its guests. How has this situation impacted the World Economic Forum?

How do you nurture the important networks that have usually been established during the annual gatherings? Are you more intertwined today, or is conversation somewhat lacking?

We were very recently proud to launch the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Belgrade, together with Prime minister Brnabić. We also have good cooperation with, and support from, President Vučić to increasing the competitiveness of this region in the future. We’re also monitoring some developments in the region regarding dialogue and further integration, which of course always has efficiencies that lead to

Obviously, we were all unprepared when the pandemic struck, because no one could have foreseen it. I must say that I feel that we are much closer and more connected to the different stakeholders around the world with whom we work. What we’ve been doing since the beginning of the pandemic is to establish a covid response platform, which was really a way for us to ensure we can support publicprivate cooperation, through the Covid Action Platform, to see how different countries started responding to this unprecedented disruption. Throughout this two-year period, we’ve maintained a constant dialogue with our partners in the private sector, but also with many governments, proactively reaching out for them to exchange knowledge and insights with their peers. When such a shock hits, knowing and learning from your peers is at a premium, as it ensures that you are really well-informed regarding their response and are able to learn ways to cooperate.

We’re also working on many global agenda issues, such as the transition to net zero, ways that we can combat climate change, improve trade, supply chains, energy etc. And we’re also working on specific regions across all those areas that we’ve been in touch with constantly through digital channels, and we see more intensified interaction among the top decision-makers. We’ve had corporate CEOs and government ministers interacting around different issues, both mutually and with us, on an almost monthly basis.

Of course, we are happy that the epidemiological situation now allows us to hold a summit that will take place in person in Davos. This is going to be the first time that we will stage Davos in the spring, so it’s going to be a new experience. However, on the whole, we are hearing from all the key decision-makers with whom we work, and

actually – given the multiple challenges that we see, the fast-changing geoeconomics and geopolitical landscape that we’ve discussed, but also urgent imperatives around climate change – the health systems will not wait for the geopolitical picture to sort itself out.

We are receiving a lot of demands even on this front, so the meeting of leaders that will convene at the end of May is going to be unprecedented.

We are preparing our annual meeting in Davos, to run from 22nd to 26th May. We are following the tradition that we’ve established over past years by inviting the leaders of the Western Balkan economies to discuss the economic future of the region The World Economic Forum was instrumental in establishing Serbia’s National Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as part of the global network of such centres. What role do they play within national borders and within the network?

This is a new way in which we see governments interact on technology governance.

Governments around the world want to be at the forefront when it comes to shaping technology governance. They want to be at the forefront vis-à-vis the private sector innovations that we see around the world and realise that, in order to do so, they need to be in the network, to learn from each other, but not only that, they also need to integrate with each other. So, we have a number of projects in the network. Some of them are being developed by us. We have a network mothership in San Francisco, where we have lots of policy experts with lots of experience.

However, the magic happens when these different nodes in the network start collaborating with one another. We have a project that was developed in Brazil on the ways SMEs can use IoT technology. This project has now been used by centres in Turkey and elsewhere in the network. We also have a project that was developed by some of our preceding initiatives

with the United Kingdom, using AI in public procurement, and that project is also proving quite popular. Those are just two examples, but there are multiple projects that have been integrated like that and developed.

Serbia is now part of that network, and we look forward to working with the centre in Belgrade on some of these projects, but also adding more future projects that would benefit some of the priorities of Serbia and other Western Balkan countries in this domain of the digital economy. Are we already lagging behind when it comes to governing ethical parts of the implementation of new technologies, including artificial intelligence? As someone who hails from this part of the world, what concerns you the most and what fills you with optimism when it comes to the development of this region, and Serbia in particular?

I think that, of course, what we need to watch out for is to ensure that – in the context of these larger geo-economic and geopolitical tectonic shifts – the constructive agenda can be maintained around economic growth, the humancentric agenda and the innovation agenda.

These factors are at the forefront of our minds as we work on the Western Balkans and Europe as a whole. What excites me is that I recently had a really productive visit to Belgrade, but also to Zagreb, and it’s really nice to the energy, particularly of globally competitive tech entrepreneurs in different industries. This means that these amazing personalities that I met – some of whom have returned from abroad, while others grew their business entirely in their own country and are nonetheless globally competitive – are creating global businesses and represent great promise for Serbia, Croatia and the Western Balkans overall. That excites me, and that’s also why I’m quite passionate about work with my colleagues to support these priorities in the Western Balkans, and Serbia specifically.

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Interview

H.E. RAÚL BARTOLOMÉ MOLINA

AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF SPAIN TO SERBIA

Laying The Foundations Of

Future Cooperation Spain confirmed its unconditional support to Serbia’s territorial integrity, and also its support to Serbia’s European Union accession negotiations, particularly the opening of Cluster 3, underlining the necessity of Serbia’s alignment to the EU’s common foreign and security policy - Raúl Bartolomé Molina 12

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he Serbian President’s recent visit to Spain ended a fairly long period during which there were no high-level visits between these two countries, which have always had friendly relations. Commenting on the discussions held in Madrid between top Serbian and Spanish officials, ambassador Raúl Bartolomé Molina emphasises the importance of mutual intention “to reinforce those economic relations by the signing of an agreement in that field, which

By Ljubica Gojgić

COOPERATION

Increasing cooperation in the fields of the economy, culture, defence or education may provide a good chance for different ministerial visits over the next few months

we are beginning to negotiate immediately”.

Speaking in this interview for CorD Magazine, the Spanish ambassador also announces the upcoming celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishing of the Department of Iberian studies at the University of Belgrade. Your Excellency, could you speak about the effects of the Serbian President’s recent visit to Spain?

President Aleksandar Vučić’s 23rd February visit to Madrid was the first visit of a Serbian President to Spain since Boris Tadić’s visit of March 2009. It had been a long time without high-level visits between our two countries, which share so many things in common, even if there have been endless contacts and visits of ministers and other officials during these years. President Vučić’s visit served to strengthen our always friendly relations and lay the foundations of future cooperation in numerous fields, especially on economic, cultural and educational issues. President Vučić met with King Philip VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with whom he had long and fruitful discussions.

Both ministers of foreign affairs met separately too, in order to examine bilateral relations and the current international situation.

Spain confirmed its unconditional support to Serbia’s territorial integrity and also its support to Serbia’s European Union accession negotiations, particularly the opening of Cluster 3, which underlines the necessity of Serbia’s alignment to the EU’s common foreign and security policy.

As you know, Spain and Serbia have excellent bilateral political relations, as there are no open issues between us, but our economic relations are not at the same level, so President Vučić and Prime Minister Sánchez agreed that we have to reinforce those economic relations through the signing of an agreement in that field, which we are beginning to negotiate immediately. That important agreement will facilitate Spanish investments in Serbia and the presence of more Spanish companies in this country. One remarkable

UKRAINE

Regarding Ukraine, EU countries have shown absolute unity and our position is clear: Putin’s Russia has initiated an illegal and outrageous attack against a sovereign country

deliverable of the visit was the purchase of two Airbus military transport aircraft by the Serbian Ministry of Defence, and these aircraft will be made at the Airbus factory in Seville. According to media reports, there was plenty of discussion in Madrid on the strengthening of economic cooperation.

What will be in the focus of the bilateral business forum, which has been scheduled for this October?

As I said before, this visit was clearly focused on economic issues, in order to foster Spanish investments in, and trade with, Serbia, which are

This Partnership will take place in Belgrade because we consider this country, and this city, as the most relevant in the region and the ones that work, and should work, as the economic motor of the region both before and after its accession to the EU not at the level they should be according to the volumes of the two economies. We are just now beginning negotiations for a bilateral economic cooperation treaty and the Spanish government will organise a business forum in Belgrade next autumn, under the form of a Multilateral Partnership focused not only on Serbia, but on the entire Balkan region. This Partnership will take place in Belgrade because we consider this country, and this city, as the most relevant in the region and the ones that work, and should work, as the economic motor of the region both before and after its accession to the EU.

EU

Spain fully believes that Serbia’s future relies on the EU, not in a sort of no man’s land, and that can be perfectly consistent with its neutral military status

Will we then also see a reciprocal visit to Serbia of a top Spanish official?

I know our Head of Government, President Sánchez, has been willing to come for a long time, but the last few years were obviously complex in terms of travelling. He knows the region very well, because he worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina with High Representative Carlos Westendorp in the 1990s. It is not easy to foresee what will happen over the next few months, especially following the unjustifiable Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has obviously had an impact on all domestic and international agendas, but I hope he could pay a visit before the end of 2022. It would be great if he could be present at the autumn business forum.

Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares also told Minister Selaković that he is willing to come to Belgrade as soon as possible. The last Spanish foreign minister to visit Belgrade was Josep Borrell in March 2019 and, unfortunately, the covid pandemic prevented last year’s scheduled visit of then minister González Laya.

The increasing cooperation in other fields – the economy, culture, defence or education – may provide a good chance for different ministerial visits through the next few months.

Nevertheless, very recently the President of our High Council for Sports and Secretary of State for Sport, José Manuel Franco, visited Belgrade to attend the Athletics Indoor World Championships. He was amazed by the perfect organisation of the event and very happy to fly back home with two medals. This is an opportune moment to remind readers that it was almost two decades ago that Spanish King Felipe VI (then in his capacity as prince), personally opened the Cervantes Institute Cultural Centre in Belgrade in 2004. Are you satisfied with the work of this centre and the interest in Spanish culture among Serbian citizens?

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Interview The current times are such that more media attention is attracted by news about Serbia signing an agreement to purchase two Airbus military transport planes, which are manufactured in Seville, than by news about culture. In light of the situation in Ukraine, do you believe Europe is on the brink of pacifying this crisis or further stoking the flames of conflict?

Exactly, His Majesty visited Belgrade in 2004, when he was Prince, as you said, to open the Cervantes Institute in the wonderful building in Knez Mihailova.

We are very proud of the work of Cervantes Institute in Belgrade and honoured by the deep interest of the Serbian people in the Spanish language and culture. Since 2004, many interesting cultural activities have been implemented, thousands of students have learnt Spanish with us and many bilateral cooperation projects have contributed to the strengthening of cultural links between Spain and Serbia.

Without any doubt, Cervantes Institute has become part of Belgrade’s very dynamic cultural life, and we can see that in the enormous interest in our activities shown by Serbian people.

Nevertheless, the pandemic had a strong impact both on academic and cultural activity. We believe this year will be a blooming one in terms of promotions of Spanish culture in Serbia. In that sense, together with the cultural section of our Embassy, we hope that in 2022 Cervantes Institute may reopen normally to host annual and very much awaited events, such as Spanskimetar - the Spanish Film Festival, with the cooperation of Spanish speaking Embassies in Belgrade. We will also celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Iberian Studies at the University

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Progressive alignment with European foreign policy is a more than relevant step and, undoubtedly, the more and the sooner Serbia is aligned, the better of Belgrade, while we continue supporting the very much-appreciated work of Spanish Studies at the Universities of Kragujevac and Novi Sad, where this year Spanish will happily gain its own department.

I would like to highlight the newest project launched by Cervantes, the podcast Moja Spanska Prica. It is a series of interviews with Serbs linked to the cultural sector, who have lived or experienced my country. They bring us very interesting and unknown facts and stories about Spain that I am sure people will love.

Famous actor from the popular series La casa de papel (Money Heist), Darko Perić, opens the series by talking, among other things, about a quite unknown episode of our common history: the failed founding of Nova Barcelona in Vojvodina.

As you know, Airbus is a company that Spain, France and Germany participate in, so it is mainly European. In that sense, we welcome the decision of the Serbian authorities to purchase European aircraft, or more concretely, as you say, products manufactured in the beautiful city of Seville.

Regarding Ukraine, EU countries have shown absolute unity and our position is clear: Putin’s Russia has initiated an illegal and outrageous attack against a sovereign country. We believe firmly in diplomacy, but Putin´s barbaric acts have forced the European Union, for the first time ever, to finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment that may help the Ukrainian people not to be massacred by this attack. Do not be mistaken: Putin’s Russia is the only one to blame for this terrible and absolutely unjustifiable war.

At the same time, we are strengthening our sanctions against the Kremlin and its collaborator, Lukashenko’s regime.

Moreover, and no less importantly, we welcome with open arms those Ukrainians who have to flee from Putin’s bombs, hoping Moscow stops this outrageous attack soon. Since Russian action ramped up the conflict in Ukraine, Serbia has seemingly found itself in the special focus of the EU, which is demanding full foreign policy harmonisation, i.e., the imposing of sanctions against Russia. Why would Brussels insist on that at a time when multiple EU member states are announcing that they will exempt themselves from the imposing of sanctions, at least in the area of enabling energy supplies?

As you know, the EU and its member States, together with allies like the U.S., Canada, Japan and others, are trying to convince President Putin to stop his outrageous invasion of Ukraine, which is a democratic and sovereign state. There is absolute consensus and unity among the EU states in this fight. We have mobilised, in an unprec-

edented way, a huge number of resources to help Ukraine and its people. EU citizens - especially in the bordering countries, but also far from the war, including in Spain - are showing exemplary behaviour, hosting Ukrainian women and families who escaped the horrendous war scenario.

Regarding Serbia, we fully understand its complex situation and traditional neutrality, but this is a historical moment in which one must take sides. This aggression has suddenly changed the international scope and nothing will be as it was several weeks ago. The only objective of the EU and most of the international community is now to stop the war and everything we do serves that objective, including international sanctions.

We expect Serbia will align with all measures adopted by the EU, since Serbia is a candidate country. I repeat that Spain fully believes that Serbia’s future relies on the EU, not in a sort of no man’s land, and that can be perfectly consistent with its neutral military status. The crisis in Ukraine is being monitored in Serbia with a view to the rhetoric on territorial integrity of both the East and the West. Judging by the messages relayed via media outlets following the Madrid meeting between the Serbian President and the Spanish Prime Minister, it seems that your country will not change its stance regarding the issue of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence?

No, we will not change our stance, our position regarding Kosovo is the same, and very well known by everyone. It has absolutely nothing to do with Ukraine being under attack and, honestly, it is hard for me to see any kind of parallelism. Two contrasting messages have been directed towards the Western Balkans from the EU in recent weeks. The first suggests that the crisis in Ukraine will serve to accelerate the process of integrating this region into the EU; while the second warns that the conflict in Ukraine could expand to encompass the Western Balkans. In your opinion, which of these scenarios is more realistic?

Although the Western Balkans share a European perspective, it is true and undeniable that within the European Union there are differences between some member states that are more enthusiastic about enlargement than others. Spain,

You may criticise the EU for a lot of things, but the goals it has achieved throughout its history are so huge that the Europe that we know today is completely different and much better than before.

That’s why Serbia must pursue its integration process without any doubt as you know, is one of the countries that is most firmly committed to enlargement and fully supports Serbia in its reforms in order to reach EU standards and become a member of the EU family.

Progressive alignment with European foreign policy is a more than relevant step and, undoubtedly, the more and the sooner Serbia is aligned, the better. That being said, I sincerely hope that this war brutally started by Russia, firstly, ends soon and, secondly, does not negatively affect the integration process of Serbia and other Western Balkan countries.

Having spent almost three years serving as Spain’s ambassador to both Serbia and Montenegro, you stated in one interview that the region’s key problem is the insistence on highlighting the differences between the peoples instead of what unites us. Given the most recent experience, do you believe this is only a local phenomenon, or is it also a European and global one?

Of course, it is not a local phenomenon. We have seen over these last years an increase in the number of political forces almost everywhere that are trying to insist on differences among people and expanding nationalist rhetoric that’s very dangerous to international stability. The EU was designed to avoid that, to unite the European people, with all their peculiarities, in a common project of political stability and economic prosperity. Its motto is “Unity in diversity”. You may criticise the EU for a lot of things, but the goals it has achieved throughout its history are so huge that the Europe that we know today is completely different and much better than before. That’s why Serbia must pursue its integration process without any doubt. I am totally convinced that most political forces and authorities in this country, as well as most of the Serbian people, are conscious of this.

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GLOBAL DIARY

DEMOCRACY “Here’s the problem: while some folks are frustrated and tuned out and staying home on election day, trust me other folks are showing up. Democracy continues with or without you.” – MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY

WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS BELGRADE Over the three days of thrilling action in Belgrade, from 18-20 March, 129 teams competed and athletes from 59 countries lined up in finals. Seven championship records and 17 area records were set.

A total of 31 countries won medals, 20 of those claiming gold, including the host nation as long jump star Ivana Vuleta’s victory sent the 6800-strong crowd into raptures on the final night.

This was the first World Athletics championship event with spectators since the pandemic began in 2020, and more than 20,000 spectators attended across the three days, despite a reduced stadium capacity due to Covid restrictions.

Five years after winning the European indoor title in this very arena with a jaw-dropping effort of 7.24m, Vuleta successfully defended her world indoor title with a best effort of 7.06m.

WILL SMITH AND CHRIS ROCK’S OSCARS 2022 INCIDENT Hollywood actor Chris Rock got more than he may have bargained for as a presenter at the 94th Oscar Academy Awards. While presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature.

He made a joke at the expense of Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, leading to an on-stage altercation that was not scripted and drew gasps

JAPAN’S CHERRY BLOSSOM A cherry blossom season is a time-honored event in Japan. It’s a long-standing tradition officialy starts on March 20, that brings marvel and wonder to every Japanese and tourist alike. These are one of the most beautiful flowers and appear throughout spring all over the country. Anyone taking a trip to Japan during this time would be remiss not to attend at least one hanami event.

Also known as Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom is a symbol of the end of winter and the coming warmth of spring and summer.

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from the room.

Will Smith seemed to be laughing following Rock’s comment. But he then stunned the audience at the Dolby by storming the stage and slapping Rock in the face.

“Wow,” said Rock afterward. “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”

Smith’s comments were bleeped when he returned to his seat, but it was apparent that he told Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***king mouth.”

ELECTION “It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” – JOSEPH STALIN, FORMER GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION

US AND EU UNVEIL MAJOR GAS DEAL US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced end last month a new gas deal as Europe tries to end its reliance on Russian energy.

The meeting came on the second day of a European Union leaders summit focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ahead of their talks, both sides unveiled a deal for the US to bring liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe. The EU is experiencing an energy crunch as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow take their toll.

HUNGARY’S FIRST-EVER WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENT

for women. She was elected to the mostly ceremonial role by 137 votes to 51 in the parliament dominated

by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party ahead of opposition challenger Peter Rona, an economist. “We women rear children, care for the ill, cook, do the work of two people if needs be, earn money, teach, win Nobel prizes, clean windows,” Novak said in a speech before the vote.

The Hungarian parliament elected Katalin Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the EU member’s firstever woman president. Novak, who most recently served as a minister for family policy, portrayed her election as a victory

COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE Prince Charles is standing in for his mother Queen Elizabeth at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14. The Queen (95) announced that she would not be attending the annual ceremony, which celebrates the union of the 54 nations that make up the Commonwealth. “After discussing the arrangements with the Royal Household, The Queen has asked The Prince of Wales to represent Her Majesty at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The Queen will continue with other planned engagements, including in-person audiences, in the week ahead, the statement continued.

FRENCH ELECTION Twelve candidates are challenging for the French presidency this month, as incumbent Emmanuel Macron stakes his claim for a second term. Voters go to the polls in the first round MARINE LE PEN (LEFT), ÉRIC ZEMMOUR on 10 April and, assuming AND NICOLAS DUPONT-AIGNAN no-one wins a majority, the top two candidates will take part in a run-off two weeks later. The winner will have the power to shape France and its key role in Europe for the next five years. Here we take a look at the four women and eight men challenging for the presidency and assess their chances of winning. The three far-right candidates in the French presidential election – Marine Le Pen, Éric Zemmour and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan – have made immigration their main electoral issue.

They all want to abolish State Medical Aid, birthright citizenship and family reunification.

April

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Focus

How will the Ukraine conflict impact on Serbia’s place in the international community?

Storm In The Backyard Whenever and however the current conflict in Ukraine comes to an end, there’s no doubt that the Western Balkans and Serbia will be hit hard by the outcome.

Previous elections, but also the current steps Serbia is taking in the foreign policy domain, will have political, economic and social ramifications for every citizen, but they will be decided by just one person.

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hat does the conflict in Ukraine imply when it comes to the new geopolitical division of the world map? What repercussions does it have for the position of Europe, and for the position of the region and Serbia? Will we ultimately end up closer to the East or the West, or pushed even further to the margins? Does this conflict create the possibility of changing the stances of America and Europe regarding Kosovo and the organising of Bosnia-Herzegovina, or is it a topic that’s being used by the ruling party to homogenise the electorate?

On whom does Serbia’s positioning in the international community

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depend? These are undoubtedly issues that have entered our lives, whether we’re talking about decisions made at the top of the Serbian government or everyday conversations within families, among friends and on the street. Here our interlocutors – historians, foreign policy commentators, economists and political scientists – attempt to shed light on the possible consequences of the Ukrainian conflict for the reconfiguring of the geopolitical space and, thus, on the place of Serbia and the wider region on this new world map, with an awareness that the situation on the ground could shift before this edition of CorD even finds itself in front of readers.

ALEKSANDAR R. MILETIĆ

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT THE INSTITUTE FOR RECENT HISTORY OF SERBIA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR HISTORY STUDIES AND DIALOGUE

VERBALLY IN THE WEST, MENTALLY IN THE EAST THE FOREIGN POLICY TURNAROUND OF VUČIĆ’S REGIME, LIKE THE ONE THAT OCCURRED AT THE TIME OF THE SIGNING OF THE BRUSSELS AGREEMENTS, COULD PAY OFF FOR HIM AGAIN THIS TIME, IN THE FORM OF EVEN BETTER RELATIONS THAT HE WOULD ESTABLISH WITH EU MEMBER STATES. OF COURSE, THE SUPPORT OF THE WEST WOULD ALSO MEAN CONSCIOUSLY TOLERATING THE UNDEMOCRATIC, AUTOCRATIC MANNERS OF THE GOVERNMENT IN ITS INTERNAL POLICIES.

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n a geostrategic context, Ukraine’s resistance against the Russian invasion shows the final shifting of the borders of the former Eastern Bloc further eastwards. Namely, despite rife corruption and numerous institutional vagaries of its state system, Ukraine has constituted the principles of political pluralism, freedom of choice and changes of government, which places this country in juxtaposition to the authoritarian regimes of Russia and Belarus. Regardless of the outcome of its struggle, Ukraine has – mentally and practically – already become part of Central or Eastern-Central Europe.

In this geopolitical shift, Serbia – despite its pragmatic condemnation of Russian aggression at the UN General Assembly – still essentially persists, according to its internal organisation, in following Eastern European formulas. It thus might happen that our foreign policy will soon become more favourable to the West than to Russia or China, but I don’t see any upcoming changes that would raise the Serbian system of rule of law and political freedoms and responsibilities to the level of EU standards. The foreign policy turnaround of Vučić’s regime, like the one that occurred at the IT MIGHT HAPPEN THAT OUR FOREIGN time of the signing of the Brussels agreements, could once again pay POLICY WILL SOON BECOME MORE off for him, in the form of even better relations that he would establish FAVOURABLE TO THE WEST THAN TO RUSSIA with EU member states. Of course, the support of the West would also OR CHINA, BUT I DON’T SEE ANY UPCOMING mean consciously tolerating the undemocratic, autocratic manners of the government in its internal policies.

CHANGES THAT WOULD RAISE THE SERBIAN When it comes to the influence of this conflict on changing the SYSTEM OF RULE OF LAW AND POLITICAL stances of the U.S. and Europe regarding Kosovo and the organising of FREEDOMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE Bosnia-Herzegovina, we can say that the Ukrainian crisis has homogenised the EU and the entire defence architecture of the Western world LEVEL OF EU STANDARDS organised around NATO. I think that, under such circumstances, the U.S. and the EU won’t allow the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina or Kosovo to destabilise. The changes that have occurred in Montenegro clearly emphasise the West’s attitude towards declared goals of creating the so-called Serbian world by violating the territorial integrity of neighbouring states. Likewise, the existing system of international relations will not allow changes to current institutional arrangements. Bosnia-Herzegovina cannot join NATO because that is opposed by the representatives of Republika Srpska; Kosovo cannot join NATO because some members of the alliance don’t recognise its independence. UN institutions are paralysed by Russia and China’s veto rights that they can deploy against any initiative coming from Western countries, and vice versa.

Some tactical changes can be achieved along the way by pressuring the so-called international community, but I think substantial changes in the region can only come from within, through a weakening of the media, strengthening of institutions and changing of the value paradigm. In Serbia, for example, it is not enough to pressure them to order “their” tabloids to suddenly stop publishing pro-Russian content or, during the covid crisis, to suddenly stop the anti-vaccination campaign.

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Focus

How will the Ukraine conflict impact on Serbia’s place in the international community?

ALEKSANDAR POPOV DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR REGIONALISM

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF WE’D CHOSEN ONE STABLE CHAIR IF THE WAR IN UKRAINE PERSISTS, THE POST-ELECTION PERIOD WILL MOST LIKELY SEE SERBIA HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN ONE OF THE TWO CHAIRS THAT IT’S OCCUPYING. WHATEVER CHOICE IT MAKES, THERE COULD BE MAJOR UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

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hen this article is published, it will surely contain the statement that it won’t stand the test of such a short period of time between writing and appearing before readers. Everything depends on whether the whole thing will end with the negotiations that have been held in continuity since Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine and the agreement on Ukraine’s military neutrality, with appropriate international guarantees of its security (as currently calculated) or whether Russia will find itself bogged down in an enduring war, like America did in Vietnam during the 1960s.

If the first variation works out, there will be a renewing of the doctrine of limited sovereignty that applied during the time of the Soviet Union, which should instil fear in all the independent countries that formed in the wake of its collapse. This would also, in a way, represent a defeat for Zelensky, because it would raise the question of why he didn’t reach such an agreement before the aggression, when it was first offered by Russia. But it would also be a defeat for the West, which encouraged Zelensky to oppose Russia’s hegemonic plans without clear guarantees of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and even less so to NATO. Such a result would strengthen Russia, but also its imperialist appetites, while it would cause significant damage to the Western alliance’s credibility on the global political stage.

In the second variation, Ukraine would, with Western support, IT’S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT ALL WESTERN BALKAN ultimately emerge victorious, but lasting sanctions would comCOUNTRIES WILL ACCEDE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION pletely change the picture of the world and have immeasurable ramifications not only for Russia, but also for those who imposed IN A PACKAGE, UNDER AN URGENT PROCEDURE. them, which is already evident in the form of supply shortages IT’S MORE LIKELY THAT THE POLICY OF STICKS AND and high energy prices, which cause other price hikes and lead CARROTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE APPLIED, THOUGH to shortages of basic essentials. Europe is currently more united than ever, precisely because of its resistance to Russian aggresTHIS TIME THERE MIGHT BE MORE CARROTS TO sion, but the question is whether that would remain so in the FURTHER DISTANCE THE COUNTRIES OF THE case that enduring sanctions damage their economies and cause REGION FROM RUSSIAN INFLUENCE dissatisfaction and even protests among dissatisfied citizens.

When it comes to the region, it is proposed that Russia’s further malignant influence be prevented by all Western Balkan countries acceding to the European Union in a package, under an urgent procedure. I think such a scenario is unlikely, because the EU has already been burnt once – when it welcomed some former socialist countries into its ranks, in the first decade of this century, without having them first fulfil basic criteria for membership, primarily related to corruption and the rule of law. I’m of the opinion that the policy of sticks and carrots will continue to be used here (though this time there might be more carrots, in an effort to further distance the countries of the region from Russian influence). Perhaps the possibility that the crisis could spread to encompass the Western Balkans will encourage Western countries to accelerate the negotiation process between Belgrade and Priština, but also to present a clear plan of how to finally turn Bosnia-Herzegovina into a stable and functional state at the service of all its citizens.

