CorD magazine 62 by CorD Magazine

003-007 K.indd 3

24.6.2009 11:56:13

CorD, JULY - AUGUST 2009

22 POLITICS & DIPLOMACY

WHAT HAS THE EU BROUGHT PORTUGAL?

Comment By H.E. Caetano Luís Pequito de Almeida Sampaio, Portugese Ambassador to Serbia

SERBS AND CROATS ARE NOT AT ODDS

Interview: Croatian President Stjepan Mesić

THE KING MUST BE CONTENTED

Interview: Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana

BUSINESS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

CORD-PROFILE

CORD-LEADERS

27 28 30 34

EDITOR IN CHIEF Vladan Alimpijević, v.alimpijevic@cma.rs ASSISTANT EDITOR Mark R. Pullen ART DIRECTOR Tamara Ivljanin, t.ivljanin@cma.rs EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Jelena Jovanović, Ljubodrag Stojadinović, Sonja Ćirić, Jelena Mickić, Andrej Klemenčič PHOTO Slobodan Jotić, Časlav Vukojčić, CorD Archive, Fonet

Interview: Nenad Vuković, CEO of Henkel Srbija

Interview: John Georgakopoulos, executive board president Alapis Šumadijalek

LEISURE & LIFESTYLE

THIS WORLD NO LONGER NEEDS ARTISTS

Miloš Šobajić, painter

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Staging Terrorism in London

ARTEFACT OF THE CAMERA LENS

Serbia’s oldest photograph

CREATORS OF NEW ENERGY Interview: Maja Vidaković Lalić

54 HAPPENINGS 56

Belgrade Summer Beat

LEISURE & LIFESTYLE

SOCIETY

Interview: H.E. Krister Bringéus, Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia

Goran Ješić, Mayor of Inđija

Sanda Parezanović, HR & Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia

HEALTHY SYSTEMS

Interview: H.E. Dimosthenis Stoidis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic

TAXPAYERS TO FOOT THE BILL

Is it the right moment to invest in Serbia

CSR PROMPTS CORPORATE NETWORKING

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

Andreas Binder, CEO MercedesBenz Serbia and Montenegro

BUY GOOD QUALITY

SERBIA’S ADVOCATES IN THE EU

FACES & PLACES

President Boris Tadic accepted the credentials of the new ambassadors for Angola, Egypt, Italy, and Macedonia

TRANSLATORS Snežana Bjelotomić, Milenko Pećanac, Jelena Gledić EDITORIAL MANAGER Tanja Banković, t.bankovic@cma.rs PROJECT MANAGER Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs, Maja Vidović, m.vidovic@aim.rs GENERAL MANAGER Ivan Novčić, i.novcic@cma.rs FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Ana Besedić, a.besedic@cma.rs PRINTING / Rotografika d.o.o

RESTAURANT REVIEW: DOWNTOWN

Mediterranean and Asian inﬂuences

TOB AND CORD RECOMMEND

Sights and sounds of old Belgrade

DISTRIBUTION / Futura Plus

ISSN no: 1451-7833

CorD is published by: alliance intrenational media Knjeginje Zorke 11b, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 308 99 77, 308 99 88 Fax: +(381 11) 244 81 27 E-mail: cordeditorial@ cma.rs www.cordmagazine.com

This issue is audited by

ABC Serbia

4 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

003-007 K.indd 4

24.6.2009 11:56:17

003-007 K.indd 5

24.6.2009 11:56:20

comment

What has the EU brought Portugal? This month, H.E. Caetano Luís Pequito de Almeida Sampaio, Portuguese Ambassador to Serbia, explains just what EU membership has done for this south European nation.

ortugal is a direct beneficiary of the European integration process. It is very visible what has been done, for instance in terms of major infrastructure projects. In 1986, when Portugal joined the then European Community (now European Union), the two main cities, Lisbon and Porto, were not fully connected either by a modern highway or good, reliable and fast trains. Today, some 23 years after our accession, Portugal has more than 3000 kilometrey of very modern, safe and wellmaintained highways. Nowadays it is almost impossible to travel by car in Portugal without using the highway network. The same applies for railways and train transport. Very modern, fast trains connect the Portuguese people across the country’s territory. Modern ports, airports, bridges, hospitals etc. – all of this has come as a tangible result of European Union funds and the direct investments of European member nations in Portugal, which was only made possible thanks to the EU mechanisms and regulations. All of these fundamental infrastructure projets were built by Portuguese firms that acquired great expertise and experience in those fields. They are present all over the world nowadays, constructing in a lot of European Union countries, in Africa, in Brazil and in the United States. They are also present in Central Europe, building highways in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia etc., organising themselves in consortia with local and other foreign companies.

Very modern, fast trains connect the Portuguese people across the country’s territory. Modern ports, airports, bridges, hospitals etc. – all of this has come as a tangible result of EU membership The leading representatives of those companies came to Belgrade recently to begin very seriously studying the opportunities that Serbian and Western Balkan markets could represent for them. I firmly believe that they could make a difference and represent the corner-stone for a very much needed and very much desired increase in economic relations between Portugal and Serbia.

Portugal is a very open market, probably one of the most open markets in the world, with trade relations intensifying with other members of the European Union by the day. It is a very visible demonstration of the benefits of EU integration. Our agriculture has also changed completely since EU membership. From being a country very much dependent on an agricultural industry that was obsolete and only competitive in some very specific clusters – like Port wine, for example – Portugal now enjoys an extremely modern, sophisticated agricultural sector H.E. Ambassathat simultaneously employs dor Caetano Luís lots of people and produces Pequito de Almeida much more and much better quality products than before. Sampaio Another direct benefit of our integration was the banking system. The banking system in Portugal is among the world’s most modern, which allowed it to react very well to the recent global financial crisis and economic downturn. A good example of the impact the European integration process has had on modern Portugal can be witnessed in the field of energy. Renewable energies are one of the success stories of the last decade. Environmentally-friendly policies, developing tourism that is simultaneously respectful of the environment and of our cultural heritage, could also be counted among the results we are very proud of, as well as representing a permanent feature of our development process and one that we owe, for the better part, to the positive impact of European Union policies on our own development programmes. Of course, there is still a lot to be done in Portugal. Sifgnificant structural reforms still lie ahead – such as in the areas of social security, health, education and the judiciary – but those gigantic challenges of modernity would doubtlessly be much more daunting without our participation within EU structures. All of these development are achievements from the recent history of Portugal, but the most important factor of EU membership is the sense of belonging; of being part of a wider setting and a bigger project. We are now a part of the European family. n

6 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

003-007 K.indd 6

24.6.2009 11:56:22

003-007 K.indd 7

24.6.2009 11:56:26

REGION: CROATIA |

Serbs and Croats

Interview: Croatian President Stjepan Mesić - From the last prisone

Croatia is set to go to the polls at the beginning of next year. The country’s incumbent president, Stjepan Mesić, has served two terms and brought Croatia to the very brink of EU membership, but it is with regret that he will have to step down before his country is welcomed as a member of the EU

By Vladan Alimpijević tjepan Mesić is still the most popular politician in Croatia. In his long political career, he has served as municipal president of his hometown of Orahovica, parliamentarian during the time of Communism, dissident and political prisoner who again became politically active during the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Mesić was the first prime minister of an independent Croatia and the last president of Yugoslavia. He joined the opposition once more, as a volunteer, opposing the politics of Franjo Tuđman, and then he triumphantly returned to the political scene and was twice consecutively elected head of state. Speaking an exclusive interview for CorD, Mesić mainly discussed the European future of the Western Balkans.

n Croatia is one step away from the EU, but it seems as though the world crisis, relations with Slovenia and the general climate in the Union are greater obstacles than they were for the countries that joined the EU earlier. Can we speak about some determined deadlines for Croatia`s joining EU?

r I have never been a fan of bidding for deadlines, nor with being a slave to dates. What is most important is that Croatia is well prepared before joining the EU. We had hoped that we would be able to complete negotiations by the end of this year, but judging by all that’s happening, this remains merely a theoretical possibility for the time being. There is one to two years more ahead of us, which it would be good to use in the best possible way. Of course, I feel sorry that Croatia will not join the Union during my mandate, but there is something called ‘objective facts’ and they are what we are facing nowadays. n Viewed from the perspective of the Balkans, there appears to be little chance that a few meadows on Sutla and part of territorial waters are really a problem with Slovenia. Where is the problem in your opinion and how can it be to overcome? r I agree with you that it is not a problem with a few meadows or part of territorial waters. The problem is that the most influential part of Slovenia’s political elite estimated – erroneously, as we can see – that in

T u đ m a n

B o s n i a

E U

Tuđman certainly has his merits, but at the same time he certainly made damaging moves that were not minor.

The disintegration of BiH would have tragic consequences and I condemn all tendencies leading towards it.

I feel sorry that Croatia will not join the Europian Union during my mandate, but there is ‘objective facts’.

8 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 8

24.6.2009 13:04:40

ts are not at odds

risoner to head of state

the final stages of negotiations with European Union Croatia would be vulnerable or, in other words, that is the time to pressure this subject because Croatia will lower its guard. As such, there has been an attempt that contradicts international law in order to achieve something that will be pretty

unimportant and insignificant once we too become a member of EU. Hence, the problem is in political mentality and a mistaken estimate. And the way out is to apply international law - particularly if we are not (and we aren’t) able to solve the issue through negotiations between us and Slovenia.

n Bearing in mind the measures Serbia took against the countries of the former Yugoslavia that recognised Kosovo’s independence, we could say that Belgrade’s mildest reaction was to Croatia’s recognition. To what extent does “the issue of Kosovo” affect relations in this part of Europe?

CorD 62 / July - August 2009 9

008-029 K.indd 9

24.6.2009 13:04:42

REGION: CROATIA |

As for president Tadić, I think I can say that we have friendly relations. We meet quite often on the margins of international gatherings and we are expecting his visit to Croatia. as an issue; as an open problem. We certainly don’t wish for Kosovo to be treated as an issue or a problem, nor do we want it to affect our relations with Serbia. I have personally explained our position and the reasons that led us to recognise the independence of Kosovo many times and I hope that will be firstly understood and than accepted; as well as our position, of course. How Serbia is going to deal with Kosovo is an issue that I neither interfere with nor wish to do so. n How would you assess the development of your country’s relations with Serbia and your personal relations with president Tadić? r I have partly answered your question, but I am going to be more precise. I think we have correct relations, which are developing in the right direction and to our mutual benefit. We are obliged to build such relations; we owe it to our citizens, but also to the whole region, because there is no stability in the region if stable relations between Croatia and Serbia are not achieved. As for president Tadić, I think I can say that we have friendly relations. We meet quite often on the margins of international gatherings and we are expecting his visit to Croatia.

r There is something called the facts of life. Kosovo has become independent and that is one new fact - a fact that has been recognised by sixty countries. Croatia recognised it too. Not in order to do harm to Serbia, but

to contribute to the final stabilisation of the situation on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. I would say that what you call “the issue of Kosovo” will be affecting relations in our part of Europe as long as it is treated

n It appears that Croatian assets and Croatian enterprises are able to access the Serbian market more easily than Serbian companies can enter the Croatian market? r At the moment, that is, unfortunately, true. However, it should be changed because such circumstances are not to anybody’s benefit. n Is “the Serb issue” still on the agenda in Croatia and do you expect more Serbs to return to Croatia? r The so-called Serbian issue sometimes

10 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 10

24.6.2009 13:04:43

Prisoner

o what extent can the unusual experience of being imprisoned become important to the life of a statesman? That is certainly an important life experience, though not necessary, it is still important. However, I am glad that I will be the last Croatian president to have that experience. appears through individual incidents, but it doesn’t exist either in vocabulary or the practice of Croatian politics. As for Serbs returning to Croatia, they are our citizens and of course we wish for their return. I am not naive enough to think that everybody is going to return -- there is no war after which all refugees and those who were expelled return. However, we should aspire to that end and create conditions whereby more and more people will return. That has always been my goal and the politics I have stood for. n Serbia’s last two foreign ministers (Drašković i Jeremić) were both sharply criticised by the Croatian media and Croatian MPs. How justified was that criticism, in your opinion? r Everybody is responsible for their words and, thus, bears the consequences – including public criticism. Ministers, whatever their names, are not an exception. n In an interview for Germany’s Der Spiegel some time ago, you said – if I am quoting you correctly - that Republika Srpska leader Dodik is “the new Milošević” and that he is pushing Bosnia & Herzegovina back into war with his separatist approach. What perspective do you see for this neighbouring republic? r You mean neighbouring state. I have said many times to date, and I am going to repeat now, that a united Bosnia & Herzegovina is

Antifascism Antifascism was recorded in the constitution of the Croatia and, as its president, I am certainly fighting against any attempt to dispute that.

We certainly don’t wish for Kosovo to be treated as an issue or a problem, nor do we want it to affect our relations with Serbia of critical importance – not only for Croatia, but for the whole region. The disintegration of Bosnia & Herzegovina would have tragic consequences and that is why I condemn all tendencies leading towards it, no matter who their leader and protagonist is. I am glad that the international community supports such a view. n To what extent is your unquestionable personal antifascism on a collision course with the still strong feelings for the Ustaša movement among Croats?

Refugees I am not naive enough to think that everybody is going to return -- there is no war after which all refugees and those who were expelled return.

r We owe obscurities in connection with the Ustaša movement to an unhappy flirtation with it at the beginning of the ‘90s. In reality, everything regarding the subject is perfectly clear: the Ustaša movement was a crime, both in idea and in the realisation of that idea. Antifascism was recorded in the constitution of the modern Croatia and, as its president, I am certainly fighting against any attempt to dispute that. However, my antifascism isn’t merely rooted in the fact that, as a president, I think I must stand for it and defend it. I experienced fascism and my

Slovenia The problem is that the Slovenia’s political elite estimated that in the final stages of negotiations with EU Croatia would be vulnerable. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 11

008-029 K.indd 11

24.6.2009 13:04:45

REGION: CROATIA | antifascism is a strong human conviction.

completed the transition process. However, it could also lead to a great erosion of the economy, state and morals.... What is your estimation of Croatia’s measures aimed at fighting the crisis and is there a possibility of mass protests? r I see the measures that have been taken so far as a start. We must not stop at that point and I will insist that we don’t do so. The most important thing is to make estimates of the situation based on the reality and then react in an appropriate way. Back in 2005, I was warning of the fact that the neoliberal model was gone. All that is happening now is confirming my predictions, and not only mine. I do not expect social unrest in Croatia, though if the crisis worsens and the government fails to respond in a proper way, I cannot exclude that either.

n What is your assessment of the co-habitation you have with the government led by the Croatian Democratic Union? r As president, I have constitutional authority in three fields: external politics, defence and national security. There are no serious differences of opinion between me and the government regarding any of those fields. When there is a difference, we talk it through and then carry on further. Both myself and the government are responsible for the state and its future, plus I have an additional responsibility towards the citizens who voted for me. n Is it still early to evaluate the role of “the father of Croatian independence”; Franjo Tuđman? You were his companion and one of his first and sharpest critics? r Tuđman certainly has his merits, but at the same time he certainly made some mistakes and damaging moves that were not minor. That is why I parted ways with him. As for historical estimations about him, they should be provided by objective historians. n From time to time Croatia is mentioned in the international community and media as an unstable country awash with crime and corruption. To what extent is the problem of crime and corruption present among those who govern? r It is present, I cannot deny that. In that sense we are not different from other countries in transition, including the countries of the region. However, it is certainly not present to such an extent that Croatia could be described as an unstable country. We are

Back in 2005, I was warning of the fact that the neoliberal model was gone. All that is happening now is confirming my predictions, and not only mine. doing everything we can and I am glad that the co-operation of the police forces of the countries of the region is giving better and better results in the fight against organised crime. n The global crisis could provide a chance, particularly for the countries that haven’t

n During your long political career, you’ve served as both president of Yugoslavia and president of an independent Croatia. Do you think relations between Zagreb and Belgrade could be compared to those between Paris and Berlin, which were unfriendly neighbours for years and are now close partners? Are Serbs and Croats on the road to final reconciliation? r We were never at odds throughout history, not mentioning the war, right up until the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the disintegration of Yugoslavia. As such, talking about some sort of “final resolution” seems a bit over the top to me. That would imply a century of hostility, which we haven’t had. What we need – and I think and hope we are on the right track – is to achieve a new level of mutual understanding and trust. n

Recollections

“I

grew up in the Slavonia town of Orahovica and all of my relatives were partisans during the war. Some of our neighbours were with the Ustaša and that is why one young man from our neighbour’s house, his name was Jozo Vulić, decided to take revenge on my father, relatives and uncles. He killed my grandmother and I was in the same house when he did it. I was eight years old at the time. Afterwards, the older members of the family took me to the Partisans, where I spent most of the war. I even attended Partisan school in Papuk. At the end of the war we ended up in a refuge camp in Hungary, some time in Pecuh, so I know what it is like to be a refugee. Twenty years later, Stjepan Mesić was a prisoner in Gadiska, convicted of “counterrevolutionary propaganda”. “I arrived in Gradiska and was given a prison bed that had been used by Jozo Vulić - my neighbour and the murderer of my gran for years. I later heard that he had gone to Zadar, bought a house there with the help of his sister and made himself a family. I heard from my cellmate – and there were thirty-two of us in that dormitory – that Vulić spent his prison days repenting and that he prayed every evening, apparently realising at the end what he had done. He has never appeared in Orahovica.” Excerpt from Sarajevo magazine DANI

12 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 12

24.6.2009 13:04:47

008-029 K.indd 13

24.6.2009 13:04:50

REGION: SLOVENIA |

INTERVIEW: Zoran JankoviÄ&#x2021;, Mayor of Ljubljana

The king must be contented

008-029 K.indd 14

24.6.2009 13:04:52

I was CEO of Slovenia’s largest retail company and the customer was king. Now I am a mayor of the Slovenian capital and the citizen is king. My job is to keep the king contented By Andrej Klemenčič

oran Janković was among the pioneering Slovenian entrepreneurs who turned to politics. As this country’s post-‘90s story was somewhat different to

the rest of the former Yugoslavia, Janković’s path to Ljubljana City Hall was also ’somewhat different’. Very little controversy has surrounded his character, despite the fact he was one of the most influential men during Slovenia’s transition and post-transition period. Mercator is renowned throughout the former Yugoslavia thanks solely to Janković’s determination to enter the re-emerging markets of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia, though he

sense of security; psychological security, but also physical and fiscal. Travelling, trading, everything is easier. Slovenia entered the EU as the most prepared of the 10 nations that entered the union simultaneously in 2004. During the six months of the presidency in 2008, our image on the map of Europe became more visible n Are there significantly more tourists in Ljubljana, comparing the periods before and after the presidency?

When a Slovenian politician says to citizens: “Do not go the Croatian coastline” and a Croatian politician says the same about the Slovenian coastline, it is a tragedy was removed from the position of Mercator CEO by the administration of former Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa in early 2006. In the autumn of that same year, he announced that he would run for the office of mayor of Ljubljana. His 63 per cent landslide victory came as no surprise. Janković’s link to Serbia is strong. He was born in Saraorci near Smederevo to a Serbian father and a Slovenian mother. The affection Janković expresses when talking about Belgrade can be sensed with no effort, as his voice softens when the topic of the conversation comes to the streets of the Serbian capital. n Ljubljana was the capital of the European Union during Slovenia’s presidency in the first half of 2008. Which experience from that time is transferable to Belgrade’s reality? r Well, Serbia must first enter the EU and I hope that happens as soon as possible. When a country enters the EU there is a widespread

r Absolutely. The increase was more than 40 per cent. n You opened numerous major shopping centres during your time at Mercator. How can cities retain some smaller retail outlets in their centres and has Ljubljana managed to protect its authentic shops in the medieval part of the centre? r There is a big differentiation there. Big shopping centres are usually on the outskirts of cities, so access is easy and they also provide parking. We have very strict criteria for those who want to open shops in so-called Plečnik’s Ljubljana. We strive to ensure those shops offer boutique products. This means Carsič prosciutto, special oils, speciality wines; therefore, not only products meant for citizens, but rather mainly for tourists. I believe we are doing this very well. Forbes magazine called Ljubljana the fifth most idyllic city in Europe to live, just after Tuscany, Provence, Cefallonia and Copenhagen.

Mercator

re you more suited to being a mayor or did you enjoy being a CEO more? The answer is very simple. I loved being the CEO of Mercator, where I spent eight extraordinary years. I have been here for two and a half years and I am enjoying it immensely. If someone asks me about the difference between chairing the city or Mercator I say that there is no difference. There the buyer was king, now the citizen is the king. If you want to keep the king contented, you must work well. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 15

008-029 K.indd 15

24.6.2009 13:04:53

REGION: SLOVENIA | making. I had my own company for seven years and made some money. I had the earnings revised before going to Mercator, where I stayed for eight years, earning the second highest salary in Slovenia. During those eight years, I bought 60,000 shares of the company, like other board members. A tycoon is also one who makes money out of buying state companies, which I never did.