With regard to Serbia, if the war in Ukraine persists, during the post-election period Serbia will most likely have to finally choose between one of the two chairs that it’s occupying. Whatever choice it makes, there could be major unintended consequences. If it chooses the EU, Serbia will be resented by Putin, particularly given that he considers us as being indebted to him for many reasons. If we opt for Russia, we should forget about EU membership, but also rich European funds. We’ll see that we would have been better off if we’d chosen one stable chair in the first place, and cultivated good relations, but not special ones, with all others.

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BOŠKO JAKŠIĆ JOURNALIST

ON THE BRINK OF A NEW COLD WAR IN A COUNTRY WHERE ALMOST EVERYTHING IS DEPENDENT ON ONE MAN, THE CHOICE OF SERBIA IN THE WEST OR SERBIA IN THE EAST ALSO FALLS UNDER THE DOMAIN OF HIS DECISION-MAKING. OUR FUTURE POSITION DEPENDS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT ON POLITICAL WISDOM, AN ABILITY TO OBSERVE THE GLOBAL SITUATION WITHOUT CHEERING AND EMOTIONAL FAVOURITISM, AND DIPLOMATIC SKILLS THAT ARE BEING PUT TO THE TEST IN A WAY THAT HASN’T BEEN SEEN FOR A LONG TIME.

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rom the outset, President Vladimir Putin used Kiev as the location from which to send a message to the West: Moscow doesn’t recognise the unipolar world ruled by the United States; NATO’s eastward expansion must stop at Ukraine’s borders, after which negotiations must begin on a new security architecture for Europe.

These demands essentially contain nothing new, because the ruler of the Kremlin has been repeating them for 15 years, since the security conference in Munich. Putin supplemented his script in 2008, when he intervened militarily in Georgia, and printed a new edition in 2014, with the annexation of Crimea.

With his aggression against Ukraine, Putin has once again demonstrated his readiness to violate international law – which is in the DNA of great powers – and that he has no intention of stopping the invasion or negotiating until his key first-phase demands are met: Ukraine’s demilitarisation, the de-nazifying of the country’s regime and the permanent loss of Crimea.

Broader negotiations would then follow in the second phase, which would include a repeat of the Conference on European Security and Cooperation that culminated half a century ago with the Helsinki Act. Only then could we discuss some new geopolitical map of Europe.

IF PAX AMERICANA SURVIVES, WHICH ACTUALLY Despite everything seeming to indicate rarely seen Western unity, REPRESENTS THE PRESERVING OF THE EXISTING the U.S.’s European allies have been practically capitulated into action STATUS QUO, THAT WOULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO under the pressure and demands of the Americans who are in a position to monitor the Ukrainian conflict from a comfortable distance or A NEW COLD WAR, THAT THIS TIME WOULDN’T lead sanctions against Russia – the collateral price of which, particuSPARE THE WESTERN BALKANS, BUT RATHER larly when it comes to energy, will once again be paid by Europe.

WOULD TURN THE REGION INTO A PERIPHERAL Pax Americana actually represents the preserving of the existing BUT IMPORTANT PART OF THE FRONTAL CONFLICT status quo, which leads directly to a new Cold War that this time wouldn’t spare the Western Balkans, but rather would turn the region into a peripheral but important part of the frontal conflict.

Under such complicated circumstances, Serbia is calculating that it could preserve its proclaimed yet unacknowledged military neutrality, with the idea that it would thereby be able to maintain some kind of political balance.

If the Ukrainian conflict is resolved relatively quickly, that could be possible, but if the geopolitical tension persists, Belgrade wouldn’t have the luxury of continuing to stick to the aisles. In a country where almost everything is dependent on one man, the choice of Serbia in the West or Serbia in the East also falls under the domain of his decision-making.

What repercussions could that have on the pacifying of the two most troubled parts of the region: Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina? Actually only minor ones, because the West and Russia have conflicting views on these issues that are not diminishing, though if they mutually sharpen that could shift the Western Balkans further away from lasting peace. This doesn’t mean that the alternative is some new war, despite regional leaders not abandoning their propagating of nationalism, which – as a rule – they utilise for election purposes.

When it comes to Serbia, our future position depends to the greatest extent on political wisdom, an ability to observe the global situation without cheering and emotional favouritism, and diplomatic skills that are being put to the test in a way that hasn’t been seen for a long time.

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Focus

How will the Ukraine conflict impact on Serbia’s place in the international community?

VLADIMIR GLIGOROV

ECONOMIST AND POLITICAL SCIENTIST

AWAITING THE ASSIGNING OF DESTINY HOW POLITICAL CHANGES WILL LOOK FOLLOWING CONTRASTING OUTCOMES OF THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE WITHIN CERTAIN COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY SERBIA, WILL DEPEND PRIMARILY ON POLITICAL DECISIONS THAT WILL BE MADE. SERBIAN POLITICS IS TRADITIONALLY INDECISIVE, SO THIS TIME AROUND IT WILL AGAIN PROBABLY WAIT FOR THE DECISIONS TO BE MADE BY OTHERS, AND THE PUBLIC WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THE INJUSTICE OF THE WORLD, THE WESTERN WORLD OF COURSE.

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he idea of a new world order provides strategic motivation for Russian aggression against Ukraine. The question, of course, is whether the means lead to the end.

What is the end goal? Viewed politically, the Russian authorities are striving for a balance of power that could be called a world council, i.e., the best formal agreement between the great powers regarding the division of spheres of influence and the procedure by which they would agree about governing the world. And how to govern Europe, especially when it comes to Russia and America.

The economic aspect of this strategy is unclear. That’s because it could be the very opposite of trade and investment globalisation, and would be replaced by some kind of regionalism, or economic cooperation within economic blocs. The problem with this is that it’s uncertain whether it would IT ISN’T CERTAIN WHETHER THE NEW WORLD ORDER suit China. And alliance with China is certainly an essential condition to even THAT WILL EMERGE WILL BE THE ONE THAT THE discuss the idea of establishing a new world order.

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES ARE STRIVING FOR OR SOME The aggression against Ukraine was intended to demonstrate that Russian interests must be respected, because it will be seen that the world OTHER. IF THE SECOND OPTION OCCURS, A NEW cannot ignore its military power and importance to the world economy, WORLD ORDER WITH REDUCED RUSSIAN INFLUENCE primarily as a supplier of energy and raw materials, and to some extent WILL EMERGE. WHEN IT COMES TO THE BALKAN also food. The success reflected in the accepting of the establishing of a new world order that would recognise Russia’s global role, and above all its COUNTRIES, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN European role, would require (i) the political will of the Russian people, (ii) UNION WILL INCREASE, AS WILL THE DAMAGE TO a swift military victory in Ukraine, and (iii) economic disruption, primarily in THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE REMAINED OUTSIDE Europe, as a result of rising prices of Russian imports. As things currently IT, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER stand, none of these three conditions have been met by the military aggression launched against Ukraine. The occupation of Ukraine is persisting, there is a fear that political support could be lost among the Russian people and the elite, while the economic consequences of very strict, comprehensive and unanimous sanctions are proving tougher for the Russian economy than for Europe’s, not to mention the American economy.

It isn’t certain whether the new world order that will emerge will be the one that the Russian authorities are striving for or some other.

If a convincing victory doesn’t come in the war in Ukraine, and the political outcome is detrimental to Russian military goals, coupled with the economic problems that Russia will face, the order that will be established following Russia’s relative failure in demonstrating its might will be detrimental to Russia’s influence in Europe and around the world. This will be partly due, and probably most importantly, to increased unity in the European Union and NATO. China’s influence will increase, particularly if it remains committed to preserving the global economic system, because it has a great interest in exporting and investing in foreign countries. Thus a new world order will be created with diminished Russian influence, which must have consequences for the Russian economy and political scene.

It isn’t difficult to see what the consequences will be for the Balkan countries. The importance of the European Union will increase, as will the damage to those countries that have remained outside it, for one reason or another. How political changes will look like in certain countries, especially in Serbia, will depend primarily on the political decisions that will be made. Serbian politics is traditionally indecisive, so this time it will probably wait for others to make decisions, and the public will complain about the injustice of the world, the West of course.

How political changes will look within certain countries, especially Serbia, will depend primarily on political decisions that will be made.

Serbian politics is traditionally indecisive, so this time around it will again probably wait for the decisions to be made by others, and the public will complain about the injustice of the world, the Western world of course.

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CORD MAGAZINE’S EVENT EMPOWERED WOMEN HELD

Strength Lies In Equality

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he legal framework for gender equality is largely in place, but social taboos and habits are very strong and difficult to break.

Empowered Women event organized by CorD magazine and aim was dedicated to strengthening the fight for gender equality and empowering women, especially the vulnerable. Participants heard that there have been important and good changes, but that society still has a lot of work to do.

Neda Lukić, editor-in-chief of CorD magazine, emphasized in her welcome address that all topics of women’s empowerment must be the focus of both state and society as a whole, especially in local communities.

Professor Dr Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and president of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality, said that there has been progress in the empowerment

of women, but that it is not enough. Differences are most often seen in salaries, by the time they reach retirement, the income gap will increase to 50 percent.

The meeting at the City Hall was also attended by H.E. Annika Ben David, Ambassador of Sweden. She pointed out that it is very important that the example of gender equality should be firmly established in the family. In addition to a good legal framework, Sweden has a number of educational examples that are useful for girls and for boys to help develop an awareness of the need for gender equality.

Professor Dr Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and president of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality, said that there has been progress in the empowerment of women, but that it is not enough. Differences are most often seen in salaries, by the time they reach retirement, the

income gap will increase to 50 percent.

The meeting at the City Hall was also attended by H.E. Annika Ben David, Ambassador of Sweden. She pointed out that it is very important that the example of gender equality should be firmly established in the family. In addition to a good legal framework, Sweden has a number of educational examples that are useful for girls and for boys to help develop an awareness of the need for gender equality.

Speaking about the situation in industry and the presence of women in company management structures, Vera Nikolić Dimić, executive director of AmCham, emphasized that women in responsible positions in companies felt the consequences of the global Covid pandemic more than their male colleagues. Working from home, women have taken on more responsibilities for children and household chores.

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Feature

We’re Weakened As We Enter A Year Of Uncertainty DANKO BRČEREVIĆ

CHIEF ECONOMIST OF THE FISCAL COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Despite being exhausted significantly by the health crisis, fiscal policy will have to play an important role, and perhaps a key role, in mitigating the impact of new economic disruptions. If the payment of aid to Serbia’s imperilled economy and population during covid-19 had been done using similar criteria to those deployed in other CEE countries, Serbia’s anti-crisis package would have cost as much as two billion euros less than it did. This large funding, which was so easily spent, would now be a very welcome addition to the budget for the uncertain year that is 2022

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he war in Ukraine, alongside the pre-existing energy crisis and high inflation, will significantly worsen macroeconomic trends across the whole of Europe, Serbia included. Although Ukraine and Russia together account for only around two per cent of the world’s GDP, they have disproportionately larger global significance for the markets of energy, cereals and industrially important rare metals (palladium, nickel). That’s why the economic consequences of this conflict will be felt globally. The OECD’s preliminary forecasts indicate that the war in Ukraine could result in the growth of the world economy slowing by about one per cent, the European economy by about 1.5% (with the expectation of deep recessions for Ukraine and Russia). Of course,

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all forecasts remain extremely uncertain and will depend on the further development of the situation in Ukraine, which is currently impossible to predict with certainty. If the war (and sanctions) continues, there will be more lasting economic disruptions, leading to these initial OECD forecasts proving to be overly optimistic.

Serbia, ultimately like other European countries, is facing new instability with macroeconomic indicators that are somewhat weakened compared to the beginning of the health crisis back in 2020. Public finances have been largely exhausted over the past two years – because budget funds were utilised to finance increased healthcare costs and lavish measures to support businesses and the population. As a result of this extraordi-

nary expenditure, public debt increased by as much as six billion euros between year’s end 2019 and year’s end 2021 (from 24.4 to 30.5 billion euros). Inflation has also accelerated strongly since mid-2021, in relative terms, reaching 8.8% annually in February 2022.

Despite being exhausted significantly by the health crisis, fiscal policy will have to play an important role, and perhaps a key role, in mitigating the impact of new economic disruptions – especially given that monetary policy is currently hampered by high inflation.

We’ve already seen the adopting of some ad-hoc fiscal measures, such as reducing excise duties on petroleum products, while it has been decided that funds from the budget will cover Srbijagas losses incurred due to the difference between the high price

at which the company procures gas and the lower price at which it sells that same gas. The budget cost of these measures is in the order of 500 million euros, and by all accounts this is just the beginning. There will likely be a need to help the parts of the economy that are hardest hit by the rising cost of energy and specific raw materials, to help companies that will sustain great losses due to the expected halting of exports to Russia and Ukraine, while it will also be important to additionally protect socially vulnerable segments of the population, because they are the worst affected by the high growth in food prices.

In order to ensure new fiscal policy interventions are cost-effective, there must be an insistence that those interventions are well targeted this time around. There must be no repeating of budget funds being permitted to be wasted on citizens and companies that don’t sustain damage – as was the case during the health crisis – because, among other things, Serbia no longer has as much space to borrow. Another critical weakness of Serbia’s economic policy that must be eliminated is the very poor management of public companies operating in the energy sector, i.e., Srbijagas and EPS. The Fiscal Council has spent recent months conducting extensive research on the budget measures that were implemented during the health crisis by Serbia and other European countries. This analysis showed that, in 2020 and 2021, Serbia held the record across the entire CEE region when it comes to the amount of funds paid to cover anticrisis measures: we provided as much as 55% more funding compared to the CEE average.

Serbia allocated more funds than others for all three key components of the package: 1) for extraordinary health expenditures; 2) for supporting the economy; 3) for supporting the population.

It was unavoidable for Serbia to have higher extraordinary health expenditure compared to other CEE countries. Decades of insufficient investment led to Serbia awaiting the pandemic with health facilities lacking adequate capacities, a lack of necessary equipment, relatively low salaries and a shortage of health workers. This resulted

in the emergence of extraordinary costs to construct and equip covid hospitals during the crisis (which other CEE countries didn’t do), as well as the extraordinary costs of additional hiring and increasing the earnings of existing health workers (which was also done by other countries, but to a smaller extent than Serbia). However, regardless of the causes of the stronger increase in health-

If the crisis in Ukraine becomes protracted, there will likely be a need to help the parts of the economy that are hardest hit by the rising cost of energy and specific raw materials, to help companies that will sustain great losses due to the expected halting of exports to Russia and Ukraine, while it will also be important to additionally protect socially vulnerable segments of the population, because they are the worst affected by the high growth in food prices. care expenditure in relation to comparable countries (which should certainly be analysed carefully by the competent institutions) - that was a priority cost during the pandemic, and these extraordinary funds were justifiably appropriated and spent by the state.

When it comes to extraordinary budget allocations to the economic sector during the health crisis (subsidising minimum earnings, postponing the payment of taxes etc.), strong indications exist suggesting that this was done irrationally. Among CEE countries, an average of approximately 75% of state aid was directed exclusively to companies affected by the crisis (which saw their turnover fall in the range of 20-50%, or from particularly hard-hit sectors, such as tourism). In contrast to that, only six per cent of funds distributed

in in Serbia targeted particularly hard-hit sectors (tourism, hospitality, bus transport etc.), while 94% of funds were distributed indiscriminately, without consideration for the vulnerability of a company. As such, funds from the budget were also unjustifiably given to companies that weren’t affected in the least by the crisis (pharmacies, food delivery companies, IT sector players etc.).

Also indicating the irrationality of the way state aid was distributed to companies during the health crisis is the almost absurd fact that the 2020 tax on profit was collected in record amounts, despite economic activity having fell by 0.9% in 2020. This leap can only be explained by the fact that state aid was also given to companies that didn’t have objective problems in doing business during the crisis.

The most economically irrational measures were nonetheless the indiscriminate payments to the population. From the initial allocating of 100 euros to all adult citizens, similar measures were repeated on multiple occasions – with a massive total of 1.9 billion euros set aside for these purposes. Other CEE countries primarily directed funds towards vulnerable sections of society (recipients of social assistance, low-income pensioners, to cover the costs of caring for a sick family member etc.). Given that Serbia’s measures also encompassed residents who aren’t socially endangered – such as employees who are paid regularly, retirees with aboveaverage pensions etc. – it spent four to five times more compared to similar countries.

These obvious and huge differences represent just one in a series of arguments suggesting that it was economically unjustified to indebt all Serbian citizens (with interest) in order to distribute those funds to people who aren’t socially endangered according to any criteria. The Fiscal Council has repeatedly demonstrated that the impact of such indiscriminate measures on reducing inequality and poverty is very small and temporary; and that these measures are also economically inefficient, i.e., they have an almost negligible impact on accelerating GDP and increasing tax revenues.

If Serbia had applied criteria similar to other CEE countries for the payment of

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Feature assistance to endangered segments of the economy and population, the country’s anticrisis package would have cost as much as two billion euros less. Given that all these measures were financed from government borrowing, the growth of public debt would have slowed by the same amount. This large funding, which was so easily spent, would now be a very welcome addition to the budget for the uncertain year that is 2022.

Another great weakness of Serbia’s public finances that must be resolved is the poor management of public enterprises, particularly Srbijagas and EPS. Srbijagas’s losses and debts, incurred from 2008 to 2014, have already cost taxpayers in excess of a billion euros. This company again incurred new losses at the end of 2021, and again received 300 million euros from the budget in December to cover them, and a similar cost can be expected during 2022. Srbijagas’s high expenditure in 2021 and 2022 could have largely been avoided if the company had been managed better. Specifically, it is a well-known fact that Serbia uses twice as much gas during winter as it does during summer, because gas is also used by heating plants during the heating season. That’s why Srbijagas should store gas in Banatski Dvor during the summer, then extract it during the winter. However, the Banatski Dvor storage facility doesn’t have a sufficient capacity to secure all the necessary quantities of gas during the winter (though its expansion has been planned since 2011), nor did it await this heating season fully supplied. As a result of these shortcomings, additional gas was bought at extremely high prices at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, and the budget had to bear that cost.

EPS’s long-term problems and poor management had to eventually lead to breakdowns at its production facilities. It is bad luck that this just happened to occur at the end of 2021, when the stock market price of electricity (which must now be bought from imports) stood at a record high level.

Until the end of 2021, the regular winter price of electricity stood at around €50/ MWh, while this winter’s energy crisis saw that price exceed €200/MWh. Our estimate is that, between November 2021 and March

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Serbia’s economy, despite its numerous weaknesses, certainly has indisputable qualities and the potential for rapid development…

However, this doesn’t mean that the problems we’ve highlighted should be swept under the carpet 2022, EPS spent a massive 500 to 600 million to purchase electricity (that it should have produced itself). This cost has not yet burdened the budget, because EPS took out a liquidity loan of 300 million euros to finance it at the end of 2021. However, it is questionable whether this company will be able to continue to function without state aid. It is almost impossible to even compile

a list of all the problems that must be solved if EPS is to operate successfully, increase production and reduce the environmental pollution it generates, but also to successfully traverse the energy transition process that awaits it over the next decade. One positive signal for the future of EPS is that the Government’s latest reactions suggest that an alarm was set off following the last breakdowns, which will lead to a change in attitude towards what is perhaps the most important domestic company.

In conclusion, it should be noted that Serbia’s economy, despite its numerous weaknesses, certainly has indisputable qualities and the potential for rapid development.

Even during the time of the global crisis and uncertainty, the domestic economy showed its vitality (GDP growth total 7.4% in 2021), FDI inflows remained high (almost 7% of GDP in 2021), the labour market hasn’t suffered major disruptions, and the financial system remained stable. However, this doesn’t mean that the problems we’ve highlighted should be swept under the carpet.

Leaders’

MEETING POINT

VLADIMIR VASIĆ, Secretary General of the Association of Serbian Banks

ZORICA RADOVANOVIĆ, CSR Coordinator at Moravacem

SRĐAN RADIĆ, CEO, TeleGroup

JELENA VUKOVIĆ, Human Resources Director at Bambi

PEĐA PETRONIJEVIĆ, CDO of GTC

Bank Consolidation Strengthens the Market

Partnership For The Future

Smart Tech: Key to New Normal

Women Leaders – An Inspiration For New Generations

Time For Changes

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VLADIMIR VASIĆ, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SERBIAN BANKS

Bank Consolidation Strengthens the Market Although conditions for doing business have changed completely over the past 100 years, a strong need remains for the continued existence of the Association of Serbian Banks, which is among the rare institutions that can boast of such longevity, but also of its huge contribution to the banking sector the situation in Eastern Europe will move in the direction of pacification or whether it will escalate further.

However, what’s important for us is to be aware of the extent to which we, ourselves, are ready for the challenges.

My assessments are positive, but I really wouldn’t like to get into arbitrary speculations regarding the general economic situation.

I

can confirm that the banking sector in Serbia is very stable; that it is adequately capitalised and that it actually showed during the pandemic how well it was able to endure the serious stress that the whole world experienced, but predicting what 2022 will be like is thankless at this juncture - notes Vladimir Vasić, Secretary General of the Association of Serbian Banks, speaking in this interview for CorD Magazine.

You’ve navigated the pandemic successfully, but that doesn’t mean the time of risks and challenges is in the past. How, in that sense, did you see the beginning of this year? Will this year be a good one

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for banks and bankers, for your clients, and also for the Serbian economy?

The times are actually confirming that challenges are coming one after another, which is why it’s important for us not to celebrate the abating of one crisis, but rather to get ready for the next one, which will emerge sooner or later. At this juncture, that challenge is global and related to the conflict in Ukraine, which will impact on literally every point on the planet, and which has proportions that are still difficult to assess. That’s why it’s really a thankless task, and I would say an irresponsible one, to more precisely predict what kind of a year 2022 will be in business terms. That depends to the greatest extent on whether

Despite the fact that consolidation was launched successfully, we still have a higher than optimal number of banks.

How do you think the dynamics of banking sector consolidation will unfold? Why is this process important?

The consolidation of banks is important because it creates more stable banking groups on the market, with increased credit potential, providing a higher level of service for all customers. And that’s what’s most important to the citizens of Serbia, and its economy. The nominal number of banks is really of lesser importance compared to the quality they offer and the overall stability of the banking system, and both are at a very high level in Serbia currently.

The direction that further consolidation will take actually depends the most on the decisions of management, or the owners of banks, and in that sense it’s possible that the major business steps that they take in the period ahead will be influenced more by the global geostrategic situation than by any assessment of the state of the Serbian market.

No significant Euribor growth is expected over the next year or two. Will that encourage citizens to take out loans? How does this impact on the decision of the National Bank of Serbia to prevent excessive borrowing and maintain banking sector stability?

Lending activity in Serbia is showing constant growth, and has done so for a lengthy period. There’s no reason for us to doubt that such a process will continue, given that interest rates still stand at levels that are around the historical minimum and that, in our country for example, we have high growth in the construction of housing, i.e., the supply of real estate on the market. All this growth, of course, doesn’t threaten stability, nor does it come close to some high-risk indebtedness, which stands at around EUR 1,600 per capita and, as such, remains below the level of countries with which we are comparable in terms of economic potential.

There is ever more, and ever louder, discussion of sustainable banking. To what does this term even refer? What are the base conditions for sustainability?

Sustainability in banking is a really broad concept. Through their lending activity, banks have a social and environmental impact, while – on the other side – the banking sector itself is exposed to climate risks through its placements. These risks impact client’s credit potential, but also the quality of banks’ assets.

You stated recently that the future of banks is in the green agenda. Does this mean you’ll provide greater support in the future to projects related to environmental protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources?

Support for environmental protection, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects are some examples of credit lines that banks are directing towards the private and public sectors. This will certainly be even more evident in the period ahead, and that’s because - among other things – Serbia’s national policy is to raise the nation’s environmental awareness and directly resolve some of the issues that citizens have through financial incen-

There is an ever-increasing number of banks continuously committing themselves to respecting the UN’s Principles for Responsible Banking, and the signatories to these Principles also include the largest banks in Serbia, mostly those that are members of international banking groups.

How will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war, the duration of which no one can guess, impact on the work of banks – not only in Serbia, but elsewhere too? Are we threatened by a dramatic rise in inflation and a new economic crisis?

There’s no doubt that the conflict in Ukraine will have a certain impact on the entire world economy. We’re already seeing that through energy prices and supplies, but we’ll certainly also see it reflected in the food market, in which both Ukraine and Russia are very important players, and also in exports to these two extremely large markets. However, there’s no room for catastrophic scenarios even in a certain crisis like this one. We don’t have any indicators of inflation that show extreme values. As I said previously, it’s necessary for us all to assess our capacities well, to adapt to this situation, and certainly to make decisions rationally and calmly.

The nominal number of banks is really of lesser importance compared to the quality they offer and the overall stability of the banking system, and both are at a very high level currently

tives for environmentally responsible construction. Environmentally friendly and sustainable operations have already been implemented in many segments of banking, and that applies to both the National Bank of Serbia and commercial banks that operate on the market. Support for environmentally sustainable development is also provided by the project of issuing “green” bonds, with the aim of implementing and financing specific projects in the area of environmental protection.

You celebrated the centenary of the Association of Serbian Banks just a few months ago. What do you think makes it such a valuable and glorious association?

What makes us proud, apart from everything the Association has done during this century, is the fact that even today – when conditions for doing business have changed completely compared to the time when the Association was founded – we continue to see the need for a banking association of this form to exist. I will remind you that membership in our Association is voluntary, and that our members really encompass all banks that operate in Serbia. Nothing testifies better than that to the claim that there is a purpose to our existence and that there would have been none of the evident improvement of the banking system without the contribution of the Association of Serbian Banks.

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“Serbia’s steel industry has been limited by EU quotas on steel imports for several years, although there is a Free Trade Agreement with the EU” – BOJAN STANIĆ, SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

LOCAL NEWS

GIAUFRET: CIRCULAR ECONOMY CREATES SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND JOBS Combating climate change, promoting climate-neutral growth, and involving all citizens in the process are some of the conclusions from the conference ‘Circular Economy, Employment and Digitization in the Light of the Conference on the Future of Europe’, organized by the Serbian Ministry of European Integration and Chamber of Commerce. “This conference comes about a month after we launched an investment package worth 3.2 billion euros to support 21 projects in the field of transport, digital data, climate, and energy in the Western Balkans. This is the first large package under the Economic and Investment Plan, which will mobilize up to 30 billion euros of investment as a combination of grants, preferential loans, and guarantees”, said Ambassador Giaufret in his introductory speech.

RAISED QUOTAS FOR SERBIAN STEEL EXPORTS TO EU The European Commission has adopted a decree redistributing quotas for steel imports into the EU that had until now been intended for Russia and Belarus. Quotas for the export of certain types of steel have thus been increased for Serbia, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce announced. Assistant Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services, and Internationalization of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Bojan Stanić pointed out that he believes that our companies in the steel industry, which are also large exporters, will know how to use this change in European regulations.