Ljubljana: Tromostovlje

Forbes magazine called Ljubljana the fifth most idyllic city in Europe to live, just after Tuscany, Provence, Cefallonia and Copenhagen n Less idyllic than that is surely the story between Serbian multinational Delta and the Ljubljana municipality. The most recent media coverage of the topic has Delta asking Ljubljana to reconsider and allow them to build a shopping centre next to the

balkan and eu

here will Southeast Europe be in five years, in your opinion? I strongly hope, and expect, in the EU. I am not a politician, but my function is a political one. I appeal to politicians to stop looking for excuses in the neighbouring countries. When a Slovenian politician says to citizens: “Do not go the Croatian coastline” and a Croatian politician says the same about the Slovenian coastline, it is a tragedy. Bosnia & Herzegovina should enter the EU immediately. It has a high representative that decides about everything anyway. Admitting that country into the EU would prevent things going bad there. The path that Croatia and Macedonia are walking towards the EU is a very clear one. Serbia is off to a good start and so is Montenegro. So, I say, in five years, we all get back together in one big, united Europe.

new stadium in Stožice. r For now, Delta is not asking for anything from Ljubljana. I have even not had any kind of contact with Mr Miroslav Mišković in the past month. The city opened an international tender for a shopping centre to be located next to a stadium for 16,000 people and a sports hall for 12,000. A domestic consortium was chosen. Then the project for the shopping mall was sold to Delta. It paid an advance of five million Euros, but the remaining €15 million, due to be deposited by the end of 2008, was never paid. Delta now has to pay for the delay and the entire business is likely to end in a court case. But I feel sorry. I think Delta would have been a big gain, but it has to act in accordance with the contract it signed. n So, what are the next steps? Are you looking for someone else to build? r Yes we are. I think everything will be more or less known within a fortnight. n Both you and Belgrade mayor Ðilas come from the business world. Some less-favourable media in Serbia see him as a tycoon. What defines a tycoon in your opinion and do you see yourself as one? r Most definitively not. A tycoon is one who gains means through non-transparent business-

n Are there differences in this domain between Slovenia and Serbia? r There is only one difference: our privatisation in the ‘90s was transparent. The problems of non-transparent business-making came after entering the EU – such as Istrabenz and Pivovarna Laško, where stories from other republics of the former Yugoslavia were repeated. If there is such a thing as a just division, it was done in Slovenia in the ‘90s. Everyone got something. You received between one and four thousand Deutsche Marks. The division was fair, but, of course, there were companies that later did well and those that did not. However, before former Prime Minister Janez Jansa came to power we did not have tycoon problems. n Are there any other Serbian investments coming to Slovenia? r Hermes Softlab is now a Serbian-owned company here. The capital invested has enabled it to become the largest Slovenian software company. Delta was aiming to build the largest shopping facility and, I repeat again, I am sorry that did not happen. All those who have courage and good ideas are welcome to come. n What element from Belgrade would you most like to have in Ljubljana, as a city? r I always say that Ljubljana should be a mix of Vienna, when it comes to work, and Barcelona, when it comes to afterhours. I could easily say Belgrade instead of Barcelona. The warmth and way of life happening on the streets, as we can see of late on the riverbanks of Ljubljanica, has been present in Belgrade for a long time. n Your role in Mercator largely contributed to creating the contemporary image of Southeast Europe’s economy. Mercator was the first to opt to make big investments in that region after the war. Is Slovenia an integral part of Southeast Europe or does it view the region from the viewpoint of a detached northern neighbour? What is the x-ray image of this

16 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 16

24.6.2009 13:04:55

I have even not had any kind of contact with Mr Miroslav Mišković in the past month space and what potential does it have? r That space is a whole that includes Slovenia and Southeast Europe must be in the European Union together. In 2000, when we started our investments in the region, beginning with shopping centres in Croatia and Sarajevo, it was an uncommon decision. Slovenia has the advantage of serving as a bridge into that region. Last year we had a conference in Ljubljana with all the mayors of the EU member states’ capitals and those of states capitals that are waiting to enter the EU. We signed two “Ljubljana Declarations” .One is about intercultural dialogue, the other is about relations between a country’s capital and the state. We invited all the mayors of the capitals of the former Yugoslav republics. The message was very clear. We, who have been in the European Union for a short period of time, have been learning from those who have been there since the beginning and we can help our colleagues outside the EU not to make the same mistakes that we, or our colleagues from the EU, have been making. n You came to Slovenia from Serbia when you were very young. You were on the top of Slovene commerce and now you chair its capital. Did you ever feel there were any obstacles on that path deriving solely from the fact you came from Serbia? r I am a pure-blooded mixture between a Slovene and a Serb. I came to Ljubljana in 1964. At that time, I was in the fifth grade of primary school. I knew close to nothing when it came to the Slovenian language. At that time kids used the word “Bosnian” as an offensive term for all those coming from the southern republics. The situation today is similar, with the exception that there are just a few cases of extreme behaviour. Some small groups of in-

Mayers of Ljubljana and Belgrade: Zoran Janković and Dragan Djilas dividuals feel distrust towards foreigners, because they believe foreigners are intruders into their space. The economic crisis is not making it better. However, Ljubljana in general is a very tolerant city, as are its citizens. We live the intercultural dialogue. n Why are you, personally, supportive of naming a street after the former Yugoslav president? r Slovenia’s position as an independent country and a member of the EU has its roots in the Second World War, which enabled its existence. Our nations were, under the

leadership of Tito, on the side of those who fought against Fascism and Nazism. Tito was a great statesman, a leader of the NonAligned movement. I never met him, but history teaches us that he managed to preserve peace in the entire region. We must, however, recognise the mistakes that were made after the war, when people were killed illegally. But that cannot alter the role he had. We were a part of one state and even those who dislike that fact must admit its historical indisputability and Tito was the head of that state. He led for a long time and, in my opinion, did so successfully. n

Tolerance

Delta

Tycoons

Capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, in general is a very tolerant city, as are its citizens. We live the intercultural dialogue.

Serbian company Delta was aiming to build the largest shopping facility and, I am sorry that did not happen.

Before former slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa came to power we, in Slovenia, did not have tycoon problems. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 17

008-029 K.indd 17

24.6.2009 13:04:57

DIPLOMACY / INTERVIEW |

H.E. Dimosthenis Stoidis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic

Serbia’s advoca

“We are honoured that Greece is the number one tourist destination for the Serbian people and we are convinced that even more Serbian tourists will travel to our country once visas are abolished.” By Vladan Alimpijević; Photo: Slobodan Jotić

n their almost two centuries of modern-era diplomatic relations, Serbia and Greece have always had a good connection. As if to demonstrate this, Greek President Karolos Papoulias will be making an official visit to Serbia at the beginning of this month (July. It was this and other ele-

ments of Serbia and Greece’s deep relations that prompted us to interview the Ambassador of Greece in Serbia. n Relations between Serbia and Greece are good. How do you see levels of co-operation and the possibilities to increase them? r I can say that relations between Serbia and Greece are excellent. They reflect the his-

toric ties of friendship and long standing cooperation between our two peoples; ties that were forged and tested in challenging times throughout our parallel history. We see these ties as a means of seeking ways to further enhance bilateral relations, especially in certain fields that are currently lagging behind the overall high level of our relations. One such field is culture, where important develop-

18 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 18

24.6.2009 13:04:58

cates in the EU ments are underway: namely the opening of a branch of the Hellenic Foundation of Culture in Belgrade, with a view to creating yet another bridge for better communication between our two countries and their respective cultures. Equally, the commencement of restoration works on Nebojša’s Tower at Kalemegdan, with the financial support of Greece, highlights our will to honour those who fought for the values of democracy and human rights in our region. It gives me great pleasure indeed to note that the Hellenic Foundation of Culture will be officially inaugurated by the President of the Hellenic Republic during his state visit to Serbia at the beginning of July.

n How will global downturn influence cooperation between the two economies and how do you see the future of Greek investments in Serbia; what is the most significant barrier on the path towards better cooperation between our two economies? r The special bonds between our two countries are also reflected in the steady business ties and fruitful co-operation. Greece, having been economically present in Serbia even in the most difficult times, has become a top investor. The numerous Greek companies operating in Serbia are an important contribution to economic growth and the creation of new employment opportunities. I believe that this role earns particular importance in light of the current global financial crisis. On our part, we are always seeking to create the best possible relations with our neighbours, which enables businesses to expand their operations across borders. However, the host countries need to provide the best possible environment for financial or trade activi-

ties in order to attract foreign investment. We intend to explore ways to sustain commercial and investment possibilities through the present economic environment.

n In your opinion, how efficient is the Serbian government when it comes to fighting the crisis and corruption, as well as completing its transition? r Serbia is a key country in our region. We are following, with great attention, the progress made in consolidating a stable political environment aimed at ensuring the unhindered functioning of democratic institutions. A transition of this calibre, though not an easy task, bares results as demonstrated by the recent adoption of relevant legislation by the Serbian Parliament. n European integration has been brought to a halt. Can such a situation cause disappointment in the countries of the Western Balkans and, subsequently, lead to changes in their pro-European policies? Are there any tangible deadlines that can be discussed when we talk about Serbia becoming a full member of the European Union? r I think Serbia, along with the other countries of the Western Balkan region, should not worry about specific deadlines, nor be discouraged by internal developments or discussions about their future in the European Union. Instead, they need to focus - as other candidates or aspiring member countries in the past - on efforts to fulfil obligations relating to their course towards the European Union. Important steps have been made, especially in the sector of harmonising national legislation with the Commu-

FYRM

Kosovo

Greece has made the necessary steps on its side. It is expected that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will covers its part of the road.

We support the prevalence of international law, as well as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of independent democratic countries.

The numerous Greek companies operating in Serbia are an important contribution to economic growth and the creation of new jobs.

It is true that the EU has come a long way, through intense efforts, crises, to become what it is today nity “acquis”, but there is still work to be done. The Serbian people should know that the efforts they make do not remain unobserved and we are confident that they will soon bare fruit. I would like to reiterate at this point that Greece is one of the most fervent supporters of Serbia’s European future. There is, in fact, a growing consensus within the EU. Allow me, however, to remind your readers of the important initiative taken by Greek Foreign Minister Mrs. Bakoyanni, in the framework of the EU as early as November 2007, in favour of speeding up the process of integration for Serbia, including the abolition of visas for the Serbian people. Now, almost two years later, after consistent and successful efforts made principally by the Serbian government, there is justifiable optimism for an affirmative outcome. n Does Greece have any complaints about Serbia’s military neutrality policy and its reluctance to join the NATO? CorD 62 / July - August 2009 19

008-029 K.indd 19

24.6.2009 13:05:00

DIPLOMACY / INTERVIEW | far away. Moreover, until the appropriate decisions are taken and implemented, the Embassy of Greece and its consular office are vigilantly ensuring that the visa granting process runs swiftly and in a respectable manner.

r Each country has a right to determine its own national priorities and take sovereign decisions. Although several countries of the region have chosen to combine their European perspective with the prospect of becoming a member of NATO, this does not necessarily mean that the two processes are linked to each other or one is a precondition for the other. n The EU has been criticised for inefficiency when it comes to decision-making. Are the European Parliamentary elections likely to have changed that? r I believe that the word “inefficiency” does not do justice to the EU. It is legitimate toexpect differing opinions among member states to emerge from time to time in a union of 27 countries. It goes without saying that member states work for an effective Common Foreign and Security Policy. On the other hand, the free movement of people, products and services is assured to an extent that has never before been achieved in the history of mankind. Important legislation on directives and regulations is continuously being adopted with the objective of improving the living conditions of citizens. It is true that the European Union has come a long way, through intense efforts, crises and hard negotiations, to become what it is today, based on values shared by the European people. Let us not forget that the union emerged from the tragedy of war and distress and the pledge made by the great European pioneers that we would never have to face such tragedy on our continent again. A few weeks ago, on 7th June, the highest expression of democracy – that of electing representatives of the people – was exercised all over the European Union, once again confirming the democratic values upon which European structures are built. I am confident that the European Parliament, although not directly influencing the institutional aspect of decision-making, will once more perform its duties - in close co-operation with the other two institutions involved in this process (the Council and the

Greece is one of the strongest advocates of the liberalisation of visas for the Serbian people Commission) – with responsibility and consciousness of the importance of its mission. n Greece is one of the favourite summer destinations for Serbian citizens. However, there is still a visa regime for Serbian tourists. There have been many promises, but at this point it is not even possible to say that visas will be abolished by the end of the year. Is this really just a matter of technology and departments of internal affairs? r As I already mentioned, Greece is one of the strongest advocates of the liberalisation of visas for the Serbian people. We are honoured that Greece is the number one tourist destination for the Serbian people and we are convinced that even more Serbian tourists will travel to our country once the visas are abolished. Given the progress achieved so far by the Serbian authorities in this field, I believe that the day is not very

I feel very comfotible

ou arrived in Belgrade quite recently. How does it feel to be part of this city and how much of Serbia have you seen so far? After five months in Belgrade, I already feel very comfortable enjoying the hospitality and warmth of the Serbian people, both professionally and socially. There is a lot to be seen yet in this beautiful city, taking advantage of the friendly sentiments I witness towards my country. Apart from Novi Sad and Niš, I strongly intend to visit as many places as I can, in order to enjoy natural beauties like Kopaonik, Vrnjačka Banja, Đerdap, Zlatibor, etc.

n How do you interpret the Serbian strategy “Both Kosovo and the EU”? Do you think there is a solution to the Kosovo problem that would be both realistic and acceptable for all of the sides involved? r As I said earlier, it is totally up to a country to define the main priorities of its policy. I am certain that Greece’s position over the issue of Kosovo & Metohija is well known and acknowledged, because it is a position based on principles and national interests. We support the prevalence of international law, as well as the territorial integrity and sovereignty of independent democratic countries. The strategy adopted by the Serbian Government in this regard, based on the principle of “preserving national integrity and, at the same time, striving for a European future” showed a remarkable sense of pragmatism on the part of the Serbian Government at a very critical time for Serbia. We believe that this strategic turn, performed by Serbia, should not remain without a significant political response by the European Union and we are working with our partners in the EU to this end. n Relationships in the Balkans are burdened by another conflict – the one between FYRMacedonia and Greece. Is any agreement possible here? r I wouldn’t agree completely with the term conflict. The question of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is an issue that, after reaching a mutually acceptable solution applicable “erga omnes”, will consolidate good neighbourly relations, thus contributing substantially to the stability of the region. The crux of the matter pertains to the efforts of a neighbouring country to build its national identity through usurping history and trying to monopolise the cultural heritage of another sovereign state. Greece has made the necessary steps on its side. It is expected that the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will covers its part of the road. Negotiations on the name issue, which are conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, were resumed in Geneva this June. It remains to be seen whether the attitude of our neighbouring country creates appropriate conditions to allow optimism that a sustainable solution will be found. n

20 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 20

24.6.2009 13:05:02

CorD 62 / July - August 2009 21

008-029 K.indd 21

24.6.2009 13:05:04

H.E. Krister Bringéus, Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia

Leadership challenge

Sweden is set to take over the EU presidency in just a few days’ time on 1st July. With a global downturn and the aftermath of the European parliamentary elections to contend with, question marks over the Lisbon Treaty, it’s no wonder that some have dubbed this the Presidency from Hell 22 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 22

24.6.2009 13:05:06

DIPLOMACY | By Mark R. Pullen Photo: Slobodan Jotić

elations between Sweden and Serbia are deeper and more complex than one might imagine, primarily because Sweden has a substantial Serbian Diaspora population and Serbia hosts numerous successful Swedish companies that have operated in the country for many years. Where relations shine the most, though, is in the cultural domain. With reciprocal exhibitions, theatrical performances, workshops and the like going on throughout the year, Sweden and Serbia have expanding mutual understanding and cultural appreciation. Confirming Sweden’s interest in cultural cooperation with Serbia, 1st July will see not only the start of Sweden’s EU Presidency, but also the arrival of a cultural counsellor at the Embassy in Belgrade “a privilege generally only seen in the huge embassies in Berlin, London, Moscow, Paris and Washington,” says Ambassador Bringéus. n Sweden has a packed agenda for its sixmonth presidency, which (as a second half of the year presidency) is short enough already. How much can any country really achieve in such a short space of time and do you think the six-month rotating presidency system should be reconsidered to a one-year term or more? r I think that with the new Lisbon Treaty in place the presidency will be different than it has been until now. I also think that, yes, there is something to be said about it being a short term and that there’s sometimes a lack consistency, but with a determined presidency I think you can achieve a lot. I think our priorities will be dealing with the financial crisis, the climate issue and the institutional aspects of the Lisbon Treaty coming into force. n With presidency length in mind, Sweden has been working in a ‘trio’ with France and the Czech Republic on a joint 18-month work programme. Is this the first time that such a ‘trio’ has been formed and did this help you plan your activities? r It certainly helped us a lot and helped create the consistency that, as I said, is often lacking. We had great collaboration with both the French and the Czechs. I’m not sure if this is the first time such a trio has been formed, but

“I think we sometimes over emphasise the importance of EU membership. It’s not the membership as such that is the important thing, but rather the path to the Union.” we had very good co-operation. It was also a very interesting combination, because we had a very experienced French presidency, the first ever Czech presidency and our latest presidency since 2001. n The Swedish presidency will also involve preparations for the Lisbon strategy on economic development after 2010. Can you offer us some insight into how you plan to tackle the global financial downturn? r We need to restore functioning financial markets and confidence in them; we need to strengthen the supervisory system for financial markets and, since we know that the current downturn has put significant pressure on national budgets – creating increasing deficits and growing debts, we need to reach agreement on a common exit strategy to return to roots of stability and growth. n How’s Sweden coping with the downturn? Reasonably well. We have experience from some ten years ago, when our banking system was on the verge of collapse. At that time we succeeded in saving it, although with difficulty, through massive state intervention. So, now we’re drawing on that experience and we

also feel quite confident psychologically, simply because we’ve been through this sort of thing once before. Unemployment is growing; the situation’s critical for the car industry – both Saab and Volvo – but by and large I think people are confident that we’ll get through this. n How do you plan to advance the enlargement agenda for Turkey and the Western Balkans; will efforts be made to remedy the ongoing dispute between Croatia and Slovenia? r The dispute between Croatia and Slovenia is a sad state of affairs. A prerequisite for EU membership is good neighbourly relations and it’s deplorable when countries try to insert bilateral differences into the EU agenda. When it comes to enlargement in general, including Turkey, we believe that the EU has an open door but, at the end of the day, it’s the results achieved by the individual candidates that sets their pace of entry; progress is related to the reform process in each country. n Like Bulgaria and Romania? r I think the fact that Bulgaria and Romania joined when they did has certainly influenced the thinking on enlargement in some capitals. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 23

008-029 K.indd 23

24.6.2009 13:05:08

DIPLOMACY |

sweden presidency

weden is hoping to use the presidency to strengthen the EU’s role generally. Can you provide any specifics? The EU is already a major player on the global stage, but we think it’s important that the EU becomes even more active. With the new Lisbon Treaty, which will create new functions on the top (we will gain a foreign minister, a diplomatic service, etc.), I think the EU will be able to become more assertive on the global stage n Your agenda partly depends on the results of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in mid-October. Has this affected your ability to plan and do you think the Lisbon treaty marks the first step towards a fully integrated, federal Europe? r The Union is a living organism that develops from one day to another, but we will never have a fully integrated, federal Europe. That said, the fact that we don’t have the Lisbon Treaty in force has clearly complicated our planning. That’s why we’re now insisting on having Barroso reaffirmed as president of the Commission, because we can’t spend half of our presidency not knowing who the next president of the Commission will be. n In many ways your presidency’s going to be difficult enough with the new parliament coming in. r Exactly. Indeed, some have dubbed our presidency the Presidency from Hell.

Sweden’s Diaspora Serbs “create the great interface between our two countries; in the old times every Swede had a cousin in Chicago and now every Serb has a cousin in Sweden.”

n Carl Bildt stated recently that “The European Union has a big role to manoeuvre the world towards a global climate deal in Copenhagen in December 2009. That is going to consume a lot of political energy.” Can you tell us about specific climate change plans for the presidency? r As we speak, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets continue to melt and sea levels continue to rise, while Greenhouse emissions have increased by 70 per cent during the last three decades. There is no more time to lose. The EU, therefore, has confirmed its readiness to take on its fair share in the framework of an agreement to be made in Copenhagen. The Swedish Presidency will do its utmost to continue to work out the details of financing arrangements, as well as ways of transfer-

24 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 24

24.6.2009 13:05:10

ring technology to enable an agreement to be reached in Copenhagen.

in the cultural field. We recently welcomed the Swedish Dramatic Theatre, a world-class ensemble, which performed Hamlet at the National Theatre in Belgrade. We had the Cullberg Ballet, another great ensemble, performing in the Sava Centre when Staffan Waldemar Holm, the great Swedish playwright and former director of the Dramaten, decided to come down to Belgrade as a guest director for a couple of months. Last year we had a huge exhibition on assistive technology for children, in which Sweden is a world leader, which was opened by our Crown Princess. And last year also saw Serbia’s Narodno Pozorište (National Theatre) playing Tsar Oedipus at Dramaten. So, cultural relations are very good. I must say that on the trade side the figures are modest, but what’s interesting is that almost all major Swedish companies are present in Serbia and many of them stayed on even during the difficult times, which I’m quite proud of.

130,000 Serbs in Sweden]; and its close – only 1 hour, 50 flying time to Copenhagen and 2 hours, 30 to Stockholm; there’s also no time difference. All in all it’s a good place to put your production.

n What can Serbia expect from the Swedish presidency as it seeks to continue progressing towards full integration? n How does the significant Serbian population in Sweden help relations? r We firmly believe in Europe as an open r It’s also reflected in the way the embassy is project and clearly see an EU perspective for structured. This is Sweden’s third largest emSerbia. At the end of the day, though, the speed bassy in Europe, but its strictly MFA part is the that Serbia will enter the EU depends on Serbia. smallest. The structure reflects the interface In the short to mid-term perspective, I see three between the two societies, as we have trade, an important issues: a visa-free agreement, reacinternational co-operation department, culturtivating the SAA and improving regional coal department, military office, conference deoperation. If we can see progress on these three partment and an immigration department that issues we’ll have taken a great step forward. we hope to be able to close soon. My favourite I’d also like to add that I think we sometimes over emphasise the importance of EU memanecdote is that when I went to say farewell bership. It’s not the membership as such that’s to the King, informing him that I was headthe important thing, but rather the path to the ing to Belgrade, I was greeted by a beautiful Union. The modernisation of Serbia is a must! young palace guard in Serbian – she was secWe know that there are old-fashioned, heavy ond generation Serb and had heard I would be structures that need to be reambassador in Belgrade. I found formed and that the open door “Nowadays it’s quite natural to live in Malmo it so sweet that his Majesty the to EU membership is a strong King of Sweden is guarded by and work in Copenhagen or vice versa... I’m a young, second-generation Sermagnet. For example, 40 per cent of the so-called ‘acquis’ is bian girl. certain that this region will eventually coabout environment and Serbia operate as we do in Scandinavia.” needs a safe and sound envinCan the countries of ther ronment with or without the former Yugoslavia learn from EU. Every day that Serbia makes progress in n Now IKEA’s going to come? the Scandinavians when it comes to overr I think IKEA’s going to come sooner rather coming history and working together for a reforming and modernising itself is a victory. than later and I also think that that’s important common good? n Do you think Serbia would be better ad- for lots of different reasons, amongst which is Absolutely. I don’t want to seem too immodvised to take its time over EU accession, as that they’re needed here and it’s a symbol of est, but my own region is the best example. opposed to rushing and suffering from yet normalcy when you see that big blue and yel- Scandinavia was a region torn by wars below building somewhere near an airport. another brain drain? tween brother nations. Now all we have to do r I think Serbia’s political elite has taken a is look at the example of the Øresund Region, very wise, mature approach when it comes to n Where do you see the greatest opportuni- centred around Copenhagen and Malmo and applying for membership and they will do so ties for Swedish companies in Serbia? connected by a bridge. at the right moment. As I said, it’s the process r We’re trying to encourage Swedish industry Nowadays it’s quite natural to live in Malmo that’s important and not so much the objective. to come to Serbia for their production instead of and work in Copenhagen or vice versa. I trugoing to China, and we’ve had some success in ly believe that this should serve as an examn How would you describe bilateral rela- that. The Serbian labour force is quite efficient; ple for this region and I’m certain that this retions between Stockholm and Belgrade? there is great knowledge in Sweden about Serbia, gion will eventually co-operate as we do in r I would say they are excellent, particularly because of the huge Diaspora [estimates up to Scandinavia. n

Production

New functions

We’re trying to encourage Swedish industry to come to Serbia for their production instead of going to China, and we’ve had some success in that.