NEW REPORT UNVEILS BEST AND WORST LABOUR PRACTICES IN SERBIA’S PLATFORM ECONOMY Fairwork launches today the first set of fairness ratings for the Serbian platform economy. In the first report of its kind, researchers from the Public Policy Research Center (CENTAR), Berlin Social Science Centre, and the Oxford Internet Institute evaluate the working conditions of the four most prominent platforms in the country (Glovo, Wolt, CarGo and Uradi-zaradi) and assess them against Five Principles of Fair Work: Fair Pay, Fair Conditions, Fair Contracts, Fair Management, and Fair Representation. The scores achieved by these platforms range from 4 to 0 (out of 10). The platforms’ low scoring reveals that there is still much to be done to ensure fairness in the Serbian platform economy.

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Placements postings

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appointments@aim.rs

H.E. CHRISTOPHER R. HILL, NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA

Christopher R. Hill was a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service until he retired in 2010 after a 33-year career. His most recent position was as the 2021 George Ball Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. During his Foreign Service career, Hill served as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Korea, Poland and Macedonia, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Head of the U.S. delegation to the 6 Party Talks on North Korea. He previously served as special envoy for the Kosovo crisis and prior to that was a member of the U.S. negotiating team whose efforts led to the Dayton Peace Agreement, ending the Bosnian war.

Following his formal retirement, Hill was Dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and then Chief Advisor to the Chancellor for Global Engagement and Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy at the University of Denver. He earned a B.A. at Bowdoin College and an M.S. at the Naval War College. The recipient of numerous honours, including the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations and the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Award, Hill speaks Serbian, Polish, Macedonian and French.

H.E. JAEWOONG LEE, NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Ambassador Lee holds a BA in International Relations from Seoul National University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago. He joined the Korean Foreign Ministry in 1993 and has held foreign postings that include serving at the Korean embassies in the Netherlands (2004-2006) and Ghana (2011), at the Korean Permanent Mission to the UN in New York (2009-2010) and as Deputy Consul-General at the Korean Consulate General in Chicago (2014-2017). A career diplomat, he’s also held various foreign ministry posts, including Desk Officer for Negotiations on North Korean Denuclearization (2007), Advisor to the 1st Vice Minister (2008), Director of the Climate Change and Global Green Growth Division (2012-2013), Deputy Representative for Korea-U.S. Defence Burden-sharing (2017-2019) and Deputy Spokesperson (2019-2021). Ambassador Lee, a married father of two sons, earned his Order of Service Merit (Green Stripes) in 2013.

H.E. BASSEL SALAH, NEW AMBASSADOR OF EGYPT TO SERBIA

Ambassador Bassel Salah, current ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Republic of Serbia, has previously held several key diplomatic posts. He served at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UN in Geneva and the Embassy of Egypt in Washington DC, as well as holding the post of deputy ambassador of Egypt to Tunisia. He has also served as director of the Cabinet of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Egypt, a member of the Office of the Political Advisor to the President of Egypt and a member of the Cabinet of the Foreign Minister of Egypt. He holds a master’s degree (MSc) in Comparative Politics from London School of Economics, a master’s degree (MA) in International Relations from the American University in Cairo and a bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Mechanical Engineering from the American University in Cairo. Ambassador Salah is a married father of one child.

H.E. FATAH MAHRAZ, NEW ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR

Born 30th August, 1958, in Algiers, Fatah Mahraz studied at Algeria’s National School of Administration (Diplomatic section) from 1978 to ’82, before spending five years as a desk officer at the Algerian MFA. His first foreign posting (1987-’91) saw him serve as First Secretary at the Embassy of Algeria in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana. He then served as International Observer of the OAU mission in South Africa from 1992-’94, before becoming Deputy Director for Southern, Eastern Africa and Sahel countries based at the Algerian MFA. His first ambassadorship came in 2001, when he was appointed Ambassador to Angola and Sao Tome and Principe, while his second came in 2009, when he took up residence in Stockholm and served as Ambassador to Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Prior to his arrival in Belgrade, Mahraz spent four years (2017-’21) as Ambassador-Counsellor of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A Married father of three children, apart from his native Arabic, Ambassador Mahraz is fluent in French and English and can also speak Portuguese.

H.E. JOSÉ MAURO DA FONSECA COSTA COUTO, NEW AMBASSADOR OF BRAZIL TO SERBIA

Born 27th May 1959 in Asunción, Paraguay, José Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto studied at the University of Brasilia’s Faculty of Law (1977-’78), before continuing his law studies at Cândido Mendes University (1978-’79). He later acquired a Masters Degree in International Relations from Boston University (1987-’89). After serving in the Consular Division, Near East Division and Africa Department of the Ministry in Brazilia from 1980 to ’83, reaching the diplomatic level of second secretary, he served abroad with temporary missions at the Embassy of Brazil in Rabat (Third Sec., 1983) and the Embassy of Brazil in Accra (Second Sec., 1984), then spent four years (1985-’89) as Second Secretary at the Embassy of Brazil in Bonn, before becoming First Secretary at the embassies in Montevideo (1989-’92) and Paramaribo (1992-’94), Counsellor and Deputy Consul General in Miami (1997-’01) and Counsellor in Tokyo (2001-’03).

He was decorated with the title of Grand Official of the Order of Rio Branco, Brazil, in 2010 and received his first ambassadorship in Khartoum (2014-’18).

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ZORICA RADOVANOVIĆ, CSR COORDINATOR AT MORAVACEM

Partnership For The Future Moravacem, a member company of the CRH Group, is located in Central Serbia, in the village of Popovac near Paraćin, 160 km south of Belgrade. With its three cement production factories in the vicinity of Belgrade, in Krnjača, Dobanovci and Zemun, Moravacem also has a strong presence on the finished concrete market

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citizens and local government, followed by activities of educational nature, volunteer activities and more.

his month we discussed Moravacem’s CSR projects and initiatives with Zorica Radovanović, its company coordinator for corporate social responsibility.

Could you tell us a little more about the current “Partnership for the Future” contest?

How can organisations or institutions apply and what’s the deadline for applications?

This year, for the 13th consecutive time, Moravacem is organising its “Partnership for the Future” contest and calling on all non-profit organisations, institutions and civil society associations to submit their conceptual projects for participation in the competition. The contest is open until 29th April, so I would like to take this opportunity to invite all those who are interested and have a good conceptual project idea to apply. All registered civil society associations, organisations and institutions headquartered in the municipality of Paraćin have the right to apply for inclusion in the contest, either independently or in partnership with one or more organisations. The results of the contest will be published on the website of our company on 1st June 2022. The total award fund for is 30,000 euros, and 10 projects will each receive an award of up to 3,000 euros each. The decision on which projects will be supported has been entrusted to an expert jury comprising representatives of Moravacem.

Which topics are being supported by this year’s “Partnership for the Future” contest?

When it comes to the selection of projects to be awarded, consideration will be given to the relevance of the project to the needs of the local community and the potential for sustainability, but also alignment with the topics that Moravacem supports through

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What can you tell us about other CSR activities that you have planned for the period ahead?

Alongside the “Partnership for the Future” contest, which is already among our traditional long-term CSR projects, this year we will realise significant cooperation with the National Association of Parents of Children with Cancer (NURDOR), while we also plan to organise preventative checks and mammography screening for women with the aim of the early detecting of breast cancer.

its Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy, which include: local economy for sustainable development (this includes initiatives aimed at developing employability, creating a stimulating environment for launching new businesses and supporting local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises), communities for sustainable development (initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life of citizens in local communities in various aspects, including culture, education, health and support for socially vulnerable groups) and the natural environment for sustainable development (initiatives in the community that contribute to improving the quality of the environment).

Priority will be given to projects that contain innovation in terms of ideas and approaches, partnerships and coalitions among organisations and institutions, schools,

Your company also takes an active role in spreading awareness of the topics of inclusion and diversity. What are your plans on this front for this year?

We are this year continuing initiatives that aim to promote culture and raise awareness, both among employees and on a broader level, of the importance of the including of diversity and social inclusion in all business processes and culture. We organised two very successful panel discussions last year, at which we hosted eminent experts who spoke about these important topics. We are this year continuing to address the issues of inclusion and diversity by expanding the audience that we address, so we plan to organise a major national conference and, at the local level, we will also establish cooperation with local high schools. With the successful examples of our colleagues, our wish is to encourage young girls, high school graduates, and to show them that there are companies that nurture diversity and inclusion, as well as providing equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, to advance and forge successful careers in heavy industries.

SRĐAN RADIĆ, CEO, TELEGROUP

Smart Tech: Key To New Normal TeleGroup is a Balkan based technology company that has invested 21 years in earning the trust of businesses, state institutions and public companies, and which – despite attractive offers – hasn’t changed its ownership structure to this day

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ever-more reliable and secure capacities. TeleGroup ensures that all critical systems, of both the telco and public sector, transport and energy industries, function flawlessly and remain protected in these times that are challenging for all. We expect that in future there will be increasingly more activities directed towards modernizing our cities and rural areas. We have projects underway, solutions of our own development. Digital products that enable digitalization making work and life more sustainable, healthier and easier.

he key operational areas-expertise of TeleGroup technological solutions are Intelligent Traffic Systems, Food security, The new Generations of Telecommunications networks, Advanced Technical Security, Cyber Security, Energy Security and Smart Health Solutions.

Your company is celebrating its 21st birthday with fresh energy that is being brought by you personally, among others, as the new CEO. You surely have major plans...

All companies wanting to achieve market success must, first and foremost, find the inner strength to be constantly ready for change. This is no mean feat, given that it requires lots of resources, primarily personnel. Becoming accustomed to living and working in a world of constant change is a prerequisite of success. As such, innovative companies have a need for personnel who are capable of putting forward changes and ideas. Our company’s 21-year tradition of operations is now continuing under new management, in which the second generation of owners is actively involved. The responsibility upon me, as director of TeleGroup in Serbia, as well as the responsibility of other members of the new management team is to preserve the strong foundations and build furtherly by introducing the advanced technologies that will raise the level of digitalization and automation in all segments of operations.

In which ways your business applications and solutions help companies achieve their full business potential?

Our strength is our excellent command of the fundamental telecommunications infrastructure.

TeleGroup is focused on Germany, with our direct partnership with German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom having brought us a pillar of support and great development The knowhow we use to create services to utilize that very infrastructure in the best possible way.

As society and the world of technology advance, the need increases for

Is this the right time to conquer new markets, expand cooperation and acquire new partners?

TeleGroup’s focus is Germany. Direct partnership with German telecommunications giant- Deutsche Telekom brought us a pillar of support and great development. We have been entrusted Fiber optic rollout in the North. The volume of works grows constantly. We employ young and capable people who speak German language and are willing to learn.

We currently have more than hundred people on the grounds. We specialize in “Turnkey” services. The ability qualified us to be the first company from the Balkans to work directly with Deutsche Telekom. Having in mind that it is the largest Telco operator in Europe, owning regional telecommunications players in the Balkans as well, it is clear there is plenty for us to do with such a strong partner. ‘Open Balkans’ initiative is symmetrical with our work. TeleGroup is regionally orientated since its inception.

It is our strong belief that market consolidation brings greater opportunities and ensures the better flow of goods and services to everyone.

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“We have started natural gas production from a new well on the Ika gas field in the Adriatic Sea” – SÁNDOR FASIMON, PRESIDENT OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD OF CROATIAN OIL AND GAS COMPANY INA

REGIONAL NEWS

THE REGION CAN COUNT ON WHEAT FROM SERBIA The agreed quantities of wheat and corn, before the export ban, will be realized as soon as possible, and the countries of the Open Balkans Initiative and other neighboring countries can count on Serbia as a reliable partner in times of great challenges in the food sector. This was announced at a meeting attended by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Branislav Nedimović, and Albanian Minister of Agriculture Frida Krifca, based on an agreement between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

EU: COMPLETE ENLARGEMENT FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS This is a sobering moment for Europe and a time when EU enlargement in the Western Balkans should be completed, said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell after meeting with North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski. Borell said that EU accession negotiations with Skopje and Tirana should formally begin as soon as possible. “I know you have certain expectations and rightly so. I hope this may be decided at the next intergovernmental conference”, said Borell, pointing out that North Macedonia and the entire region are a strategic priority for the EU.

PROTOCOL ON COOPERATION BETWEEN BELGRADE AND BUDVA SIGNED The Tourist Organization of Belgrade (TOB) and the Tourist Organization of Budva signed a Protocol on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism, which formalized long-term friendly and professional cooperation between the two most important tourist organizations in Serbia and Montenegro, the TOB said.

It is specified that, based on the Protocol, the two tourist organizations will intensify cooperation in the field of tourism, catering, culture, and sports, work on improving tourist exchange, and develop the overall tourist offer of the signatory cities.

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“Bulgaria may end its dependence on Russian gas by 2027” – BORISLAV SANDOV, ENVIRONMENT AND WATER MINISTER OF BULGARIA

BULGARIA AND SERBIA CREATING JOINT TOURIST OFFER Creating a new joint tourist offer, based on cultural and historical heritage, would significantly accelerate and improve the tourism sector of Serbia and Bulgaria, concluded the Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications in the Government of the Republic of Serbia Tatjana Matic and the Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria Hristo Prodanov. ministries at the 43rd International Tourism Fair.

The topic of the meeting was determining the regions and areas in which cooperation within the historical and cultural heritage can be established, based on the signed Memorandum of Understanding from 2019, and joint participation in crossborder programs and projects.

SLOVENIA LAUNCHES NEW INCENTIVES FOR ELECTRICITY SELF-SUFFICIENCY The government of Slovenia has issued a regulation on electricity self-supply from renewables that will abolish the net metering concept for solar systems that will be put in place from 2024 in line with an EU directive. The regulation also guarantees new ways to get incentives for electricity self-sufficiency, a move that comes after several NGOs urged this. The regulation, adopted at the government session, also introduces a new regime for self-supply generators with a connection capacity of less than 50 kilowatts. The connection procedure has been streamlined for the owners of such installations, the Government Communications Office said.

ORANGE ROMANIA ENVISAGES INVESTMENTS OF EUR 200 MLN PER YEAR Orange Group announces that it will invest over EUR 200 mln per year in Romania after taking over Telekom Romania’s fix-line business, Ziarul Financiar reported. French telecom group Orange has a long-term plan for the Romanian market and includes accelerating investments in the local market in order to maintain its leading position in mobile telephony and to gain ground in the area of fixed services, representatives of the top management of the group but also of the local subsidiary said during a press conference organized in Bucharest, six months after the completion of the acquisition process of Telekom Fix. The transaction amounted to almost EUR 300 mln.

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JELENA VUKOVIĆ, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR AT BAMBI

Women Leaders – An Inspiration For New Generations An ever-increasing number of women are taking on prominent positions in society. Their efforts are permanently changing the world for the better, and many of them are an inspiration for new generations of girls to be even bolder in fighting to realise their dreams

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he HR director of the Bambi company, Jelena Vuković, emphasises that a society of equal opportunities is not merely an ideal towards which we’re striving, but rather a business and life philosophy that we must all work honestly towards achieving together.

Your company’s best-known brand, Plazma, is using the campaign “Equality comes from the home”, to direct public attention towards gender inequality on the economic, political and social fronts. How can gender stereotypes be overcome?

Knowledge is an engine of progress and change. That’s why it’s the strongest asset in the fight to overcome all stereotypes. Lifelong education on gender equality, with a special focus on younger generations, creates space to develop a better understanding of this problem and, ultimately, to overcome it. Of course, it isn’t enough for us to only discuss gender equality once a year, while commemorating a holiday dedicated to women.

The position of women in society, along with their economic and social empowerment, must be a ubiquitous theme, both in public and within families, which represents the foundations of a healthy society, the stability and values of which – such as respect, appreciation and equality – should serve as a model for the generations of girls and boys who will shape the future of this world.

Only continuous public discourse, alongside the educating of young people about the importance of equality, can contribute to us living in a more just and equal reality, free of any kind of discrimination.

How does Bambi impact on the empowerment of the women in its ranks?

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We can boast of having a truly impressive number of wonderful women in our ranks, whose energy, knowledge and selfconfidence make us very proud. It’s important to us that all our female colleagues know that the company stands behind them strongly, which is why we try to constantly provide them with opportunities for personal advancement and development. Simultaneously, both within our organisation and externally, we promote and celebrate their versatility, achievements and professional dedication, because we know that they’ve exerted maximum effort to ensure that the company’s results are at an enviable level.

Women currently hold 47 per cent of managerial positions in our company, while our goal is for that to quickly reach 50 per cent. That percentage certainly isn’t as important as an equal chance for development, regardless of gender and with evaluations based solely on performance and capability.

Considering that you hold a senior management position at Bambi that brings with it great responsibility, how do you personally strike a balance between your professional and private life?

Apart from good personal organisation and the setting of priorities, one great advantage is certainly the working flexibility provided by the company, but also the understanding and support of colleagues that I can always count on. The fact that we are extremely dedicated to one another and to the building of strong teams that – regardless of gender, position or years of experience – support each member in developing their full professional potential, while at the same time respecting their time for personal life, makes us feel good in our workplace and maintains our enthusiasm to always strive for improvement.

What advice would you give to women who are just beginning their careers?

When you look around you, you’ll spot an entire array of wonderful and amazing women who achieve fantastic results in all fields and astound us with their charisma and competence. What’s particularly impressive is their fearlessness when it comes to imposing themselves and making their mark in a “man’s world”, and hidden behind that strength stand years of investing in knowledge and education. That’s precisely why I always encourage my female colleagues to believe in themselves and work on their own development, because we are the ones who break down barriers and set boundaries. So, everything’s up to us, and the only thing that counts at the end of the day is the effort you’ve exerted to create a world that’s tailored to you.

PEĐA PETRONIJEVIĆ, CDO OF GTC

Time For Changes Peđa Petronijević began his career as an engineer working on one of the biggest projects in Botswana, while today he is chief development officer and a management board member at real estate development company GTC. Speaking for CorD Magazine, he says that he’s motivated to contribute to the company’s further development in his new role, by leveraging his own versatile experience

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he real estate market has been blooming for the past seven years and that trend will continue, says GTC’s newly appointed CDO, who insists that GTC will remain focused on office buildings, though with a greater emphasis on sustainability and ESG indicators.

Could you have even dreamt of such an impressive development path back when you were merely a student of mechanical engineering?

I’ve always been motivation-driven, since my college days. As a self-starter, I had enough courage and luck to kick off my professional career abroad, which steered me to where I am today. It’s been a dynamic path – through different countries and the organisations with which I’ve worked – the key to which has always been to keep advancing. Even now, as CDO and a Management Board Member at GTC, I continue to progress, particularly when I’m motivated to contribute to the development of the company, by leveraging my own versatile experience.

During the 10 years that you served as the CEO of GTC Serbia, the company completed the construction of 10 business buildings in Belgrade. Are you proud of the way the city looks today, the credit for which belongs – among others – to you at GTC? GTC is a pioneer of office construction in Belgrade. We’ve been shaping the business image of the city with our landmark projects for over a decade. We

have a legacy in Belgrade, but now it’s time for changes.

This year we finalised the sale of 11 premium class office buildings in Belgrade, encompassing a total GLA [gross leasable area] of 122,175m2, with high occupancy rates. The sale price was €267.6 million, which was two million euros above the book value – representing one of the largest real estate transactions on the CEE market during the last five years. The sale of our Serbian portfolio couldn’t be timelier, as we are redefining our market strategy and advancing operations to be more sustainable and futureproof. Selling some of our assets and relocating the free cash flow for the development of brand new, ambitious projects in Serbia and other CEE markets was truly an “exit on a strong note”. Such a bold move allowed us to complete our development cycle in Serbia and start a fundamentally different chapter on this market. And I’m truly grateful to be part of that.

In your capacity as the newly appointed CDO, where do you see GTC in five and ten years?

In which direction will the company develop?

As for the Group, there are three projects under construction: Pillar office in Budapest (29,000sqm); Sofia Tower 2 office (8,300 sqm), and GTC X in Belgrade (17,000 sqm). As of 31st December 2021, projects under construction comprise nearly five per cent of our total portfolio value. Another four office buildings and

We this year finalised the sale of 11 premium class office buildings in Belgrade, encompassing a total GLA of 122,175sqm, with high occupancy rates one residential project of 151,000sqm are ready to be launched within 24 months: Matrix C office in Zagreb (10,700sqm), Advance Business Centre 3 in Sofia (9,100 sqm), Centre Point 3 in Budapest (36,400 sqm), Napred in Belgrade, (72,000 sqm) and the Spatio residential project in Bucharest (23,100 sqm). Our rich commercial landbank designated for future development allows us to extend the planned projects in areas where there will be demand for commercial properties. I see our “new history” written in close cooperation with principal stakeholders – investors and tenants – their priorities, comfort and input becoming the compass to navigate GTC through any of tomorrow’s uncertainties.

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“To unlock their full potential, brands are going to have to start creating utility via the token” – MATHEW SWEEZEY, DIRECTOR OF MARKET STRATEGY AT SALESFORCE

WORLD NEWS

FOOD PRICES JUMP 20.7% YR/YR TO HIT RECORD HIGH IN FEB, U.N. AGENCY SAYS World food prices hit a record high in February, led by a surge in vegetable oils and dairy products, to post a 20.7% increase year-on-year, the U.N. food agency said.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 140.7 points last month against a downwardly revised 135.4 in January. That figure was previously given as 135.7. Higher food prices have contributed to a broader surge in inflation as economies recover from the coronavirus crisis and the FAO has warned that the higher costs are putting poorer populations at risk in countries reliant on imports.

RUSSIA WILL ‘ALWAYS’ BE A PART OF OPEC+ The United Arab Emirates’ energy and infrastructure minister has insisted that Russia will always be a part of OPEC+ even as governments across the globe shun the oil exporter over its war in Ukraine. Speaking to CNBC, Suhail Al Mazrouei, a former president of the oil alliance, said no other country could match Russia’s energy output and argued politics should not distract from the group’s efforts to manage energy markets. “Always, Russia is going to be part of that group and we need to respect them,” he told Hadley Gamble at the Atlantic Council’s sixth annual Global Energy Forum in Dubai.

HUAWEI LAUNCHES A RIVAL TO THE AMAZON KINDLE Huawei launched a slew of new products including a rival to Amazon’s Kindle, as the Chinese tech giant looks to inject life into its consumer business that has been hurt by falling smartphone sales due to U.S. sanctions. The Huawei MatePad Paper is the company’s first e-reader device and features a 10.3-inch display. Huawei is positioning this as a product useful for the work environment. It is compatible with the Huawei M-Pencil, which can be used across other products. Huawei said that writing on the MatePad Paper with the electronic pencil feels like writing on actual paper due to the slight bit of friction and the sound given off. Users can convert handwritten notes into text as well.

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“We think that if we do our jobs right, it will drive decentralization” – THOMAS KURIAN, GOOGLE CLOUD CEO

APPLE REPORTEDLY CUTS PRODUCTION OF ITS NEW IPHONE SE BY 20% Apple is scaling back production of its new budget iPhone SE due to weaker-than-expected demand, Nikkei Asia reported.

The company has reportedly asked suppliers to cut production of the iPhone SE, its new $429 budget 5G phone, by about 2 million units to 3 million units, or about 20% of the initial orders, according to the publication. Apple also reduced orders for AirPods by about 10 million units for full-year 2022, according to the report. This production decrease is a sign of the Ukrainian war and inflation’s negative impact on electronics demand. The iPhone SE isn’t as popular as Apple’s more expensive iPhones. According to Counterpoint Research, the 2020 version of the iPhone SE accounted for 12% of all iPhone sales from its launch until Q4 2021.

ZOOM PROVIDES DISAPPOINTING REVENUE FORECAST Zoom issued a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast for the first quarter and full fiscal year. Shares of the video-chat software maker, which posted its fiscal fourth-quarter results, initially sank as much as 13% in extended trading before rebounding. Zoom’s revenue increased 21% from the year-earlier period ended on 31 January. That’s a deceleration from 35% growth in the prior quarter, according to a statement. Zoom said it had 509,800 customers with over 10 employees at the end of January, down from 512,100 in October.

It plans to stop reporting that number as of this quarter, though the figure will still show up in its investor deck through the end of the year.

HUAWEI LAUNCHES A RIVAL TO THE AMAZON KINDLE Huawei launched a slew of new products including a rival to Amazon’s Kindle, as the Chinese tech giant looks to inject life into its consumer business that has been hurt by falling smartphone sales due to U.S. sanctions. The Huawei MatePad Paper is the company’s first e-reader device and features a 10.3-inch display. Huawei is positioning this as a product useful for the work environment. It is compatible with the Huawei M-Pencil, which can be used across other products.

Huawei said that writing on the MatePad Paper with the electronic pencil feels like writing on actual paper due to the slight bit of friction and the sound given off. Users can convert handwritten notes into text as well.

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Entrepreneur

media.distractify.com

DOLLY PARTON / AMERICAN SINGER-SONGWRITER

Entrepreneurial Success Of A

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While she may be best known for her country crooning, her investment in Dollywood has helped her become one of the richest musicians in the world.

today.com

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n the mid 1970s Elvis Presley, then in the middle of his comeback, approached Dolly Parton. He wanted to cover “I Will Always Love You,” Parton’s 1974 chart-topping single. Having the King of Rock and Roll cover one of her tunes seemed to be a no-brainer.

But there was a catch: Presley’s manager insisted that she sign over half the publishing rights. Parton refused. Ever since she started her own music publishing company in 1966, she had held onto nearly all of her publishing rights, which meant she got paid a bigger royalty whenever one of her songs is played or covered. She wasn’t about to change that—even for the King. The deal was called off.

Almost two decades later, Whitney Houston covered the song, with Parton holding on to those lucrative publishing rights. Every time it is played on the radio, purchased as a cassette or used in a film, Parton receives a publishing fee.

The song has made her very rich: “When Whitney [Houston’s version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland,”she told Country Music Television in 2006. (In actuality, she didn’t buy Graceland, and instead invested some of the royalties from the song in a Black community in Nashville by purchasing an office complex there.)

It’s that kind of shrewd business mindset that has helped Parton build an estimated $350 million fortune. And while her music catalog makes up about a third of that, her largest asset is Dollywood, the theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that she cofounded 35 years ago. It was one in a series of moves made by Parton, who has proved herself as talented a businesswoman as she is a singer-songwriter.

Shrewd business mindset helped Parton build an estimated $350 million fortune At age 75, Parton remains as in demand as ever. In 2019, she signed a deal with licensing company IMG to expand her brand into consumer products. In 2020, she released her first holiday album in 30 years and starred in the Netflix film Christmas on the Square. Her TV movie Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones was nominated for an Emmy Award in July 2020. Last month, she launched her firstever perfume called “Scent from Above,” that’s

complete with a bedazzled bottle. Parton has also extended her appeal to a younger generation: She’s racked up 5.2 million followers on Twitter and 4.3 million on Instagram, where she went viral last year after sparking a meme.

Born in 1946 in a one-room cabin in rural Tennessee, Parton grew up watching her father hustle as a sharecropper, tobacco farmer and construction worker, and listening to her mother sing as she cared for her 12 children.

She began performing as a child, first in church and then on local television and radio stations, before moving to Nashville the day after her high school graduation in 1964 to pursue a career in the industry.

She started as a songwriter, co-writing country hits with her uncle. At first, she was signed with Combine Music, but when that

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newyorker.com

Entrepreneur

contract expired in 1966, the 20-year-old Parton made one of the most consequential business decisions of her career: With her uncle, she founded her own publishing company.

From then on, Parton—who has had 25 No.1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart— has owned her own publishing rights. Since her debut album, 1967’s Hello I’m Dolly, through her latest, 2020’s A Holly Dolly Christmas, Parton has insisted on maintaining full ownership of her publishing rights and, with the exception of a handful of tracks, still owns them all.

That decision has proven prescient. As investors like Universal Music and Hipgnosis have begun to snatch up the rights to catalogs like those of Bob Dylan (in a deal worth $325 million) and Paul Simon ($250 million), the value of popular music catalogs has hit an all-time high. Parton’s library of more than 3,000 song credits, including hits like “9 to 5” and “Jolene” reportedly brings in between $6 million and $8 million in royalty payments each year. Forbes estimates her catalog, which she owns all of, is worth about $150 million.

Her entry into the world of amusement parks was another wise decision. In 1986, she sought

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Forbes estimates her catalog, which she owns all of, is worth about $150 million to take some of the millions she’d earned as a country star and invest in her hometown. She partnered with Herschend Family Entertainment to transform their eastern Tennessee amusement park, Silver Dollar City, into Dollywood, building Dolly-themed spots like Aunt Granny’s restaurant, the 450-seat Back Porch theater and the rafting ride Smoky Mountain River Rampage.

With so many fans in the state where Parton grew up and her authentic connection to the nearby Smoky Mountains, the park was a natural hit. In its first season, Dollywood attracted 1.3 million visitors—a 75% increase over Silver Dollar City’s season the year prior.

The park is now Tennessee’s most-visited tourist attraction, drawing about 3 million visitors a

year. Parton’s 50% stake is worth about $165 million, Forbes estimates.

“It’s a piece of Americana,” says Evan Weiss, the chief operating officer of consultancy LW Hospitality Advisors, who has worked on projects in the region.

Since 1986, the theme park has expanded in size: The company has spent $110 million on additions, and Parton is a co-owner of the nearby Splash Country water park (Parton’s share is worth an estimated $20 million), the DreamMore Resort and Spa ($15 million) and eight restaurants and dinner theaters in the area. The Dollywood Company is currently working on building another hotel, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort, in the region as the first in a $500 million ten-year investment across its properties.

While it may seem counterintuitive, the pandemic might have actually helped Dollywood, says hospitality consultant Weiss, given the park’s position in the market. While the attraction lost months of revenue at first, once it reopened in June 2020—at a limited capacity at first and with the addition of hundreds hand-sanitizer stations—it became a go-to tourist attraction for travelers in the region who wanted an outdoor vacation without the risks of flying. “The drive-to-staycation market is on fire, and it has been since last year,” says Weiss.

According to a Morning Consult poll from late July focused on “the return to normal,” 75% of Americans said they feel safe comfortable taking a road trip, while only 41% say they’re comfortable with domestic flights and 30% are comfortable with international flights. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee made Tripadvisor’s 2021 list of Trending Destinations thanks to its growing popularity among travelers.

But Parton’s crowning achievement of the past couple of years has little to do with music, acting or theme parks: In April 2020, she announced a $1 million gift to Vanderbilt University to help research the coronavirus; seven months later, a report by The New England Journal of Medicine revealed her money helped fund Moderna’s vaccine.

“Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate,” she sang to the tune of “Jolene” as she got her jab. “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, ‘cause once you’re dead then that’s a bit too late.” forbes.com

PROFILE

Face-to-Face With Prehistoric Man I recently succeeded, while managing the Prehistoric MetaHuman project, to realise one of my childhood dreams: to encounter a prehistoric man face to face. And I would say that the unconditional pursuit of personal dreams, regardless of how crazy or unreal they might be, is the key to my own creative evolution and my joy

SOFIJA STEFANOVIC, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

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ou ask me what’s key to someone’s success, what inspires people to create, what drives them. These are all essential questions, so I’ll try not to write too much about what’s on the surface and, instead, attempt to describe the core of my inspiration. On the surface is my formal biography, which, as the poet would say, “was wonderful and there was plenty of it”. As a scientist and professor of physical anthropology at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Philosophy, I’m happy to be able to say that my project on prehistoric maternity – BIRTH, was the first project from Serbia to receive support from the European Research Council. The projects that I’ve managed enabled the hiring of 25 young people, while I’ve also amassed lots of mentoring work and numerous scientific publications.

I recently succeeded, while managing the Prehistoric MetaHuman project, to realise one of my childhood dreams: to encounter

a prehistoric man face to face. And I would say that the unconditional pursuit of personal dreams, regardless of how crazy or unreal they might be, is the key to my own creative evolution and my joy. And when we are joyful, success arrives like some unimportant

I stopped by to You, voila.

From a dream, the truth calls.

And when at daybreak all realities are acquired, One verse comes to me To say: nothing seen really is.

And a poem slows before dawn And look – all is white already.

In your presence, Truth springs.

With a verse I stopped by to see you.

consequence of our jubilation. And it is precisely the importance of jubilation to our lives that, for me, provides one of the most important insights that we should not wait for inspiration. That is to say that inspiration does not reside somewhere in the outside world and we shouldn’t wait for some muse of grace to touch us. The entire world is already within us, and while we answer the seemingly simple question

of who we are, parts of the world open up within us like buds that we don’t see if we’re focused on the external world. I answer the question of who I am while in silence (to my most powerful teacher) I create poems and pictures. Art is the central pillar of my world and my knowledge of self, the healer of all doubt and strife, but through it I also reach new scientific and other ideas. That’s because, when you are creating, you cease to be an individual limited by your biography and gain the freedom in which all the blessings from “God’s Garden” become yours too.

That’s the very reason that I essentially agree with Štulić when he sings “art makes you stronger than you assume”. Unfortunately, it took me many years to realise that, when creating, it isn’t important whether the picture is ultimately “nice” and the song “beautiful” (which prevented me from creating for a long time, because my distinct lack of talent meant that I always found the result of my creativity discouraging). I now know that it is the very process of creation that’s important, and inspiration flows the instant I dip my pen in ink. Or rather, I don’t wait for someone or something to inspire me, rather I start the process of creation and different universes thus begin opening up to me.

I’ve already stated that poems don’t have to be beautiful, rather that it’s important for us to create them, so here I gift your readers a poem that isn’t beautiful, but during its creation I defined some new projects that I hope you’ll soon be writing about in CorD.

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Architecture Technologically Advanced Buildings

Work Is On The Brink Of A Revolution The health and technological advancement of every industry is best showcased through its end products. Completed technologically advanced buildings and the efficiency of their subsequent use are great learning tools that allow architects to push the boundaries in material development, fabrication, sustainability and interactive design.

THE EDGE

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odIt’s a sad truth, but most of us spend our work days in terribly uninspiring environments. Those fluorescent panels, cookie cutter cubicles and motivational posters may be soulless, but design sensibility often carries a premium that is slashed from the bottom line of Big Business. There are some progressive companies, however, who push the envelope of design to provide their employees with a truly invigorating work environment.

Here’s a list of some of the world’s most technologically advanced buildings that push the envelope when it comes to responsiveness, well-being, sustainability and construction costs.

sustainability score ever awarded by the British rating agency BREEAM. The building, designed by PLP Architecture, uses technology to achieve an unprecedented level of resource efficiency, but also create a collaborative work environment in tune with its users. Its LED panels pack about 28,000 sensors that track motion, light, temperature and humidity, creating a unique artificial neural network.

Surprisingly, the building comprises only 1,000 desks. The concept of hot desking–using desks only when they’re needed– increases occupancy efficiency and boosts productivity.

The rest of the spaces designated for work are informal meeting spaces and lounge areas.

THE EDGE

TAIPEI 101 TOWER

By PLP Architecture Described as the world’s greenest, most intelligent building, Deloitte’s new Amsterdam head office, the Edge, has received the highest

By C.Y. Lee & Partners Named for its 101 floors, Taipei 101 held the record as the world’s highest building for six years after its completion in 2004. Its

THE EDGE

TAIPEI 101 TOWER

TAIPEI 101 TOWER

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Architecture Technologically Advanced Buildings

APPLE CAMPUS 2, CUPERTINO

sustainable construction has also made it the world’s tallest green building. The building received LEED Platinum Certification in 2012 and has some of the most advanced disaster prevention features ever built.

Taiwan is heavily affected by typhoons, which makes building tall buildings a tricky business, to say the least. Massive storms hit the East Asian coastline each year, bringing wind and rainfall strong enough to take down entire buildings. Taipei 101 tackles this with unprecedented inventiveness. The building’s most notable engineering feature is its tuned mass damper. This element functions as a large pendulum that counterbalances the sway of the building by swinging in the opposite way on hydraulically controlled suspension

BULLITT CENTER

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APPLE CAMPUS 2, CUPERTINO

BULLITT CENTER

POWERHOUSE KJØRBO

cables. This movement is controlled and reacts precisely to the movement of the building.

It features composting toilets and none of the 350 common toxic chemicals, including PVC, lead, mercury and BPA. All systems are monitored and the real-time measurements of indoor air quality, energy consumption and photovoltaic power production are available to visitors. One of the most prominent features of the building is the fact that these innovative engineering solutions are visible and celebrated through the building’s architectural style.

APPLE CAMPUS 2, CUPERTINO

By Foster+Partners Apple’s new spaceship-shaped campus in Cupertino, California, has been a hot topic of debate in the AEC community ever since the release of its first images. The heavilypublicized project has a ring-shaped layout enveloping a patch of greenery. It is outfitted with solar panels and will be powered mainly by an “on-site low carbon Central Plant”.

Foster+Partners included a 9,290 square meters fitness center, 27,870 square meters of research and development facilities, and two miles of walkways and running paths for employees, underground parking, as well as an orchard, meadow and pond. The staff can also navigate the campus on bikes, electric golf carts and commuter shuttles. The building will feature the world’s largest panels of curved glass which will limit glare and provide views of the outdoors from any location inside.

POWERHOUSE KJØRBO

By Snohetta Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta undertook a renovation of an existing 1980s building in Bærum, just outside Oslo, and transformed it into the world’s first “energy positive building” (EPB) or “net positive” building. The 200,000 kWh of on-site photovoltaics produce twice as much energy required to meet the needs of the building. According to predictions, the building will generate enough power in the next 60 years to cover the total amount of energy used to manufacture all the building materials, as well the construction, operation and waste disposal. This is something that is often omitted when considering energy efficiency of contemporary buildings that strive for sustainable performance.

BULLITT CENTER

By Miller Hull The Bullitt Center in Seattle features several systems that make it one-of-a-kind and justify its status of the world’s greenest commercial building. A third of the building’s roof is covered in photovoltaic panels that produce around 230,000 kilowatt-hours per year.

Rainwater is collected in a 255,000 litres cistern and reused throughout the building.

POWERHOUSE KJØRBO

TEN THOUSAND

TEN THOUSAND

By Handel Architects Ten Thousand Santa Monica is a 283-unit, 71,278 square meters residential tower in Los Angeles comprising four crystalline masses

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Architecture Technologically Advanced Buildings

NG TENG FONG GENERAL HOSPITAL

NG TENG FONG GENERAL HOSPITAL

BAHRAIN WORLD TRADE CENTER

topped with a dramatic angled roof. The building offers an amazing array of techinfused amenities, including a relay delivery robot named CHARLEY programmed to navigate the building, deliver packages, meals, drinks, etc.

Each resident has an iPad mini that features the Ten Thousand app.They can access the main menu and choose the item to be delivered by CHARLEY. Besides providing connection to the delivery robot, the app also integrates a beacon technology system throughout the

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BAHRAIN WORLD TRADE CENTER

building that predicts the residents’ needs.

The residents can also use the app-based valet system to pay for training sessions, drinks at the bar, reserve private dining rooms and event spaces, request vehicles, and pay rent.

NG TENG FONG GENERAL HOSPITAL

By HOK The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is a community college science building in Singapore that uses 38% less energy than a typical Singaporean hospital and 69% less than a typical

U.S. hospital. Its design, conceived by HOK, is based on passive sustainability principles aided by several active systems that curb its carbon emissions and power consumption. It is rare for buildings of this type to achieve net zero energy.

The hospital also is the first medical campus to combine continuing care from outpatient to post-acute care in Singapore. Its focus on patient well-being was the driving force behind many of its features, including its heavy reliance on natural ventilation and the presence of vegetation throughout the campus.

SACRAMENTO KINGS’ GOLDEN CENTER

IBM WATSON IOT HQ

SACRAMENTO KINGS’ GOLDEN 1 CENTER

By AECOM The solar-powered Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center by AECOM is the first arena of its size to use a displacement ventilation system that directs fresh air upward from floor openings under the seating, instead of pumping forced air down into the arena from overhead diffusers.

This kind of ventilation allows for cooling only the space around people instead of the entire building, which makes it more efficient and flexible compared to other ventilation systems.

This means that the arena maintains stable temperatures at all times and during both hot and cold-weather sporting events. There is no need to pre-cool the building, so the building can host two events on the same day.

Furthermore, the air conditioning can be crowd-sourced, which means that the audience can use an in-game app to mark whether they’re too hot or cold in real time. The arena is the first to receive approval for the use of this kind of technology, and the first LEED Platinum–certified NBA arena expected to curb

SACRAMENTO KINGS’ GOLDEN CENTER

its carbon emissions by 24 percent compared to its predecessor–the Sleep Train Arena. The structure is powered entirely by a 1.2-megawatt solar array installed on its roof surface, and an 11-megawatt solar farm located 40 miles away.

BAHRAIN WORLD TRADE CENTER

By Atkins The 50-story Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC), known as the country’s first ‘intelligent’ building with integrated SMART IT systems, boasts a unique feature – 3 huge wind turbines tying its two sail-shaped volumes together. The 29 meter wind turbines, each supported by a 30-meter bridge spanning between the two towers funnel and accelerate the wind going in-between the sails. The building is the first building in the world to incorporate this type of technology–and at this large a scale– into its design.

The development also incorporates the use of heat recovery systems, variable-volume chilled water pumps, energy efficient fluorescent lighting, solar-powered roads and amenity lighting,

as well as reflective pools at the entrances which provide local evaporative cooling.

IBM WATSON IOT HQ

By Universal Design Studio IBM’s new headquarters in Munich is the company’s largest investment ever in Europe, and will serve as a research hub for artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and Blockchain, among other things.The building, designed by Universal Design Studio, will gather software engineers, programmers, architects, designers, cognitive scientists, researchers and clients working together to bring cognitive computing to IoT. Distributed across more than 25 floors, collaborative spaces will be equipped with IoT devices, occupancy sensors, and voice activation automated interfaces.

As one of the most technologically advanced buildings it can automatically adjust temperature and lighting to users’ preferences, and detect free spots which enables hot-desking. Server rooms are left visible to show the technology driving the experiences communicating transparency and openness.

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My life Mira Banjac, actress

ACTRESS OF THE CENTURY “Acting, for me, is a joy and the power to relay various lives through myself,” says dramatic artist Mira Banjac, noting that she’s proud of all the women she’s portrayed. She most loved to interpret women of the people, which she viewed as a great responsibility

S

he had the honour of interpreting roles from everyday life, women one might meet on the street, but she also played roles in Shakespeare and G.B. Shaw. A diverse repertoire, but she nonetheless prefers domestic drama.

An acting star, diva, and one of the icons of the region’s acting scene, which she ennobles with her charisma, straightforwardness and kindness, she doesn’t perceive herself as having some special greatness, which is characteristic of great people, she’s simply an actress. An exceptional career, which has lasted since 1949, could be the envy of world greats of acting, as could her optimism and creative joy. She’s equally dedicated to leading and supporting roles, which are actually much harder to play in order for those “minor”, and in fact “major” roles, to provide that essential spice to a film, theatre or television story, without which such stories would not be complete. She has won all possible awards and accolades, but the

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By Zorica Todorović Mirković

greatest recognition for her is that she is an actress, and that she is able to perform for as long as she is called to do so, and for as long as her age permits.

Now in the tenth decade of her life, at the age of 93, her energy and passion for work has preserved her vitality, but also her great love and respect for acting and actors, though she’s aware that she’s now limited by age, no matter how unique she is. Her fascinating transformational power elevated her to the very top of acting, and her monodrama Ljubica, first person plural, determines the broad scope of her acting. That multiplicity is also reflected in her overall artistic work - actress, but also director, pedagogue and playwright, and she’s also present in all acting “media”: theatre, film, radio and television. She speaks about her life candidly, painfully, exceptionally...

You say that you weren’t exactly a desired child, yet your birth was still greeted by the sounds of a brass band?

That is one of life’s paradoxes. This unusual story is well-known: while my mother was giving birth to me, a fire brigade orchestra was playing under her window, and a trail of music resounded around our street. No one brought them to play for joy and rejoicing, and we never found out how they ended up being there.

You only discuss your childhood reluctantly?

It seems to me that I never was a child.

I remember my Erdevik, my little village in Srem, and I’d rather forget the rest. My father was an American, who they brought to marry my beautiful mother, Olga, but that marriage didn’t last long. I was four years old when he left and headed back in America, with the promise that he would send for us. We didn’t know a word of English, and he didn’t know a word of Serbian. Following his departure, my mother also left, feeling surplus to requirements and unwanted in that house, and I was left to suffer and grieve her leaving. My Grandma and aunt on my father’s side would constantly yell at each other, arguing in English. I think that’s the reason I never learned that language, a psychological barrier. As soon as I would start speaking English, I would be met by the apparitions of my grandmother and aunt, and

WITH DEJAN MIJAČ, GORAN PASKALJEVIĆ, RUŽICA SOKIĆ AND LAZA RISTOVSKI AT A CEREMONY MARKING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER CAREER AND HER 80TH BIRTHDAY, AT THE SERBIAN NATIONAL THEATRE IN NOVI SAD, 2009 (51)

I applied for the audition with the support of my dear teacher, who encouraged and instilled confidence in me. I knew that actresses were supposed to be beautiful, prim and proper, nicely dressed, and I was none of that. The fact that I wasn’t beautiful worried me less than my outfit: an English blouse, some horrible trousers and a shawl. It was the best I had their quarrelling in that despised language long resounded in my ears. I never found out the reason for those arguments.

You lacked many things as a child – family, mostly your mother, beautiful things?

It was neither nice nor pleasant at my grandmother’s house. I felt as though I didn’t belong there. I was comforted by the belief that I wouldn’t stay there forever, that my life

would change. How? I didn’t have an answer to that question, which I often posed to myself.

I knew that it would happen “somehow”, as was the case and as often happens. I didn’t have anything of my own: all the beautiful things I had were passed down from others. I wasn’t particularly good at coping; I was lonely, unhappy, sad... Despite that, deep down in my soul there was some spark of hope that a turning point in my life would come and that I would leave these days far behind me; that I won’t even want to remember them. That was my vision, which helped me endure the difficult days, leave everything behind me and await the arrival of a better tomorrow, which I patiently awaited and ultimately welcomed.

You were already witty back then, while you say you were also cheeky. Was that your defence mechanism?

I often acted “crazy” at school, placing corn silk in my hair, sitting proudly as though I had a crown on my head, while the whole class screamed with laughter. Everyone laughed except my teacher, who understood me, who found it sad and not funny. I was also capable of being naughty, to play the clown in exchange for the bike I asked to borrow from my friend, the only one in the village who had one, to ride it for a while. I would perform for her, and she would let me ride her bike – that was

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My life Mira Banjac, actress the deal. Back then, having a bicycle was like having a Porsche or a luxury car, and her riding around got on my nerves. I’d never ridden a bicycle before, and once I got my hands on it I didn’t return it to her until the evening.

That satisfied my curiosity for all time and I later never had a desire to ride or own a bike.

One of the important decisions you made was to find your mother, who lived in Belgrade.

You didn’t even know where she lived, and you weren’t familiar with Belgrade?

Life is full of tribulations. My aunt travelled back to America, my grandmother died, and I was left alone. I decided to go to Belgrade to find my mother. I had the good fortune, upon entering an equestrian school in Zemun to warm myself up, of encountering one of our Swabians from Erdevik who knew my mother.

He knew that she worked at the sugar factory.

The next day he took me across the bridge, where I was awaited by my dear mother. I will never forget that meeting. We welcomed the liberation of Belgrade together. The end of the war was approaching, and my mother and I, together with the First Proletarian Brigade, would travel on foot from Belgrade to Erdevik.

You joined the First Proletarian Brigade, which in a way guided your path towards acting?

The headquarters of the First Proletarian Corps Division was in Erdevik with Peko Dapčević, because it halted the Syrmian Front [WWII]. They organised performances and recitals, and I joined them. I went with them when they headed from the Syrmian Front to Sežana, Slovenia. We had a concert in Trieste, or a performance at which I recited partisan poems. It was then that I saw the sea for the first time. We then performed some sketches in Zagreb, and it was then that I performed in my first real play, Girl’s Curse [Devojačka kletva], with my partner Predrag Tasovac. It was also in Zagreb that I my first real theatre: the Croatian National Theatre [Hrvatsko narodno kazalište].

You’ve been acting for over seven decades and belong to the first generation of acting graduates of the Theatre School in Novi Sad, in the class of director Jurij Ljvović Rakitin. Do you still remember your entrance

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ST. SAVA SHOW, MIRA PICTURED FIRST RIGHT. ERDEVIK, 1939

audition for acting studies, which you often discussed in jest?

Who could ever forget that? I applied for the audition with the support of my dear teacher, who encouraged and instilled confidence in me. I knew that actresses were supposed to be beautiful, prim and proper, nicely dressed, and I was none of that. The fact that I wasn’t beautiful worried me less than my outfit: an English blouse, some horrible trousers and a shawl. It was the best I had, and it resembled circus-like distastefulness.

When I saw beautiful girls who, like me, had also come for the enrolment audition, wearing beautiful clothes and shoes, my mind was overrun with the thought: “...wow, I’m really in danger...”. The jury observed me in bewilderment, incredulity, wonder... When they collected themselves, they asked me: “What have you prepared?”, I responded: “Katerina from Ostrovsky’s The Storm”. I started, but it wasn’t good... They said: “Go ahead and recite something”, and that turned out even worse, until improvisation saved me. I gave my all in that. The task was – reacting to a situation –

“I received a telegram in which it stated that my brother had died”. With unprecedented zeal, I portrayed the postman, read the letter and all the rest. I ultimately started smiling.

They asked me why I was smiling and I said: “...I don’t have a brother...”. That prompted everyone to start laughing out loud. The next day, at eight in the morning, I read my name on the list of those accepted for enrolment.

You got married immediately after graduating, in 1950. And it was the following year that you gave birth to your only son, Branislav, or ‘Brana’, as you refer to him affectionately.

Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last long?

It is often the case that we expect one thing in life, and something else happens. Andrej Jovanović, an engineer by vocation, was my great love. We both joyously awaited Brana’s birth, and that was soon the only thing that united us. We realised that we weren’t suited to one another, that we differ completely, that we’re dissimilar... There were no ugly scenes, shifting of blame, torment etc. Discord and a lack of intimacy hovered in the air. Due

range, from lyrical and character roles, to psychologically complex characters, in both plays and comedies.

You always point out with pride that your mother was your greatest support pillar in your life?

My mother was my greatest support pillar in everything. It saddens me when I think of how much she loved theatre, yet she didn’t live to see me become a serious actress. I was just a novice at the time she died, and neither of us knew how much I would progress. With the loss of her I lost my support pillar, one that had helped me overcome all problems during difficult times. At one point I thought: “... I’m not alone; I have my fellow actors...”

There was also the wonderful Mira Stupica, who believed in me, encouraged me not to give up, to keep advancing.

WITH SON BRANISLAV JOVANOVIĆ

to our disagreeable temperaments, different goals, we opted for the best solution: divorce.

We broke up when Brana was five years old, so the divorce wasn’t traumatic for the child.

We remained in contact and on friendly terms until Andrej’s death. I never remarried, and Brana was, and remains, my beloved and adored son; my greatest love.

You realised your dream by entering the world of acting?

I entered this magical world through school and ‘Saint Sava’ performances, amateur plays at the Youth Centre in Čukarica in Belgrade and through participation in the cultural team of the First Proletarian Corps Division. I received my first engagement at the City Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica (1949-‘51), after which I transferred to the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad (1951-‘53; 1955-‘70). I was a member of Atelije 212 in Belgrade until my retirement, in 1984. Of course, I continued to act. I didn’t really maintain statistics, but I’ve played around 300 roles, including around 160 in theatres, as well as film and television

I received my first engagement at the City Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica (1949-‘51), after which I transferred to the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad (1951-‘53; 1955‘70). I was a member of Atelije 212 in Belgrade until my retirement, in 1984. Of course, I continued to act.

I didn’t really maintain statistics, but I’ve played around 300 roles dramas and series. I’ve also had roles in both local and foreign works, by both classical and contemporary playwrights, and in a diverse

What are your most significant theatre and film roles?

They’re all significant to me. Dramaturges and specialist experts single out: Zita in A Treatise on Maids, Bisa Zebić in The Village of Sakule, and in Banat, Jula in Priest Ćira and Priest Spira, Evica in Pokondirena tikva, Ljubica in Ljubica, first person plural, Meg in The Birthday, Katica in Radovan III, Our Lady in The Miracle in Shargan, Milica Njegovan in Korešpodencija, Nedovna in Maria, Simana in A Stone for A Pillow, Janina Jeguljevska in Mother, Mrs Goschted in Caroline Neuber and many others.

Of the thirty-odd film roles I’ve played, I would mention: Barren Dreams, Beach Guard in Winter, Don’t Lean Out the Window, Radio Whirlwind Calls Andjelija, The Farm in the Small Marsh, Majstori, majstori, Broad are the Leaves, Great Transport, The Balkan Spy, Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, Caught in the Throat, The Beauty of Vice, A Worker’s Life...

When it comes to television roles, I’ve played in about fifty films and mini-serial dramas, and just as many roles in series.

You’ve received the top guild awards and accolades for your work.

Yes, it’s tedious to list them: Dobrica’s Ring, the Žanka Stokić Award, the Golden Turkey, the Pavle Vuisić Award, the Ćuran

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My life Mira Banjac, actress Despite the size of the role, you’re always at the centre of the viewer’s attention.

I think that’s a matter of the energy that I convey on the stage and to the audience. I act as simply as possible, naturally... I seek out the features of the character, which are often deeply hidden within, and when I fathom them, I stylise them in my own way, in order to make it original.

That’s research work that yields results and helps me to come up with the best acting solutions for the role I’m playing.

WITH JOVANKA BROZ AND TITO AT STERIJA’S POZORJE FESTIVAL, 1970

Statuette, the Joakim Vujić Statuette, two Sterija Awards, two Golden Arenas, the Nušić Award...

I was particularly surprised by the Paja Jovanović Lifetime Achievement Award, because I received it from Vojvodina, from my own Vojvodina.That award was given under the scope of the Novi Sad European Capital of Culture project, and it especially delighted me because it’s the first award with which Vojvodina honoured me for my life’s work. Every award is dear to me, but those that come spontaneously are special, for example, when a young man shouted to me while I was walking in Zagreb: “Danica, do you know where Vinča is?” (which is actually a line from Balkan Spy). I laugh and reply: “I know, and you?”, which isn’t a line from the film, which causes us all to giggle. And there were countless such precious acknowledgements...

You are a born fighter, an actress on a mission, a muse of Thalia and Melpomene, you have talent and potential, you conjure up reflections of the soul via words and movements. One great value of your acting is the ability to penetrate deep into the character of the persona and use your magic to convey that to the audience.

That’s natural with me. God endowed me with the ability to play roles of all specialities, from merry frolics to tragic black humour,

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Our generation had time to think studiously about everything, to work thoroughly... I don’t know, maybe they earn more now, but I think my generation was more satisfied, calmer and more serene... There’s a reason they say that everyone has their time, and every time has its own ways of working and living from drama to tragedy. Talent is not enough.