We over emphasise the importance of EU membership. It’s not the membership as such that is the important thing, but rather the path to the EU.

With the new Lisbon Treaty, which will create new functions on the top I think the EU will be able to become more assertive on the global stage. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 25

008-029 K.indd 25

24.6.2009 13:05:11

CORPORATE AFFAIRS | Profile: Andreas Binder, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Serbia & Montenegro

No compromise on quality

By Vladan Alimpijevic

n The government adopted its set of meas-

espite tough competition, Mercedes still remains the so-called ‘status vehicle’ in Serbia. It seems that a luxury Mercedes E-class is finding its way to buyers despite the crisis. New CEO of the Serbian branch of Mercedes-Benz, Andreas Binder, outlines a series of benefits for buyers, which do not include lower prices – since quality cars just cannot be any cheaper.

ures aimed at helping the real sector, i.e. your buyers. Do you expect any results to come of that? r These government measures are yet to affect the market. Of course, our expectations lie with financial institutions with policies that can also help our buyers.

n At the end of 2008, it seemed that the car market was nearing collapse, but six months later there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel after all. r Well, there is and there isn’t. At this moment, we can see a rather visible difference between the passenger and commercial programme. It is a well documented fact that we have achieved exceptional success in Serbia in the last year, but, unlike the first two months of this year, when sale figures were at a standstill, we can now see that the passenger programme is picking up, with no indications that the sale of commercial vehicles is going back to the way it was before. We can explain this through the fact that passenger vehicles are a so-called ’emotional purchase’, while when one buys a commercial vehicle one is just considering how rational the investment is. Purchasing power in Serbia is still not going up. This, of course, doesn’t depend on us. We are trying to facilitate the purchase of our vehicles by providing special benefits, but obviously more needs to be done. There is a question of having sufficient money to do this kind of investment.

n The government is putting a lot of effort into improving the Serbian car industry through a joint venture of Zastava and FIAT. r It is important for any country, including Serbia, to develop its car industry. This type of industry is beneficial across the market. Personally, I am glad that such an industry is being developed here; it will definitely be auspicious for suppliers and buyers, as well as improving the overall economy. I don’t see FIAT as competition, rather as another carmaker that will make the market less shallow and improve business conditions even more. n Is this a good time to think about investing, considering the global downturn? r During the last several years, we had big investments here in Serbia. Our biggest investment was in our dealership network, which, although being young, is quite professional.. Some of investments are ongoing, some we gave up on due to the crisis and some were postponed for next year. But we still view Serbia as a large and important market, where we are going to continue investing once relevant con-

ndreas Binder, born 1967 in Germany, started his career in Daimler Company back in 1995. He came to Serbia in 2009, following a posting as sales director in the Vietnamese branch of Mercedes Benz. ditions have been met.

n Although it’s rather underdeveloped when it comes to the new generation of so-called ‘Smart’ vehicles, the Serbian market has high demands just like any other Western European market. r The car industry is at a crossroads and drastic changes await us. We have a clear view of environmental and safety issues that contemporary cars need to meet and our company is a ring leader of that current of changes, since we have been developing our Smart Car for a decade now. The crisis pushes us to work in a cheaper and a more efficient way, but Mercedes Benz is uncompromising when it comes to investing in new technologies. smart is one of our responses to the demands put forward by the market of the future. Generally speaking, the tendency is for cars to be safer and smarter, and engines smaller, cleaner, quieter and more efficient. One day, when oil deposits diminish, we will be ready. n

26 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 26

24.6.2009 13:05:16

LEADERS Milan Kovač, Director of the Ilirika Company for investment fund management Stock exchange coming to life he value of securities on the Belgrade Stock Exchange will grow by the end of this year with certain fluctuations expected. However, market insolvency remains the key problem of the capital market. At this moment, the prices of domestic securities contain a discount to compensate for the market’s insolvency, which is a big problem. Serbia’s market recovery will largely depend on the recovery of regional and international markets. If investors don’t start to come back slowly, the recovery will probably fluctuate considerably. Our market is shallow and illiquid and huge drops are possible. If there is no demand during only one day of trading, the prices change dramatically. Global stock exchanges have already recorded solid growth. There is, of course, still room to grow and they remain interesting for investing, but these markets are highly correlated and closely connected to the surrounding ones. It is almost impossible for them to grow if the region doesn’t grow. So, the growth can be easily traced through regional markets, like, for example, Corbex, which is highly correlated to global indices. We can already see that foreign investors are starting to return to the Belgrade Stock Exchange, with the ones that left first, also coming back first, i.e. mostly Croatian and Slovenian investors, several Austrian and Swedish funds, and few U.S. ones. Not a single domestic fund has experienced liquidity problems during the crisis, despite the fact that the Belex15 recorded a

record breaking drop. The main issue for investors at the moment (regardless of them being legal entities or private citizens) is to ascertain whether this is the right moment to invest and if we have weathered the storm. Ilirika’s experts say that now is a good moment and that the investment period should be spread over several months to avoid investing all at once. So, in case the market sustains another drop, there are still sufficient finances to invest. Chel-Morten Jonsen, CEO of Telenor Srbija Increase of costs of business dealing he prices of services of mobile telephone operators increased by 10 per cent as of the beginning of June, since that reflects the new tax introduced by the authorities. Whether there will be a drop in prices during the forthcoming holiday season is not as important as the drop in the price of roaming. Soon there will be a doubledigit drop, but not linear. The European Commission is requesting the cutting of roaming prices and our company is supporting that request. Introduction of the special tax means not only that our users will have to pay more, but also a huge increase of costs of business dealing by us and our competitors. The second negative effect is decreased cash availability, which is absolutely necessary at the time of the global economic crisis. That will also affect our investing in development of the internet, expansion of services and business dealing. There is an ongoing dialogue with the Ministry of finance and there are many other open issues. Additional budgetary income cannot be at the expense of something that is moving the

economy forward. The effect must not be a drop in investments, especially in the field of telecommunications. Generally speaking, the measures are severe. The first portion of the credit taken from the IMF has arrived, so there is no more reason for stress. In the long-term sense, there is a need for macroeconomic stability. This is something that all agree on, but differences arise when going into details. For the Council, Serbia is an interesting destination, but we want to ensure that all do their business well, not only foreign investors but domestic as well, and all under same conditions. Slobodan Vučićević, President of the Serbian Association of Managers We need a strong state e would like to see a state that is capable of devising an economic system with rules that will be fair and clear. We want to have efficient laws and regulations that are in line with European and global standards. Hence, I would like the state authorities to be more proactive when it comes to communicating with the business world and to hear the key problems that we are facing every single day. If we (the business people in Serbia) are satisfied, then this will send out an invitation to foreign investors that we absolutely need in the future. I am under the impression that there has been a tendency in the last few years, and especially in the last few months, where state authorities and managers have been sharing one goal: combating the economic crisis. In order for the Serbian economy to continue developing we need a strong state and precise laws that will facilitate foreign

investments. Without foreign investments there is no future, since they contribute to a higher GDP and raise the economy’s competitiveness. Tomaž Križaj, director of the Belgrade branch of Tuš Trade We are satisfied with our business in Serbia uš Holding Company is celebrating the first anniversary of its presence on the Serbian market. In this period, Tuš opened six supermarkets (in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sombor, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica and Jagodina), which employ more than 220 employees. The company plans to open a hundred more retail facilities across the country. We are satisfied with operations in Serbia and our actual business results are above those planned. We have found the Serbian market quite interesting, because it is constantly growing and has great potential. Our advantage is that we know this market well and there is a real opportunity to develop a strong and recognisable brand. One of the biggest challenges is certainly competition in the shape of larger retail chains present in Serbia, which are also the leading regional retailers. We have noticed that there has been a change in the structure of demand: the sale of discounted products is on the up and we can see that cheaper products make the majority of sold items. At Tuš we believe that the solution is not only to offer the cheapest products, but to provide customers with the best value for their money. Our longterm development plan is to build a dense network of shops across the Republic of Serbia. We plan to open over 100 Tuš shops. n

CorD 62 / July - August 2009 27

008-029 K.indd 27

24.6.2009 13:05:16

CORPORATE AffAIRS | sanda ParEzanoviĆ, Hr & CommuniCaTions managEr, CoCa-CoLa HELLEniC sErBia.

CSR prompts corporate networking

The volunteer campaign ‘Our Belgrade’ brought together over 200 people working in companies that are members of the Business Leaders Forum

ur Belgrade is a new campaign, launched 6th June, which is aimed at promoting volunteer activities for domestic companies and is the first such event ever to be held in Serbia. The Business Leaders Forum (BLF) plans to implement this campaign every single year, both in Belgrade and other Serbian towns. This year saw major work undertaken on the Dragan Kovačević Primary School for blind and visually impaired children, as well as in the Napredak chess club, which is frequented by people with the same disability. This month Sanda Parezanović, HR & Communications Manager for Coca-Cola Hellenic in Serbia, talks about this pioneering campaign and the role played by BLF. The basic function of BLF is to support and encourage companies to integrate the concept of social responsibility into their businesses and, thus, make a positive impact on the environment in which they operate. As a coalition of socially responsible companies in Serbia, BLF achieves this objective through establishing and promoting the active and positive role of businesses in addressing key social and environmental challenges, through development and establishment of CSR practices in our country. I think BLF is a unique organisation, if not the only institutionalised framework for socially responsible business in Serbia. The Forum’s members carry out a number of joint campaigns. Ten days ago we launched a major voluntary campaign called Our Belgrade, which includes more than 200 employees of Forum-member companies. The aim of BLF is to increase the effect of CSR activities carried out by individual companies and generate additional value from networking and joint actions. By increasing the number of active members, BLF promotes the principles of social responsi-

bility. Only a company that is ready to adhere to the principles defined in the Memorandum on the Establishment of the Forum can become a member. Responsible companies never overlook CSR. Simply put, this is the way these companies operate. Of course, we all understand that some public programmes and projects may suffer from certain restrictions, due to the situation that we have been experiencing in the last few years. However, the concept of CSR is much broader than the concept of a project or philanthropy, so I really can-

ing responsible towards the company’s customers, consumers and suppliers, implementing human and equal rights policies and securing safe and positive place for work, the company adheres to the highest standards and principles of social responsibility. Coca-Cola Hellenic recognises that it is only possible to simultaneously develop its business and improve quality of life in the country through true partnership with the local community. Every year, thanks to its traditional long-term projects

The concept of CSR is much broader than the concept of a project or philanthropy

not see this crisis significantly affecting socially responsible behaviour. In every business area and every market in which it operates, Coca-Cola Hellenic behaves as a socially responsible citizen seeking to be a trusted partner of the local community. We apply the highest business standards in our work environment and on the market, as well as in both living and social surroundings. Through selection of ingredients, manufacturing and delivery of products, establishing continuous energy saving programmes, taking care of the environment, be-

– as well as voluntary work carried out by the company’s employees in areas like health and social care, culture, education and sports – the company strives not only to meet the requirements, but to take an active role in recognising the community’s needs. The company views its commitment to social responsibility as a part of its DNA. Socially responsible behaviour is intertwined with our business objectives, but is also a goal of each company employee, thus ensuring that the values Coca-Cola Hellenic fosters are conveyed to all business aspects. n

28 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

008-029 K.indd 28

24.6.2009 13:05:18

FeB 09. / iSSUe nO. 57

www.cordmagazine.com

interviews opinions news comments events

politics, Diplomacy, Business & lifestyle magazine in english

SUBSCriBe nOW! For only

€ 26

and receive your copy

008-029 K.indd 29

24.6.2009 13:05:39

profile Henkel is doing well at a time of global economic fear

Buy good quality

enkel recently opened a new business building in Belgrade, which is now the regional centre of this multinational company - covering the markets of Central and Southeast Europe with over 55 million consumers. Nenad Vuković, President of Henkel Srbija, insists that due to the company adopting anti-crisis measures on time and having a stable financial position, Henkel is successfully withstanding the affects of the crisis. n It is a well known fact that household detergents and glue have the biggest advertising exposure. Do you believe in the power of advertising? While I was working in the Czech branch of Henkel, I saw a commercial where a man was stuck to the ceiling with our glue. Everything that we advertise, we test in our laboratories first. So, I do believe in advertising. Well, at least I believe in ours.... n It seems that the global economic crisis was not that hard on the detergents and toiletries sector. How much did the crisis effect other production segments of Henkel Srbija? The global situation has not been entirely transferred onto the domestic market. Henkel is operational in three market segments: detergents, cosmetics and adhesives. Cosmetics, and particularly detergents, are considered consumer goods and often find their way to an average family’s shopping cart. On the other hand, construction in Serbia was badly hit by the crisis, but, judging by the sale of our adhesives, the situation is far from catastrophic. At the group level, Henkel did sustain a drop in sales of products used by carmakers, but since Serbia doesn’t have a car industry we had no problems in that sector. n Are you feeling the effects of the government’santi-crisis measures? We helped ourselves first by having a well organised production and by cutting back on costs. We were careful of what we buy from our suppliers and at what price. The talk about the crisis is too glob-

I don’t feel bad about giving out positive information, since this is the result of good work al for our production. We felt the crisis back in 2008, since our raw materials come from the oil industry and oil prices just span out of control back then. There was talk that things would get much worse, so we re-organised our production in a way that would protect ourselves from price fluctuations. In the meantime, the global oil price dropped and we were ready to face the financial crisis.

n Was this the reason why production and sales figures fell? In the first few months of 2009 we have been selling more than in the same period last year, and primarily consumer goods.

n Does this reduction in costs entail laying off workers? Laying off workers is not a saving. If you lay off workers that means your business is not good or you have a poor organisation. We need workers, since our production is growing. We are not a system, well, at least not in Serbia, where we have tens of thousands Nenad Vuković, of employees which bring a lot of President of overheads. We are an efficient and tough competitor, not only on the Henkel Srbija Serbian market, but in the wider region too. Henkel has no solvency problems and we didn’t take out new loans. Henkel was not forced to stop collaborating with any of its partners and did not have to settle its claims in court. n You speak as if there is no crisis: you have no problems with sales or settling your claims, you will not lay off any workers... I don’t feel bad about giving out positive information, since this is the result of good work. Henkel has been operational in Serbia for six years. We started by purchasing Merima, then building a plant in Inđija, followed by the opening of new headquarters in Belgrade. The average age of our employees is 34, which is fantastic, and they are mostly university graduates. This year would have been even more successful if it weren’t for the crisis, but I don’t fell awkward beacause Henkel is doing well at a time of global economic fear. n What do you think of campaigns aimed at protecting domestic market, such as the ’Let’s buy Serbian’ campaign. Is your company considered domestic in Serbia? We produce the Merima baby soap and Persil detergent here and sell them to the CEFTA countries. We import some of our products from Henkel’s plants in the region. Our message to buyers will always be: Buy good quality! Henkel is trying to reach the same quality for all our products, regardless of whether they are sold here or on a wider European market. Hence, as a domestic producer which made significant investments on this market, we are never going to insist on consumers buying our products because they are domestic ones, but because they are of good quality.. n

30 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

030-035 K.indd 30

24.6.2009 13:01:41

Quotations As of 1st June, I will receive my salary from the faculty, since I will teach obligatory law there.“ Bojan Pajtić, voluntary President of the Executive Council of Vojvodina

I would like to see David Bowie in Zagreb. I wouldn’t mind seeing Freddie Mercury too.“ Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić, apparently unaware that the lead singer of Queen has been dead for 18 years

Vojislav Šešelj sees more than we do and he has always been the mastermind behind every move made by the Radicals.“ Dragan Todorović, deputy president of the Serbian Radical Party

Bulgaria will also benefit from Serbia joining the EU. Why? Because.... When did organise crime emerge in Bulgaria? At the time of that damn embargo on Yugoslavia in the 1990s.“ Boiko Borisov, Mayor of Sofia

My generation justified all the silly things we did by the fact that we had been under the Ottoman Empire for 500 years and that we went mentally numb because of it.“ Radomir Antić, coach of the Serbian football team

Being a high representative is not a life-long position and life certainly doesn’t last one day. Life is a miracle!“ Milorad Dodik, prime minister of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska

Picture a locomotive called Belgrade pulling the train across Serbia. And you are told that in the fifth car there is no heating, so

you need to provide the coal to run the locomotive and to heat that car. In time, there is less and less coal, the train stops and there is no heating. “ Dragan Đilas, Mayor of Belgrade

Our coalition has no problem reaching agreement with any political party that is over the census line.“ Dragan Marković Palma, Mayor of Jagodina and leader of the United Serbia party, after local elections held in three Serbian municipalities

Politics brings a huge rush of adrenaline, like drugs or smoking. I quit smoking but I still haven’t given up on politics.“ Nebojša Čović, leader of non-parliamentary party, SDP

Of course I am going to continue visiting our southern province, both professionally and privately, because I live there.“ Goran Bogdanović, minister for Kosovo and Metohija

The Democratic Party treats us like an unequal partner and that’s not nice at all. Meeting with Tadić is not a matter of prestige for Hungarians, but vice versa. By avoiding talking to us, Boris Tadić has shown his true face.“ Balint Pasztor, an Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians official, before meeting with the Serbian President

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I am still living with my parents. Three and a half years ago, I sold a flat that I inherited from my grandmother, took out a loan for a bigger flat, and I am paying 26,000 dinars a month for this difference

of 25 square metres.“ Jasna Matić, telecommunications minister

Montenegro’s EU integration only makes sense if Europe returns to God. Europe is not based on Christian values. If we will lose the feeling for godly presence in our everyday lives and acts once we join the EU, then we don’t even need each other and we don’t need Europe.“ Amfilohije Radović, Serbian Orthodox Church Bishop from Montenegro

I don’t feel like playing. I feel like running away, having a rest and finding the motivation that I had back in 2008. Once Wimbledon is over, I am going to think about going on holiday.” Jelena Janković, tennis player, speaking after her defeat in the first round of the Eastbourne Tennis Tournament

We did not discuss scheduling extraordinary elections at any of the meetings at which we talked about the political situation, since I thought that there was no reason to do that.” Oliver Dulić, minister of environment and spatial planning

If someone wants to put Verko Stevanović, the Mayor of Kragujevac, in jail for misuse of power, then Boris Tadić should also go to jail for misusing the Mayor of Zrenjanin, Goran Knežević.” Nebojša Vasiljević, member of the Kragujevac City Council

Back in 1994, Slobodan Milošević arrested me for no apparent reason and I spent two months

in jail. I have nothing to fear since if you go to jail there is a good chance you will come out one day.” Boško Ničić, Mayor of Zaječar, regarding an announcement that certain presidents of Serbian municipalities are to be arrested soon

I feel more and more at home in Manchester. I have finally begun to understand what the English like and I sometimes even have a bacon sandwich.” Nemanja Vidić, Manchester United star

Finally, we got a nice opportunity to see the world from up close and show them what good hosts we are. I know how much it means to young people to expand their horizons by getting to know other countries and I believe that this will be a terrific party.” Zvonimir Đukić Đule, rock musician, talking about the Universiade

I have no comment on that recommendation.” Milan Krkobabić, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade, not commenting on the Republic Committee for Resolution of Conflict of Interest‘s recommendation that he resign for failing to submit a report on his personal property and income

The announcement of the National Bank of Serbia that it will release a list of banks that have been constantly increasing their margins on granted loans, and even have a black list, is undignified. Never in the history of the central bank have we had somebody encouraging citizens to sue banks.” Veroljub Dugalić, Secretary General of the Association of Serbian Banks CorD 62 / July - August 2009 31

030-035 K.indd 31

24.6.2009 13:01:42

INTERVIEW |

Goran Ješić, Mayor of Inđija

Taxpayers to foot the bill

“Our work has been supervised on a regular basis for the past nine years. During that time we have had nothing that has even resembled criminal charges, let alone had to defend ourselves in court.”