It’s also necessary for an actor to constantly advance, to increase their knowledge in order to reach the status of an acting authority. It is a compliment to me when I’m mentioned as the personification of Serbian acting, or when they dub me a Master of Acting. They also say that I’m a master of detail. I’m elated when I can take even the most insignificant episode and elevate it to the level of a first-class role that’s attractive and impressive for the audience.

You are known as a measured, quiet, inconspicuous and polite woman, while you’re always noticed in public. People on the street, passing by, simply “stick” to you, approaching, wanting to chat. Do you listen to them patiently and always with a smile?

Those are all decent people, dear and overjoyed to be able to see “their” actress in an environment beyond the confines of the theatre. Many people have always loved my simplicity, temperament, willingness to joke around. I’m naturally communicative and talkative, spontaneous. It’s like I have a magnet that attracts people. I prefer that than if they turned their heads away from me. Now, because of the corona’, I rarely venture outside.

That’s understandable, one should take care.

You are thrilled by the new generation of actors, which isn’t typical for older colleagues who always seem to think that their “class” was the best?

We’ve really always had great actors. We have them now, and we will have them in the future.

A great generation of young actors has arrived, well-mannered, educated... I enjoy watching these young people develop and grow. I see that they are burdened with tasks, running from one television company to another, which takes their time for socialising. People now both live faster and work faster. Our generation had time to think studiously about everything, to work thoroughly...

I don’t know, maybe they earn more now, but I think my generation was more satisfied, calmer and more serene... There’s a reason they say that everyone has their time, and every time has its own ways of working and living.

You had many departed acquaintances and colleagues with whom you were a friend. You surely miss them?

Everything artists do remains in the people, and that never disappears. I worked with Zoran Radmilović, and recalling him is more than just a memory for me. You had to earn a friendship with Danilo ‘Bato’ Stojković, he was my on-stage husband. I miss my Petar Kralj, Pavle Vuisić, Miroslav Antić, Ružica Sokić, Mira Stupica... Many who were dear to me...

You possess an incredible transformational power?

Perhaps that’s down to some “Srem” trait in my character, who knows? I was satisfied to bring to life the beauty of simple unknown “heroines”, inconspicuous women, mothers, factory workers, peasant women... My genre orientation is towards characters of women from our region with comic values. I succeeded in interpreting many of my roles – such as Belinda, Zita, Bisa Zebić, Ikonija, Ljubica, Simana, Aunt Slavka, Dana Kandilarka, Marija... and those little nameless women – in such a way that they become significant and impressive.That’s an entire gallery of various personalities and diverse characters.

They attracted me and I gave them all my skills, a new life. A life to remember. It was precisely because of these characteristics that I liked the monodrama Ljubica, first person plural.

Did you get scared by the coronavirus disease, which has hit all countries and all ages?

I initially followed all the regulations, convinced that it wouldn’t last. I spent my time arranging my library, personal documentation and paperwork that always accumulates, and I never have time to separate the important from the irrelevant and throw away the superfluous.

I received supplies from the responsible service, I wasn’t lacking anything. As time passed, I realised that it wasn’t going to end anytime soon. The walls started choking me, and then I received a call to shoot and fluttered away.

The pandemic still hasn’t passed, but we are already facing a new problem: the RussianUkrainian conflict. And, like the virus, it has also expanded to become a worldwide problem?

I wouldn’t like to comment on the political reasons for everything that’s happening, because I certainly can’t influence that. The important thing is that the people, whether Russian or Ukrainian, aren’t guilty of anything. The people

SCENE FROM THE PLAY HUNTING IN TROUBLED WATERS, WITH VELIMIR ‘BATA’ ŽIVOJINOVIĆ AND NEDA ARNERIĆ, 1981 (55)

The important thing is that the people, whether Russian or Ukrainian, aren’t guilty of anything.

The people aren’t even asked anything. I hope that some smart and acceptable solution will be found for both sides, for all those who could suffer in “this” or “that” way due to these quarrels aren’t even asked anything. I hope that some smart and acceptable solution will be found for both sides, for all those who could suffer in “this” or “that” way due to these quarrels.

Throughout history, we know that certain countries have been subject to other people’s influences, to the influence of great powers.

A state must know what is good for it and its people and be guided by that. Nobody needs to tailor anyone else’s destiny, let everyone be their own tailor.

How do you feel as our oldest active actress?

I’m happy when they call me for a shoot, and I’ll keep working as long as people want me. Work is life for me. I live to work and work to live. That’s what moves me, gives my life meaning... You live for as long as you work. For me, work is the “law of life”. That’s my motto. One should definitely respect one’s age. To developing an understanding with one’s years. Old age must be dignified, it should be pleasurable, you mustn’t deprive it of anything and, on the contrary, should give it everything it deserves. I’m devoted to my work, but one should approach everything wisely and prudently.

To what do you owe your longevity, and in the tenth decade of your life, despite the cigarette holder mouthpiece, you remain mentally and physically rugged?

I don’t think about age. I don’t fear death.

I’m ready for the journey, only a few stations remain until my train arrives. I’m in no hurry.

Until that happens, I live normally. I get up early, sweeten up with honey, with a glass of water, drink coffee and smoke a cigarette.

Smoking is my pleasure. I then have breakfast.

I read a lot, I work a lot, I’m interested in daily happenings, events in cinematography, theatre; I like to be up to date on everything.

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CHILL OUT CODA Wins At The Oscars Director Sian Heder’s film CODA has won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 94th American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Also nominated for the top prize were Belfast, Don’t Look Up, Dune, King Richard, Licorice, Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story and Drive My Car, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, The winning film, whose title CODA stands for ‘Child Of Deaf Adults’, is about a girl Ruby, the daughter of deaf-mute parents, who is trying to help the family with business and music.

500 Million-year-old Fossils Found In China The ancestors of many animals alive today may have lived in modern China more than 500 million years ago, a new study has found. One of the oldest groups of animal fossils currently known to science have been found in Yunnan, southwest China, including the remains of more than 250 species. It is a key record of the Cambrian Explosion, which saw the rapid spread of bilaterian species — creatures that, like modern animals and humans, had symmetry as an embryo, i.e. having a left and a right side that are mirror images of each other.

John Cox Wins The Serbian PEN Centre Award John Cox, a translator and university professor from Fargo in North Dakota, is the winner of the Serbian PEN Centre Award for the best translator of Serbian literature in 2021. “John Cox has been singled out among other translators for his dedicated and persistent work over the last 15 years translating the works of contemporary Serbian writers of several generations”, says the Board of Directors of the PEN Centre. Cox works with literary translation and has so far translated works by Ivo Andrić, Meša Selimović, Branko Ćopić, Danilo Kiš, Biljana Jovanović, Judita Šalgo, Goran Petrović, and a number of other authors into English.

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Elon Musk Considering Building A New Social Media Platform Elon Musk said he is giving “serious thought” to building a new social media platform in a Tweet. He did not share any specifics on what the hypothetical social media platform would look like or how it would work. The Tesla and SpaceX billionaire made the remark after claiming that Twitter doesn’t allow for free speech. Musk tweeted: “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” He followed up by asking whether a new platform is needed.

The £418million Megayacht Could Become The Widest In The World An incredible new megayacht could become the widest in the world. The £418million (€500million/$551million) Sovrano is described as a hybrid between a private yacht and a cruise ship.

The vessel, by Italian design studio Lazzarini, features platforms on either side of the main deck that results in a beam - the width at its widest point - of 108ft (33m).

It has a length of 555ft (169m).

Russia Bans Facebook And Instagram A Russian court has ordered the company Meta to immediately halt the activities of Facebook and Instagram in Russia on the basis of ‘extremist activities’. The court’s decision takes immediate effect, and will not apply to the WhatsApp messaging service. Judge Ogla Solopova made the decision at the request of the Russian prosecutor’s office, reports TASS. Earlier, a number of Western media companies had cut off access to Russia’s state-run media.

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OFFICE STYLE

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Culture

calendar The Salon Of Architecture

until 30 April – Museum of Applied Art The Salon of Architecture is the most important national annual festival in the field of contemporary architecture, which has been traditionally organized by the Museum of Applied Arts since 1974. The salon provides a comprehensive cross-section of architectural production at the

national level with the guest participation of authors from the international scene and from the region. Within the competitive part of the program, awards, recognitions, and commendations within the envisaged categories are awarded, as well as the main prize of the Salon - Grand Prix.

More: www.salonarhitekture.rs

Finnish Film Week: Stories About Love 7-11 April, Belgrade Cultural Centre

It’s been an unusually long time, four years, and I believe you’ve longed for a good Finnish film. Two years ago, before the start of the already prepared Biennial Week of Finnish Film,

Days Of Italian Film

4-11 April, Svetozar Markovic Library in Zajecar The main library “Svetozar Markovic” Zajecar, in cooperation with the Italian Institute of Culture in Belgrade, presents the Days of Italian Film, which are held from 4 to 11 April 4 in the Library Reading Room. The program includes six films that will be shown in the original version in Italian with Serbian subtitles.

we were forced to cancel the whole thing because of the crown. If there’s anything good in all of this, it’s that now in front of you is the best of the best Finnish cinema in the past four years. And a handful of exciting achievements have emerged in this period.

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RECOMMENDS

OK Boomer

Chasing The Light

Everyday life is a battle that must be fought against the boomers, and OK Boomer is the ultimate comeback! This is the lethal weapon we millennial and Gen Zs have been waiting for. It’s the verbal eye-roll we need for the out-of-touch generation who just don’t appreciate avocado and rosé.

This amusing little book will advise you when “OK Boomer” can best be deployed, along with tips on recognizing the boomer and understanding their outdated sayings.

Chasing the Light is Oliver Stone’s intimate and groundbreaking filmmaker’s memoir - and a razor-sharp insider’s tour of Hollywood during its 70s and 80s upheaval. With disarming honesty, he takes us from a childhood on New York’s Upper East Side through the combat zones of Vietnam, inside the clandestine worlds of Chinatown’s gang lords and Miami’s cocaine trade - and behind the glittering and often drug-addled Los Angeles movie society scene.

The Power of Women

Backable

Nobel laureate, world-renowned doctor and human rights activist, Dr Mukwege has dedicated his life to caring for victims of sexual violence. In this book Dr Mukwege interweaves his own dramatic story with the experiences of a range of extraordinary characters: the women he has treated - many of whom, after suffering unspeakable brutality, have had the strength to heal and rebuild their lives - as well as the people he has worked with, and survivors of sexual violence whom he has met during his years of advocating for women’s rights around the world.

No one makes it alone. But there’s a reason why some people can get investors or bosses to believe in them while others cannot. And that reason has little to do with experience, pedigree or a polished business plan. Backable people seem to have a hidden quality that inspires others to take action. We often chalk this up to natural talent or charisma . . . either you have ‘it’ or you don’t. After getting rejected by every investor he pitched, Suneel Gupta had a burning question: could ‘it’ be learned?

Unlost

The Korean Mind

Gail Muller was told she’d be in a wheelchair by the age of forty. At forty-one she set out to hike one of the world’s toughest treks, The Appalachian Trail - a 2,200-mile journey that would help her reclaim her life and heal her mind and body. An inspiring, moving and uplifting memoir for fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.

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.

Summersdale Publishers 1052 rsd

Denis Mukwege 1943 rsd

Gail Muller 1174 rsd

Oliver Stone 1295 rsd

Suneel Gupta , Carlye Adler 1943 rsd

Boye Lafayette De Mente 1700 rsd

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&FACES PLACES 22/03/2022

CorD Magazine’s Event Empowered Women Held Empowered Women event organized by CorD Magazine and aim was dedicated to strengthening the fight for gender equality and empowering women, especially the vulnerable. Participants heard that there have been important and good changes, but that society still has a lot of work to do.

Key speakers were Professor Dr Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and president of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality, H.E. Annika Ben David, Ambassador of Sweden, Violeta Jovanović, executive director of NALED and president of Ethno Network and Vera Nikolić Dimić, executive director of AmCham. Neda Lukić, editor-in-chief of CorD magazine, delivered a welcome address.

The companies that supported the event are Steel Impex, Dell Technologies, Generali, HEINEKEN, Aik Bank, Huawei and Bambi.

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01/03/2022

65th Anniversary Of The Diplomatic Relations Between Rabat And Belgrade Ambassador of Morocco H.E Ambassador Belhaj inaugurated the celebrations of the #yearofMoroccoinSerbia marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Belgrade. The ceremony was held in the postal-telegraphic-telephone museum in Belgrade, and was the occasion to reveal the joint stamp edition commemorating this jubilee made by Groupe Barid Al-Maghrib and Pošta Srbije, as well as to present a Morocco philatelic exhibition.

03/03/2022

IWC March Coffee Morning The Romanian embassy graciously invited the members of the International Women’s Club to celebrate the spring holiday “Martisor” with them for the March 2022 IWC coffee morning event. After being welcomed to the event by the IWC president Sonia Shehryar, the embassy guests, IWC members, and members of the press were invited by Her Excellency Mrs. Davidoiu to a presentation on the cultural significance of the March 1st holiday, the majestic Corvin Castle, one of the seven wonders of Romania as well as the beautiful city of Moldova Nouă on the other side of the Danube river.

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04/03/2022

Prehistoric Man “Revived” With MetaHuman Technology After the world premiere at Expo 2020 Dubai and huge attention from the public and media around the world, the project “Prehistoric MetaHuman”, a virtual revival of prehistoric man from Lepenski Vir, was premiered to the Belgrade public on 4th March at the National Museum in Belgrade.

This is an innovative project of Serbian scientists and innovators, which was realized with the support of the national platform Serbia Creates. For the first time in the history of mankind, the digitally portrayed digital face of the prehistoric man from Lepenski vir was animated and “revived” with the help of the top Metahuman technology, developed in Serbia.

07/03/2022

“International coffee break” Event Held Within The KBF Nine bilateral organizations in Serbia, within the Kopaonik Business Forum, gathered representatives of member companies at the already traditional event called “International Coffee Break”, in the Casa Hotel Restaurant of the Grand Hotel Grand.

The event was organized by the following bilateral organizations: Belgian-Serbian Business Association, Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, Croatian Business Club, CANSEE Canadian-Serbian Business Association, Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Nordic Business Alliance, Slovenian Business Club, and Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

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09/03/2022

Sustainable Development The Central Topic Of The Kopaonik Business Forum The 29th Kopaonik Business Forum was opened on 9th March gathering 1,000 participants. The central topic was “Serbia 2030: Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

During the four days, three plenary sessions were held, as well as 33 panels where about 200 participants spoke.

As the representatives of the organizers, the Association of Economists of Serbia, pointed out, the participants of the gathering aimed to give answers to the most important economic and social challenges that Serbia is facing, and where they see Serbia in 2030.

17/03/2022

Danijela Fišakov Re-elected As President Of The Slovenian Business Club The Slovenian Business Club (SPK) held a regular session of the Assembly at the Hyatt Regency Belgrade, which was also an election session.

In her address, the President pointed out that despite the past challenging year, the Slovenian Business Club has maintained stability and that the new Board of Directors will continue its work in the future, with a focus on the interests of SPK members.

23/03/2022

43rd International Tourism Fair Opened In Belgrade Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Tatjana Matić officially opened the 43rd International Tourism Fair. She said that the visit of a large number of ministers from other countries will contribute to strengthening both tourist exchange between our countries and existing business cooperation. She pointed out that the Belgrade Fair has a long tradition and is one of the key drivers of the Serbian economy as a whole, but it is also one of the most important events of this type in the region. After last year’s break, she said, this event now provides an opportunity for exhibitors and visitors alike to remember the golden times of travel and, despite everything, to invigorate the hope of a return to normal life.

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24/03/2022

The General Assembly Of The French-Serbian Chamber Of Commerce Held The French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (CCIFS) held its regular annual General Assembly at the Embassy of the French Republic in Belgrade, at which the report on activities and the financial report for 2021, and the draft budget for 2022 were adopted.

Dragan Stokić, President of the CCIFS addressed the members of the chamber, referring to the results so far and the strategy for future development.

CCIFS Director-General Sanja Ivanić presented the activities realized in the past year and those planned in 2022, while Miodrag Jelić, CCIFS Treasurer from Lesaffre presented the financial results and the projected budget for 2022 to members.

29/03/2022

French Order Of Merit Awarded To Prof. Dr. Ivan Petrović The ceremony at the French Embassy was held in the presence of the director of the Vinca Institute, the rector of the University of Belgrade, the family and close associates of Professor Ivan Petrović.

In his speech, Ambassador H.E. Pierre Cochard emphasized the exceptional merits of this great scientist and friend of France and his contribution to top French-Serbian cooperation, as well as his impressive contribution to French, European, and international scientific research in nuclear physics and cancer.

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Contents

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TRANSPORT CONNECTIVITY OPENS THE DOOR TO DEVELOPMENT TOMISLAV MOMIROVIĆ, SERBIAN MINISTER OF CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

NEW SPLENDOUR FOR THE SAVA CENTER! DELTA REAL ESTATE

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OBO TUNNEL SOLUTIONS

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BETTER AND MORE WORK THAN EVER BEFORE MILUTIN IGNJATOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION, CIP

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VOLUME OF WORKS AND NEW JOBS GROWING CONSTANTLY IVANA VULETIĆ, SECRETARY OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY OF 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

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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 INFRASTRUCTURE 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

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A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE OLGA ĐURIĆ PERIĆ, DIRECTOR, ASMEC CONSULTANTS LTD

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SATISFIED CUSTOMERS REPRESENT OUR PRIMARY GOAL DANILO ĐUROVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, HERTZ SERBIA

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GOOD RESULTS ARE THE BEST RECOMMENDATION VUKAJLO LAINOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF INDUSTRIAL PARK BELGRADE LTD AND STEVAN ROGIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF INDUSTRIAL PARK BELGRADE LTD

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WE’RE ADVANCING UNSTOPPABLY NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Construction Transport Infrastructure

CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE

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INTERVIEW TOMISLAV MOMIROVIĆ, SERBIAN MINISTER OF CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Transport Connectivity Opens

THE DOOR TO DEVELOPMENT

Despite the numerous challenges being faced

by Serbia and the rest of the world as a consequence of the energy crisis and the conflict in Ukraine, our country is continuing to implement extensive infrastructural works that form the basis of further economic progress in regional and European frameworks 4

Greece 2022

T

he state of transport infrastructure represents one of the key factors in attracting foreign investments, but also increasing the competitiveness of the domestic economy. It is for these reasons that the work of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure is always at the heart of public interest.

It was just prior to the publishing of this special edition that regular high-speed train traffic commenced on the new Belgrade-Novi Sad express rail route. However, this isn’t the only rail route to have been renovated.

And that’s precisely why we began this interview with Minister Tomislav Momirović by addressing the issue of connecting Serbian and European railways, the importance of these transport routes to further economic development and the environmental aspects of increasingly intensive use of railways.

“It’s completely certain that the entire European Union has recognised railways as the future of freight transport. Emissions of CO2 are 3.5 times lower per ton-kilometre than freight transports by road. Also testifying clearly to this is the fact that the EU decided to provide grants of 600 million euros to finance the modernisation of the Belgrade– Niš–Tabanovce railway, which will complete the rail section of Corridor 10 through our country,” says Minister Momirović.

As our interlocutor explains, “our greatest competition currently is coming from Corridor 4, through Bulgaria. With the modernisation of the Corridor 10 route through our country, we will be part of the shortest east-west route. Naturally, this all means much higher revenues for companies that provide railway transport services. Furthermore, any company considering an investment decision will very

DEVELOPMENT

ECOLOGY

TAKE-OFF

The state of transport infrastructure represents one of the key factors in attracting foreign investments, but also increasing the competitiveness of the domestic economy

We’ve allocated 300 million euros for environmental projects for this year – for the construction of the sewage network, wastewater treatment facilities and regional landfills

Airports in Niš and Kraljevo represent a window to the world for their respective regions, and enable even better conditions for receiving people and goods

carefully calculate the price and speed at which it can transport its products to its consumers”.

The minister also notes that greater importance has been attached to the environmental impact of transport over recent years.

“Developed high-speed railways provide the best response to all of these issues,” concludes Momirović.

utilise it to transfer passengers between different railway systems, which contributes significantly to improving multimodality and thus improving the quality of rail services for travellers.

You launched works to expand the capacity of Niš Constantine the Great Airport despite air transport being hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. What is the ministry’s strategic plan for the development of Serbia’s smaller airports?

We signed a contract in February that implies the executing of works to extend the terminal building within the complex of Constantine the Great Airport in Niš.

This will make Niš’s airport one of the most modern in Southeast Europe. The upgrading of the terminal building will enable an annual capacity of 1.5 million passengers and the simultaneous serving of six aircraft. It will have departure gates and the possibility of deploying an air boarding bridge, which it doesn’t currently have. We will also secure additional commercial space and enable significant improvements to passenger comfort.

Planned works on the expansion of existing airport capacities haven’t been side-lined despite the current situation in the country and around the world. Alongside all current investments and the plan to further develop Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, it is essential for us to have regional airports that serve the needs of other regions in Serbia, and here I’m primarily referring to the Constantine the Great Airport in Niš and the Morava Airport in Kraljevo. These airports represent a window to the world for their respective regions, and the investments of the ministry that I head serve to create even better conditions for receiving people and goods. Following the completion of important infrastructure projects in road and rail transport, and thanks to our country’s economic stability, we can talk about the strategy for Serbia – like developed countries – to have airports located within a 50-kilometre radius of important regional hubs.

Belgrade, followed by Niš, will see the relocating of rail tracks and hubs from their city centre areas. Considering that almost all major European cities have preserved the very central locations of their railway stations, what arguments do you have for reaching different solutions?

With the relocating of the noted railway stations, but also the building of new ones, numerous problems will be solved, and here I’m primarily referring to the relocating of freight traffic away from city centres, reducing the risk of traffic accidents involving rail vehicles, as well as eliminating various sources of noise pollution. Moreover, I would note that the project to reconstruct and modernise the Niš–Dimitrovgrad railway envisages the relocating of only rail freight traffic from Niš city centre, while passenger trains would continue operating as they have to date. In that way, with the construction of the aforementioned bypass, the capacity of the railway will be increased, which is extremely important to ensure the efficient future functioning of the Niš rail hub.

When it comes to Belgrade’s central railway station, during the previous period – on the basis of decades of analysis of rail traffic and various studies – an urbanisation project was developed for the construction of a railway station, parking facilities and accompanying business/commercial facilities within the scope of the “Belgrade Centre” railway station. One advantage of this relocation is the possibility to efficiently connect it with other parts of the city, as well as the possibility for trains included in the ‘BG: VOZ’ urban rail system to access this station and

The idea of the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative is based, to a large extent, on the transport connectivity of the countries of the region. How close are we currently to realising this vision of good, modern connectivity across this region?

I consider us as being very close to achieving the goals, but that in no way implies that we shouldn’t continue implementing all tasks that move us towards even greater transport connectivity among the countries of the region.We do everything that we do in order to improve

The Government of the Republic of Serbia is fully committed to the “Open Balkan” policy, which implies regional integration to ensure swifter and more efficient flows of goods and services, but we will see in the coming period how the conflict in Ukraine will impact on the connectivity of Europe as a whole the prosperity of our citizens, and that’s also reflected in the “Open Balkan” project, which was launched extremely energetically by President Vučić. The “Open Balkan” project was launched to improve the future prospects of Serbia, to remove obstacles in the region and make our economies profitable, and also to facilitate the movements of citizens.

Advancing the integration, interconnectivity and economic growth of the entire region are our strategic interests. The Government of the Republic of Serbia is fully committed to the “Open Balkan” policy, which implies regional integration to ensure swifter and more efficient flows of goods and services, but we will see in the coming period how the conflict in Ukraine will impact on the connectivity of Europe as a whole.

Another major project that you are heading is the “Clean Serbia” project. How much progress has been made on this project and what are the realistic possibilities of achieving its objectives by the end of this year?

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INTERVIEW

Less than eight per cent of municipal wastewater in Serbia is currently treated, while less than 10% of the population is covered by some level of wastewater treatment. An extremely low number of households are connected to the sewage system in the Republic of Serbia, with a large number continuing to utilise septic tanks. Our plan is to develop a sewage network covering 7,000 kilometres and construct more than 250 wastewater treatment plants in Serbia over the following five years. The plan is to invest four billion euros in the implementation of these projects, in order to resolve a problem that is being faced by approximately three million residents.

President Aleksandar Vučić also launched the “Clean Serbia” project in an effort to resolve these accumulated problems and finally elevate Serbia’s infrastructure to the EU level. Untreated wastewater must no longer be pumped into our rivers; there must be no more wild dumpsites and waste products ending up discarded in forests and children’s playgrounds. This is today’s biggest and most critical environmental problem confronting citizens. We’ve allocated 300 million euros for environmental projects for this year – for the construction of the sewage network, wastewater treatment facilities and regional landfills.

connecting city transport and major hubs of regional and international traffic, such as the railway station and the new bus station? What is your vision; and what are your realistic plans to construct the parts of that mosaic that are currently lacking?

Once we complete important infrastructure projects in road and rail transport, we can turn to the strategy to develop air transport with the idea of Serbia – like developed countries – having airports located within a 50-kilometre radius of important regional hubs

Belgrade is a major construction site, but the general public needs more information regarding the strategic vision of

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PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Realistic plans are visible to everyone.

Major investment projects that are approaching the stage of commissioning – such as the high-speed railway and the Belgrade Bypass, along with the Metro [underground urban rail system], which we’ve finally advanced from a standstill – represent the backbone of our dream of the modern Belgrade, as a centre of domestic, regional, European and world transport corridors. From the intermodal terminal in Batajnica to the new Port of Belgrade, we are slowly adding pieces to the puzzle and raising the competitiveness of Belgrade and Serbia in global frameworks.

That’s because roads and transport corridors

enable the economy to take off. And regardless of how impatient citizens are, and how much they want that all to be built as soon as possible, they must be aware of the huge amounts of energy and funding that we’ve invested following previous governments’ decades of inactivity.

One of the biggest challenges of the Covid-19 period was the creation of green corridors enabling Serbian goods to make their way to the countries of the EU. What challenges are you facing as a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine and what possibilities do you envisage to resolve them?

The conflict in Ukraine is something that will have far-reaching consequences for the whole of Europe, and also the world. Here I would like to look back on the extremely difficult situation that we faced when it came to ensuring the safe return of our truck drivers who were “captured” in Ukraine. I would mention the fact that the ministry I head took all essential steps - through contact with road haulage associations - to secure precise and accurate information on the number and location of all of our haulage vehicles and drivers, our citizens, who were prevented from continuing their journey from Ukraine to Serbia. We succeeded in securing the return of our people to Serbia.

We will certainly continue taking all steps towards enabling the unobstructed return of our drivers and goods to Serbia.

CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE

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INTERVIEW MILUTIN IGNJATOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION, CIP

Better And More

WORK THAN EVER BEFORE Never before in our history have we had as many construction sites and contracted jobs as we have today. During these times of modernisation and the construction of infrastructure in Serbia, CIP is one of the most important participants, both as a project designer and an expert works supervisor

T

he Institute of Transportation CIP employs more than 500 experts of all profiles and is the only company in the region that designs railway infrastructure. Founded as far back as 1881, it is this year commemorating 141 years of work on conducting studies, designing and supervising railway construction works in Serbia and across the former Yugoslavia.

With a tradition dating back almost a century and a half, CIP’s experts have created monuments of architectural knowhow on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, but also abroad.

We began this interview by asking CIP Managing Director Milutin Ignjatović which projects he would single out as being the most important today.

“Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, CIP is designing modern, high-speed railway lines, which represent a major leap in the history of designing and installing rail tracks for trains of speeds of 200 kph that will connect Serbia with most European countries. When it comes to railways, I would emphasise in particular the Belgrade-Budapest railway project,” says Ignjatović, continuing: “This is the most important strategic project of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the biggest project in CIP’s history, which makes us very proud.”

For the needs of this large project, CIP engaged top expert engineers and prepared complete planning and technical documentation with its partners for the 183km-long section of the line from Belgrade’s central station to the Hungarian border, encompassing the railway junctions of Novi Sad and Subotica.

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PROFESSIONALITY

RECORD

PLANS

We have no real competition, because we carry out almost all of the largest and most important projects in Serbia, which require licenses, knowhow and experience that only we possess

The Belgrade-Budapest railway project is the most important strategic project of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the biggest project in CIP’s history, which makes us very proud

In accordance with the state’s priorities, CIP continues to work intensively with its partners on the designing of highways and expressways

“The ceremonial opening of this ‘masterpiece’ of construction that is the railway from Belgrade to Novi Sad was held on 19th March 2022, with which we gained the most modern railway in Southeast Europe,” notes CorD’s interlocutor.

Highway E-763, covering a length of around 17.6 km, together with a 1,600-metre-long bridge over the Sava and Kolubara rivers, and the Ub-Lajkovac and Takovo-Preljina sections.

CIP also designed the majority of sections along Corridor 10’s Highway E-75 (Niš-Skopje),

Ljubovija and Bratunac was built, thus connecting Serbia and Republika Srpska with a joint border crossing.

Furthermore, CIP also prepared technical documentation for the Batrovci border crossing and the expansion of the Horgoš border crossing.

It is also thanks to CIP projects that all of Belgrade’s modern tram lines have been installed and reconstructed for decades.

I would also highlight in particular the unique Avala Tower: the 203-metre-tall symbol of Belgrade that was destroyed in the NATO bombing of 1999 and rebuilt according to a CIP project and under CIP’s expert supervision.

We shouldn’t overlook the many structures that were reconstructed following NATO aggression, especially the bridges in Novi Sad – the Varadin Rainbow Bridge and the temporary, prefabricated rail-road bridge that was built in just 120 days.

CIP has also prepared project design documentation for the most important residential and business complexes in Belgrade, of which we would particularly emphasise the University settlement in Blok 32, the largest part of the Stepa Stepanović residential and business complex, with more than 4,600 apartments and all associated infrastructure, as well as for the residential complex in Ovča where works are underway.

We were also the first in Serbia to design a facility for the National Gamma Centre, under the auspices of the Clinical Centre of Serbia, which has since been constructed and made operational. We should also highlight the project of the unique House of Football in Stara Pazova, the reconstruction of Tašmajdan Stadium, Zeleni Venac Market in Belgrade etc.

Which period of our past is comparable to today when it comes to the number and value of the projects in which you’re currently participating?

It is evident that we’ve never before in our history had as many construction sites and contracted works as we have today.

During these times of the modernisation and construction of infrastructure in Serbia, CIP is one of the most important participants, both as a project designer and an expert works supervisor.

In earlier times, CIP designed almost all structures and facilities that were built in Serbia, whether that was railways, roads, highways, hospitals, schools, sports complexes and cultural facilities.

CIP’s experts designed and supervised construction works on around 3,000 km of railways, complete with stations and large railway junctions, across the former Yugoslavia, and here we would single out the Sarajevo-Ploče and Belgrade-Bar railways, as well as the junction hubs of Novi Sad, Skopje and Belgrade.

Other rail infrastructure built according to CIP projects incudes the two-track section of the Gilje-Ćuprija-Paraćin railway, with a bridge over the Velika Morava along the Belgrade-Niš railway that’s capable of speeds of up to 160kph, the second track from the Pančevo bridge to Pančevo, with a bridge over the river Tamiš, as well as the main refit of six sections of the railway route of Corridor 10, covering a total length of 112km, and on an approximately 78km-long section of the Belgrade-Bar railway.

The “Northern Tangent” in Belgrade was completed with Pupin’s Bridge over the Danube, the Surčin-Obrenovac section of

My vision is for CIP, in the near future, to be ranked among the world’s most important construction companies; a company that will bring together the best expert personnel and produce the best design projects as well as Highway E-80 along Corridor 10c (Niš-Bulgarian border).

CIP also carried out the preparation of planning documentation and the preliminary design concept for Highway E-761, the so-called ‘Moravian corridor’, with the 80-km-long Pojate-Kruševac-Adrani section.

It was also according to a CIP project that the road bridge over the Drina between

Your portfolio includes some of the most important projects in Belgrade, such as the new Sava Bridge and new railway and bus stations. How will their implementation change the look of Belgrade?

CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE

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INTERVIEW Belgrade is already among the world’s most beautiful metropolises. When all the projects planned and launched have been completed, Belgrade will be unrecognisable.

Here I’m referring primarily to the completion of the Belgrade Waterfront project, as well as the implementation of the projects of Institute of Transportation, CIP: construction of a new Sava Bridge on the site of the existing tram bridge; construction of a new bus station in New Belgrade; construction of a new railway station in New Belgrade and completion of the construction of the Belgrade Centre railway station in Prokop.

All these projects will relieve traffic congestion in the capital, ease the everyday lives of Belgraders and render Belgrade even more beautiful.

The Belgrade Centre railway station in Prokop has been designed as the main rail hub passenger station, where Corridor 10 lines from the directions of Subotica, Šid and Niš intersect, then the Belgrade-Bar line and the route from Vrsaš.

The new bus station in New Belgrade’s Blok 42, with its 65 platforms, will be integrated with the New Belgrade railway station to form a unique interchange.

For New Sava Bridge, which satisfies all traffic, technical, architectural and environmental requirements, CIP prepared its Preliminary Design Concept as the winner of the first prize in the anonymous design contest to design the new bridge over the river Sava, to be located on the site of the existing tram bridge. It is planned for this bridge to cater for both rail and road traffic, with sections for pedestrian and bicycle traffic on both sides.

It is also vital for the Serbian capital to complete the Belgrade Bypass, because that would permanently solve traffic congestion, while shifting the transport of hazardous and volatile substances away from central Belgrade.

We have the most modern equipment and software for work, and we encourage employees to learn, improve their skills and progress

These kinds of jobs demand concentrated technical knowhow and a team of top experts ready to find the most rational solutions for the most complex projects.

Given the workforce shortages confronting Serbia, to what extent do you succeed in retaining established experts and enticing talented youngsters?

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PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

You’re right. For the first time in the more recent Serbian history, we have a labour shortage problem. The reason for that is that we’ve launched major infrastructure projects the likes of which we could only have dreamt of in the past. And CIP has managed, despite the difficulties, to retain its expert personnel and the highest quality engineers, because it invests the maximum in the advanced training and educating of employees, working conditions and a technically equipped, healthy and professional working environment. We have the most modern equipment and software

for work, and we encourage employees to learn, improve their skills and progress.

We have an increasingly globalised and interconnected market, where competition is constantly on the rise. What are the most important prerequisites for CIP to remain among the world’s top project design companies?

The most important precondition for the continued development of CIP is for the state to maintain this kind of economic development, to continue implementing planned projects and contracting new jobs, and to maintain a state of peace and stability, which represent the most important prerequisites for the prosperity of every company and individual. CIP succeeded in carving out its position even during the most difficult conditions, so I have no doubt about our future.

With over a century of tradition, Institute of Transportation CIP is today a leading research, design and consulting company in Serbia and Southeast Europe.

Institute of Transportation CIP successfully carries out all design activities, such as geodetic works, geological research, laboratory tests in the field of environmental protection, preparation of study, planning and technical documentation, professional and technical checking of technical documentation, testing of structures, professional supervision during construction, technical inspection of buildings, engineering consulting services.

With a staff of over 500 and over 300 experts licensed by the Serbian Chamber of Engineers and the Republic Geodetic Authority, Institute of Transportation CIP is a reliable partner to state institutions, faculties, local and foreign companies. It has modern equipment and software for design, geodetic surveys and geotechnical research.

In more than 140 years of business, CIP has remained synonymous with a high concentration of technical knowledge and a team of top experts who are ready to find the most rational solutions to the most complex projects.

The result of decades of successful work by CIP in the country and abroad is more than 8,000 kilometres of designed, built and reconstructed railways, 25 major railway junctions, more than 2,000 kilometres of roads and motorways, 1,200 bridges, 550 tunnels and underground facilities for various purposes and more than a million square metres of health, cultural, business, residential, sports and industrial facilities.

The CIP is designing modern high-speed railways, a major leap in the history of the design and construction of railways with train speeds of 200 km/h and with which Serbia will connect to most European countries.

An optimal combination of many years of tradition and experience, following global achievements and trends, Institute of Transportation CIP has become a formula for business, quality, speed and trust, and has remained at the top of the list of the world’s engineering design companies.

Managing Director Milutin Ignjatović, dipl. inž.

Nemanjina 6/IV, 11000 Beograd, Republic of Serbia Tel. 011/361-69-29, 361-82-87; Fax: 011/361-67-57 E-mail: office@sicip.co.rs; www.sicip.co.rs CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE 11

IVANA VULETIĆ, SECRETARY OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY OF SERBIA

Volume Of Works And New Jobs

GROWING CONSTANTLY The construction sector is recording constant growth year on year. We will continue promoting these trends in the period ahead by connecting relevant participants

I

f we listed all the areas of activity within the scope of the construction sector, as well as other economic activities that are connected, directly or indirectly, with this industry, this whole page wouldn’t be enough to present them in the proper way. It would be enough to mention roads alone for there to be no end to the list. Serbia’s construction industry today comprises more than 11,000 companies employing in excess of 100,000 workers.

The value of construction works implemented in 2021 had real growth of 17 per cent. It’s worth reminding readers that, in the first quarter of 2021, the construction sector achieved the highest year-on-year growth in gross value added of any economic activity, totalling 19.6% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

A total of 2,916 construction permits were issued in December 2021 alone, which is up 34.3% compared to December 2020.

Works on newbuild construction projects conducted in December 2021 had an estimated value of 72.6% of the total estimated value of works. The highest concentration of construction activity is expected in Belgrade’s districts, representing 18.9% of the projected value of newbuild construction works, followed by the Kolubara District (15.9%), the South Bačka District (12.4%), the Srem District (10.3%) and the Šumadija region (9.1%), while the participation of the country’s remaining regions reaches up to six per cent.

Given announcements of the continuation of investments in Serbia in the period ahead, particularly investments in infrastructure, we expect these kinds of positive construction trends to continue.

The construction sector’s influence over the country’s overall economic growth, through

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PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

many factors, is immeasurable, whether that relates to the construction stage or the stage of the exploitation of facilities through the engaging of domestic operatives and the local workforce, and the use of materials sourced domestically, while, for example, following the completion of construction, better infrastructure eases the economy’s operations.

When it comes to presenting us to the world, it is particularly important to mention Expo 2020 Dubai, during the course of which it has been planned for the Republic of Serbia to have business delegations participating in nine thematic

weeks. The Republic of Serbia’s attendance of the expo has been jointly organised by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia – Platform Serbia, the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS).

A total of 77 companies and 158 businesspeople applied for inclusion in the business delegation to participate in the Third Thematic Week, “Urban and Rural Development”. The 77 companies included in this business delegation employ a combined total of 4,546 workers, while financial statements for 2019 show

that they generated total business revenues exceeding 50 billion RSD. Over the course of their time at Expo 2020 Dubai for the “Urban and Rural Development” Thematic Week, businesspeople from Serbia were introduced to the CCIS Business Hub, located in the South Dubai industrial zone, and given opportunities to use it free of charge to hold meetings, give presentations etc.

These companies established more than 2,000 contacts, 275 of which were utilised to establish potential cooperation, while five business contracts were concluded, as well as around ten preliminary contracts for works that will be implemented in the near future.

These companies expect to sign contracts with values ranging from 10,000 to three million euros.

Serbian construction firms have traditionally had a presence on the markets of Africa, Asia, South America, the Middle East etc. Our construction specialists are still engaged on these markets today, albeit in a slightly altered format. Specifically, the presence of Serbian companies engaged in project design and project management is constantly on the rise, while there are ever fewer Serbian companies engaged in the execution of works on the ground.

Moreover, a large volume of works are currently underway in Serbia, which makes our market very interesting and challenging for construction companies, especially in the field of executing works.

The construction sector accounts for 7.5% of total employment in the Republic of Serbia. Shortages and outflows of qualified and skilled workers is a problem that has long since confronted the construction industry as a whole, across the entire region. This problem is apparent in Serbia, particularly given the intensification of investment activity in the country’s construction sector during the previous period, which has a direct impact on increasing demand for workers to implement construction works.

Apart from a pronounced shortage of skilled labour, the construction worker market also faces the problem of an insufficient number of schoolchildren enrolled in vocational secondary schools specialising in construction.

With the inclusion of as many companies as possible in the dual education system, work experience placements and internships would prepare pupils to begin working in construction immediately upon graduation. And, considering

the increased labour market demand, there is certainly work to be had in construction.

Likewise, there is also an initiative among construction companies to establish – with certain benefits, i.e., subsidies – training and retraining centres for construction workers within the scope of companies.

With the objective of implementing digitalisation within the framework of the construction industry, we launched an initiative to introduce possibilities to manage construction site diaries and construction books electronically, while our communication with NALED, related to the project to introduce benefits for registering seasonal construction workers,

“Created in Serbia” campaign as being extremely important. This is all about supporting domestic producers, the products of which will bear the “Čuvarkuća” [Housekeeper] brand as a way of confirming that the product was made in Serbia. The right to use this brand has to date been taken on by brick and tile producing companies AD Polet and Wienerberger, as well as cement manufacturer Moravacem.

All three companies have a long tradition on the Serbian market, while foreign investment has resulted in the further advancement of their operations.

Considering the fact that global trends across all industries are focused on sustainable

According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, 167,687 construction sector employees were recorded in Q4 2021, which is up 4.1% on the number of workers in 2018. According to SORS data for the construction sector, 161,136 employees were registered in Q4 2021, which is seven per cent more than in the same period of the previous year resulted in the Law on Employment Due to Increased Volumes of Work In Certain Activities, with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ Affairs and Social Affairs.

Our Association, together with company PlanRadar, last year organised a presentation of the Report on the Level of Digitalisation in the Construction Sector. Likewise, we are this year collaborating with company Orook, which is preparing a report on digitalisation in the scope of the construction industry.

When it comes to incentivising domestic production companies, we consider the CCIS’s

development, in the construction sector the “green building” approach is something that’s expected to experience its full expansion in the period ahead.

Serbian companies have the potential to support this type of construction. I’m certain that possible subsidies encouraging this type of construction would lead to a further increase in the number of companies interested in such investments. Green building is a preventative approach for preserving the environment that provides benefits to the surrounding area, but also to the users of such buildings.

CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE

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New Splendour For The

SAVA CENTER!

The Sava Center, the most important congress centre in the region, is today a major construction site occupied by hundreds of engaged workers and machines. The road to the new splendour of this centre, representing one of the most important buildings in this part of Europe, was paved by company Delta Real Estate, which plans to invest more than 60 million euros in this project

T

he Sava Center, the most important congress center in the region, is today a major construction site occupied by hundreds of engaged workers and machines. The road to the new splendor of this center, representing one of the most important buildings in this part of Europe, was paved by Delta Real Estate, which plans to invest more than 60 million euros in this project.

The formal launch of the comprehensive reconstruction of the Sava Center was marked in December 2021, at which point the future look of this facility was presented to the general public. The concept design of the reconstruction includes, first and foremost, the restoring of the former reputation of the centre itself, which symbolises the greatness and strength of the society in which it was created. The building’s façade will be renovated in accordance with the original design of chief architect Stojan Maksimović, with the external roof made of sloping glass surfaces set to continue defining its internal lines and mass, thus ensuring that the interior and

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exterior continue to represent a harmonious unit. More than double the number of conference halls, modernisation of audio and visual equipment, the newly formed winter garden and an increased capacity of the Blue Hall are just some of the features of the new Sava

Apart from preserving and modernizing this facility, great emphasis will be placed on improving its energy efficiency and energy saving, which were among the Sava Center’s biggest problems in the past

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Center. The project also envisages a clear division of the facility into congress-cultural and business-commercial zones.

Apart from preserving and modernising this facility, great emphasis will be placed on improving its energy efficiency and energy saving, which were among the Sava Center’s biggest problems in the past.

The company is currently considering the installation of solar panels on the roof, while it is almost certain that the increased amount of interior greenery, along with its glass façade surfaces with high transparency, will enable the Sava Center to become a genuine example of green-sustainable standards following reconstruction.

Belgrade was proclaimed one of the five fastest growing destinations for congress tourism back in 2015, and even back then there was a need for a modern congress centre that would be the driver of this branch of the tourism industry, both for our country and the region. The vision for the Sava Center has always been for it to be a focal point for gathering experts, representatives of scientific communities, culture, media, as well as all people from the business world.

Following the reconstruction, this will be a place for all of them to exchange knowledge, make important decisions and forge new ideas that will improve the world in which we live and work.

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BUSINESS

OBO TUNNEL SOLUTIONS

E

uropean tunnels are checked at the start of the holiday season each year.

Many accidents and fires have led to the rethinking and modernising of most systems, while today’s demands – even for electrical infrastructure – are extremely high. OBO makes the passage safer.

Solutions are generally invisible, but provide a sense of security.

Creating passive security Maintaining functionality in the event of an error Maintaining a reliable power supply and data transfer Satisfying all fire protection requirements OVERVIEW OF OBO SYSTEMS Cable management - practical and easy to install, either individually or group-guided cables Connection and distribution - for the secure connecting of electrical cables with maximum IP protection Surge protection - to protect control and power centres from partial currents of atmospheric discharges

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I nsulation of fire breaks - tested firefighting systems that prevent the spread of fire, smoke and heat Considering the joint planning and design of various tunnel systems, experience has shown that every individual project has its own requirements and needs for technical equipment. At OBO, you can receive the right advice on appropriate materials that will not endanger the environment, the appropriate surface protection of materials that must withstand tunnel conditions and are suitable for rapid corrosion, control technology and safety etc. This is made possible thanks to a perfectly equipped test centre, where testing is conducted not only on our standard products, but also on products specific to certain projects.

Ensuring normal operations without problems is at the top of the system operator’s list of priorities for tunnels. To enable this, all components used must be made of materials that meet stringent requirements. OBO products used in tunnels are resistant to high humidity and pressure. Mounting times can be decisive when selecting equipment that will be installed in the tunnel, and OBO has set new standards in this field – drastically reducing

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

installation time through a quick connection of the cable tray. OBO GR-Magic and RKSMagic fast-acting systems provide the ideal solution.

They minimise the time required and thus contribute significantly to project completion within specified deadlines.

Whenever something happens in a tunnel, the safety of people inside is a priority. For example, if a fire breaks out, emergency lighting systems, immobilising systems and monitoring systems must function flawlessly. OBO can significantly contribute to personal safety and firefighting.

OBO functionality maintenance systems have been tested and approved according to the DIN 4102-12 standard, while the cable carrier system is specially developed to maintain functionality in classes E30 and E90.

Tunnel constructions have a dense network of energy and signal cables that traverse walls and ceilings. These design constraints must be specifically protected in the case of fire, in order to prevent flames, smoke and heat spreading via openings in walls. OBO insulation systems guarantee this.

OBO BETTERMANN d.o.o. Stara Pazova www.obo.rs

OLGA ĐURIĆ PERIĆ, DIRECTOR, ASMEC CONSULTANTS LTD.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS

A Multidisciplinary Approach Is A

GREAT ADVANTAGE

Over the course of the 15 years that it’s been operating in Serbia, Asmec Consultants has grown from an engineering consultancy company specialising in structural design and works supervision to become a respectable company that’s expanded its operations to Europe, Africa and America

A

ll of our structures, whether residential and commercial buildings, hotels or factories, have the common qualities of being economical, secure and durable - says Asmec Consultants Director Olga Đurić Perić, adding that they complete all jobs on time and in a high-quality way.

Your portfolio encompasses many elements, from works supervision and project management, to expertise in the fields of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and public health. Does project design represent the foundation of everything?

Designing is the foundation for ensuring architects’ challenging ideas see the light of day. We do everything to respond to their ideas, from concept to preliminary and detailed design, via the harmonisation of designs with architectural ideas, to control of the execution of our design and project management. Asmec Consultants is a multidisciplinary engineering company that’s capable of designing various types of facilities, such as residential buildings, hotels, business centres, sporting facilities, factories, warehouses, bridges etc. We design structures in Serbia, Africa, Asia, America and across the whole of Europe, applying different norms and standards. Among our numerous positive references is the long-term cooperation that we have with many international clients. Moreover, for our designs we use the latest software that’s available on the market, including REVIT for BIM modelling.

You always strive to ensure the client is satisfied, whether you’re working with major international companies or small entrepreneurs. Do your successfully completed works represent your best reference, advertisement and recommendation?

Among our numerous positive references is the long-term cooperation that we have with many domestic and international clients

Since it was founded, the goal of the company has been to design facilities that are economical, secure and durable. Expertise, assured quality and respect for deadlines are the best recommendations. We’ve worked as subcontractors for large international companies, but also for small entrepreneurs, leaving

our clients satisfied with every job we’ve done, so we can state with pride that we receive positive feedback from our clients regarding the quality of our work and adherence to deadlines.

We strive to complete the work on time, in a high-quality way and in accordance with all project requirements. We’ve also transferred this ethic to our employees, who are educated, young Serbian engineers, which is why we believe we’re providing a good contribution to the Serbian market and construction industry.

We invest in our engineers and encourage them to develop their skills and work on improving their ability to communicate and coordinate, in order to be as successful as possible in finding a common language with clients and architects.

We consider the fact that we have “everything in one place” as another important recommendation, because we are a multidisciplinary company that comprises civil, mechanical, electrical and telecommunications engineers, as well as environmental protection experts.

Belgrade is adorned with many new buildings, including tower blocks of 50+ metres, buildings constructed according to the world’s highest standards, innovative designs and innovative solutions. Even the sky isn’t the limit today?

Belgrade is developing, expanding and growing, in terms of both breadth and height, so the face of the city is changing constantly.

Serbia as a whole has also changed and is now crisscrossed by new roads and railways. Though road and rail infrastructure is important, we believe its development should go hand in hand with improvements to social infrastructure that has a great impact on quality of life. It is for this very reason that Asmec Consultants is working on projects to improve energy efficiency at schools, libraries, clinics and health centres.

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BUSINESS

DANILO ĐUROVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, HERTZ SERBIA

Satisfied Customers Represent

OUR PRIMARY GOAL

Hertz is a leader in car rental services worldwide, while it has also been the first choice in Serbia for more than a decade. Apart from its fleet of 2,000 vehicles, including everything from fuel-efficient urban cars to luxury sedans, Hertz also offers a wide range of services

R

apid changes within the automotive industry and social product growth per capita will, in the years ahead of us, serve to make car rental an ever more attractive option compared to traditional car ownership - believes Hertz Serbia General Manager Danilo Đurović.

What distinguishes Hertz Serbia from the competition so much?

As the franchisee of a company that’s been a leader of the vehicle rental industry for more than a century, we are obliged to respect the highest industry standards in all aspects of our operations.

This enables us to keep pace with trends and also apply the best practices on our market. We have developed systems for monitoring customer satisfaction, which is the basic goal of our business activities and the key to our success.

Is it true that you are able to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding drivers?

We are extremely proud of our flexibility, thanks to which we are able to go out of our way to meet the needs of our clients, even when they have requirements that extend beyond the standard products of daily, monthly, annual or multi-year vehicle rental services. Our basic mission is to have satisfied clients, which is why we constantly listen to their needs and respond to them in the right way.

Interest in operational leasing is growing in developed countries. How is it progressing in our country?

This concept is still in its infancy in our country, and there is great potential for development. The percentage of vehicles acquired through operational leasing, as a proportion of total sales of new vehicles in Serbia annually, is estimated at no more than 20%, while we believe this percentage should

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Our basic mission is to have satisfied clients, which is why we constantly listen to their needs and respond to them in the right way be much higher. The right market ambience exists, because, apart from ourselves, there are also several other established companies providing this type of service, so we - as an industry - are doing everything in our power to promote this type of product and familiarise a greater number of clients with it.

We lack institutional support in promoting this type of product, through the establishing of tax incentives, the setting up of legal regulations and legal protections, and the organising of associations. External factors, such as rapid changes in the automotive industry and GDP growth per capita, will, in and of themselves, render car rental a more attractive option than traditional vehicle ownership.

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Does our market have any unique characteristics? Which cars do our drivers prefer and which services are in the highest demand in our country?

When it comes to short-term vehicle rental, better known as rent-a-car services, our market is characterised by business users and expatriates, while the share of foreign tourists in total rents lags far behind these two categories. When it comes to operational leasing, it is currently dominated entirely by businesses, on the whole foreign companies and larger domestic firms.

When it comes to vehicle type, the specific characteristics of our market are that sedans remain very popular, while diesel remains the preferred fuel type. Given the general automotive industry trend that sees sedans increasingly replaced by SUVs and crossovers, while ever more manufacturers are announcing and/or implementing the complete withdrawal of diesel options, we also expect shifts in this direction on our market.

BUSINESS

VUKAJLO LAINOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF INDUSTRIAL PARK BELGRADE LTD AND STEVAN ROGIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF INDUSTRIAL PARK BELGRADE LTD

BUSINESS

Good Results Are The

BEST RECOMMENDATION Industrial Park Belgrade Ltd (IPB) deals with the development and construction of modern logistics centres, project design etc. It is currently focused on completion of the sixth storage facility in Industrial zone 5.1 and identifying clients for facility number seven, which will be constructed by year’s end

I

PB secures construction complexes for its clients that satisfy all international standards in terms of legal regulations, transport and utilities infrastructure, but also energy efficiency.

Do you build new facilities for tenants that are known in advance and have defined requirements, or do you construct them in such a way that they can be combined, merged and adapted to suit the wishes and needs of clients? Does this enable IPB to serve even the most demanding logistical requirements?

IPB can serve even the most demanding logistical requirements, because it approaches the development of new business-storage facilities in a flexible way, which includes both of the options that you mentioned. Depending on specific circumstances or needs, IPB can develop facilities for tenants that are known in advance according to their requirements and specifications, but can also build facilities that can later be partitioned, combined or merged following the identifying of a tenant. The goal is to always go out of our way to meet the needs and interests of potential clients, i.e., to realise mutually beneficial cooperation in the most optimal way.

What are the advantages of the storage facilities that you build, apart from their perfect location?

Apart from strategic positioning immediately alongside Highway E70, which ensures perfect transport connectivity, IPB secures construction complexes for its clients that satisfy all international standards in terms of legal regulations, transport and utilities infrastructure, but also energy efficiency (FM Global sprinkler system, heating and cooling system).

We provide a manned reception, video surveillance and ample parking for passenger cars, haulage vehicles and trucks. IPB’s property management team is also able to provide facility management, maintenance and security services.

You complete all projects within planned budgets and deadlines, without a single day’s delay. Is this one of the best recommendations for your work? Which companies have so far placed their trust in you?

Apart from adhering to deadlines and planned budgets, the best recommendation for our work is organisational flexibility, which enables us to achieve optimal results in the most efficient way, or to react on time to potential unforeseen circumstances, needs to reorganise space and similar requirements. One important factor is expediency in obtaining all

permits and other necessary construction documentation, which provides our clients with a sense of security.