By Jelena Petković hile the economic crisis will not significantly affect the municipality of Inđija, Mayor Goran Ješić warns that disputes between the republic and the province, coupled with an irresponsible attitude towards investors and failure to adopt relevant legislation, may present a far greater threat to the economic development of local governments

and the province of Vojvodina as a whole. n The general understanding is that most planned foreign investments in Serbia have been frozen, so to speak. What is the situation like in Inđija? r This year we will have our greatest number of direct investments, but this is the result of

negotiations that we held a year ago. I would like to mention Cinkara Celje, i.e. Maxim, which invested €30 million, and Grundfos, the world’s biggest manufacturer of pumps, which will make the biggest investment in Serbia at this moment. n What will happen with the project of In-

The municipality of Inđija stands to lose 200 million dinars just because the Statute of Vojvodina is still not adopted dia’s Embassy Group to construct a technology park? That was announced a year ago, but the deadline was moved. r Because of the state of Embassy Group’s business partners (IBM, Fidelity, Merrill Lynch and Yahoo), the company is going through a downturn, which is why the project has been delayed. We expect to reach an agreement with senior executives in Embassy Group and their lawyers have already announced that the investment will continue. In the meantime, we are dealing with the detailed regulatory plan and everything else needed to issue the building permit. The investment will partners probably continue come this autumn. n Bulgaria’s Monbat is plagued by problems regarding construction of its car battery factory in Inđija. r Monbat is a factory that comes from the European Union and has contemporary technology at its disposal. In accordance with the Law on Construction, certain building permits for Monbat are issued by the municipality but,

32 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

030-035 K.indd 32

24.6.2009 13:01:43

due to complicated environmental issues, Vojvodina’s provincial government also had to issue certain permits. So, they [Monbat] was issued a final building permit that was valid for 13 months, but it was cancelled last month, just a few days before they were supposed to be issued an operating licence. This is an example of very poor treatment of foreign investors, because it seems that nobody can guarantee an investor that his investment is safe. When it comes to environmental issues, Monbat does not generate environmental problems. Rather, it deals with them quite successfully. We are talking about the disposal treatment of waste car batteries. This situation only arose because of problems in the Serbian administration and corruption. Sombor-based Black Horse Company – a direct competitor of Monbat – is scared that it will lose the market it has controlled until now, which is why they’ve lobbied with several fictitious environmental associations to launch an anti-Monbat campaign based on lies. Then certain media traced the whole case back to Dušan Petrović, since a large, powerful Šabac-based company is the proprietor of Black Horse [DS politician Dušan Petrović this is something that Serbian taxpayers will wait for that and how much is this situation hails from Šabac]. I don’t know if this is true, have to pay for. This is sending a bad mes- jeopardising everyday operations in the but I know that Serbia has a serious problem sage to foreign investors at a moment when municipality of Inđija? if it has withdrawn a building permit given to we have a problem with public finances, the r The municipality of Inđija stands to lose an EU company that had the complete docu- unemployment rate is unprecedented, etc. 200 million dinars worth of direct investments mentation. A Bulgarian official just because the Statute is still not made an objection to Serbian As far as Inđija is concerned, everything that adopted. I am saying this to give President Boris Tadić about this you a picture of just how big the we do is in accordance with the law and we problem is. From a political point matter. Now the whole procedure is being re-launched and it of view, the Autonomous Province have no problems, nor does the province is highly likely that Monbat will of Vojvodina is a historical and powin the court case. This means that Serbian tax n Some people are mentioning criminal litical entity of Serbia and it cannot be erased or payers will have to pay €20 to €30 million in charges being filed against you. Is this a treated just like any other municipality in any damages from their pockets. other Serbian region. The way you treat Vojvoconsequence of the Monbat case? r No, it is not! This has nothing to do with dina is the way you treat the whole of Serbia. Monbat, but with tactless statements made If you don’t handle the issue of decentralisan Who is directly responsible for that? r The Serbian Ministry of Environment and by certain officials, which fused the word tion and Vojvodina properly, then the idea you Spatial Planning, though Minister Oliver Dulić capitalist with the word mayor and, in return, have of Serbia’s future is mistaken. The Statute doesn’t hold direct responsibility because it gave enough material to tabloids to construe should be included in the National Parliament’s was the provincial secretariat that revoked a whole story. It is quite normal that the state agenda as soon as possible. It is the first step the permit. It appears that the person who re- is supervising work done by its institutions, towards regionalisation. This will not weaken voked the permit is a cousin of the owner of public enterprises and other economic entities. Serbia, but actually make is stronger. AccordBlack Horse, but I am not one of the parties Our work has been supervised on a regular ing to the Constitution and Constitutional Law, in this dispute and I do not want to give any basis for the past nine years. During that time Vojvodina’s Parliament should be dissolved. statements. As far as Inđija is concerned, eve- we have had nothing that has even resembled Well, dissolve us so at least we know where we rything that we do is in accordance with the criminal charges, let alone had to defend our- stand. Or adopt the Statute, so we can continue working in accordance with the law. At this molaw and we have no problems, nor does the selves in court. ment we are the only state institution in the Reprovince. Serbia will be the only one with the problem, since Monbat will not give up on its n You expect the Statute of Vojvodina to public of Serbia that works illegally, since we claims of compensation for loss of profit and be adopted. How long are you willing to don’t have a basic governing legal act. n CorD 62 / July - August 2009 33

030-035 K.indd 33

24.6.2009 13:01:43

INTERVIEW |

John Georgakopoulos, executive board president Alapis Šumadijalek

Healthy syste Our policy is to expand solidly, not very quickly, and we are chasing every market opportunity now, because some of our competitors will be out of the game By Andrej Klemenčič Photo Slobodan Jotić

lapis is a truly European company, as it resulted from the mergers of several companies. The Alapis Group was formed by the merging of several Greek companies: Veterin SA, Lamda Detergent SA, EBIK SA and Elpharma SA. This month we speak to John Georgakopoulos about Alapis’s ongoing expansion onto the Serbian market.

n A little under two years ago, Alapis bought Šumadijalek from Čačak. How did that investemnet pay off and how would you describe your company’s experience when it comes to privatisation in Serbia? r Well, it ought to have been two years, you are right, but due to some bureaucratic problems it’s only been slightly over 1.5 years. In terms of the privatisation process, I would say that we have the same experience as with other countries in the Balkans. It was long – this was the main problem. This is not good for companies, as it creates a gap between the outgoing and incoming managements. What we actually found was a company that has not been working for six months. There were no contacts between local and national producers; there was a state of fear among the people, fear of the future. But all this is past now. We acted very quickly by establishing a new commercial policy, which is more realistic, and I would say even more aggressive. Then we started evaluations of the staff and their perception of the company now that it is a private one that has brought a new philosophy and Western multinational standards. n How did you find the monitoring func-

tion of the Serbian Privatisation Agency? r This is not the most pleasant thing, since there are a lot of commitments. However, it was not so difficult to fulfil all the criteria. n Do they have unreasonable demands? r I cannot say that they have ‘unreasonable’ demands, but they do have very strict demands. They should give the new ownership time to understand the reality, so that progress can be made. But we are flexible and have experience form other countries and from that aspect I can say that co-operation with the agency is at a very high level. That is also in part due to our excellent results. Our turnover for 2009 will be three times higher than at the time of takeover. A lot was invested in the company. We just finished a new

We prefer to have many medium dreams rather than one big one, because such dreams rarely come true logistics centre in Nova Pazova that will give us direct access to Northern Serbia, because, as you know, it is inconvenient to serve northern parts from the south. Šumadijalek distribution will slowly change from a small wholesale company to a large, pan-Serbian distributor. This will be completed by the end of the year. n There are rumours that Alapis is interested in creating the first big Serbian pharmaceutical chain. Is this true? r Let me put it this way: for the time being, this is not our No.1 priority, but we are considering this possibility for the future. I would like to point out one issue here. First of all, the

state has, let’s say, unofficially announced that in the future they will proceed to privatise state pharmacies. This, in our opinion, will change the whole picture of the market significantly. It is ideal to have the complete package: production, distribution and retail. n When you say production, you mean Galenika? r When I say production, I mean Galenika, but also some other possibilities we are examining. Regarding Galenika, I can say: Yes, it would be a good opportunity for us to set “a second base” alongside our Greek one. There are, however, many aspects to be considered here, not only the price. The condition of the company needs to be considered, as do its prospects. n So, are you going to go with this or not? You applied to the tender for the sale of Galenika. Apart from your company, some Indian companies are interested too, as well as German company Stada. What goal do you want to achoeve through this potential acquisition? r Two months ago we announced that we will join the tender. This is still valid. We are looking closely into all the issues that are related to Galenika, both positive and negative. One very positive aspect that we can acknowledge is that with Galenika we have a very good base serving the whole of Southeast Europe as well as the benefits of exporting to Russia and all the other Ex-Yugoslav territories. But there is still a long way to the end of the procedure. First of all we are waiting for the state to define deadlines and the schedule of the tender. n So, is Galenika interesting to you only

34 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

030-035 K.indd 34

24.6.2009 13:01:44

stems

because of its distribution network, or do you also intend to move production? r First of all, the Greek market is very big, so our plan is to first explore the pros and cons of what is offered here. We do not have any intention of relocating our production. If the tender succeeds, our aim will be to keep the production in Serbia and to take advantage of the Serbian territory. n You are present in all the countries of the Balkans. What is your experience; what are the common denominators of the region and what are the advantages of Serbia? r There are many similarities there. Greece is a different story, because it is, in many ways, a mature market, which is logical if we consider that it has been a part of the European Community since 1981. Greek market production for 2008 is estimated at 5.2 billion euros. All the rest of the former Yugoslavia, plus Bulgaria and Romania, adds up to 3 billion. Aside from Serbia’s Free Trade Agreement with Russia and some other ExYu countries, there is also an advantage of the low cost of labour. Another significant advantage for us are the traditionally good relations between Serbia and Greece, which allow us to be better accepted by both our consumers and employees. n Many years ago, I had a meeting with the CEO of Bayer at which he said that the dream of every pharmaceutical company is to develop the “Big Product”, an exclusive drug that makes billions of dollars. Do you have this dream? r We prefer to have many medium dreams rather than one big one, because such dreams rarely come true. The fact is that Alapis is a generic drugs company. This does not mean that we produce just a copy of the original dream. This means that through departments, like the one I just mentioned, we try to develop formulas and present the second or third generation of generics, which will be more efficient, more modern, interesting to

One very positive aspect that we can acknowledge is that with Galenika we have a very good base serving the whole of Southeast Europe new markets. So we are focused on improving products. What is most important for us is to reinforce our presence abroad in the next three years, having in mind that our total turnover is 90% in Greece, therefore the contribution of our subsidiaries abroad is just 10%. Our priority is to increase that to 30% within the next three years. n Due to the crisis, many pharmaceutical companies are cutting their businesses, even in Serbia. Are you scared? r As I explained, we never put all of our eggs into the same basket. Our presence in Greece is so strong that, with careful management, our

heart will remain healthy. Since the crisis began, we became a little more concerned, that is true. We cut everything that needed to be cut on the costs side in order to avoid encountering problems. We cut nothing regarding development, R&D expenses and expansion. This is our approach until the end of the year, since no one can predict when the crisis will exactly end. Many companies in Serbia, both in production and sales, will face problems before the end of the year, if they haven’t faced them already. Our policy is to expand solidly, not very quickly, and we are chasing every market opportunity now, because some of our competitors will be out of the game. n CorD 62 / July - August 2009 35

030-035 K.indd 35

24.6.2009 13:01:45

B2B |

Piraeus Bank Reports Strong Performance for the first quarter of 2009 Piraeus bank Headoffice in Athens

iraeus Bank, the fourth largest bank in Greece, announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2009, reporting Total Assets of €53.7 billion and Profit before tax and provisions of €149 million. Mr. Michalis Sallas, Chairman of Piraeus Bank Group informed shareholders of Piraeus Bank clear vision and prudent development strategy based on asset quality, capital adequacy, high liquidity and significant cost containment as their key priorities. Despite the difficult market conditions, the aim of the Bank is to further safeguard its success in setting priorities and objectives such as focusing on services and customer support, which will help them overcome such conditions and in delivering strong performance. “As the initial signs of regaining confidence to the global economy prevail, the money and capital markets are being gradually normalized and the interest rate levels are being rationalized. This allows us to estimate an improvement of profitability in the following quarters”, concluded Mr. Sallas. Total net revenues for Q1 2009 amounted to €347 million, out of which net interest income reached €255 million. The Q1 2009 profits were burdened by €81 million of provisions, which were double compared to those formulated in Q1 2008, reflecting the Bank’s policy to adjust to the economic environment. Hence, Q1 2009 net profit attributable to shareholders amounted to €52 million vs. €139 million in Q1 2008. Deposits and retail bonds reached €31.0 billion at the end of March 2009, which is increase of 14% comparing with same period last year. The annual growth rate of loans reached +14% with the outstanding loans balance at €38.6 billion, which shows Piraeus Bank continues focus on consumers, as well as the prevailing conditions in deposits market.

Neobus exports to Saudi Arabia

ovi Sad-based Neobus has announced that it is to deliver 27 buses to Saudi Arabia, marking a significant boost to the company’s exports over the past 18 years. The company will export 15 smaller buses and 12 tourist buses intended for transporting pilgrims to Mecca. The buses are produced in co-operation with Priboj-based FAP and Sarajevobased Famos. Realisation of the pre-contract with Dutch VDL on the production of 150 tourist buses for the Western European market started in April. Source: Beta

130 delivery companies out of operation

erbia has halted the operations of 130 companies dealing in express mail delivery because amendments to the act on mail transport have not yet been adopted. According to the act, the Postal Service Agency is the only one to issue work permits. Until the new act is adopted, companies dealing in express mail delivery are not allowed to operate. After the adoption of the act on mail transport, Serbia will have to elect committee members for the postal service agency, who will grant permits to express mail delivery services. Source: limun.

Elektroproject presents power station plan

he government of Kosovo, in conjunction with the World Bank and Croatian company Elektroprojekt, has submitted a feasibility study for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in Prizren. The estimated cost is set at approximately €330 million. Energy Minister, Justina Pula Shiroka, said that the power station needs to be set up in three to five years (according to the proposed technology) and that finances will mostly come from the private sector. Source: ANSAmed

36 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 36

24.6.2009 12:58:36

Serbia, Russia to strengthen ties further

erbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Ivica Dačić, has confirmed that political and economic relations between the two countries are constantly improving and that there is increased Russian interest in investing in Serbia. The statement came after a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and top Russian officials, held at the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg. In a statement, Dačić said that both sides expressed a wish to further improve economic co-operation, not only through the energy agreement, the construction of the gas pipeline South Stream and the expansion of the gas storage facility in Banatski Dvor, but also by encouraging more Russian investment in Serbia. Dačić said that he spoke with President Medvedev and Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin about the possibility of obtaining loans to be used for infrastructure projects in Serbia, such as a metro and the Belgrade ring road, as well as for reducing the budget deficit. Source: FoNet

S-Class: Leading-edge automobile technology

-Class established itself at the peak of automobile technology, especially with the last generation of S-Class. Technical innovations of the S-Class make the flagship Mercedes model the example to follow for the entire field of passenger car development. Trailblazing safety features and outstanding onboard comfort continue to be the hallmarks of the S-Class. 4MATIC four-wheel drive system combines perfect traction, first-class ride comfort and scintillating performance with excellent fuel economy. Developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-Benz, this drive system combines perfect traction, first-class comfort and impressive driving dynamics with good fuel economy. Two powerful eight-cylinder models are available in the form of the S 500 4MATIC and S 450 4MATIC while the S 320 CDI 4MATIC is the first S-Class all-wheel-drive variant to be equipped with a particularly economical V6 diesel engine. The models with all-wheel drive are identified clearly by the 4MATIC legend which appears both on the boot lid and on the wooden trim element on the centre console. Interesting data prove the reliability and value of this luxury vehicle, especially the 2008 Schwacke Automobile Forecast Index (F-SAX) – published twice a year – pointing that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class boast highest resale values in the top luxury car.

METRO Serbia helps small retailers M ETRO has shared its knowledge of product selection, shopping space design and staff education, acquired over many years of international experience, with its partners in a project aimed at creating a competitive advantage for retailers and satisfying customers. METRO Cash & Carry has launched a new project “Traders Support and Partnership”, as a long-term programme of supporting its professional customers – owners of small retail outlets and local shops. Being part of this pro-

gramme provides small independent retailers with growth in sales and a competitive advantage by applying efficient solutions, because, apart from the optimisation of the assortment, the programme includes complete reconstruction of the shop to make it more functional and the products more viewable and accessible. By the end of 2009, the programme will include reconstruction, redesign and staff education in 200 shops in addition to the current 40. It is set to last until 2012. Source: EMportal

Kamenko Gagrčin sold for €1.5 million

ombor-based Kamenko Gagrčin river transport company has been sold to Holcim Srbija cement producer. According to the Serbian Privatisation Agency, Holcim paid €1.5 million for a 68.9% stake in Gagrčin and committed itself to investments amounting to €1 million. The buyer also accepted minimum social welfare commitments. Kameniko Gagrčin owns a dock near Sombor and a fleet of 20 boats for loading and unloading and for bulk cargo transport. Source: limun.hr, Beta CorD 62 / July - August 2009 37

036-055 K.indd 37

24.6.2009 12:58:45

B2B |

Amstel – History

msterdam, one of the most vivid cities in the world, has an important detail in its history - almost 140 years ago, this is where the first Amstel beer was created. The beer was named after the river that flows through the city. Amstel is one of the leading international brands, recognizable by its quality, but also by the feeling of freedom, enjoyment and fun it brings. At the time when the first Amstel was brewed, this kind of pilsner beer was just starting to gain popularity in Europe. It is interesting to know that at the very beginnings of Amstel, i.e. at the end of the 19th century, a low temperature, that was required to brew this beer, was gained by storing the ice from the Amsterdam channels in the brewery’s walls. Since then, Amstel covered a lot of ground, and because of its constant high quality and reputation of the superior beer, it managed to pave its way to the top of the world’s favourite beer brands.

$119m surplus in agriculture

erbian Assistant Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Minister, Miloš Milovanović, has said that a surplus was recorded in the trade of agricultural products to the amount of $119 million in the first five months of this year. The 2008 surplus amounted to $490 million, he added. Milovanović noted that parliament recently adopted 15 agriculture-related laws, before explaining that the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement would fully liberalise the import of products from the EU. He also announced free trade agreements with Belarus and Turkey and added that Serbia expects to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Source: Tanjug

OSF & Coca-Cola sign memorandum

T Amstel in Serbia

mstel has been consumed in Serbia for a very long time, and, now, it is produced in the Novi Sad brewery owned by the United Serbian Brewery, a member of Heineken Group, under a direct supervision of Amstel Brouwerij b.v. from Amsterdam. The beer satisfies the tastes of even the pickiest Serbian beer drinkers and perfectly suits any occasion. In Serbia, this beer of moderate bitterness and harmonious taste and scent can be bought in glass bottles of 0.5 and 0.33 litre, and 0.5 litre cans, while in cafes and restaurants it is served as draught beer.

he Faculty of Organisational Sciences and the Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia have signed a memorandum of co-operation, according to which students of the faculty will be able to complete their professional work experience at the company. Attending the signing ceremony, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development, Mlađan Dinkić, said that this is the first example of co-operation between a successful company and a higher education establishment and that other major businesses in Serbia should follow it. The agreement should serve as an example to other leading private companies and colleges to actively take part in helping young people by providing them with an opportunity to acquire the professional skills which will increase their chances of finding employment, said Dinkić. Source: Tanjug

Germany to donate €25m to Serbia

inister for the National Investment Plan, Verica Kalanović, stated that more than €25 million has been set aside for the 2nd phase of the project to construct water supply infrastructure in eight towns and municipalities in Serbia. At a meeting with municipal presidents and public utilities’ directors, Kalanović said that the second phase of the project, “Water and Sewerage Programme in Medium-sized Municipalities in Serbia” includes the reconstruction of existing networks and the connecting of new areas to a central water supply system. During the first phase of the project, for which Germany allocated €10 million, old water pipes and broken water metres were replaced with new ones. The programme is worth €50 million and should provide a regular water supply to nearly 600,000 citizens. Source: Tanjug 38 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 38

24.6.2009 12:58:45

b2b |

Bank of Moscow opens first Serbian subsidiary Bank of Moscow Belgrade commenced operations on the territory of Serbia in 2008 as the first Russian bank in the region and the first Greenfield investment in the banking sector after seven years. It was established by the Bank of Moscow, one of the most successful Russian banks, as its sole owner. Bank of Moscow Belgrade has opened its first subsidiary in Serbia for activities with citizens and companies. By the end of the year, the bank intends to open subsidiaries in Niš and Novi Sad. Miodrag Dilparić, Director of the Citizens Business Department, said that Bank of Moscow had obtained a license for issuing Dina Cards, adding that as of 11th June the Bank has also been given a license for issuing Visa International Cards, which had set foundations for retail business. According to Dilparić, the bank intends to offer cheaper dinar loans on the domestic market and thus carve out its position by the quality of services in competition with 34 banks on the market. Source: EMportal

New Board for Media Association

une’s assembly of Serbia’s Association of Media (AM) saw the electing of new members of the Board of Directors. AM has the most members and is one of the most influNew President ential media organisations in the country. During the next Veselin Simonović four-year term of office, AM’s Board of Directors will include (left) and Zoran Papić new members: Mira Glišić-Simić, CEO of Politika newpapers and magazines, Biljana Stepanović, CEO of Ekonomist Media Group, Manojlo Vukotic, editor in chief and CEO of Večernje Novosti, Branko Radujko, General Manager of Telekom Srbija, and Robert Čoban, president of Color Press Group, Dušan Vlaović, CEO of Vojvodinapress, Veselin Simonović, editor-in-chief of daily Blic, Dragoljub Žarković, editor-in-chief of weekly Vreme, Branislav Novčić, Director of alliance media international Group. Blic’s Veselin Siminović was elected as the new president of the AM Management Board.

Mercator acquires M-Rodić

he Slovenian retail chain Mercator has bought an additional 12 percent of shares in the supermarket chain M-Rodić, becoming the sole owner of the Serbian company. Mercator reported on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange website on May 29 that it had bought the remaining shares in M-Rodić on the basis of a strategic merger agreement from Oct. 2006, according to which the price of a 100-percent stake amounted €152 million. Under the 2006 agreement, Mercator became owner of 76 percent of M-Rodić’s capital, after which it bought another 12 percent of shares in 2008 and now the remaining 12 percent. The price for the 76-percent stake in M-Rodić was €116 million, and the price for the remaining 24 percent was linked to the company’s business results in 2007 and

2008. The Slovenian company Mercator operates in Serbia as Mercator S and M-Rodić, and has an eight-percent share of the Serbian market. Mercator S saw revenues of €454 million in 2008 on the Serbian market, which is 32 percent more than in 2007, and has announced that it will invest €30 million on expanding operations in Serbia this year. Source: Beta

NIS: Losses reduce share value?

f the NIS share were listed on the stock exchange, they would definitely drop significantly from the price of € 96 per share, which was paid by Gazpromneft for the purchase of a controlling share in the national oil company. Gazpromneft committed to distribute shares to former and current employees of NIS by the beginning of August at the latest. However, should Gazpromneft offer a repurchase of their 19.4 stake, the price of each share should not be lower than the NIS purchase price. Source: Politika

Serbia’s foreign trade deficit $2.48bln

erbia’s foreign trade deficit in the first four months of 2009 was $2.48 billion, which is 39 percent less than in the same period of 2008, the Statistics Institute said. Serbia’s foreign trade deficit in the first four months of 2009 was 2.48 billion dollars, which is 39 percent less than in the same period of 2008, the Statistics Institute said Friday. Exports of goods in 2008 totaled 2,27 billion dollars, that is 15.5 percent less than in the same period of 2008, and imports were worth 4.76 billion dollars, which is a drop of 37 percent. The continuing fall of both imports and exports since the end of 2008 is due to global recession, the Institute said. Serbia’s main foreign trade partner in exports was Bosnia-Herzegovina with 268.4 million dollars, followed by Germany with 262.6 million and Italy with 228.1 million. The main import partner was Russia with 726.5 million dollars, followed by Germany with 547.6 million and Italy with 451.8 million. Source: Tanjug CorD 62 / July - August 2009 39

036-055 K.indd 39

24.6.2009 12:58:46

B2B |

Serbia, Turkey sign free trade agreement

erbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development, Mlađan Dinkić, and Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade, Zafer Caglayan, signed a free trade agreement between the two countries, which will be implemented from 1st January 2010. A statement issued by the Economy Ministry says that the agreement will be implemented in accordance with an asymmetric trade liberalisation a model which will be advantageous to Serbia. The agreement was signed at the annual economic summit in Istanbul. Dinkić said that the free trade agreement with Turkey is a great opportunity for Serbian exporters, who will be able to export goods free of customs duty from January next year to a country with a population of 75 million, while the liberalisation for Serbia will consist

Laws on E-commerce

he Ministry of trade and services stated that the Serbian parliament adopted the laws on general product safety and E- commerce in accordance with EU standards. According to the statement the two laws are of great importance for the continuation of the process of synchronizing Serbian laws to EU legislation. The law on E-commerce will help open several thousand new jobs and enable Serbian citizens enjoy the advantages of online shopping. This law is extremely important for the development of trade at a time of rapidly growingly information technology. Its purpose is to provide legal safety for all sides involved in the electronic trade of goods and services. Source: Tanjug

of three phases, taking until 2015. Caglayan and Dinkić said that the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement will create conditions for a considerable increase of the overall volume of their trade, particularly the Serbian exports, as well as help to boost Turkish investment in the Serbian economy. Source: Tanjug

SIEPA: top agency

ccording to the GDP Global Development International report from London, SIEPA was ranked top for its website and electronic communcation with clients. Runners-up are Nicaragua and Venezuela. Over 40 investment promotion agencies from over 25 countries and regions competed. The Serbian Investment and Promotion Agency (SIEPA) stated it has been proclaimed the best agency in the developing countries category. For the past two years SIEPA has been among the first eight countries according to the research carried out by the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), in comparison with investment promotion agencies from 114 developing and transition countries. SIEPA was set up in 2001 as a Serbian government specialist agency and since then it has realised a number of investment projects, including some of the largest foreign investments to come to Serbia. Source: Tanjug

Protection of clients from illegal actions by banks

mbudsman Sasa Janković is to request that the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) act immediately in order to have clients protected from the arrogance of banks, especially when it comes to changing interest rates for already granted credits. The central bank has already gone far in preparing decrees to replace existing recommendations to banks, in order to make them binding in the future. Citizens in Serbia have been hugely dissatisfied at increased bank fees that have come in spite of the fact that the referential interest rate – EURIBOR – is at record low level. Bankers justified the increase by citing higher country risk and more expensive sources for their crediting. However, NBS Governor Radovan Jelašić claims this to be a mistaken move made by the banks. “We cannot formally influence the work of banks, but we can highlight the unfair manner in which banks are concluding contracts with the public,” said Ombudsman Saša Janković, speaking to daily Blic. In the countries of the region, various mechanisms for the protection of clients have been introduced following bad experiences with banks.

Dodik and Zepter discuss construction in Banja Luka

epublika Srpska PM, Milorad Dodik, recently spoke to the director and owner of Zepter International, Philip Zepter, about the economic situation in Republika Srpska and investment opportunities. According to the Public Relations office of the Government of RS, the PM and the owner of one of the largest Serbian companies talked about the possibility of building a Palace Hotel complex in Banja Luka.

40 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 40

24.6.2009 12:58:46

Request for Delta-Zekstra to takeover of Boska

Weapons for whole world

ast year Serbia achieved record high levels in the export of arms and military equipment, worth €400 million, while projected export value for this year is over €500 million. Five of a total of six factories manufacturing arms have sold out all of their annual production. The plan of ‘Zastava oruzje’ is to export $30 million in 2009, which is 30 per cent more than last year. According to the factory’s director, Rade Gromović, the company is to earn the greatest hard currency profit thanks to its shipments of infantry weapons to UN multinational forces and security structures in Iraq, Afghanistan and other regions of crisis. The factory has also signed contracts for the delivery of hunting, sports and personal defence arms to the US. The value of that export is €2.2 million and is likely to rise. ‘Krusik’ of Valjevo exported goods worth $20 million and this year signed advanced shipments worth $40 million. According to director Jovan Davidović, whether all of the shipment will be carried out depends on the crisis. ‘At the moment, the most important contract is with Iraq and is worth $32 million, but we are also exporting to the EU,’ Davidović says. ‘Milan Blagojević’ of Lucani is exporting about 70 per cent of its production to 26 countries from India to South America. Last year’s exports were worth $20 million and this year the company expects $27 million. ‘Prva iskra’ of Barić, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of explosives prior to the NATO bombardment, is today dealing mainly with mine-explosive devices. Source: Blic

he Ministry of Trade and Tourism of Republika Srpska has sent an invitation to the DeltaZekstra consortium from Belgrade to come to Banja Luka to officially take over Boska, said Minister Predrag Gluhakovic. In line with the signed agreement on the sale of state capital in Boska, the Ministry has prepared the necessary documentation for the consortium to enter with 58 per cent of purchased capital. Delta-Zekstra signed an agreement with the Republika Srpska Government last year on the purchase of 58 per cent of state capital in Boska for €3 million, committing itself to settle more than KM 13 million in liabilities. Source: Nezavisne novine

A struggle with the black market

TVM (Tvornica Vozila u Mariboru) to build bus factory in Kragujevac

erbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development, Mladjan Dinkic, stated in June that the Maribor-based vehicle factory Tvornica Vozila u Mariboru (TVM) is interested in building a brand new factory in Kragujevac for production of hybrid buses, which would employ about 250 people. The hybrid buses run on natural gas or electricity, together with diesel fuel, which is ecologically clean, Dinkic told reporters during his tour of the TVM factory and Hermes Softlab in Maribor. Source: Tanjug

ony Ericsson, aong with other large mobile phone producers, has recorded a considerable decrease in its turnover – 35 per cent in the first quarter of the year, when sales fell from 2.7 to 1.74 billion Euros. The trend shows that large mobile phone producers have been affected by the economic crisis. Producers in Serbia are additionally burdened by state taxes and procedures, as well as the black market via which almost half of secondhand phones in Serbia arrive. The company recorded losses of EUR 358 million, while in the same period last year it recorded profits of EUR 133 million. Sony Ericsson has already dismissed 2,000 workers to meet plans to save EUR 300 million. They intend to save 400 million Euros more by the middle of 2010, which will mean the dismissal of 2,000 more employees. Source: Ekonomist

Veto on the sale of EPCG

he unanimous conclusion from the meeting of former owners of properties sunk by artificial lakes Krupac, Slano and Vrtac, near Nikšić, is to seek a court injunction temporarily banning the privatisation and sale of the Montenegrin Electric Enterprise (EPCG) until the implementation of restitution of land expropriated because of the hydropower plant Perucica. The court hearing will take place next month, immediately following the close of the tender for the recapitalisation of EPCG. The meeting’s participants also authorised the restitution committee to continue with activities for motioning the procedure before the international court of justice in Strasbourg. Source: Pobjeda CorD 62 / July - August 2009 41

036-055 K.indd 41

24.6.2009 12:58:47

faces & places |

Serbian Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević pictured (centre) at a promotion of Veroslav Rančić’s latest book “The Final Truth – Olga and Pavle Karađorđević: Between the Truth and Destiny” in Belgrade on 3rd June. Princess Jelisaveta is the daughter of Prince Pavle.

Serbian Energy & Mining M, Petar Škundrić (left), visiting the Bajina Bašta hydro-electric power plant with German Ambassador, H.E. Wolfram Josef Maas (centre), and Austrian Ambassador, H.E. Clemens Koja, on 2nd June.

Serbian Defence Minister, Dragan Šutanovac, opened the 4th International Arms and Army Equipment Fair – Partner 2009 – on 2nd June in Hall 3 of the Belgrade Fair. Pictured: Serbian Army Chief of Staff, General Miloje Miletić, and Minister Šutanovac inspect a vehicle.

Belgrade Mayor, Dragan Đilas (foreground), and Telenor Srbija CEO, Kjell-Morten Johnsen, open an Internet park near Vuk’s Monument in the Serbian capital on 3rd June.

The Red Bull X-Fighters International Freestyle Motocross 2009 team, pictured during an exhibition performance in front of the National Parliament in Belgrade on 1st June.

42 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 42

24.6.2009 12:58:53

A group photograph of the participants (heads of state of the countries of Southeast Europe) of the summit Diversity of Cultural Heritage – Management and Tourist Promotion, which was held in Montenegro’s Cetinje on 4th June. Pictured: Georgi Parvanov, Bamir Topi, Koichiro Matsuura, Filip Vujanović, Terry Davis (Council of Europe Sec. Gen.), Nebojša Radmanović, Stjepan Mesić, Mehmet Aydin, Boris Tadić, Đorđe Ivanov, Danilo Turk and Theodor Paleologu.

German Ambassador, H.E. Wolfram Maas, and Netherlands Ambassador, H.E. Ron van Dartel, pictured alongside Niš Mayor Miloš Simonović on 5th June during the signing of an agreement on the HELP programme, which promotes local sustainable development

The German Embassy in Belgrade held a reception at the ambassadorial residency to mark the European parliamentary elections on 7th June. Pictured: H.E. Wolfram Josef Maas, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić and Head of the European Commission Delegation, H.E. Josep Lloveras.

The 170th anniversary of the founding of the First Belgrade Gymnasium school was celebrated in the National Theatre on 6th June. Pictured: Education Minister Žarko Obradović and President Tadić, both former pupils of the First Belgrade Gymnasium.

Mark Harrison, Principal of Harrisons Solicitors (left), and Delta Holdings Milka Forcan (centre), pictured at a session of the Business Advisory Council for Southeast Europe – BAC SEE, in Belgrade on 9th June CorD 62 / July - August 2009 43

036-055 K.indd 43

24.6.2009 12:59:01

faces & places |

Recently-arrived Japanese Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Toshio Tsunozaki (left), presented awards for the best works depicting Manga and COSPLAY at the Japanism Festival event, which took place in Belgrade on 14th June.

H.E. Aly Galal Abdeaziz, newly appointed Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, hosted a reception at the Egyptian Ambassadorial Residence on 15th June to mark his formal accreditation to Serbia.

Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia, Sandor Pap (right), and National Bank of Serbia Governor, Radovan Jelašić, pictured opening an exhibition of Otto Kaiser’s works on 15th June at the NBS building on Nemanjina Street. The exhibition was part of the Hungarian Culture Days event in Serbia.

McCann Erickson, the largest regional marketing & communication company, won the prestigious prize “Golden Lion” at the world renowned advertizing festival in Cannes for the campaign raising public awareness on testicles cancer called “Check the” produced for Macedonian market. Srdjan Saper President of McCann Group and Vladimir Dimovski MD of McCann Erickson Skopje.

Neurosurgeon Jean-Claude Tabet receives an honorary PhD. from the University of Niš on 15th June as part of the university’s 44th anniversary celebrations. Pictured: Dean Radoslav Bubanj and Jean Claude Tabet.

French and Bulgarian ambassadors in Belgrade attend a foundationlaying ceremony in Niš for the first French hyper-market in Serbia, Bricolage, on 16th June. Pictured: French Ambassador, H.E. JeanFrancois Terral (far left) and Bulgarian Ambassador, H.E. Georgi Dimitrov (second from right).

44 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 44

24.6.2009 16:44:53

Cypriot Defence Minister, Costas Papacostas, pictured (left) during an official visit to Serbia on 16th June alongside his Serbian counterpart Dragan Šutanovac.

H.E. Alexander Konuzin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation, welcomes Serbian PM Mirko Cvetković to an 11th June reception marking Russian National Day.

Serbian President Boris Tadić (centre) and outgoing Italian Ambassador, H.E. Alessandro Merola (left of Tadić), pictured at a festive reception marking Italy’s National Day and the end of Ambassador Merola’s posting in Belgrade.

H.E. British Ambassador Stephen and Mrs. Nichole Wordsworth welcome Bishop Amfilohije to the British Embassy’s annual celebration marking the official birthday of Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II.

Serbian President Boris Tadić, pictured on 12th June accepting the credentials of newly appointed ambassadors: H.E. Toko Diakenga Serao (Angola), H.E. Aly Galal Abdelaziz Mohamed Bassiony (Egypt), H.E. Armando Varricchio (Italy) and H.E. Ljubiša Georgievski (Macedonia)

H.E. Caetano Luís Pequito de Almeida Sampaio, Portugese Ambassador to Serbia, (right) hosts an official reception marking Portugal’s National Day on 10th June. Left,Speaker of Parliament Portugal Jaime Gama, who was in official visit to Serbia CorD 62 / July - August 2009 45

036-055 K.indd 45

24.6.2009 12:59:13

This world Miloš Šobajić, painter

no longer

needs artists

Today’s world doesn’t need Rembrandts, since a Rembrandt would disturb the peaceful existence of the ruling class – so says renowned Serbian painter, Miloš Šobajić 46 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 46

24.6.2009 12:59:15

CULTURE

By Maja Vukadinović he public and critics wait with baited breath every single time Miloš Šobajić, one of Serbia’s most celebrated contemporary painters, stages an exhibition. His latest exhibition, entitled ’The Last Step’, was recently opened in the Srbija Gallery in Niš and is one of the reasons why we wanted to talk to this artist of global renown. Our interview with him also gave us an opportunity to get a different angle on his art. In the last few years, Šobajić has been living intermittently in Belgrade. He is the dean of the Art and Design Faculty at Megatrend University and, as he says, he paints every single day. He often paints and sculpts while surrounded by people. He made six sculptures and a set of photographs with painting interventions that were exhibited in Niš, in his Viline vode studio. His art depicts lower extremities of large proportions and leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. n Critics say that your new work resembles imagined fragments of apocalyptic situations. Was your intention to show that the contemporary world is out of step? r I follow my intuition in everything and there is no hidden message in my work. Painting is my intuitive reaction, primarily towards myself. The truth is that this world is heavily out of step. Although I haven’t thought about it, obviously I had a subconscious need to express that feeling. As a young man I was very optimistic, but when I look back at the events of the last twenty years I have to say that I have become increasingly concerned; I ask myself every single day what kind of world are we living in. I am appalled that someone who is holding a sword, so to speak, is doing whatever he pleases, disrespecting laws, regulations and norms, human rights and freedom of thought. n Your work is exceptionally expressive. It seems that spiritual rebellion is an underlying trend of your creativity... r My work is rebellious. I am aware that a piece cannot exist without energy. I try to channel all my energy onto my canvass and my energy is a rebellion against everything that is habitual. This rebellion is directed towards evil. I feel defiant when I am painting – principally defiant of myself, but also towards the world that surrounds me. n You matured as an artist at a time of great social upheaval, which affected your art to a large extent. What do you think of the relationship between art and society today? r The world has changed a great deal in the last thirty years. These changes are visible in art too. Today, state run offices have taken the artistic initiative from artists. Some thirty years ago, conceptual art was directed by so-called exhibition commissioners, all of them civil servants. As such, it happened that the commissioner was actually the leading artist at the exhibition, instead of the artist himself. He was the one tasked with assembling young artists, deciding exhibition themes and stag-

A successful artist is one who can live off his art. For 38 years, my art was my sole source of income ing large exhibitions with the financial assistance of the state. Of course, this had to be a politically correct exhibition. The very logic of conceptual art dictates that we are all artists. So, we all have a right to express ourselves. If we are all artists, then the Artist does not exist any longer. This world doesn’t need the Artist any longer; there are no more free thinkers. Rembrandts are not needed today, since they are individuals. n It seems that in many aspects of overall culture and art today, packaging is more important than essence and quality. Is this situation due to art finding itself placed at the whims of consumer culture dominance? r I would say that, at the very heart of the matter, there are people trying to resolve problems in art from the left and the right: there is left-wing trash and right-wing trash. When I say right-wing trash I mean the classic and well-known kitsch, while the left-wing trash is this new, conceptual art created by a bunch of untalented individuals who are convinced that they are also artists. This has been happening at the Belgrade October Salon and at similar events around the world, in Germany, Paris, etc.

Miloš Šobajić, painter I wasn’t that impressed with Moscow, but I was fascinated by China. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 47

036-055 K.indd 47

24.6.2009 12:59:18

culture the man behind the art

ilos Šobajić was born in 1945 in Nikšić, Montenegro, where he completed primary and secondary education. He finished the Art Academy in Belgrade in 1970 and moved to Paris two years later. Since 2005 he has lectured at the art academy in Shenyang, China, as well as becoming a staff professor at Belgrade’s Magatrend University. He has staged numerous exhibitions in many cities, though mostly in Paris. Today these centres are London and New York.

I left for Paris to discover and develop myself as a painter. Unfortunately, Paris is no longer the world centre of art that it was n Stanislav Živković wrote that you are recognised abroad as a detectable representative of the Serbian painting scene, while in Serbia you are considered a European who speaks the universal artistic language. You have lived in Paris for almost three decades. Can you tell us how local tradition intertwines with international experience in your work? r There were two mass migrations of Serbian artists to the West. The first happened between the two world wars, when Serbian painters left for Paris to discover cubism, fauvism and surrealism and, subsequently, to bring that knowledge back to Belgrade. After the Second World War, i.e. from the early 1950s through to the 1970s, another group of painters, including myself, left the country. These painters were considered the so-called Belgrade painting scene, recognised in Paris as the embodiment of Serbian fine art. The French intellectual scene saw our painters as artists that were depicting wars and depression. This was practically expected of us. We come from a region where crisis never ends, and darkness always finds its way onto the canvass. Personally, I left for Paris to discover and develop myself as a painter. Unfortunately, Paris is no longer the world centre of art that it was.

n In the last few years you have spent more time in Serbia than in France. What is the life of an internationally renowned painter like in Serbia? r In Serbia I don’t function as a painter, but as the dean of the Art and Design Faculty. I like to exhibit my work, but exhibiting and living from art are not one and the same. A reputable German gallery owner is exhibiting my works all over the world. If I’d tried to live off the three or four exhibitions that I have had in Serbia since 2006, I would have died of hunger. Artists in Serbia just don’t sell their art. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can profit from art in the West too. A successful artist is one who can live off his art. For 38 years, my art was the sole source of income for me. I was tremendously lucky, but I was also capable. n You recently exhibited in Moscow and you also teach in China, at the Luxun Academy in Shenyang and Dalian. How much do you think globalisation has affected the art scenes in Moscow and China? r I wasn’t that impressed with Moscow, but I was fascinated with China. Chinese fine art is very popular and heavily influenced by Western art. The question is what the Chinese artists should do in order to be themselves, instead of being so affected by powerful Western art. When I ask my students what their plans are when they graduate, they respond that they are going to serve the nation. Isn’t that the whole purpose of art? I would add– to serve mankind – it is much more humane. n A monograph about you is due to be released in London by Publishers Philip Wilson. The monograph’s author is renowned Jamaican-born English art critic Edward LucieSmith and you are set to have an exhibition in London to mark the release of the monograph this year. Are you preparing new pieces? r Yes, I am. While I was doing the sculptures and paintings for the Last Step exhibition, I had this idea to turn the aforementioned gap into a body full of light and colour; a body being reborn that emerges from the ashes like a Phoenix. Exhumation is the new topic that I am interested in. This probably has to do with my hidden desire to be reborn; to become better and better and resist the evil that surrounds us. n

48 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 48

24.6.2009 12:59:21

The Referral Guide for Serbia

expat

Living TS ••• EVEN s u o ari out v in Serbia b a n Lear oing on g d ••• u nee RY o y l l O find a S DIRECT l l ’ u Yo ES BUSIN ••• ts e h t expa in r o f NGS LISTI a B O J Serbi ••• n i Find g t.rs livin s on S on expa c i s a he b CLE Get t the ARTI • •• from

Connect and share ideas with other expats Serbia’s premiere website dedicated to the expatriate community has been extensively overhauled and is back better than ever with a new domain, expat.rs Serbia, just like many other countries with a large expat population, has its very own portal which serves to provide expats with an intuitive community platform that provides useful and trusted information and with all of its new updates expat.rs hopes to continue with that objective.

CorD Kneginje Zorke 11/b / 11000 Belgrade, RS / ++ 381 11 308 99 77 / ++ 381 11 308 99 88 62 / July - August 2009 49

036-055 K.indd 49

24.6.2009 12:59:25

DOWN THE

Staging Terrorism - going to the theatre is usually a fairly safe activity

RABBIT HOLE

London theatre may be famous for its West End and its Shakespeare, but poking around in the city’s darker corners will find you a whole other side of this proud tradition that only a lucky few will ever see By Richard Wordsworth Photo: Barry Lewis, Chiara Contrino and Inigo Alcaniz

t’s midnight, and in the vaulted caverns underneath a usually bustling London station, something weird is happening. I’m sitting on a stool in a top hat holding up a coconut. I’m part of a human fruit machine and there’s a girl in front of me jumping up and down because she’s just won a prize. I put the coconut back in the bowl next to a pineapple and a melon. In the booth next to me, James is ignoring the fruit and is stealing his top hat. But there’s scarce time for larceny; I’ve been underground for twenty minutes with no phone reception and no way to find the friend I’ve come to meet - the only person I know artistic and whimsical enough to make sense of this nonsense. So far I’ve checked the bar, the pinball machines, the seats in front of

a video installation of an alchemist making Gold and the empty boxing ring to no avail, and I’m worried that if I don’t find him soon I’ll go mad and, worse, James will get bored and leave me. I leave James on a grandiose king sized bed with a girl and his top hat and stumble directionless through the dark. I really don’t want to be alone down here. Such is the nature of the Shunt Lounge. Hidden beneath London Bridge station, it’s become London’s best worst-kept secret; a bar, nightclub, theatre, gallery and cinema rolled into one cavernous space. Not an obvious choice of subject matter for a Belgrade magazine (“Serbia? What are you doing here, then?” - Shunt barman) but that’s what you get with a brief like “write something for us about London culture”. Besides, it’s not the location that matters, it’s the nature of the beast as a whole. Shunt is that rare breed of revelatory experience that can flip the way you see something, theatre in this case, on its head.

50 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 50

24.6.2009 12:59:26

Art

As an art collective run by 10 people, the Shunt Lounge is the dark and secretive side of London’s edgy theatre scene; performance art on every level from the twisting labyrinthine setting to the fumbling trendies and odd disquieted journalist bumping into each other in the dark. Situated in the dungeonlike arches under London Bridge station, this ex-bonded wine store reached through a non-descript and unmarked door in a wall is the premiere setting for the freshest and most cutting edge new art talent in London. But the performers are only half the story, as more than anywhere else the 4-times-a-week performances live and die by audience participation - even the advertising is all word of mouth and just finding the place makes you in the know. Nothing here is spoonfed; no sitting rapt in quiet appreciation, no popcorn. Getting the most out of the night requires your involvement and exploration. Which is why I’m holding a coconut. The approach and administration is unique. The 10 members of the collective who run the Shunt Lounge, who do not take credit for any of the shows and performances individually, met on the same theatre course in London at the end of the nineties, forming their collective and staging weird and wacky performances in a space in Bethnal Green in London’s East End, starting with a show called “Twist” - a comedy based around medieval torture. The philosophy is simple: each person in the collective has equal say in decisions that affect it, and each week a different member decides what the space will feature, taking complete control before handing over to the next person in the change. As a result, the experience can be totally remodeled from one week to the next; a colourful and vibrant counterpoint to more traditional London theatre with shows running for weeks or months at a stretch. Secretive and underground though it is, Shunt has become famous with bohemians accross Europe for combining the elements of everyone’s favourite nights out into a single bizarre amalgam; bringing together cinema, concerts, theatre, drinking and dancing for an experience that begins in the early evening and finishes in the early morning. “We have come from Paris. We always come to this place for the new stuff” says Lucien, a natty designer type with a thick French accent. “It’s crazy, there’s nothing like this anywhere else in Europe.” Like anything worth seeing, it’s not for everyone. It feels

Such is the nature of the Shunt Lounge. Hidden beneath London Bridge station, it’s become London’s best worst-kept secret; a bar, nightclub, theatre, gallery and cinema rolled into one cavernous space uncommercial and it’s not trying to impress. Once finally reunited our scouting party consisted of me, representing CorD, my tastefully dressed friend Tanroh, representing the entire art world, and finally his polar opposite James, near selflessly representing the man on the street for the promise of a reasonably priced drink in the Lounge bar and a shot at some liberally minded modern womenfolk. The reactions of the three of us were predictably divisive: Tanroh, an actor on loan from a theatre company in Tokyo thought everything was “interesting”, I was lost in the novelty of it all; skulking around in the dark hobnobbing with chthnoic bohemians trying not to drop my coat, and then there was James. “It’s shit.” he said, “I’d give it two out of ten.” “Tush and fie”, a Shunt representative might have said. If only as an isolated example and only for an evening, outfits like Shunt are a perfect taster of sunglasses-at-night cool youth culture, and a glimpse at the promise of the next generation of performing talent, whatever your bent. It’s culture without stuffy stigma. If all theatre were like this, it’d be a wonder if the youth of London today found any time for binge drinking at all. n http://www.shunt.co.uk

David Rosenberg “But it’s difficult for people to forget what’s happening outside and focus on a performance.” CorD 62 / July - August 2009 51

036-055 K.indd 51

24.6.2009 12:59:27

Art

Artefact of the

camera lens

Serbia’s oldest photograph, depicting Josim Živanović, is now in the hands of his great-great grandson, Žarko Živanović, and family in Sremski Karlovci.