We leased the first five business-storage facilities that we constructed to the company Milšped, and Slovenian company T.L. Sirk placed its trust in us by leasing of our latest, sixth facility to be completed. We are currently in the process of finding clients for facility number seven, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

When it comes to the construction of such facilities, the companies that have placed their trust in us includes the likes of Gradina, Yugometal, Euromont, Elmont Profil, Instalteh, Vlado Baumaschinen, Stobex, Procon, Transkop, BSN Energy, Prota Invest, Girt Pro and Frimex, as well as many other leading companies and entrepreneurs from the field of construction.

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NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS

No Longer Lagging

BEHIND THE WORLD Thanks to huge investments in infrastructure, Serbia is today reminiscent of Europe’s most developed countries. We have new highways, trains that run at speeds of up 200 kilometres per hour, a high-speed railway, the expansion of housing construction, the latest business facilities and a completely different and much improved quality of life, but also economic growth that’s proving unstoppable 20

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A TOTAL OF 36 DEPARTURES BETWEEN BELGRADE AND NOVI SAD Two more pairs of “Soko” passenger transport trains were added to transport flows along the highspeed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad as of Wednesday, 30th March. Accordingly, the “Regio Express” Soko trains are set to depart from the “Belgrade Centre” railway station bound for Novi Sad at 8.03am and 12.03pm, with the return journeys scheduled to set off from Novi Sad at 10.07am and 2.07pm. This means that there are now 18 daily departures in each direction along the high-speed railway between Belgrade and Novi Sad, or a total of 36 departures every day.

During the promotional period, which runs until 30th April, tickets for “Regio Express” trains are priced at 300 dinars for a one-way journey and 600 dinars for a return trip.

€885 MILLION FOR UPDATING INFRASTRUCTURE Serbia will have 885 million euros at its disposal over the next decade to advance infrastructure. Over a third of this total (€300 million) is in the form of grants from the European Union (300 million) and just over half (€450 million) is in the form of loans from international financial institutions, with the remainder to be financed directly from the national budget.

One of the key roles in this area belongs to the Western Balkan Investment Framework, a financial platform that was launched in 2009 by the European Union to finance projects in this region.

A new Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans was presented in Brussels recently and will be used over the next decade to fund priority projects related to sustainable transport, clean energy, the environment and climate, the digital future and human capital.

CONSTRUCTION - TRANSPORT - INFRASTRUCTURE

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SUNKEN GERMAN FLEET TO FINALLY BE RECOVERED FROM THE DANUBE

Architecture and construction have always been areas where creativity is expressed and boundaries pushed, where new technologies and achievements of the modern world are applied.

Given that innovation is the norm and standard of this branch of the economy, and not merely an expectation and possibility, it’s no surprise that it brings us new trends every year, including this one, and the five that we present here are set to dominate the world in 2022.

FIVE ARCHITECTURE & CONSTRUCTION TRENDS

SMALL HOUSES Since the pandemic forced us to more deeply examine our priorities, interest has been growing in small houses that are economical and more environmentally acceptable. What began as a cute little trend is now transforming into a permanent option, because small houses undoubtedly save us both space and money, while being more environmentally acceptable.

PREFABRICATED ARCHITECTURE Creating entire buildings or different components in a location that is more suitable for construction, then transporting them to their final location for installation, is a trend that is becoming increasingly popular around the world.

Prefabricated solutions reduce costs, guarantee sustainability, save time and ensure simplicity and modularity.

DIY SYSTEM When the limitations of the pandemic prompted masses of people to begin considering how good it would be to build their own house or summer home, to live under a roof that they built themselves, between walls that they personal erected,

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Following two and a half years of work on project preparation and the drafting of technical and tender documentation, we are now entering the final phase of implementation of the project ‘Removal of the Sunken German World War II Fleet From the Danube’.

“The Government of Serbia decided that, following many decades of neglecting transport and port infrastructure on the Danube, it would launch investments aimed at accelerating the development of water transport and water corridors via investments in ports, navigational safety and the regulating of our rivers to make them navigable 365 days a year,” said Serbian Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tomislav Momirović.

He noted that this project includes demining works and the removal of 21 sunken ships that narrow the width of the navigable route of the Danube from the prescribed 180 metres to just 90 metres. These ships, which were sunk prior to the end of World War II, are located downstream of hydroelectric power station Đerdap 2 [Iron Gate II].

These works are valued at an estimated 29 million euros and the required funds have been secured from a European Investment Bank loan and a WBIF fund grant.

PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

the construction industry responded by launching the production of DIY elements. They come packaged and complete with step-by-step assembly instructions.

SUSTAINABILITY Contemporary architecture and construction strive to integrate our homes with the planet as much as possible, instead of drawing on the planet’s resources and thus shortening its lifespan. The aim is to construct sustainable homes that reduce CO2 emissions and encourage a clean lifestyle.

3D PRINTED ARCHITECTURE Creating construction elements with a 3D printer is a simple, efficient and innovative technique that reduces the risk of errors and saves time, as it eliminates many monotonous steps and simplifies the construction process as a whole.

PRICES OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ALSO SET TO RISE NEXT YEAR “As soon as the construction industry restarted, which is the driver of all industry worldwide, prices of oil, transportation, raw materials and semi-finished goods also started to rise, which is why the prices of certain construction materials have increased by anywhere from 30 to 100 per cent, with a tendency to continue rising to a lesser extent next year,” according to the assessment of Goran Rodić, vice president of the Chamber of the Construction Industry of Serbia.

He considers us a small country where inflationary fluctuations are present, which is why he thinks that this is the right time for people who have money to invest in real estate and thus secure their money.

“Prices around the world depend on intermediate goods, or oil and gas prices, which are indicators of movements of the economy and have the greatest impact on overall rises in prices, leading to investors in large countries not earning upwards of 1,000 euros per square metre, but rather seven to ten per cent, in order to cover their costs and “turn around” the money, while it is interesting that in some locations in our country the returns are enormous,” notes Rodić.

Source: Biznis.rs

NATIONAL URBAN FORUM IN BELGRADE PREPARING FOR POLAND

The World Urban Forum, which is to be held in Poland this June, prompted the organising of the National Urban Forum in Belgrade, which will be held on 11th and 12th April and will bring together a large number of participants from the public and private sectors, the academic community, scientific and research institutions, civil society, the business world and international institutions, while it will also host participants from abroad.

The aim of the forum is to assess and analyse key topics and activities related to the field of urban development, as well as other policies included in the scope of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure that have synergies with urban development policy: National Housing Strategy, Long-Term Strategy for Mobilising Investments in the Renovation of the National Building Stock (energy efficiency) and National Architecture Strategy.

The National Forum is being organised by the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities – the Alliance of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia, the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia and UN-Habitat.

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PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Steel Impex is a member of the Austrian holding, which with a zero waste policy, is a leader in the Serbian market in the recycling of non-dangerous waste.

With the last investment on green energy, Steel Impex is becoming the first recycling center in the Republic of Serbia, which will perform all waste treatment operations exclusively from renewable energy.

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Green Serbia 2022

Rade Končara 1 21113 Petrovaradin, Serbia + 381 64 6497 721 | +381 60 6596 300 www.steelimpex.rs

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Contents 06

LET THE GREEN ONE ENTER COMMENT

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FAST-TRACK TO A GREEN FUTURE? NORBERT BECKMANN-DIERKES, HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF THE KONRAD ADENAUER FOUNDATION IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

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ADDRESSING TENSIONS BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION KEY PROFESSOR VLADIMIR JANKOVIĆ, PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

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RESPONSIBILITY IS UP TO US DR ALEKSANDAR JOVOVIĆ, FULL PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE’S FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

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EVERY DROP OF WATER MATTERS JELENA ANDRIĆ GRAFAKOS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACO EAST EUROPE ADRIATIC

IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rs

Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević

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

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Green Serbia 2022

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 GREEN SERBIA 2022 PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

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

No38 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

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GOOD NEIGHBOURLY RELATIONS CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS NENAD ILIĆ, MLEKARA ŠABAC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

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CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS SOMETIMES THE ONLY GOOD RESPONSE ČEDO MAKSIMOVIĆ PH.D., PROFESSOR AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

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WE MUST CHANGE OUR HABITS MAJA ŽIVKOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, STEEL IMPEX LTD

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CAN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY EXIST WITHOUT PRIMARY SELECTION? BOJANA PERIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF EKOSTAR PAK

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‘RADICAL ACTION’ NEEDED TO HIP CLIMATE GOALS ECOLOGY

Green Serbia 2022

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COMMENT

Let The Green ONE ENTER Countries that were late in embracing green transition and have limited resources should consider the options ahead of them thoroughly and use their capacities wisely and efficiently. It has yet to be decided whether Serbia will employ its human capacities to leapfrog itself into the position of an environmentally responsible country

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here has never been a worse time to procrastinate! - says University of Manchester professor Vladimir Janković, one of our interlocutors for this special edition. In other words, in the case of climate change and environmental policies, speed, determination and prudence are in high demand. Serbia has so far achieved modest results on implementing the Paris Agreement and transposing the EU 2030 Framework of Climate and Energy Policies onto its public policies. Indeed, the Serbian National Assembly has adopted the Climate Change Act, but has yet to specify mitigation targets. They are expected to become part of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy, which has yet to be adopted.

Or, as noted by another of our interlocutors, University of Belgrade Faculty of Mechanical Engineering professor Aleksandar Jovović, important documents, regulations and strategies have been adopted, but all the pain points of decarbonisation remain almost at a standstill.

It is often that case that measures that must to be taken if the country wants to fulfil its emissions targets are not popular ones.

The debate about the transition from fossil fuels to green sources of energy is a tense one, both from the political perspective – where powerful lobbies favour coal and the financial and social perspective; where poor citizen require heavy support to move from energy sources that are cheap but environmentally detrimental to ones that are healthier but more expensive and beyond their family budget.

On top of that, those particularly tough parts of the transition don’t yield instant political support. It is sometimes difficult for both politicians and citizens to comprehend the medium-term benefits of abandoning fossil fuels and the possible costs of failing to do so properly and in a timely manner. Satisfying the long-term Sustainable Development Goals and achieving economic competitiveness and the social co-benefits of climate action seem to be a lollipop on a long stick.

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It is sometimes difficult for both politicians and citizens to comprehend the medium-term benefits of abandoning fossil fuels and the possible costs of failing to do so properly and in a timely manner To a certain extent, our slow progress reflects shortcomings regarding the rule of law, corruption, clientelism, political patronage and nepotism, the complete lack of expert discussion and democratic choices. For example, our interlocutor Čedo Maksimović, Emeritus Professor of Water and Environmental Systems at Imperial College London, believes that uncontrolled urbanisation in Serbia contributes strongly to the devastating of our modest water resources. Likewise, due to negative selection and ill-informed political decisions, Serbia’s “critical mass” of competent experts able to design modern solutions in the field of water and the management of complex systems is gradually vanishing. Thus, our ability to use innovative technologies and

create professionally competent solutions is being compromised.

In summary, Serbia isn’t exerting enough efforts to “catch up” with countries of a similar economic power. Moreover, it is missing the opportunity to leapfrog others and become a regional and European leader regarding some solutions in the area of environmental solutions.

All of our interlocutors believe that Serbia should embrace the combining of Green and Blue elements, as an effective way of providing a sustainable natural solution to urban and climate challenges. And yet, if we look around in almost every town and city in Serbia, it is hard to find places that are green, more pleasant and less stressful for residents.

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INTERVIEW DR ALEKSANDAR JOVOVIĆ, FULL PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE’S FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Responsibility IS UP TO US With the ratifying of the Paris Agreement and the Energy Community Treaty, as well as the recent signing of the Sofia Declaration [on the Green Agenda], we, as a country, have committed ourselves to implementing the provisions of these documents. Despite numerous regulations and strategies related to these areas having been adopted or improved, all the pain points of decarbonisation remain almost at a standstill

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he conflict in Ukraine has prompted some analysts to suspect that the European countries that decided to gradually shut down their thermal power plants will now revise those policies, for security reasons. That’s why the first question we posed to Dr Aleksandar Jovović, professor at the University of Belgrade’s 8

Green Serbia 2022

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, is how the current energy crisis could impact on green energy transition policies, both globally and here in Serbia.

“Galvanised by the consequences of climate change and the acceleration of this global phenomenon to a point of no return to the world we know, numerous countries,

movements and companies, but of course also individuals, have embarked on the journey to carbon neutrality. The speed at which this unfolds may vary, but it is not “lightly promised”. These changes were preceded by numerous technical/economic analyses, feasibility studies, political debates, but primarily scientific research work in coop-

DECARBONISATION

POVERTY

SHORTCOMINGS

Decarbonisation certainly won’t be lacking in 2050, and it mustn’t be, because the consequences would be huge, and we’re already feeling them significantly ourselves, especially in this region

The Air Quality Programme will not yield results as long as there is raw coal on the market to burn in households, and as long as poverty compels citizens to burn various waste items

We haven’t adopted a low-carbon development strategy, the national plan for energy and climate is overdue, and we don’t even have a comprehensive economic development strategy

eration with economic players. It was only then that the decisions of the EU and other forward-thinking countries followed, which were subsequently made official, in many ways, at the so-called COP 26 UN Conference held in Glasgow 2021, through decisions and initiatives like ending the use of coal, which includes 160 countries, and the Global Methane Initiative, as well as the initiative for new agriculture. Nuclear energy has been presented as a potential avenue, but renewable energy sources and hydrogen are still the future. Decarbonisation efforts have also been joined by China and India. Research also shows the full magnitude of this process, in which the transition to low-carbon technology for cleaner production in the global north is currently unfolding to environmental and social detriment of the global south and, as such, decarbonisation is neither sustainable nor renewable,” explains Dr Jovović, continuing: “on top of all that, wars, like the assault on Ukraine, and energy problems from around a year ago, lead in every case to the achieving of decarbonisation goals being called into question, but they do not stop the process, and the launching a coal-fired TPP is only the temporary utilising of secured state reserves, planned simultaneously with the planning of decarbonisation, and not the recommissioning of previously abandoned powerplants, which should be seriously discerned”.

and drought, to a direct impact on health and the reducing of life expectancy. Energy and industry measures implemented in the EU have led to huge reductions in emissions, but our country’s heating energy sector remains the largest source of air pollution, emitting hundreds of thousands of tons of sulphur or millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. However, individual fireboxes remain the worst cause of air pollution in local areas. A huge problem is represented by the burning of raw lignite, which leads to the emission of soot, sulphur and – with favourable meteorological conditions – un-

long as there is raw coal to burn in households and as long as poverty compels citizens to burn various waste items, and the Air Quality Programme, which forms an integral part of the Economic Reform Programme for the 2022-2024 period, as well as other strategies and programmes at all levels of government, will remain a dead letter.

Serbia’s polluters also include the energy system and citizens who burn raw brown coal, tyres and various types of waste. In that sense, would it be good to view energy policies in parallel with the adjusting of social policy measures?

Both sources of air pollution and types of polluting components have changed over the last hundred years or so, along with the phenomena that they have caused, i.e., acidification and nitrification, ozone depletion, emissions of enduring organic components, climate change, and the impacts and consequences of a loss of labour productivity, through losses of sources of water and soil

Decarbonisation is an irreversible process, thus today we are witnessing a new industrial revolution, because just as the 19th century was the century of steel, the 20th century was the century of coal and oil and gas, this is the century of new technological solutions that are primarily achievable through the circular economy and smart specialisation believably frequent occurrences of industrial and photochemical smog. In addition to all of that, the combustion of waste materials in unsuitable fireboxes equally leads to fires at landfill sites, emissions of lasting organic pollution components that are highly resistant to the natural environment and extremely harmful to human health (toxic, potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic).

Poverty prevents the further expansion of the district heating network or the gasification of settlements, but the gradual ending of the use of fossil fuels, on the one hand, and the educating of the population, on the other, will inevitably lead to improvement, but the problem won’t come close to being resolved as

One of the objectives of the TeRRIFICA project that you’re participating in is to recognise and collect citizens’ knowledge and conclusions regarding the challenges posed by climate change in six pilot regions in Spain, Germany, France, Serbia, Poland and Belarus. What kinds of parallels and conclusions can be drawn from the results collected to date?

The TeRRIFICA project, which includes the participation of the Centre for the Promotion of Science, is a research project being conducted within the scope of the Horizon 2020 programme Science With and for Society (SWAFS). Under the auspices of this project, six pilot regions invited their citizens to contribute to the research, the results of which will become a key element of plans for adapting to climate change, which should lead to institutional and strategic changes.

The active involvement of citizens is more than evident – not only when it comes to mapping climate challenges in their own cities, but rather also in actively offering and implementing shared solutions (co-creation).

The project developed a tool in the form of a map, which helped provide citizens with an opportunity to participate in both the research and the identifying of innovative solutions.

Belgrade’s residents have been particularly active, which is why the city of Belgrade has the largest number of suggestions and ideas included in the project.

Who can apply pressure on public policymakers for them to be implemented at the national and local levels? In this context, what does the opening of Cluster 4 mean, but also the revolt of citizens on the streets?

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INTERVIEW The mega-projects that formed the engine of social development in the not-so-distant past, such as, for example, the construction of hydroelectric powerplants requiring the flooding and relocating of settlements and archaeological sites, are today no longer possible in the same way. People’s awareness of their own desire to live in a healthy and conserved environment, while preserving their cultural heritage, even at the expense of development, which emerged as a result of living in free-thinking communities, has also led to new technological solutions. EU citizens actually understood before anyone else the need for changes in the field of environmental protection and climate change, but they also understood the need to further develop society technologically. Pressure on politicians from citizens, as well as several court decisions, led to the formation of a cross-border carbon mechanism [Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)] on the EU’s external borders.

With the ratifying of the Paris Agreement and the Energy Community Treaty, as well as the recent signing of the Sofia Declaration [on the Green Agenda], we, as a country, have committed ourselves to implementing the provisions of these documents. And, despite great delays and many omissions, several regulations and strategies related to these areas have been adopted or improved. However, all the pain points of decarbonisation remain almost at a standstill, such as the provisions of the EU Green Deal, the failure to even adopt a low-carbon development strategy, the overdue national plan for energy and climate, the energy strategy, and the lack of a comprehensive economic development strategy. The transposing of European legislation, and behaving as though we’re an EU member state, is something that we accepted ourselves, when realising in one moment of clarity during our development that this represents the best solution for the future of Serbia, despite the flaws and negative aspects of every community, including this one. We have accordingly committed ourselves to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, monitored through the determining of targets for 2030 and the further harmonising of regulations in the field of GHG trading, as well as the drafting of an adaptation strategy and reporting on the way it is to 10

Green Serbia 2022

responsible nations, where the rule of law guarantees survival.

The opening of Cluster 4 is just a small gesture of affection, but also a great warning to those in government in the Republic of Serbia regarding their faults and what we need to do – not if we want membership, but rather if we want to be part of a community of advanced, developed, socially responsible nations, where the rule of law guarantees survival be implemented. The opening of Cluster 4 is just a small gesture of affection, but also a great warning to those in government in the Republic of Serbia regarding their faults and what we need to do – not if we want membership, but rather if we want to be part of a community of advanced, developed, socially

You consider wastewater treatment and waste management as representing the biggest problem. To what extent do government measures that are currently being implemented in this area represent an adequate response to solving this problem?

The programme for waste management over the next 10-year period has been adopted, an action plan is being drafted, the sludge management programme is being finalised, the circular economy strategy is underway, Serbia has a smart specialisation strategy, Belgrade has adopted its waste management plan, as a continuation of the plan from 2010, the city’s action plan for the management of construction and demolition waste has been adopted, and the Science Fund and Innovation Fund are providing attractive amounts of funding to finance projects in these areas. The City of Belgrade’s Regional Waste Management Centre of the City of Belgrade is in the final phase, a new landfill site is operating, a plant for construction waste, and for the first time a waste-powered thermal powerplant will soon start operating there, as though we’re in Vienna or Oslo. Many local governments are opting for varying forms of recycling and treatment, utilising national and international funds, albeit to insufficient extent. And all of this seems to be outstanding. So, where’s the problem; why aren’t we already at least like the worse EU member states? The problem was, and still is, in the failure to implement regulations, because implement is a bad, non-populist measure. And it required more than 10 years to grasp that there must nonetheless be implementation; that this pollution isn’t only ours, that it overflows beyond our borders and that can’t be done, and that we can also even earn and employ from, or on, waste, and that things can be better for everyone.

It is now important for the secured funds to be utilised correctly, in a controlled manner, without theft, which everyone refers to euphemistically as corruption, and for the system and plants constructed to be managed according to the letter of the law.

The full-length, Serbian version of this interview is available to read on our website, www.cordmagazine.com.

JELENA ANDRIĆ GRAFAKOS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACO EAST EUROPE ADRIATIC

BUSINESS

Every Drop Of WATER MATTERS ACO Group is a world market leader in the development and production of innovative solutions in the field of managing surface waters and water within buildings, and is also a member of the Green Council of Serbia, which encourages the spreading of awareness about the importance of responsibly using natural resources and protecting the environment fact that natural water cycle has changed, because less water can infiltrate the ground and partialy evaporate into the atmosphere.

This is an additional threat for all surface water management systems, as most of them are dimensioned according to different technical and environmental conditions, which we had in the past. Precisely for these reasons, it is essential to approach all phases of construction project in a responsible way, from the design and selection of appropriate solutions, to construction and maintenance works.

Projects are today becoming increasingly demanding, especially in the sense of the disposal and reuse of water, such that we often encounter a need to create “bespoke” solutions for individual projects. In such situations, the importance of product quality, knowledge and cooperation among all project participants is crucial. This is the only way to encourage sustainability in approaching projects and ensure the achieving of a positive impact on environmental protection.

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e invest constantly in the development of innovative solutions oriented towards the environmental conditions of the future, and simultaneously also in the knowhow and education of both our own staff and our associates on the market - notes ACO East Europe Adriatic Managing Director Jelena Andrić Grafakos.

There has been more construction projects than ever before over recent years, which poses great challenges to the construction sector as a whole. How has ACO resolved this issue?

Despite all the challenges, the construction industry is continuing its rise, and it’s important to preserve sustainability and quality in all of this. ACO has achieved strong growth in terms of its results over the past six years, which we’ve reinforced with a new facility equipped with a showroom and the ACO Academy, the expansion of the team, increased stock and changes in the internal processes, as well as expanding our market presence through new segments and new sales channels.

It is essential in all of this to listen constantly to the market, to follow closely the needs of projects and customers, to have understanding for the changes, and to adapt and respond appropriately. That’s the only recipe for success during any times.

Different projects require different solutions, while each solution requires a wide range of different products, and the essence lies in a systematic approach to the sustainable and efficient development of urban areas, right?

Our system chain of products takes care of water in a sustainable way: Collect - Clean - Hold- Release and the reuse of water When it comes to the construction industry and the economy generally, we can’t fail to address the environmental impact and the need to apply modern solutions that target the sustainable management of natural resources, first and foremost in the field of water. We are today witnessing the increasing impact of climate change, in the form of extended periods of heavier rainfall or drought. When we add increased urbanisation and even more surface areas under asphalt and concrete, we reach the

ACO is committed to professional water drainage, cost-effective water treatment and the controlled discharge and reuse of water. Does this represent your contribution to preserving the environment?

One of ACO’s slogans is: “We protect people from water and water from people”. Accordingly, our system chain of products takes care of water in a sustainable way: Collect - Clean - Hold- Release and the reuse of water. Given that everything doesn’t end with products, a strong influence has also been given to the service chain: Train - Design - Support Care. We launched the concept of the ACO Academy in order to work together with our associates in identifying the best solutions to the challenges of managing water sustainably and protecting the environment.

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BUSINESS NORBERT BECKMANN-DIERKES, HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF THE KONRAD ADENAUER FOUNDATION IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

Fast-Track To A

GREEN FUTURE? The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is a German political foundation that has been present with an office in Belgrade since 2001 and implements projects in Serbia and Montenegro, with a focus on promoting democracy, political stability and economic prosperity

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t is crucial for Europe that we improve the connection between our cities, peoples and countries. Only an interconnected Europe can handle the combined pressures of international market competition, climate change and threats to European security. One important way forward to a more connected Europe is to invest in the continent’s railway systems.

Why is the railway system so important for the EU? How do railways contribute to the Green Deal and the Green Agenda?

The EU has set an ambitious goal for itself, to reduce emissions in transportation by 90% by 2050. Transportation accounts for as much as 25% of total greenhouse emissions in the EU, so it’s no wonder that the EU has zeroed in on transportation to further reduce emissions.

Furthermore, the transportation sector has seen the smallest levels of emission reductions compared to other sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing. It should be noted that 74% of all transportation emissions come from road vehicles and, to be more precise, 45% comes from cars and 29.4% from trucks. Having all of this in mind, it is no wonder that the European Parliament declared 2021 the European Year of Rail and that the EU and its member states started investing heavily in renewing and improving the European railway network. Rail transportation in the EU today contributes to 0.5% of all gas emissions, while carrying 7% of all passengers and 11% of goods. Provided they are reconstructed and renewed, railways – as a safe, fast and energy-efficient mode of transport – will provide a fast-track to a Green European Future.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation has published a study on the state of the railways in the Western Balkans. What motivated you to organise this research and what are the key findings?

The study “Next Stop: Europe! Railways in the Western Balkans” is our contribution to the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

Furthermore, no such comprehensive study previously existed and we felt it was necessary to undertake this task. The study covers all of the Western Balkan states and provides an analysis of the state of their rail networks.

Unfortunately, railways across the region are underdeveloped and the region has shifted to road transportation over the last three decades.

Serbia has by far the largest railway network,

encompassing 3,819 km of railways, while all other Western Balkan countries combined have just 2,737 km. However, up to 90% of the tracks in Serbia are single-track, with the average speed for 50% of tracks standing at 60 kph. In short, railways are underdeveloped, underused and understaffed. Thankfully, the governments of the region have initiated an ambitious campaign of investments into the renewal of railway networks. The EU has given its full support to this campaign. There were 12 railway projects among the 39 projects funded within the scope of the Connectivity Agenda during the 2015-2019 period, for which the EU provided 358.9 million euros in grants out of total Connectivity Agenda funding of 880 million euros. The average grant to total project cost ratio is around 46.5% for railway projects and around 28% for connectivity projects in general. We can thus expect the railways of the Western Balkans, and particularly Serbia, will become the backbone of passenger and cargo transportation within a decade. This is particularly important given the fact that Serbia, and Europe as a whole, face a rapid decline in the number of professional truck and bus drivers, with the shortage of professional drivers in the EU reaching 400,000.

This CorD special edition is called “Green Serbia”. Given your previous work, can we expect new publications in the future?

I’m glad that you asked. The Konrad Adenauer offices in the region are working on a new study “Blue Connectivity: Inland and Maritime Waterways in the Balkans”. This is a working title and the research is in its very early stages. We will keep you informed as the study progresses.

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INTERVIEW PROFESSOR VLADIMIR JANKOVIĆ, PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Addressing Tensions Between Development And Environmental

PROTECTION KEY

The authorities – including the government – need to be resolute in choosing long-term environmental strategies to make Serbia a model country when it comes to environmental protection, which I hope will happen before 2035

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OPPORTUNITY

WARNING

CHANGE

Many of our towns have an innate potential to achieve their green potential quickly and without major investments

A slow transition away from fossil fuels will create expensive delays in meeting the long-term SDGs and diminish economic competitiveness and the social co-benefits of climate action

The whole culture of middle-class ’comfort’ and ’status’ needs to change for there to be measurable emission reductions

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ur interviewee, Vladimir Janković Ph.D., professor of the history of science at the University of Manchester, once shot a documentary series for the UK’s Discovery TV network with which he proved the influence of meteorological conditions on history’s biggest battles. Climate change is often mentioned today as one of the greatest security risks that will create, among other things, climate refugees.