By Zorica Todorović Mirković he first Slavic and Serbian photographer, Anastas Jovanović, authored the oldest photographic image in Serbia. The photograph, which captures prominent local merchant and winegrower Josim Živanović, was taken on 12th February, 1841 – just a year after the invention of photography. During an extensive search for old photographs in Novi Sad, local photo journalist and Master of photography, Borivoj Mirosavljević, stumbled across an exceptionally valuable daguerreotype image in the house of Žarko Živanović, the proprietor of a unique Bee Keeping Museum in Sremski Karlovci. This was a photographic archetype, developed di-

rectly on a metal surface. Mirosavljević had found the first known Serbian photograph, shot over 160 years ago. This rare photograph depicts Žarko’s great-great grandfather, Josim Živanović, a merchant and winegrower from Sremski Karlovci and one of the first Serbs ever to be depicted by a photographer. This historical record was made in 1841, just a year after the invention of photography, and was shot by pioneering local photographer Anastas Jovanović. We know for a fact that his camera was marked with a number three and that Jovanović bought it in Vienna. A RARE PORTRAIT Until Borivoj Mirosavljević came along, Živanović had no idea that he was the only person in the country to possess such a well preserved old photograph. The owner of this rare portrait was taken by surprise and, subsequently, found himself very proud and flattered that he had this kind of treasure under his roof. Although the Živanović family inherited this daguerreotype as a family heirloom, they had no idea what a gem they had. They were astonished when photography aficionado Mirosavljević told them just how priceless and important the old portrait of their ancestor was. “For over half a century I’ve been collecting precious photographic material, including old photographs, which I’ve published in several of my books,” says Mirosavljević, who was also pleasantly surprised by the image’s discovery. “So far, I

CAMERA NUMBER THREE

he first camera with a lens suitable for taking daguerreotypes was designed and made by Viennese optician Josef Petzval. He made round photographs, nine centimetres in diameter. German company, Voiglender, began producing this all metal camera in 1841. The camera number three, one of the first in Europe, was bought by Anastas Jovanović for 100 kroners. At the time, Jovanović was studying lithography and photography in Vienna. He is considered the first photographer among the Slavic nations.

52 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 52

24.6.2009 12:59:28

have uncovered very valuable photographic documentation, but the photograph owned by the Živanović family is a true gem. If I weren’t that curious, we would have never found out that an old sheet of metal, as Žarko described to me his family heirloom, was actually a priceless relic. I asked him to show it to me, without suspecting at all that this would be a historic moment for both of us. I was lost for words when I saw a daguerreotype, taken with Jovanović’s camera – a treasure that no museum in Serbia has.” Žarko explained to Mirosavljević that when he was a child his father used to show him and his sister this photograph depicting their great-great grandfather Josim, the father of renowned professor and academic Jovan Živanović. Since being photographed was a privilege of the rich and well to do back then, the heirs took great care of the family relic. “Luckily, the photograph was preserved and preserved well, since it was stored in a closed box and protected from sunlight and humidity,” Mirosavljević says. Žarko told his friend Bora a family story about how the oldest photograph in Serbia come about. According to him, a son was born to grandpa Josim, the famous merchant, winegrower and patron of the oldest Serbian gymnasium in Sremski Karlovci, on 12th February 1841. To celebrate this joyous event, Josim travelled to Vienna, taking the wine he made with him to sell in order to earn money to buy new furniture for the big house the he had just built. As planned, he brought from Vienna two antique furniture sets and silver cutlery, on which he later engraved his initials.

RARITIES

nastas Jovanović is the author of the oldest photograph of Novi Sad depicting Petrovaradin Fortress. The photograph was taken circa 1850, while our oldest stereoscopic (three-dimensional) photograph was taken several years later, in 1854. Both photographs are stored in the Belgrade City Museum.

GEM IN THE DRESSER Mirosavljević presumes that while staying in Vienna Josim Živanović gave a box of his finest wine to Anastas Jovanović, the first Serbian photographer. In return, Jovanović took a picture of Josim. Anastas Jovanović was probably staying in Sremski Karlovci at a certain point, because he came to Novi Sad to photograph Duke Mihailo. At that time Jovanović was just starting to discover the secrets of photography and there’s no doubt that he was the author of Josim’s portrait. The original photograph is now hanging in the Živanović family’s Bee Keeping Museum in Sremski Karlovci. “This portrait is not a classic photograph, but a daguerreotype, i.e. a picture on a copper plate, the only one in Serbia and the oldest that we have,” explains Mirosavljević. “Daguerreotypes are very difficult to preserve. They deteriorate pretty quickly because they are exposed to light for only a brief moment, so the image on them slowly but surely fade away. There are only thirteen registered daguerreotypes in Serbia, all stored in private collections, but we have no proof that they were taken in our country.” The daguerreotype that the Živanović family managed to save was probably not the only copy. It is quite possible that Josim’s son, Jovan, after his father died, took the daguerreotype to Vienna where he was studying, in order to make several copies. At that time, photographs were used for various purposes – a photograph was laid along with the deceased in a coffin, one could hang it in a house, at a church or a graveyard, or give it as a present to family. “This distinguished family obviously appreciated the value that this daguerreotype,” Mirosavljević adds n CorD 62 / July - August 2009 53

036-055 K.indd 53

24.6.2009 12:59:30

Art

Creators of new energy

Interview: Maja Vidaković Lalić - Promoting Serbian design

In September we will begin preparations for a new competition and select the designs to represent Serbia at the Milan Fair, as well as several other significant foreign fairs – explains Maja Vidaković Lalić, one of the organisers of the Mixer Design Expo event. Vidaković Lalić also announces the upcoming presentation of young domestic designers at the EXIT Festival.

new prestigious festival of creative industry, the Mixer Design Expo, emerged in Belgrade this May. Taking place in the silos and warehouses of the Žitomlin Company in the city’s industrial zone in Dorćol, the exhibition mobilised many designers, architects, branding studios, producers, distributers and importers of prestigious global brands, companies and educational institutions in Serbia. During six weeks of intensive interaction in three central activity zones – Expo, Art and Party – Mixer Design Expo successfully paved the way for new tendencies of future communication between creative industry and business. The brains behind this endeavour is architect Maja Vidaković Lalić of the Mixer organisation, which has been running projects that have motivated the development of creativity in Serbia for years. Talking to CorD, Vidaković Lalić explains that her team

Maja Vidaković Lalić, designer We are working on motivating domestic producers to start producing pieces from now.

has been organising an annual exhibition of works by young talents in the area of industrial design for the last three years under the title Ghost Project. Mixer Design Expo, she says, is just a natural continuation of the idea to promote and animate creativity in Serbia. “Slowly but surely, businesspeople in Serbia are starting to understand the need for design. We can see that con-

New spirituality

nder the slogan “New spirituality”, the legendary Ghost Project presented the works of young industrial designers this year, for the fourth time, within the most inspirational zone of the Mixer Design Expo – the Talent Zone. Exhibition selectors Jelena Matić and Maja Vidaković Lalić gave special attention to limitations, in terms of the works submitted, and problems that contemporary industrial design has been encountering in Serbia. The chosen works treat economic crisis, depleted natural resources, lack of materials and contemporary technologies on the domestic market as design challenges, the origin of “new spirituality” and the inspiration for new solutions that will open up new venues and evoke optimism. In the Talent Zone, the visitors were able to see the works from the Young Serbian Designers collection, which achieved great success at the recent Milan Furniture Fair.

54 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

036-055 K.indd 54

24.6.2009 12:59:31

sumers, import companies, small graphic design and branding studios are becoming more aware that designers need a platform to show what they have been doing creatively and professionally. This is how the idea to launch Mixer Design Expo came about. We wanted to motivate producers to incorporate design into their development strategies, but also to sell design projects,” says Vidaković Lalić. The venues where designers and businessmen can collaborate are increasing. Our interlocutor cites examples of companies like Erste Bank and Telenor as having included designers into their CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects. Apart from the encouraging fact that some companies have already recognised the potential of production design, support provided by public sector is also important. The Ghost Project was followed by the project Young Serbian Designers, aimed at strategically promoting the new Serbian design scene and jointly launched by Mixer and the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA). “The first national appearance of Serbia at a relevant international design event took place at the Milan Furniture Fair in April this year. The jury, with world-renowned designer Konstantin Grčić as its president, selected 10 exceptionally good projects and 11 project authors to exhibit in Milan. The Young Serbian Designers platform, which Mixer launched in collaboration with SIEPA, will be adopted as a regular annual project implemented by SIEPA and Mixer. In September we will begin preparations for a new competition and select the designs to represent Serbia at the Milan Fair, as well as several other significant foreign fairs. Additionally, we are working on motivating domestic producers to start producing pieces from this year’s Young Serbian Designers’ collection,” says Vidaković Lalić. The works of young Serbian designers exhibited in Milan

will be shown at this year’s EXIT festival, alongside the Ghost Project – to be shown in a special designer lounge. The best works of the Mixer Design Expo will be shown in the form of exhibitions and installations. “This will be a unique opportunity for domestic and foreign audiences to get acquainted with our design and creativity,” concludes Vidaković Lalić. n

CorD 62 / July - August 2009 55

036-055 K.indd 55

24.6.2009 12:59:36

HAPPENINGS

Belgrade Su

What happens when the lights of theatre season are dimmed on Belgrade’s stages? When actors, singers and dancers go into summer hibernation, does the beat of the city go away with them or do the titles “Balkan’s most vibrant city” and “capital of cool” stay in Belgrade’s hands between June and September?

espite the fact that the summer heat does not spare Belgrade, there is still much to do. This year could be particularly vibrant, as thousands of athletes from all over the world will flood the city during Universiade, the Student Olympics. In addition, there will be traditional festivals like Bitef and Belef, concerts like those of Simply Red and Leonard Cohen, as well as activities that call for outdoor engagement, like the Boat Carnival regatta or Fish Fest. So, if wandering Skadarlija or the Zemun quay is not the only summer pastime you like to indulge in, here are some suggestions on what to do.

THEATRE

Belef: The traditional Belgrade summer festival, ongoing for 18 years, takes place over the whole month of July. Organisers say that this year’s focus is on outdoor performances that avoid verbal contact with the audience, primarily due to the expected large number of foreign visitors to the Universiade. Belef is composed of three sections. The theatre section will have eight open-air performances by Hungarian, Dutch, German, British and domestic theatre groups offering performances focused on expressions of the body; the music section will offer world music performances by Nigerian, Japanese, British, Turkish, American and Ethiopian musicians, while organisers are also expecting a group from Trinidad & Tobago. Meanwhile, the visual arts section has grown to become the festival’s trademark section. Here performances vary from video projections onto city buildings to placing 2,000 terracotta sculptures at various city locations. Bitef: This year marks the 43rd anniversary of the region’s most prestigious theatre festival. Dozens of well-known the-

atre companies will occupy Belgrade‘s stages between 15th and 30th September. Programme details, as well as this year’s festival motto, will be revealed at the end of June. International Festival of Monodrama and Mime: Another event with a considerable tradition, taking place annually since 1971, the International Festival of Monodrama and Mime presents works of performing art by domestic and foreign companies and actors. It will take place in the Pinocchio (Pinokio) Theatre in the first week of July. Theatre International Belgrade Adventure (TIBA): Established in 2003, TIBA offers a competitive programme of plays for children and youth. Eight plays will be presented by troupes from Sweden, Iran, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Serbia. TIBA takes place in theatres around Belgrade and this year’s dates are 6th to 12th June.

56 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

056-065 K.indd 56

24.6.2009 13:28:29

ummer Beat FESTIVALS

tween dance evenings: milonga’s (where dancers demonstrate their tango with the support of a live orchestra) and seminars that will see world-renowned tango dancers share their knowledge with visitors.

CONCERTS

Beer Fest: Belgrade’s biggest summer event attracts more than 500,000 visitors, who consume more than a million litres of beer. In excess of 40 brewers will present their products between 12th and 19th August on Ušče. Each evening will be shaped by several hours of music, with bands such as Laibach, Stereo Mc’S and LMT. Rakija Festival: Marking the end of the summer, Rakija festival attracted as many as 50,000 visitors in its opening year, when it was taking place outdoors. Last year, however, the organisers decided to move the festival to the Sava Centre, thus upping the profile to make it more of a boutique event. The idea is to present rakija as a unique Balkan Brand. Rakija makers from the region and guests from Italy and Germany will present their strong beverages between 26th and 27th September. One of the festival’s attractions is Rakija Chess, with figures made from small bottles filled with rakija, so players have to drink from their opponent’s figures when they capture them. Belgrade Tango Festival: The 6th Belgrade Tango Festival will attract lovers of the Argentinean tango between 3rd and 6th September. The festival is divided be-

Simply Red: This is said to be the last tour of the Mancunian band, as lead singer Mick Hucknall is leaving the famous group after a quarter of a century. Simply Red will entertain fans at Kalemegdan Fortress on 26th June.

Leonard Cohen: This legendary singer-songwriter will perform at the Belgrade Arena on 2nd September. Sava Centre concerts: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor will perform on 3rd July, while Oscar-winning new wave musician David Byrne, formerly of Talking Heads, will be performing at the Sava Centre on 8th July and world-renowned jazz musician George Benson is scheduled to perform on 23rd July.

Madonna in Belgrade

Living music legend Madonna will entertain the Belgrade public for the first time ever at Ušće (the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube) on 24th August in a concert being co-organised by State of Exit and Live Nation. The concert will be held as part of Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet World Tour, which has already included 58 concerts visited by over 2.3 million specCorD 62 / July - August 2009 57

056-065 K.indd 57

24.6.2009 13:28:34

HAPPENINGS tators. In the continuation of one of the biggest tours of all time, Madonna will perform 25 new concerts, which will include this one. a“This is my first time. I have never extended a tour before. I’m excited I’m going to be on the road again, visiting places I have never visited before and going back to those I already love,” said Madonna said after announcing her decision to extend the tour. 9th International Organ Festival – Dies Organorum: Seven concerts, combining choral performances to the accompaniment of the organ, will take place between 29th June and 13th July at the Virgin Mary Cathedral in Hadžimelentijeva Street. Kalemegdan Dusks: Concerts of popular classical music take place in June and July on the plateau of the Institute for Cultural Heritage Conservation and in the music pavilion. Concerts are held in the late afternoon.

OPEN-AIR EVENTS

Fish Fest: This festival of fish delights and good-spirited atmosphere takes place at Nebojšina kula (Nebojša’s Tower), at the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube. The event includes a contest to make the best fish stew, as well as concerts accompanying the event that takes place between 26th and 28th August. New Belgrade Summer: Savski kej (the Sava quayside) becomes the Theatre on the Sava as New Belgrade Municipality offers weekend concerts on this popular riverside walkway. Concerts and exhibitions are free. This year the central exhibition will be focused on the Thessaloniki Front.

SPORT

Summer on Gardoš: Zemun’s traditional summer festival enters its eighth year. It offers five performances during every week of July and August. Performances take place on the Gardoš Summer Stage next to Gardoš Tower. Sundays and Mondays see performances for children, while classical or jazz music performances are on Wednesdays, theatrical performances, mainly drama, on Fridays, and popular or ethno music concerts on Saturdays. All performers are local. Boat Carnival: The 6th Belgrade Boat Carnival will invite visitors to the banks of the Sava and Danube on 30th August. Carnival groups from several countries will don traditional attire and present their sailing skill.

Universiade: Thousands of young sportsmen and women will compete in 15 disciplines as part of the city’s main attraction between 1st and 12th July. University students from a majority of the world’s countries will be competing in almost every sports facility in the city. The grand opening will take place at the Belgrade Arena. Volleyball World Cup Finals: The 20th World Cup Volleyball Finals will take place at the Belgrade Arena between 22nd and 26th July. European Speed Badminton Championships: Europe’s best Speed Badminton players will vie against each other, with a shuttlecock travelling at 250kph, on Ada Ciganlija between 27th and 28th June.

By Andrej Klemencic 58 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

056-065 K.indd 58

24.6.2009 13:28:38

ARTS

Magyart ‘09

The initiative to hold the Magyart ‘09 festival in both Serbia and Hungary came from the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister

By Jelena Jovanović nnouncing the Hungarian Culture Days in Serbia event, state secretary in the the Hungarian Prime Minister’s cabinet, Ferenz Gemes, said that interest in Serbian culture in Hungary has grown a lot in the last few years. He added that events like this will lead to more people becoming engaged in culture and discovering what has been happening on the culture front in both countries, while in the past that was only the privilege of the cultural elite. Magyart 09 took place betweeen 14th and 18th June in three Serbian cities of Belgrade, Niš and Kruševac. The Franz Liszt chamber orchestra, conducted by Janos Roll, officially opened Magyart 09 with a performance of Bartok and Listz at Belgrade’s Kolarac on 15th June. The orchestra has a 17-piece string section, plays a significant role in Budapest’s culture scene and has a wonderful reputation globally. The event also saw Molnar Dixiland Band hold a concert on Belgrade’s Republic Square, performing together alongside dance group Vivace Tancegyitess. Molnar Dixiland Band, one of the oldest and most popular jazz bands in Hungary, was founded by a group of students and music amateurs back in 1964 in the Hungarian city of Szeged. They have since become one of the most listened to bands on Hungarian radio. They have also gained worldwide popularity with number of hugely selling albums, many concerts and important musical collaborations. The exhibition A Thousand Wonders of Hungary, by Otto Kaiser, attracted a great deal of attention. It was displayed in the National Bank of Serbia’s lobby and included a series of photographs depicting Hungary and its every day life. Kaiser, born 1953, is one of the most celebrated Hungarian photographers, known for his photo anthology – Literature Without Borders – which depicts portraits of Hungarian writers, artists

and musicians. The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble also had a great performance at the festival. In the stylish Yugoslav Drama Theatre, the ensemble performed its own production of The Legend of the Sun, a dance spectacle based on Hungary’s national folklore. “In the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a lot has happened in culture – Serbian cultural heritage has been exhibited in Hungary and vice versa. Hungarian culture has a lot to show the Serbian audiences. With this programme, we have tried to relay some of the basic values and feelings that are distinctive to Hungary,” says Ferenz Gemes. The Yugoslav Film Library screened the film Delta, which stars Vojvodininian violinist Lajko Felix in the main role, during Magyart 09. Delta was Directed by young, award-winning director Kornel Mundruscyo, recipient of the main critics award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Meanwhile, the Serbian Theatre from Hungary staged Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, while the Subotica theatre performed a play in the Niš National Theatre. There was a segment dedicated to younger audicences, with Hungarian rock band 30Y holding a concert. The band broke onto the scene in 2006 and have since released several albums. They continuosly perform at summer music festivals in Hungary. The Belgrade audiences also saw Magdolna Rusza, who represented Hungary at the Eurovision Song Contest two years ago. Rusza gave an interesting jazz performance alongside violinist Janos Nagy and Freestyle Sextet. Magyart 09 was a real refreshment on the Belgrade culture scene in June. The event was sponosored by the Hungarian Embassy in Belgrade, the Belgrade City Assembly and Jugokoncert. Speaking on the occasion, Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia, Sandor Pap, said that this kind of programme was perfect for drawing attention and inspiring respect, which is something that it would take the embassy at least a year to accomplish. n CorD 62 / July - August 2009 59

056-065 K.indd 59

24.6.2009 13:28:40

CULTURE

Literature against boredom & lethargy The first KROKODIL

The inaugural KROKODIL (Literature Regional Gathering That Eliminates Lethargy and Boredom) event has been held for the first time in Belgrade

By Žarka Radoja ver the course of three days, the first annual KROKODIL saw Croatian writers Robert Perišić, Vedrana Rudan, Predrag Lucić, Boris Dežulović, Nada Gašić, Bosnians Emir Imamović Pirke, Lamija Begagić and Veselin Gatalo, and Serbian writers Marko Vidojković, Vladimir Arsenijević, Predrag Crnković, Dule Nedeljković and the group Beton, as well as many others, read, sing and narrate their pieces of work.

Festival

he first ever KROKODIL certainly succeeded in its attempt to create a different literary festival which would destroy taboos and show the audience that spending time with writers and their works can be endless fun, regardless of the bad weather which, unfortunately, also affected audience sizes.

The festival, organised by publishing houses VBZ Beograd and Samizdat B92 with the help of the Belgrade Municipality of Savski Venac, aimed to present mainly younger generation authors from the region. “We wanted to show that literature doesn’t necessarily have to be boring and we also wanted to move on from the stereotypical framework of presenting within literature evenings,” explains Vladimir Arsenijević, editor of publishing house VBZ Beograd.Looking back at those three days of the festival and the audiences’ reactions, we can say that it was a success. Participating writers were presented to the Belgrade public in a unique way, through unusual performances, casual chats and authorial creativity. The event offered a terrific couple of masters of ceremony in Ivan Bevac, from Serbia, and Kruna Lokotara, from Croatia. The absolute hit of the first night of the festival was undoubtedly the quartet known as Beton, who create culture propaganda columns for daily paper Danas. The four, Saša Ilić, Tomislav Marković, Saša Ćirić and Miloš Živanović, read pieces of their texts critically relating to culture politics in Serbia. The event was opened by female duo Gorica Nešović and Jelica Greganović, who read their female stories. The night culminated with the presentation of Robert Perišić, one of Croatia’s top contemporary writers. Initial plans envisaged the evening’s venue as the amphitheatre in front of the museum, though bad weather led to it being held in the small hall. The next evening, organisers’ hopes of nice weather were dashed when a storm drenched the audience. The final evening of the festival actually revealed the whole concept of KROKODIL, with a number of excellent authors taking to the stage. Each participant was special in their own way, with all of them determined to present their piece of work in the most creative way. Renowned and emerging authors from the region were presented to the audience. Though many names were missing, it is likely that we will see them in the years ahead, as KROKODIL seeks to exploit the chance created by its founding goal of becoming a serious and very significant festival of regional prose and poetry able to ravage the limitations of literary taboos and the inner barriers carried by many. n

60 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

056-065 K.indd 60

24.6.2009 13:28:40

Palić Film Festival Coming Soon

E Argentinean Dinosaurs invade Belgrade

n exhibition featuring 20 dinosaur species through 40 full skeletons and skeletal parts is currently in Belgrade. Organised by the Belgrade Natural History Museum and Argentina-based, Grupo Cultural, this immensely interesting interactive exhibition will also show dinosaur eggs, skulls, nests with dinosaur young, replicas of footprints, bones and films that reconstruct the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth . The exhibition was opened on 19th June in Belgrade’s Impuls Hall, near the Hotel Continental, and will be run for the next five months. The exhibition was opened by guests from Argentina: Fabio Frashtenberg, co-director of Grupo Cultural, museum expert and archaeologist; Oscar Frashtenberg, co-director of Grupo Cultural; Dr Jorge Calvo, palaeontologist and scientific associate, and Slavko Spasić, director of the Belgrade Natural History Museum. All agree that staging an exhibition in Serbia is very significant. The exhibition of Patagonia’s dinosaurs has already visited Turin, Chicago, Budapest and Bucharest and has been seen by over a million people. Speaking at the exhibition’s opening, Jorge Calvo said that the group staging the exhibition in Belgrade has been collecting dinosaur skeletons for over ten years and that over a hundred skeletons have been found in Patagonia. In Belgrade, as well as in the other cities the exhibition has so far visited, we can see faithful copies of the originals that are stored in the museums of Argentina. The most attractive exhibits are Giganotosaurus, a 14-metre-long bloodthirsty carnivore, Rebbachisaurus, a 17-metre-long herbivore, and a 7.5-metre-long Carnotaurus. The exhibition also includes the world premiere of a complete Megaraptor’s skeleton, which is nine metres long and has half-metre claws.

uropean film festival, Palić 2009, will be held from 18th to 24th July at several locations in Palić and Subotica. The festival will feature many films from different selections at this, the 16th annual Plaić film festival. n addition to the competitive selection, films will also be shown in the following selections: Parallels and Collisions,Young European Authors, New Finnish Film, New Hungarian Film, and Environmental Film. Several local bands will hold concerts during the Young European Authors selection, while two roundtable discussions will also be held: Serbia Facing Environmental Challenges and Two Decades of Transition and Serbian Film. Radoslav Zelenović is the director of the 2009 Palić Film Festival, while the Editor-inChief of German magazine Schnitt, Nikolai Nikitin, is the president of the competitive selection. The main prize at this year’s festival is the Golden Tower (given for the best overall film), the Palić Tower (for the best film from the Parallels and Collisions selection), while the Underground Spirit Award is given to the best film from the Young European Authors selection. The festival jury will also give out two Aleksandar Lifka Awards, one for a Serbian and one for a foreign director, for their contribution to European cinematography.

New fortress ruins found

ncient Roman ruins have been accidentally uncovered in the vicinity of Kalemegdan Fortress during the removal of tram lines, reveals, Stefan Pop Lazić, research associate in the Belgrade Archaeological Institute. The discovery includes significant ruins of a Roman fortress, military camp, legionnaires’ graves, military barracks and a probable hospital. All buildings date back to the beginning of the 2nd century AD, during the end of Emperor Trajan’s rule and the beginning of Hadrian’s rule. The ancient remnants are scattered all over the Kalemegdan area and comprise a complete Roman town with military barracks. The subsequent analysis of these architectural findings will bring more details about the ruins, say experts from the Archaeological Institute say. The Archaeological Institute began the excavations in conjunction with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Since the Archaeological Institute is currently unable to continue with the excavations, the current plan is to protect the site for now. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 61

056-065 K.indd 61

24.6.2009 13:28:41

Culture calendar POP, ROCK, JAZZ SANTANA Kalemegdan, 11. July

composer and author. Wooten has won the “Bass Player of the Year” award from Bass Player magazine three times in a row and was the first person to win the award more than once.

George Benson 23. July, 21.00 Sava Center, Great Hall

Carlos Augusto Santana Alves (born in 1947 in Mexico) is rock musician and guitarist. He became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered a blend of rock, salsa and jazz fusion. Rolling Stone also named Santana number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003.

Sinead O’Connor Sava Center, Great hall, 03. July, 21.00 Sinéad O’Connor is Irish singersongwriter, born in 1966. Her music can be described as mixture of alternative rock, pop rock and folk. O` Connor plays guitar, piano, keyboards, and percussion.

George Benson (born in 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American musician, whose recording career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist. He is also known as a Pop, R&B, and scat singer.

Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller,Victor Wooten 09. July, 21.00 Sava center, Great Hall Victor Lemonte Wooten (born 1964) is an American bass player. He is known for his technical virtuosity and skills as musician,

Music School Stankovic, 20.00 Concert of young violoncellists IRENA JOSIFOSKA, JELENA ILIĆ, IVAN JARIĆ, ANA PERČEVIĆ, DAMJAN SARAMANDIĆ, PAVLE SAVIĆ, JELENA MIHAILOVIĆ

9. July, at 20 00 Music School Stankovic, 20 00 SANDRA BELIĆ, violoncello VLADIMIR GLIGORIĆ, piano

Friday, 10. July Kolarac, 20 00 DANIJEL MILERŠOT, violoncello JONATHAN GILAD, piano Mendelson, Bethoven

Saturday, 11. July

Classical Music The Sixth International Cello Fest 5. July- 11. July 5. July- Kolarac Opening- Belgrade String Orchestra Dušan Skovran Conductor: BILJANA RADOVANOVIĆ RALF KIRSBAUM, violoncello

6. July, Kolarac Sava Center, 20 00 Closing of the FestivalThe Prague Symphony Orchestra Gotie Kapison, violoncello Conductor- Jirzi Kout Programme- Janacek, Dvorzak,

Le Freylekh Trio 04. July, 21.00 Sava Center, Great Hall Summer garden Davide Byrne 08. July, 21.00 Sava Center, Great Hall

8. July

CLUBBING Music School Stankovic , 20 00 NEMANJA STANKOVIĆ, violoncello UKI OVASKAINEN, piano Programme- Bach Tchaikowsky,

Belgrade Foam Fest Belgrade arena 29. August , 20 00

7. July, 20 00 Music School Stankovic 20.00 MILUTIN MLADENOVIĆ, violoncello NATALIJA MLADENOVIĆ, piano

62 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

056-065 K.indd 62

24.6.2009 13:28:45

Great DJ event Main stage: Sandy Rivera, David Morales, Benny Benassi, Marko Nastić and Marko Milosavljević Sky flash stage: Tom Pooks, Tsuyoshi Suzuki, Ian F, Andrew Technique, F.Sonik,Tomy DeClerque SH stage: The competition of regional DJs

in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garbe into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

FILM ICE AGE Dawn of the Dinosaurs Premiere- 1. July, Sava Center Directed by Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier (co-director) Genre- Animation , Action , Adventure, Comedy, Family After the events of “Ice Age: The Meltdown”, life begins to change for Manny and his friends.

PUBLIC ENEMIES Premiere- 1. July, Dom Sindikata Based on the book by Bryan Burrough StarringJohnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang,Branka Katić, Giovanni Ribisi, Rory Cochrane, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Joh Ortiz, Channing Tatum, Jason Clarke Directed by Michael Mann The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

As Harry Potter begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously “This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince” and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s dark past. Starring- Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson . Rupert Grint , Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman , Helena Bonham Carter

THE PROPOSAL Premiere 22. July- Ster Cinemas Starring- Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Malin Akerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Denis O’Hare and Betty White. Directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up) Comedy about pushy boss who forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Premiere- 27. August

Harry Potter and HalfBlood prince Sava Center, Great hall Premiere- 15. July, 18.00 and 21.00

Directed by Tony Scott Starring- Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzmán, John Turturro

Director:David Yates; Writers :Steve Kloves (screenplay); J.K. Rowling (novel)

Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage

ART Sava Rakočević-Paintings and Drawings SANU Gallery, Until 15. July

Exhibition presents 43 oils in canvas Sava Rakocevic, born in Peć, in 1933, had graduated on the Academy of Applied Asrts in Belgrade, in 1960. In 1966 he moved to USA- he lives and works there ever since. He had hist first exhibition in USA in 1970 and in 1975 he was among artists chosen to represent contemporary American painting in Paris, in the ocassion of marking 200 year of American Statehood. Rakocevic had numerous exhibitions in USA. His last retrospective exhibition in Serbia was organised in SANU Gallery in Belgrade, in 1993.

Exhibition of drawings- Pat Andrea Gallery Chaos , Until 11. July Pat Andrea is among Europe’s most important painters in the area of magical realism and neo-figurative painting. Born in The Hague in 1942, he lives and works in Buenos Aires, Paris and his home city. He has shown his work in all European capitals and at art institutions and galleries in the USA. In 1998 he was appointed as professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. His can be seen in the most important museums in Europe and America, including the French Pompidou and the MoMA in New York. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 63

056-065 K.indd 63

24.6.2009 13:28:46

Leisure & lifestyl

Mediterranean & Asian inf luences Restaurant Review: Down Town

Big cities like Belgrade are seeing continuous growth in the popularity of coffee shops, cake shops, tapas bars, wine bars and upscale restaurants By Jelena Mickić Photo Mirjana Ristić

ike other lucrative businesses with a contemporary flavour, they are flooding central city areas, busy during the day with business people and shoppers and an evening magnet for fun loving partygoers. One such hip hangout in Belgrade is Down Town, which has revamped both its looks and concept, converting from a cocktail bar to a bar-restaurant. Located in the recently pedestrianised Čika Ljubina st., renowned for its fine shops and an emerging number of new eateries, the reinvigorated Down Town comprises a stylish cocktail bar and modern restaurant that functions throughout the day.

Tastefully refreshed and contemporarily refurbished, the restaurant is divided into two levels: the street level houses a small gallery and the basement level boasts a large open-plan dining area with medium size tables, comfortable chairs and an open kitchen that always brings a bit of theatrics to the dining experience. Compared to the former layout, it seems that Down Town has used its space more wisely, as it appears roomier than before. Health conscious restaurateurs have responded to our largely inactive lifestyle and basic lack of physical activity with a new industry trend of serving smaller portions and emphasising healthy and well balanced food. Down Town, like some of Belgrade’s smaller downtown restaurants, is a proponent of this trend. The clientele it ca-

64 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

056-065 K.indd 64

24.6.2009 13:28:48

ters for consists of mostly always-on-the-go business folk, smart shoppers and image conscious evening guests. By introducing food and embracing a new concept, Down Town has changed its direction and is attracting new clientele, while keeping the old regulars from the time when it was known as a place with good, reasonably priced cocktails and coffee. Down Town offers international cuisine with moderate Mediterranean and Asian influences. The dishes are freshly prepared on the premises by the restaurant’s chef, who – as I gathered – used to work at Belgrade’s Hyatt Regency before heading off to work in Russia. There are two seasonal menus: the winter menu offers rich, hearty food and the summer menu is based on vegetables, chicken, seafood, some red meats and seasonal fruits. Nutritionists have insisted for many years that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Heeding their advice, Down Town’s winter menu includes a breakfast section offering ham and eggs, scrambled eggs, sweet American pancakes, French toast and club sandwich. For lunch you can choose from a selection of seasonal salads, various pasta dishes or chicken and steak prepared in different sauces. The dinner menu offers meat tortillas, enchiladas and bruschettes. The summer menu was only just being prepared at the time of my visit. We started off our late Friday lunch with a plate of bruschettes, bite size triangles of white bread topped with romaine, tomato, shrimps, mussels and parmesan shavings. It would have been nice to have had a selection of whole grain bruschettes too. For the main dish, my partner opted a medium meat and vegetable cake, consisting of beef calf as a base and layers of diced vegetables (aubergine, courgette, button mushrooms) all cooked in a red wine and chilli sauce and topped with mozzarella and tortilla strips. This was a tasty combination of nice ingredients and rather light in flavour, which personally suits my taste. For the main dish I chose sautéed calamari and scallops with carrots, button mushrooms and leek, seasoned with white wine, herbs and curry. This is for sure a very interesting and daring combination for a local palate, but I like the flavour of curry and it went well with this dish – though I’d rather

The background of soothing and unobtrusive music from one of Café del Mar’s compilations added to the relaxed atmosphere of the entire place it had had a pinch less curry powder. We opted for a yummy desert to finish off. A plain pancake in an orange juice dressing, decadently adorned with a scoop of chocolate almond ice cream and bitter orange peel. This was by far my favourite dessert that week. Guests came and went during our lunch at Down Town: business folk, young and hip urbanites, more business people; the restaurant was moderately busy. The background of soothing and unobtrusive music from one of Café del Mar’s compilations added to the relaxed atmosphere of the entire place. The service was professional and discrete. If you are in the city centre, Down Town could be a good choice for a light meal, business lunch (there is wireless internet) or just a break. As this is a bar-restaurant, there is a nice selection of cocktails and wine by the glass for after hours and evening hanging out. If you are a corporate client, Down Town is a nice venue for you office or private party. For the warm weather season there is a summer garden just outside the restaurant. Food and drink prices are in the middle range for Belgrade. Čika Ljubina Street, just round the corner from Knez Mihailova, is a pedestrian zone and no parking is allowed. n

Main dish Sautéed calamari and scallops with carrots. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 65

056-065 K.indd 65

24.6.2009 13:28:49

frOM THe WOrLD Press

oBAMA cALLS For FrESH StArt WitH MUSLiMS

CAIRO, June 4 President Obama delivered a direct appeal to the Islamic world Thursday for a “new beginning” with the United States, acknowledging historical mistakes made over centuries in the name of culture and religion that he said are now overshadowed by shared interests. The 55-minute address electrified many Muslims in the Arab Middle East. The president celebrated the cultural, scientific and intellectual achievements of Islam to the delight of the audience inside the domed hall at Cairo University where he spoke -- and beyond. Using spare language and a measured explanatory tone, the country’s first African American president, whose Kenyan family has deep Islamic roots, drew on history, biography, moral principles and mutual interests to dispel cultural stereotypes that divide Christians from Muslims, Arabs from Jews, and the United States from many in the Islamic faith. Seemingly small but

He criticized Iran, Israel, the Palestinians and the United States, but he stopped short of apologizing for past U.S. policies as American conservatives warned he would.

symbolically important gestures by Obama drew warm applause, including his use of the phrase “May peace be upon him” after a reference to the prophet Muhammad. Speaking in Arabic, he offered the traditional greeting of “May peace be upon you” on behalf of the American people, again to applause. As he urged leaders in the Muslim world to “place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party,” a man shouted, “Barack Obama, we love you!” The president responded simply, “Thank you,” and moved quickly back into his remarks. At the end of the speech he received a standing ovation, and some in the crowd chanted, “O-bam-a, O-bam-a.” “Egypt also has suffered from terrorism,” said Ahmed el-Shoura, a 21-yearold political science student at Cairo University who attended the speech. “The question is, how do you deal with it -- through the military or something else? Obama showed today that he understands this difference and how to manage it.”

Obama quoted John Adams, the Koran, the Bible and the Talmud to argue that “as long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperi ty.” “This cycle of suspicion and discord must end,” Obama said. “I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.” The highly anticipated speech drew about 3,000 invited guests, including 500 journalists, to Cairo University and an audience of tens of millions more looking in over national television networks, social-networking Web sites, and instant-messaging services set up by the administration in a variety of languages. Obama pledged during his presidential campaign to reach out directly to America’s rivals if elected, and the speech Thursday marked his most high-profile attempt to change the direction of U.S. relations with Islamic nations, ties that traced a steady downward arc through the Bush administration. He criticized Iran, Israel, the Palestinians and the United States, but he stopped short of apologizing for past U.S. policies as American conservatives warned he would. Much of his mission was to convince Muslims that the United States is “not, and never will be, at war with Islam,” reiterating a statement he made in Turkey two months ago. He described the rich role Muslims have played in American life since the country’s founding. He noted that Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of the Koran in his personal library, and he told the audience of professors, political and religious leaders, students, and others that “there is a mosque in every state of our union.” “Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire,” he said. “The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known.” In addressing women’s rights in his speech, Obama said to applause: “I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.” “I believe he will be able to accomplish this goal,” Rizk said of Obama’s ambition to begin again with the Islamic world. “He has the intent to cooperate with us, and that is good.”

ForMEr KgB AgEnt HiDing in VAncoUVEr cHUrcH FroM DEPortAtion to rUSSiA

OTTAWA, June 3 Former KGB agent Mikhail Lennikov, whom the court ruled to deport to Russia on Wednesday, has been hiding at a Vancouver church since Tuesday, Canada’s CBC Television reported. The deportation of Lennikov, 48, became inevitable after Justice Russell Zinn left unchanged the decision made by the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness that Lennikov, who allegedly worked as an interpreter in the eighties, cannot stay in Canada any longer. The Federal Court judge ruled that Lennikov’s fears that in Russia he will face arrest and high treason accusations are not quite grounded. Lennikov’s expulsion is needed to keep up the trust of Canadian citizens in the efficiency of the immigration law, Zinn said.

66 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 66

24.6.2009 13:22:28

Lennikov’s expulsion is needed to keep up the trust of Canadian citizens in the efficiency of the immigration law

Lennikov has lived with his wife and a 17-year-old son in Vancouver for 11 years and applied for a permanent residence permit in autumn 2008. After that the deportation case was instituted versus Lennikov. Last March his wife and his son were permitted to stay in Canada, but Lennikov was ordered to fly from Vancouver to Vladivostok on Wednesday, June 3.

rUSSiA’S EconoMy: A nEW SicK MAn

CHELYABINSK Jun 4th 2009. On a recent Friday night the beau monde of Chelyabinsk, the industrial armpit of Russia known during the war as Tankograd, drove out to the edge of town for the gala opening of a new Mercedes dealership. Inside the neonlit avtosalon, half-naked dancers covered in silver paint and goosebumps greeted the city’s dressed-up business elite. Girls in sparkling skirts tapdanced. A Vladimir Putin lookalike promised “support”. The extravaganza concluded with the guests posing for cameras inside the latest Mercedes, which was unveiled by two long-legged beauties in short black dresses. Chelyabinsk’s gala epitomises the ups and downs of the Russian economy.

The gradual destruction of Russia’s institutions and democratic freedoms, however imperfect, seemed to have little bearing on the boom.

It was conceived a year ago when the oil price was more than $100 a barrel, the economy was growing by 8% a year and real incomes were rising twice as fast. A construction boom speckled the dreary industrial landscape with new hotels, office towers, restaurants and luxury shops. But by the time the showroom opened the oil price was down to $50, the economy had shrunk by 9.5% year on year in the first quarter of 2009, and industrial output had tumbled by almost 15%. The pace and scale of this contraction are severe even by Russian standards (see chart 1). Yet the impact on the country has so far been limited. It has neither shaken the government nor sparked industrial riots. Valery Gartung, owner of the Mercedes dealership and a member of Russia’s parliament, is taking the crisis in his stride. “I would not start building it now. But I could not stop halfway either.” The immediate problem for Russian businesses, small and big, is lack of credit. Despite massive injections of liquidity into the banking system, loans are hard to come by. Andrei Bukreyev, a shrewd entrepreneur who heads Chelyabinsk’s local small-business association, used to make mon-

ey by converting military machinery into oil and gas equipment. His new venture involves setting up a barter system. This form of trade, which flourished in the 1990s, has come back with a vengeance. The Chelyabinsk tractor plant was recently offered 3.5m roubles-worth of condensed milk for one of its bulldozers. Apparently the deal fell through because the milk had passed its sell-by date. The gradual destruction of Russia’s institutions and democratic freedoms, however imperfect, seemed to have little bearing on the boom. But the crisis has laid bare the flaws of Russia’s politics, which has failed to diversify the economy, create a domestic financial market or build institutions. The Russian economy is today more dependent on oil and gas than it was even ten years ago. Corruption, an old vice, has become the norm. The Kremlin’s policies have choked competition, both political and economic. Much of Russia’s growth over the past decade was achieved by using existing capacity more efficiently. But this slack has now been taken up. The present anti-crisis measures are often geared more towards subsidising the inefficient. Although some tycoons have already mortgaged their stakes, no large companies have changed hands. Sceptics say the reason for this may not be the Kremlin’s faith in the free market and private ownership, but the state’s reluctance to take on the firms’ foreign debts. The Kremlin had feared at first that strategic assets would fall into foreign hands. In fact, foreign banks have scant appetite for owning Russian industrial assets and not much choice but to restructure the firms’ debt. Once the process is complete, there may be little to stop Russian state corporations from taking over the most attractive assets. This could result in a massive transfer of property towards monopolistic quasi-state conglomerates controlled by a narrow group of the Kremlin’s friends. If the oil price again falls to $30, however, things might look very different. With less money to spread among friends, the fight between clans will intensify. A poorer Russia will not be a friendlier one. To hold on to power, the Kremlin may try to use the idea of an external threat to mobilise the country. But with most institutions consumed by corrosion, it may have to resort to harder repression.

rEPortErS WitHoUt BorDErS DiSMAyED oVEr JoUrnALiStS

Both US President Barack Obama and the press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders expressed concern on Monday over the 12-year hard labour sentence that North Korea has given two American journalists

North Korea’s news agency, the KCNA, said Ling and Lee were convicted for illegal entry and an unspecified “grave crime”

convicted of an unspecified “grave crime”. North Korea arrested them in March along the Chinese-North Korean border. The White House said that it was engaged in “all possible channels” to ensure the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 67

066-082 K.indd 67

24.6.2009 13:22:30

frOM THe WOrLD Press

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton called the charges baseless and said the journalists should be allowed to return home. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations who has negotiated with North Korea, told the television network ABC, “now a legal process ends and political negotiations can begin”. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, said it was “appalled” by the sentence. They “are much more severe than anything we had imagined”, the group said. “The sentences were clearly designed to scare journalists trying to do investigative reporting in the border area between China and North Korea, which is ranked as Asia’s worst country in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index”, it added. North Korea’s news agency, the KCNA, said Ling and Lee were convicted for illegal entry and unspecified “grave crime” at the end of a five-day trial. They work for the California-based web television station Current TV and were researching a story on North Korean refugees.

iAn BirrELL: HoW oUr PoLiticiAnS FAiLED to StoP tHE riSE oF tHE FAr rigHt

LONDON, 9 June 2009. A few weeks ago I attended a think-tank lunch held to discuss whether the rise of the left was inevitable in the wake of the banking crisis. After some discussion, Dominic Grieve, the cerebral shadow Justice minister, intervened. “I don’t worry about the hard left,” he said. “It is the rise of the far right that scares me.” His words appeared prescient yesterday, as we woke to news that Britain is sending two neo-fascists to represent us in Europe, shattering any comfortable illusions about the innate tolerance of the British people. In the privacy of the voting booths, nearly one million people put their cross besides the name of an extreme-right party headed by a man once convicted for inciting racial hatred. We should not underestimate the significance of this moment. Oswald Mosley, for all his oratorical fervour, was a flop at the polls with both his New Party and the British Union of Fascists. The National Front caused shockwaves in the early Seventies when it managed to save its deposit in a by-election; after that, it was downhill all the way. And the BNP used to be such an irrelevance that only 35,000 people voted for it in the 1997 general election, when there was twice last week’s turnout. And now this: the moment when the fascists came in from the cold. When the voters in Yorkshire and Humber plumped for a man who had joined the National Socialist Movement, whose members once went around burning synagogues in Britain. And when the voters of the north-west returned a man found guilty over Holocaust denial. These are the people who will now jump on the gravy train to Strasbourg, no doubt taking all the allowances possible to promulgate their bone-headed propaganda.