Is this already happening to us and, in the general constellation, what does it mean for Serbia?

Climate change emerged as a security issue in the 1970s, after scientists argued that the likely consequences of global warming will have a major, long-term impact on world agriculture. Following up on the food crises during the early 1970s, scientists were increasingly wary of the possibility that changing climate could lead to a world characterised by diverging paths of economic development, a world of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’. During the ‘80s and beyond, the ‘securitisation’ of climate change expanded to the domains of natural resources, health and even national security and trade in general. I have published on reasons why we need to recognise that climate change is an economic security issue, in addition to being an environmental threat. More recent studies have shown that some of the recent crises are complex, multi-layered phenomena in which climate acts as a ’risk-multiplier’, but not the sole cause.

For a large number of Serbian citizens, climate change remains an issue of faraway natural disasters that “cannot happen here”, while on the other hand we read that Serbia is actually one of the countries hardest hit by climate change. Which of these is true and where can we observe them?

When analysing the alleged lack of public interest in climate change in Serbia – or the presumed lack of its ‘visibility’ – we need to remember the vast spatial/temporal scale

at which climatic changes take place. Policymakers are additionally aware of economic scales, i.e., how long it takes to wean the economy off fossil fuels. Bracketing for a moment short-term, high-impact weather events like floods, storms or droughts, the general public cannot, in fact, directly experience climate change, nor can it assess the meaning of the interannual variability of its impacts on ecosystems, resources and society. And because Serbia will experience more ‘weather on steroids’ for a conceivably

round? What can be done within Serbia’s national borders that would be meaningfully visible and sustainable?

Under intergovernmental agreements, countries have committed to emission targets. As Serbia is expected to implement the Paris Agreement and act in accordance with EU 2030 Framework of Climate and Energy Policies, the National Assembly has adopted the Climate Change Act, which does not yet specify mitigation targets.

This task will be undertaken as part of the

Serbia will experience more ‘weather on steroids’ for a conceivably long time.

As such, communicating climate risks to the public, businesses and authorities remains a central priority in democratic policymaking long time, communicating climate risks to the public, businesses and authorities remains a central priority in democratic policymaking.

One question that always imposes itself is what a single country can do alone in an area that actually requires a global turna-

Low Carbon Development Strategy. In order to understand why there are incentives for individual countries to work towards meeting emission targets, one needs to understand that the medium-term benefits of the use of fossil fuels will in reality – and as a result of ongoing changes in the energy market and 15

INTERVIEW despite the best will, don’t have great possibilities to contribute to reducing the overall “carbon footprint”?

True. There are limits to what individuals can do. In theory, one can recommend avoiding driving cars, encourage riding bikes, using the train to visit the Adriatic, removing beef from one’s diet, becoming more energy efficient, planting a tree and so on. But we need to remember that these activities need to be convenient and streamlined, and to have a financial aspect. Indeed, paying more to be green is not an option for most.

This is why, unless there is a price signal in

There are limits to what individuals can do. In theory, one can recommend avoiding driving cars, encourage riding bikes, using the train to visit the Adriatic, removing beef from one’s diet, becoming more energy efficient, planting a tree and so on making these activities attractive to the majority, climate-friendliness will remain voluntary and its effects minimal. The whole culture of middle-class ’comfort’ and ’status’ needs to change for there to be measurable emission reductions.

regulatory mechanisms – create expensive delays in meeting the long-term Sustainable Development Goals and diminish economic competitiveness and the social co-benefits of climate action. There has never been a worse time to procrastinate!

We see that many cities are struggling to regulate their green areas and are turning to natural possibilities for ventilating cities. In that context, how do you view the construction projects underway in Serbian cities?

Urban greening is a global trend. Coalitions of world cities have been set up to share best practices and Belgrade became a 16

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member of the European Bank’s Green Cities Network in 2018, adopting the Green City Action Plan. These are excellent developments. However, the key problem facing all cities is in their capacity to address tensions between development and environmental protection. In order to reduce this tension, best practices in land use and construction should be promoted to showcase the benefits of urban greening to both citizens and other stakeholders. Luckily, most Serbian towns have the advantage of being relatively small in size and with easy access to amenities.

What, on the other side, can individuals do? You recently wrote that individuals,

Where does that leave us as a country and citizens who’ve recognised environmental pollution as one of the greatest threats to the health and well-being of citizens?

A change in consumer culture is key, yet it is not easy to accomplish. ‘Nudging’ uses attractive examples of green practices that are hoped to entice people to adopt them. Introducing stricter regulations and fees may not find voters’ support. Selling greener appliances at competitive prices may still be a matter for the future. However, regardless of specifics, the authorities – including the government – need to be resolute in choosing long-term environmental strategies to make Serbia a model country in environmental protection – which I hope will happen before 2035.

NENAD ILIĆ, MLEKARA ŠABAC TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

BUSINESS

Good Neighbourly Relations Contribute To

SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS Šabac-based dairy Mlekara Šabac delivers part of its organic waste to the local biogas powerplant, and in return receives steam

M

lekara Šabac is one of the leaders of Serbia’s domestic dairy industry and has a tradition dating back almost a century.

This dairy is well known on local, domestic and international markets for the quality of its products, which are made exclusively from milk sourced from Serbian farms, in accordance with traditional recipes that have enticed countless loyal consumers. The reason for its successful business operations lies primarily in unceasing development, innovation and the improvement of business processes, primarily production processes.

Of course, sustainability and long-term development always represent the initial focus of all investments in innovation, but also care for the environment and the community in which Mlekara Šabac exists and creates beloved products like Sirko, Ala kajmak and Šabačka. Also confirming this are the certificates of the system ISO 14001: 2015, ISO 50001: 2018 and ISO 45001: 2018, which relate to environmental protection, efficient energy management and the protection of worker health and safety.

“SET Green Technology recently built a biogas powerplant next to our dairy, and good communication and neighbourly relations have resulted in the creation of a new

sustainable development and environmental protection solution,” explains Mlekara Šabac Technical Director Nenad Ilić. He adds that these two companies have been connected through a system of underground pipelines, in order for the dairy to be able to deliver its organic waste – whey permeate and whey, which are created in the cheese production process – to this powerplant, and in return the powerplant should deliver to the dairy steam, which is its by-product. “As a large producer that exports 60 per cent of its products to three continents, Mlekara Šabac has a great need for heat energy, and the commissioning of this project will generate direct savings in the production process, while at the same time the entire cycle will have a positive environmental impact,” concludes the Mlekara Šabac technical director.

This is a good example of the sustainable linking of different industries, because alongside the establishing of cooperation with Mlekara Šabac, SET Green Technology has also developed a network of subcontractors to supply raw materials from the entire Mačva District, and within the scope of its four biogas plants it will – in addition to whey and whey permeate – also process crop harvesting leftovers like wheat and soybean straw, as well as maize straw.

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INTERVIEW ČEDO MAKSIMOVIĆ Ph.D., PROFESSOR AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

Civil Disobedience Is Sometimes

THE ONLY GOOD RESPONSE

An economy based on the high-quality management of the environment doesn’t only represent the economy of the future, but is also a precondition for the survival of human civilisation. Serbia is missing out on one opportunity after another to at least “keep pace” with countries that have similar economic power, and in certain areas it could be not only a regional leader, but easily also a European and world leader

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n the interview he gave for our publication six years ago, Imperial College London professor Čedo Maksimović warned that the whole world is confronted by a need to seriously reconsider long-term strategies for the management of water and that the old rules are no longer valid, as they are easily failing to deliver the services for which they are planned. That’s why we used our first question on this occasion to ask him to determine whether we’ve been successful in identifying new long-term strategies and new rules during this period.

“New strategies are being identified and some of them are beginning to be implemented in practice relatively quickly. Faster in developed countries, slower in less developed countries, while many are failing to deal with new strategies and technologies at all. At the same time, the situation with shortages of good quality water is worsening almost the world over,” says our interlocutor, before clarifying: “the amount of water “in circulation” is the same, but the amount of water of a satisfactory quality is decreasing rapidly, primarily due to ever increasing water pollution. One fundamental new development is the revelation that it is becoming increasingly difficult to solve water problems in isolation.

The solution lies in the gradual acceptance of integrated solutions (nexus) e.g., water in interactions with food, energy and pollution reduction. This is what we call Blue Green Solutions – BGS.” We are living in times when it seems that all the answers are to be found in the applying of high-tech solutions, in the use 18

Green Serbia 2022

SURVIVAL

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

WARNING

Around the world and in our country, awareness is rising regarding the preserving and improving of the quality of the natural environment as an important prerequisite not only for quality of life, but also for the basic survival of human civilisation

Given that Serbia has almost no wastewater treatment plants, it could immediately implement the latest technology. Instead of that, the government opted for an outdated and overpriced solution

When we look at what’s already being built and what’s planned for our carriers of economic development in tourist resorts, one shouldn’t be surprised if there are outbreaks of significant epidemics in those locations

of artificial intelligence and in digitalisation.

To what extent can these solutions help when we’re confronted by such a basic problem as water shortages?

That’s just part of the story. Automation, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are best put to use in large and complex systems (for example, in supplying water to Paris or Los Angeles), and there the advances of operations with high technologies are great.

However, (as you say) the problem of water shortages, particularly in smaller systems, and in small and isolated areas, can also be solved through simple methods, simply by applying instruments of the rule of law (when it exists). For instant, if the dam and reservoir of the Gruža Lake was created (with large funds invested and agricultural land sacrificed) in order to provide additional water resources for Kragujevac and that part of Šumadija, but then uncontrolled urbanisation is permitted “all around” (holiday houses, residential facilities, taverns, farms etc.) without the appropriate, stringent application of basic rules of “sanitation”, it is clear that the quality and “availability” of water will gradually decrease, leading to a shortage of high-quality potable water.

There’s no help from artificial intelligence and digitalisation here. Simple logic (kind of the “rule of thumb”), and the strict application of the basic legal requirements of sanitation, reduces this type of shortage.

jected to conceptual solutions “imposed” by incompetent but “powerful” government officials who “operate” using a different logic (maximising their personal gains); (b) under the threat of simple existence or permanent job loss, both experts and companies agree to “elaborate” and sign up to the imposed concepts, i.e., “surrogates” of sound logic; (c) younger experts are lacking opportunities to gain quality expertise to cope with the

Your opinion is that the key solutions to future healthy cities are based on prudent combinations of blue and green structures, i.e., urban waters and areas of greenery. Do you see examples of such a principle being applied in Belgrade or other cities in Serbia?

Blue-green solutions (BGR) and their combining with the “reset” of the social and legal framework and the system of true values in a civilised society is the goal that we should be striving to achieve in Serbia. In Belgrade and some other cities, we’re seeing the emergence of ideas for their application on a micro scale.

However, mass implementation is unlikely to happen without the aforementioned “system reset”. This could be contributed to, to some extent, by the programmes of two ongoing EU projects: “euPOLIS” (https://eupolis-project. eu/) and “HEART” (https://www.heart-project. eu/), under the scope of which “demo examples” are being conducted at two locations in Belgrade. Hopefully, they can be extrapolated to larger scale, encompassing the whole city and other cities.

When it comes to this kind of knowhow and these opportunities, what does Serbia use today; and what could it apply if it amended its policies?

Serbia still has a “critical mass” of highly competent experts capable of planning and designing contemporary solutions of water infrastructure and in the management of complex systems. However, this significant human resource capacity is gradually being lost through several “mechanisms”: (a) quality experts and companies are sub-

challenges of modern technologies, i.e., to be part of the creative process of mastering innovative technologies, rather than gradually “fitting into the system of obedience” by recycling obsolete solutions, to the “detriment” of the profession; (d) executive positions in urban planning institutions and public utility companies are given to obedient and professionally incompetent people, thus closing the cycle of the “collapse” of the system of professional values. Water systems are no exception.

Serbia still has a “critical mass” of high-quality experts capable of planning and designing advanced water infrastructure solutions and working on the management of complex systems, but that is gradually shrinking, both in this and other areas of professional competence. In order to reverse this negative trend, it is essential to “reset” the system and to restore, in the right place, basic principles of the rule of law, the professional and ethical values of the profession and their consistent implementation

Ecological issues recently became one of the important social topics in Serbia that leads people to take to the streets.

At both the global level and the level of our country, there is rising awareness of the fact that preserving and improving the quality of the natural environment is an important prerequisite not only for the quality of life in urban, rural and natural environments, but also (without exaggeration) for the very survival of human civilisation. When those in power turn a deaf ear to both the initiatives of competent experts and the “cry of the people” to create a “healthy” long-term strategy based on the latest scientific and professional achievements, then “civil disobedience”, unfortunately, is the only way to call on “key decision makers”, and their unconditional followers, to start solving the backlog of environmental problems in a logical way.

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INTERVIEW When it comes to making strategic government decisions at the national and local levels in the UK, how much are the will of citizens and the views of experts respected?

The government there is also ambivalent. The will of citizens and the initiatives of experts and professional “bodies” are respected and implemented in many cases, mainly at the local level, through a system of public consultations for approving planning permission. However, there are also examples of the opposite, such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel - Super Sewer project. Despite opposition among the public and almost the entire academic community (in the field of water), which claimed that this is an outdated concept (a 19th-century solution to a 21st-century problem), the central government of the UK and the then council of the City of London took this project and “pushed it through the decision-making system”.

You are in a position to compare the two education systems of Serbia and the UK. What are the differences and similarities between their approach to solutions that can be applied in the economy in real time?

The British (higher education) system is a combination of “traditional values” and the swift, modern acceptance of innovation (new courses etc.) and clearer strategies for meeting the needs of society. They are certainly in a better financial situation: equipment, laboratories etc. Here I’m referring to “state” faculties with proven education values – as opposed to those that deliver values of dubious quality and fake diplomas”. One can still say that they are based on a profound theoretical basis for education. Upon graduation, good students easily fit into the world’s leading academic and scientific institutions.

A major disadvantage, however, is that, in our country, we don’t develop “complementary skills”, such as how to “package” and properly present the results of expert work.

It is sometimes said that countries like ours can make a “quantum leap” in development by adopting some new technologies, and bypassing some old ones that they had neither the time nor the resources to implement earlier. Is that possible for Serbia when it comes to your area of expertise?

Instead of the word ‘CAN’, I would use the word “COULD”, provided the “social envi20

Green Serbia 2022

Blue-green solutions (BGS) combined with the “reset” of the distorted social framework to a system of true values, and restoring the role that belongs to the community of professionals in a civilised society, is the goal that we should be striving to achieve in Serbia ronment” was at the required level to place the interests of the country ahead of the personal interests (usually financial) of the decision-makers). I’ve spent the last several years trying to achieve such a “quantum leap” in the field of urban waters, primarily in the design, construction, and management of the operations of WWTP (wastewater treatment plants). Given that Serbia has almost no WWTPs, it could immediately apply the latest technology: plants that are cleaner, far more “ecologically advanced”, cheaper to construct, operate and maintain, requiring much less space and energy, and which don’t stink. Instead of that, “the cards have already been dealt”, the government opted for the outdated “stinky”, overpriced (“dinosaur”) technology (19th-century solutions to serve

the needs of the 21st-century). A great chance to “be a champion” is being gambled away. For more details on this, please check out the presentation: https://youtu.be/ab819Y4npn8 on YouTube.

You consider that everything which is today considered waste will be considered a valuable resource in the future.

Certainly. Such a future (circular ecology) has already begun in many developed and developing countries. Something that represents waste in one industry is a raw material for another, and so on “in a circle”.

Serbia, as we can see today, is full of landfill sites, illegal dumps and polluted rivers. That’s just one of the indicators of a “distorted value system” and a disorderly legal and social system, with complete disregard for the health and well-being of the public. The standout examples here are systems that should be “exemplary”/carriers of economic development, such as tourism. You need only to take a slightly closer look at (and smell) our most famous mountain resorts (Kopaonik, Zlatibor and Divčibare). In less than the last 10 years a, they’ve experienced uncontrolled/ chaotic “urbanisation” with the construction of accommodation facilities lacking even the minimum level of long-term strategy, without proper inspection oversight and without supporting infrastructure.

MAJA ŽIVKOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, STEEL IMPEX LTD.

BUSINESS

We Must Change OUR HABITS Steel Impex returns all the waste that it collects as a raw material, following treatment, thus encouraging a circular economy. According to representatives of this company, the waste management sector’s most complex problem is the lack of primary selection in households and the inadequate management of municipal waste transport, alternative forms of transport, the rational use of electricity and water, the inclusion of household in primary selection and increasing the number of citizens who understand why recycling is mandatory.

Serbia generates up to 1.7 tons of waste per capita annually. And officially only 2-3% of that is recycled.

W

e recognised the importance of investing in renewable energy sources. The investment and installing of 550kW represents a continuation of our commitment to protecting the environment, while at the same time demonstrating innovation in the Republic of Serbia’s recycling sector - notes Steel Impex General Manager Maja Živković.

How does one establish a good recycling system?

Establishing a good recycling system begins with the raising of awareness about the importance of recycling, with participants including households, producers, companies, recycling operators, and final care operators.

In more recent times, the waste management systems of more serious companies have even transitioned to the next stage, i.e., the adopting of a so-called “zero waste” strategy, which should ensure the reuse of all waste. It is essential for every individual to strive on their own, and we hope that, in the near future, regional landfills will be the ones that prevent unnecessary dumping at landfill sites, that they will redirect waste to operators that carry out treatment works and return waste to the market in the form of a raw material.

How realistic and achievable is the Republic of Serbia’s goal of reducing gas emissions by 33.3% by 2030?

Steel Impex strives, together with its suppliers and business partners, to contribute as much as possible to achieving the goals of the Republic of Serbia. However, in order

Businesses operating in Serbia express interest in the process of transitioning to renewable energy sources, both for their own needs and, at the same time, for selling electricity and connecting to the energy grid for us all to help in that, it is essential to educate all citizens, from the oldest to the youngest. It is necessary to change habits, which includes promoting the use of public

Given the fact that Europe is facing one of the worst energy crises ever, will we see an increase in interest in renewables?

The global energy crisis has impacted both the European and Serbian markets. Energy prices reached a record level last autumn, and the fluctuations also impacted on renewable energy sources. Objectively speaking, no culprit can be singled out as being to blame for the situation, and I consider the biggest problem as being the imbalance in global supply and demand, which emerged, among other things, as a result of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the recommissioning of thermal power plants is currently being considered in Europe, which would actually increase CO2 emissions, while the reducing of emissions and protecting of the environment is being promoted on the other side.

Over the course of recent years, businesses operating in the Republic of Serbia have expressed interest in the process of transitioning to renewable energy sources, both for their own needs and, at the same time, for selling electricity and connecting to the energy grid. I expect this to be even more pronounced in the future. Steel Impex is a company that has recognised the importance of investing in renewable energy sources, and our investment and installing of 550kW actually represents a continuation of our commitment to protecting the environment, while at the same time demonstrating innovation in the Republic of Serbia’s recycling sector.

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BUSINESS BOJANA PERIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, EKOSTAR PAK

We Create Preconditions For The

UTILISATION OF WASTE

Ekostar Pak is a national Operater of packaging waste management system. In terms of its number of clients, which exceeds 800, it is the Serbian market leader, with a market share of 34% in total amounts of packaging placed on Serbian market economy’s integration into the circular model.

Finally, the willingness and readiness of all of us to approach waste responsibly, in accordance with regulations, but also natural law, ensures the cycle of the circular economy is complete.

The European Union adopted an action plan in 2020 that should ensure that there are no emissions of greenhouse gases at the level of the entire European community by 2050.

In our country we should start introducing the model of collecting three separate categories of waste: paper/ cardboard, plastic/metal and glass

C

omparative data collected over the course of the past decade show that the amount of waste recycled in Serbia by Ekostar increases every year.

Provided the direction of growth is maintained, the full scope of national targets linked to the reduction of packaging and packaging waste could become achievable.

between these two models is reflected in the way they treat waste: does it end up dumped in landfill sites, where it slowly decomposes, polluting water, soil and air, before returning to nature; or does it, instead, through recycling, return to the production process to be used again for the same purpose or a similar one. The way waste circulates is dependent on all of us.

We often here talk of the circular economy, which is something that citizens actually know very little about. What lurks behind this notion?

The circular economy represents the “product-waste-product” model and is an ecological alternative to the inefficient “take-make-use-discard” system. More simply put, the key difference

Is waste management the first step towards a circular economy?

The state and institutions are creating a normative framework that should integrate circular economy principles from the local to the national level. The principle of extended responsibility of the producer towards the packaging in which its product is sold represents a key pillar for the

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With this goal in mind, the Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted its Programme of Waste Management in the Republic of Serbia for the 2022-2031 period, which should enable the creating of preconditions for utilising waste in the circular economy. This ambitious policy certainly famous numerous challenges in practise, but successful examples aren’t a rarity either.

We often think that everything can be recycled. However, in order for waste to be able to become a resource, it is essential for its disposal to be controlled through the existence of clear rules of separation. If we carefully examine the packaging we use, we will see that every package displays codes in letters and numbers that the producer is obliged to highlight, as instructions for proper disposal following use. There are multiple benefits of adhering to this disposal rule.

Could you illustrate that to us with some specific statistics?

As an example, paper separated from food leftovers, glass or plastic will not be dumped in nature somewhere, but rather returned to industry and processed in an appropriate way.

This will simultaneously satisfy industry’s need for paper without the use of additional natural resources, which serves to address another major ecological challenge. Properly separated waste was a precondition for the recycling of more than 80,000tons of packaging waste 50,000 tons of paper,8,300 tons of plastic, 9,600 tons of glass, 5,000 tons of metal and 7,100 tons of wood – which is how much Ekostar Pak managed to return to the cycle of reuse with its recycling system in 2021 alone.

I consider that it would be far more beneficial to start introducing the model of collecting three separate categories of waste: paper/cardboard, plastic/metal and glass. Such a way of separating enables the harvesting of high-quality raw materials and the fulfilling of specific prescribed goals for each material. Secondly, the costs of dividing waste into three groups justified recycling, because it reduces the costs of sorting and increases the value of material sorted for further use. Next, changing daily routines is an important incentive for increasing respect for the principles of the circular economy across the entire community, and has a direct impact

will have to shorten this deadline if we want to achieve the planned goals.

on protecting the environment. Furthermore, applying the circular economy model contributes to raising competitiveness, innovation and economic growth, alongside significant potential for the creation of new jobs. Finally, by changing economic principles and our daily lives, we add value to waste materials and preserve the precious and increasingly scarce natural resources and the environment to which we belong.

The Programme that’s been adopted envisages current national targets for the reduction of packaging and packaging waste to match EU targets in 2025. Besides this challenge, the Programme also envisages that we will introduce the required separation of waste into paper, plastic, glass and metal by 2029, so we have quite a difficult task ahead of us, because we

large number of municipalities, which is why the Programme of Waste Management envisages their overhaul or closure.

What we can see on a daily basis is that interest in recycling exists among citizens, and initiatives to promote primary selection, such as the campaign being conducted by Ekostar Pak in all 27 schools on the territory of Pančevo that’s directed towards raising awareness among young people that recycling is part and parcel of responsible behaviour and inclusion in the circle of nature conservation. As such, the key to improving the situation in this area lies in a systemic solution that implies synergy between the economy and the state, that is a joint model of system operators and local government units entrusted with collecting municipal packaging waste.

Are things changing for the better? Is there a shift in the right direction?

Space needs to be created for improvement in the form of systemic steps in the area of primary selection, and that should be done through cooperation with units of local government. This means that it’s necessary to secure infrastructure nationwide throughout Serbia, in both larger and smaller areas, in order for citizens to be able to recycle waste unhindered. The capacities of existing landfills have already been filled in a

We commonly simplify the recycling issue, because we don’t know how waste is properly sorted. Is that the first step to successful recycling, if not the key?

There are various waste collection models. The Programme of Waste Management in the Republic

of Serbia envisaged the first step as being the minimal separating of communal waste in households into two bins, one for recyclable materials and another for all other waste. However, experience has shown that not all waste collected in this way can be utilised by the recycling industry. Specifically, the industry requires raw materials that haven’t been contaminated by other impurities. It turned out that the “two bins” system doesn’t ensure the high quality of the materials collected, even if secondary separation is introduced, particularly when we want to incorporate the raw material obtained into new packaging that will serve the needs of food products, rather than being sent to be incinerated or landfilled.

What kind of recycling model do you advocate for?

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ECOLOGY

‘Radical Action’ Needed To Hit

CLIMATE GOALS 24

Green Serbia 2022

The world must take “radical action” to shift away from fossil fuels, including investing $5.7 trillion annually in solar, wind, and other forms of clean power this decade to ensure that global warming doesn’t pass dangerous thresholds, the head of the International Renewable Energy Agency said at the end of March

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ther measures proposed in a 348page report on the global energy transition include improving energy efficiency, increasing electrification, capturing carbon emissions and expanding the use of hydrogen gas.

Scientists say global emissions need to drop 45% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels. But recent data show they are going up, not down, in part due to rising energy demand and the expansion of fossil fuel use.

“The energy transition is far from being on track and anything short of radical action in the coming years will diminish, even eliminate, chances to meet our climate goals,” said Francesco La Camera, the director-general of IRENA. Countries agreed seven years ago in Paris to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), ideally no more than 1.5 degrees C (2.7 F), to avoid potentially catastrophic consequences for the planet. With temperatures now more than 1.1 degrees C above the pre-industrial average, a recent report by a U.N. science panel found that billions around the world are already vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

La Camera told an energy conference in Berlin that “not only the 1.5 C, the 2 C goal is really in danger if we don’t act and don’t make a dramatic change in the way we produce and consume energy.”

IRENA, which is based in the oil-rich Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi-based IRENA, said investments of $700 billion should be diverted away from the fossil fuel sector each year to avoid creating wells, pipelines and power plants that can’t be used anymore.

This demand was echoed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for an end to private sector financing for coal power, which surged to record highs last year.

“Lenders need to recognize that coal and fossil fuels are futile investments that will lead to billions of dollars in stranded assets,” he said.

With countries such as the United States ramping up domestic fossil fuel production

amid energy price hikes and fears of supply shortages because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Guterres urged governments not to delay the shift away from fossil fuels.

“The current crisis shows that we must accelerate, not slow, the renewable energy transition,” he said. “This is the only true path to energy security.”

Such calls have met with mixed results.

At a forum in Dubai at the end of March energy ministers of major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the secretary general of the OPEC oil cartel,

Scientists say global emissions need to drop 45% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels. But recent data show they are going up, not down, in part due to rising energy demand and the expansion of fossil fuel use insisted that fossil fuels are part of the energy transition and hundreds of billions of dollars in oil and gas investments are still needed.

While the two Gulf countries have pledged to reduce emissions within their borders to net zero, they tout their barrels of oil as less carbon-intensive than those extracted elsewhere and have no plans to scale back production. OPEC expects more oil will be needed in the coming decades, mainly due to a population boom in Asia.

Even Germany, which seeks to become carbon neutral by 2045 and recently announced a raft of new measures to further boost renewable power, continues to dig coal for energy needs.

Utility company RWE this week won a court case allowing it to bulldoze a farm in the western German village of Luetzerath in preparation for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine.

BY FRANK JORDANS / AP 25

THE ONLY WAY FORWARD, IF WE ARE GOING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, IS TO GET EVERYBODY INVOLVED. ~ Richard Rogers

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EARTH PROVIDES ENOUGH TO SATISFY EVERY MAN’S NEEDS, BUT NOT EVERY MAN’S GREED. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

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