The big question, of course, is what changed? Britain has prided itself on its political moderation, which evolved over centuries in the land that gave birth to modern parliamentary democracy. So why have some people become so alienated by the political process that they have turned to such extremists? There is little doubt that the BNP under Griffin has smartened up its act. This is not just in appearances, although the counts had their share of sweating skinheads squeezed into their three-piece suits, clutching pints of beer (Bulldog or Spitfire, presumably, rather than a nasty European lager). Crude racist talk has been buried, in public at least, replaced with street-level campaigning on highly localised issues. And it has positioned itself as the anti-politics party, presenting itself as outside “the system” and

So why have some people become so alienated by the political process that they have turned to such extremists?

picking up tricks from the mainstream right in America and the far right in Europe, especially France. In communities where there are deep concerns at the impact of globalisation, of fast social change and of the recession, the BNP has sown seeds of doubt over conventional politics, fertilising them with fear and falsehoods. And in the wake of the expenses scandal and the Labour meltdown, these seeds blossomed into electoral success. For all this, it remains puzzling that so many Britons would turn to an avowedly racist party. There are no wards that could be called ghettos here. We have one of the highest rates of mixed-race marriage in the world, surely the ultimate sign of racial tolerance. And popular culture shows an ease with multi-culturalism – indeed, the winner of the most recent series of Britain’s Got Talent was a mixed-race dance group called Diversity. Some would argue that the reason is simple: there is too much immigration, upsetting the delicate balance of society, and our politicians talk too little about a core concern. They are wrong. The problem is not that there has been too much discussion, but that it is unashamedly hostile to newcomers. Just as it is little wonder support for the European Union is wilting when it is never publicly defended, so it is little surprise that a racist party can rise when there seems to be only hostility to immigrants and asylum-seekers.

rEPoSSESSionS AnD BAnKrUPtciES on tHE riSE

COPENHAGEN, 12. June 2009. Home repossessions in Denmark have hit heights not seen since 1996 and the number of companies filing for bankruptcy has hit a record. The number of repossessions in Denmark hit 395 in May, the highest number since March 1996 and an increase of 116 on April, according to Statistics Denmark. Single family homes counted for 219 of the 395 repossessions, with the Southern Denmark and Zealand regions worst hit. The only region in which the number of repossessions fell year on year in May was Northern Jutland – but the drop was only marginal from 36 to 32. The figures, however, are still considerably lower than those of the late

68 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 68

24.6.2009 13:22:33

1980s and early 1990s when there were between 1,400 and 1,600 repossessions per month. Bankruptcies At the same time, the number of seasonally adjusted bankruptcies in May hit 539, an increase of 55 on April figures, Statistics Denmark reports. The number of bankruptcies has thus reached an average of 488 per month in 2009 compared with an average 309 per month in 2008. The retail and construction trades were hardest hit with 90 percent more bankruptcies in construction and 80 percent more in the retail trade compared with May 2008. The hotel and restaurant segment, however, seems to have had a better May, with 16 bankruptcies compared with 33 in April.

“tHE trAnSLAtor oF cULtUrES” SHAntEL WitH A concErt in SoFiA

SOFIA, 7 June 2009. The king of Balkan music post-modernism Stefan Shantel arrives in Sofia today, June 7th, for the opening of the festival “Meet the World”. The first concert of the festival is on Sunday, June 7th, at 19:30 in the “Universiada” hall. It will feature electronic beats, a brass band and gipsy melodies. The lover of Balkan flair DJ Shantel & Bukovina Club Orkestar are a special delivery from Frankfurt, Germany.

down 8 percent year-on-year. The number of nights stays slid 8 percent in the first five months y/y. The season has just started and the results achieved so far need to be compared with the rival countries, tourism minister Damir Bajs said. According to his ministry, it seems all these countries are worse off than Croatia. Spain recorded a 12-percent drop in the first four months, France as much as 29.2 percent, Greece 7.2 percent, Italy 14.6 percent, and Montenegro 15.7 percent.

WritErS in EXiLE FinD rEFUgE in gErMAny WitH PEn grAntS

BERLIN, 10. June 2009 . For 10 years, Germany’s PEN centre has been assisting exiled writers who cannot return home. Many have endured torture and persecution in their native countries and find refuge in Germany - at least for a time. Faraj Sarkohi’s apartment in downtown Frankfurt is full of books and souvenirs from Iran, his home country. But he has lived in Germany for the last 10 years. In Iran, Sarkohi was an advocate of press freedom and spoke out against censorship by the mullahs. The price he paid for that was nine years in prison, where he was tortured. “One of their favorite methods of torture was to plan executions from A to Z and then call them off at the very last minute, when you already had the rope around your neck,” he said, fingering his cigarette. “They tried to break me with this uncertainty, this fear.”

The whole musical concept of Shantel is very open, because according to him the origins are irrelevant.

Nine musicians from Serbia, Romania, Austria, Germany and France accompany the DJ. The whole musical concept of Shantel is very open, because according to him the origins are irrelevant. There’s no passport control in the Bukovina Club Orkestar. To complement their provocative nature, the musicians were greeted and transported with a large limousine Chrysler C300. They will spend a night at the Metropoliten hotel.

FEWEr toUriStS in croAtiA

ZAGREB, 6. June 2009. Between January and May this year, Croatia recorded 1,826,355 tourist arrivals, 9 percent less compared with the same period last year. The number of local guests fell 11 percent, while the number of foreign tourists was

According to his ministry, it seems all these countries are worse off

One of their favorite methods of torture was to plan executions from A to Z and then call them off at the very last minute

After Sarkohi was released, he was accepted into the PEN center’s Writers in Exile program, which helped the 62-year-old get started in Germany by providing him with everything from trauma therapy and German language classes to financial aid. Still, many hurdles remained. The German PEN center initiated the project, in part because of Germany’s own tragic experience in the mid-20th century. “During the Nazi period, many German artists and authors found refuge in other countries and were able to survive in exile,” said Johano, Strasser, president of the German PEN center. “With this program, we want to pay back part of our debt of gratitude.” Officially, the Writers in Exile scholarship lasts one year, though it can be extended. Many participants apply for asylum in Europe after their scholarship ends. If it is granted, they’re safe, but have lost their homeland - in many cases for good. If asylum is denied, however, they are forced to rely on further sponsorship programs and often have to relocate yet again. n CorD 62 / July - August 2009 69

066-082 K.indd 69

24.6.2009 13:22:36

Lifestyle & leisure

National Museum:on Trg republike, the present square was formed after the demolition of the Stambol Gate

Sights and sounds of old Belgrade TOB AND CORD recommend

There are spots in Belgrade you must definitely see and feel. Streets, squares, monuments, parks, drinking fountains, archeological sites... and other sights that deserve recommendation

n the inner area of the City of Belgrade there are over 5,500 streets, 16 plazas and 32 squares. The oldest streets that have retained their original routes are: Vase Čarapića, Kralja Petra, Cara Dušana, Jevrejska, Narodnog fronta, Gavrila Principa and Karađorđeva streets. The development of the street network started in 1867,

following the departure of the Ottoman Turks, when the regulatory plan of Belgrade - drawn up by engineer Emilijan Josimović - was adopted. Knez Mihailova Street, a pedestrian zone and shopping centre, is one of the oldest and most valuable monumental complexes of the city, with a large number of representa-

70 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 70

24.6.2009 13:22:38

Boring city

“I

know that amongst hurrying tourists Belgrade has the reputation of being a boring city. In my opinion, nothing very beautiful can be boring. But even if it were otherwise, it is in any case unjust to pass judgement on a town, just as it is to pass judgement on a person according to our first, fleeting impressions. In order to judge the good or bad traits of a place or person, we must first know them intimately, and anyone who knows Belgrade intimately must love it passionately” . Herbert Vivien, correspondent of the London Daily Express, 1896. tive buildings and urban houses built at the end of the 1870s. It is thought that this area was also the heart of the town of Singidunum as early as Roman times. During Ottoman times, this area was a maze of winding streets with gardens, drinking fountains and mosques. In the mid-19th century, the upper part of the street was home to the garden of Knez Aleksandar Karađorđević. The street was soon built once Emilijan Josimović had devised the regulation plan of Belgrade in 1867, and it quickly gained its physionomy and content. The houses were erected and the most influential and wealthiest families of commercial and political society in Belgrade came to live there. In 1870, the city authorities officially named the street Ulica Kneza Mihaila. The Srpska Kruna Hotel, Knez Mihailova 56, was built in 1869 in a romantic style as the then most modern hotel in Belgrade. Between 1945 and 1970 the National Library of Serbia was located in this building and it now houses the Library of the City of Belgrade. Marko Stojanović’s House, Knez Mihailova 53-55, was built around 1889 in a renaissance style as the private residence of lawyer Marko Stojanović. The building later housed the Academy of Fine Arts, established in 1937, and is now the Gallery of the Academy. The House of Hristina Kumanudi, Knez Mihailova 50, was built in 1870 as a corner building at the intersection of Kneza Mihaila and Dubrovačka streets. For a certain period this building housed the French-Serbian Bank and the consulates of Belgium and Great Britain. The Kristina Mehana Building, Knez Mihailova 48,

Palata Albanija: On the site of a small “Albania” cafe, a palace of the same name was constructed in 1938.

The present square “Trg republike”, was formed after the demolition of the Stambol Gate in 1866 was built in 1869 as an administrative/commercial building in which the Krstić brothers later opened a hotel under the same name and where meetings of the City Assembly took place until the construction of the Assembly building. The Serbian Academy of Sciences & the Arts (SANU), Knez Mihailova 35, was built between 1923 and 1924 according to plans drawn up in 1912 by Dragutin Đorđević and Andra Stevanović in the style of academism with elements of secession. The building houses the Library of the Academy, one of the richest in Belgrade; the Archive of the Academy, with numerous materials about the history of Serbia; the Gallery of

Slavija Until the 1880s this square was only a large pond where people hunted wild duck. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 71

066-082 K.indd 71

24.6.2009 13:22:43

Lifestyle & leisure

Terazije: hotel “Moskva”,built 1906 the Academy on the ground floor, with a special lecture hall, as well as the SANU bookstore and antique shop. Endowment of Nikola Spasić,Knez Mihailova 33, was built in 1889 according to the design of architect Konstantin Jovanović in renaissance style. as a residential house of Belgrade merchant Nikola Spasić. Grčka Kraljica (Greek Queen) Restaurant, Knez Mihailova 51, was built in 1835 in the style of academism, while the Rusija (Russia) Hotel, Knez Mihailova 38, was built around 1870 and annexed in 1920. Today it houses the business offices of the Rudnap company. Nemanjina Street: Following completion of the Belgrade Railway Station in 1884, Nemanjina became one of the city’s main thuroughfares, though it only got its name in 1896. Kralja Petra I Street is one of Belgrade’s oldest streets. It is thought that in the I and II century A.D. this area housed a Roman forum, basilica and thermae (next to the present building of National Bank of Serbia, Kralja Petra I 12). In this street, in the XIX century, was the first official Belgrade pharmacy (instead of today’s building at No. 8) and the first city hotel - “Kod Jelena” (between Gračanička and Čubrina streets, pulled down in 1938). Today, the Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Cathedral Church, as well as the oldest

xxx Belgrade restaurant - the “?” cafe - are situated in this street. Trg Nikole Pašića is situated between Terazije, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Dečanska Street, it is the youngest Belgrade square. It was built in 1953, when a fountain was placed. In the first half of the XIX century, this area was an empty field bisected by the road to Constantinople which was at this point in the process of developing into a street. The first name of this street was Golden Cannon Lane, after a restaurant of the same name, and this was later changed to Markova Street. Not far from the site of the present National Assembly, at the beginning of Vlajkovićeva Street, stood the largest of the Turkish mosques, the Batal Mosque, which was pulled down in 1869. Between two world wars the following buildings were constructed: the National Assembly (1936), Agrarian Bank (after the war the seat of Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia), then the building of the “Vreme” newspaper (today the “Borba”), the “Beograd” cinema and others. Trg Republike covers the space between the “Gradska Kafana” (City Restaurant), “Jadran” cinema, National Theatre and Army Hall of Serbia. The present square was formed after the demolition of the Stambol Gate in 1866 and the construction of the National Theatre in 1869. The Gate had been built by the Austrians at the beginning of the XVIII century, and stood in the area between the present monument to Prince Mihailo and the National Theatre building. It was the largest and most beautiful town gate at the time when Belgrade was encircled by the moat. It was named after the road which led through it - to Constantinople (Istanbul). The square gradually started to acquire more buildings after the monument to Prince Mihailo was erected in 1882. Later, the biggest building on this square, the “Press House” has been constructed. The “City Restaurant” and the International Press Center. Studentski trg covers the space between Vase Čarapića and

Terazije was Belgrade’s social centre at the end of the 19th century

Stdentski trg In Turkish times, it included the cemetery, which remained here right up to the 1860s. 72 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 72

24.6.2009 13:22:49

Trg Nikole Pašića: between Terazije, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Dečanska Street Uzun-Mirkova streets, around the Univerzitetski Park. This is the oldest of Belgrade’s squares. In Turkish times, it included the Turkish cemetery, which remained here right up to the 1860s. In 1824, the Serbian authorities set up a market-place in one part of what is now the University Park, and this later became the Great Market. During the planning of Belgrade in the years after 1869, the shape of Student Square was made more regular. One half was still the Great Market while the other was converted into a park. Then and later, the most beautiful feature of the square was Captain Miša’s Building, which had been erected in 1863. After the removal of the market in 1927, the park was extended to cover the whole space. Terazije is the most famous square in Belgrade. It Covers an area from Sremska Street to Kralja Milana Street. It started to take shape as an urban feature in the first half of the XIX century. In the 1840s, Prince Miloš Obrenović ordered Serbian craftsmen, especially blacksmiths and coppersmiths, to move out of the old moated town where they had been mixed with the Turkish inhabitants, and build their houses and shops on the place of the present square. Ilija Čarapić (son of Vasa Čarapić), who for a certain period was the president of the Belgrade Municipality, had a special task to assigning lots of land at Terazije to these craftsmen; whoever accepted to fence the lot, would have it for free. With regard to the origin of the name Terazije, the historian and writer Milan Đ. Milićević noted that “In order to supply Belgrade with water, the Turks built towers at intervals along the water supply system which brought water in from the springs at Mokri Lug. The water was piped up into the towers for the purpose of increasing the pressure, in order to carry it further.” One such tower was erected on the location of the present fountain at Terazije and the square was named after it the Turks called their water towers terazije (scales for water). At the end of the XIX and beginning of the XX century, Terazije was the center of social life of Belgrade. The most important ho-

tels, restaurants and shops were located here. Of the important buildings which used to be or still are at Terazije, the “Pariz” Hotel should be mentioned. It was built about 1870 at the place where the “Bezistan” is today. The old “Kasina” Hotel, built around 1860, was next to the “Pariz” Hotel. At this hotel, in 1918 the National Assembly of Serbia held its meetings for a while. The plays of the National Theatre have been performed here until 1920. The present “Kasina” Hotel was built at the same place in 1922. On this side of Terazije, between the world wars, there were the “Takovo” restaurant and cinema, and hotel “Moskva”,built 1906. In 1936, on the foundations of the old hotel, the new “Balkan” Hotel was built. On the site of a small “Albania” cafe, a palace of the same name was constructed in 1938. Trg Slavija is the space between Kralja Milana, Beogradska, Makenzijeva, Svetosavska, Bulevar oslobođenja, Deligradska and Nemanjina streets. Until the 1880s this square was only a large pool where the inhabitants of Belgrade went hunting wild ducks. The formation of the square started when an Englishman, Francis Mackenzie, a well-known businessman, bought a large piece of land above the present square and parcelled it for sale. Soon after that, Mackenzie has built a house for himself at Slavija (at the place where the old “Slavija” cinema used to be), which in 1910 was turned into the Socialist People’s Center, a gathering place of the worker’s movement. n

Knez Mihailova Street In early Roman times there was the center of the Singidunum settlement. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 73

066-082 K.indd 73

24.6.2009 13:22:53

A model wears the latest designs from Marnie Skillings at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009

A model showcases a new generation of designs by the Flannel label at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

066-082 K.indd 74

24.6.2009 13:23:06

A model showcases a new generation of designs by the WEAVE label at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model showcases a new generation of designs by the Local Art Base (LAB) label at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009

066-082 K.indd 75

24.6.2009 13:23:14

A model showcases a new generation of designs by the Emma Milikins label at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model showcases a new generation of designs by the Miss Unkon label at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

066-082 K.indd 76

24.6.2009 13:23:20

The latest designs of Leigh Schubert as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model wearing the latest designs of Gina Kim as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model wearing the latest designs of Leigh Schubert as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model wearing the latest designs of Eduardo Calucag as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model wearing the latest designs of Nicolangela as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

A model wearing the latest designs of the White Kitten label as part of the Women’s Ready to Wear 2 parade at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009.

066-082 K.indd 77

24.6.2009 13:23:29

techno takl |

Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MoSt

TOP 10 LIST 2009

eXPenSiVe CarS

What is the most expensive car in the world? The 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe was sold for $8,700,000 in 1987. However, that car and many alike will not be included in this list because it is not available on the market today. It is hard to imagine someone would actually spend 8 million dollars on a car instead of using it for something more productive. However, if you have the money and the opportunity, you will deďŹ nitely spend a small fraction of it to place a few of these supercars in your garage. Here is the 10 most expensive cars available on the market.

BugaTTi Veyron $1,700,000.

his is by far the most expensive street legal car available on the market today. It is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It claims to be the fastest car with a top speed of 253 mph+. However, the title for the fastest car goes to the SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph pushing this car to 2nd place for the fastest car. Not just a super car that carries on the name of racing driver Pierre Veyron, who, while racing for the original Bugatti car manufacturer, won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the second fastest car in the world and the most powerful can easily pass as a super hero`s car like Batman. If we count the fact that the top speed of Bugatti Veyron is 253.2 miles per hour (407.5 km/h), a speed limited electronically to prevent tire damage (it can run even faster) we can understand why this spectacular car must consume 40.4 L/100 km (4.82 mpg) when it`s running at top speed and in city driving 24.1 L/100 km.

78 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 78

24.6.2009 13:23:31

ssC uLTiMaTe aero $654,400

Pagani zonda C12 F

onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let the price tag fool you, the 3rd most expensive car is actually fastest street legal car in the world with a top speed of 257 mph+ and reaching 0-60 in 2.7 seconds. This baby cost nearly half as much as the Bugatti Veyron, yet has enough power to top the most expensive car in a speed race. It is estimated that only 25 of this exact model will ever be produced. The SSC Ultimate Aero is a powerful engine sports car manufactured by Shelby SuperCars. The new version known as 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero has been modified where some changes have been added to the exteriors, interiors, and the increase of horsepower about 15%. The most important change is the single piece aluminum block engine that improves the oiling capabilities and structure of the engine, so that the SSC Ultimate Aero produces an output of about 1287 horsepower.

$667,321

roduced by a small independent company in Italy, the Pagani Zonda C12 F is the 8th fastest car in the world. It promises to delivery a top speed of 215 mph+ and it an reach 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. First appeared at Geneva at a Auto Show in 2005, the all carbon fiber super car can reach 60 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.5 seconds. With power of 443 kW/594 hp, and a top speed that passes 215 mph (346 km/h), Zonda F makes Pagani manufacturer to be at the level of another independent of famous super cars manufactures like Porsche, Lamborghini or Ferrari.

LeBLanC MiraBeau $645,084

oesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t this look like a race car? Yet, with $645k, you can get this car and legally drive to your local supermarket and buy groceries. It has a top speed of 229 mph+ and although it was intentionally made for racing, it may be bought and show off to your neighbors. The car is designed and prepared to fulfill all the FIA/Le Mans standards to drive the car in LeMans. With this kind of potential, the Leblanc Mirabeau really belongs on the racing track. That this car can be driven on public roads, is sensational. To reach the maximum of lightweight building and race feeling the car interior is optimized for maximum of speed and acceleration. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 79

066-082 K.indd 79

24.6.2009 13:23:33

techno takl |

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo $555,000

Koenigsegg CCX $545,568

he first true American production certified supercar, this cowboy is rank #4 for the fastest car in the world. It has a top speed of 248 mph+ and it can reach 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. The S7 is designed to compete with the fastest, quickest, best handling, most luxurious grand touring cars in the world, while providing a distinctly American driving experience for the fortunate few who will own one. If you are a true American patriot, you can be proud to show off this car.

wedish made, the Koenigsegg is fighting hard to become the fastest car in the world. Currently the 3rd fastest car in the world with a top speed of 250 mph+, the car manufacture Koenigsegg is not giving up and will continue to try and produce the fastest car. Even though the last thing that spring into mind when thinking about supercars is their environmental friendliness, by following conscientious and forward thinking strategies, Koenigsegg has managed to create the Bio Fuel Powered CCXR - environmentally friendly 1200 with even more spectacular performance than the standard CCX.It is true that the very low and exclusive production volume of Koenigsegg can hardly be considered to have a measurable impact on the Co2 problem that global society is facing, but still it is an impressive statement that even a small and extreme company like Koenigsegg can afford to develop environmentally focussed solutions.

MercedesBenz SLR McLaren $457,250

GT supercar, the SLR McLaren is the fastest automatic transmission car in the world with a top speed of 207 mph+ and reaching 60 mph in 3.8 seconds from stand still point. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster is a super car costing around 350,000 British Pounds. It has 626 horsepower with 6500 rpm allowing it to reach 60 mph in 3.8 seconds from stand still point with a top speed of 207 mph. It is a very luxurious car making it very comfortable and fashionable.

80 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 80

24.6.2009 13:23:36

Porsche Carrera GT $440,000

A Maybach 62 $385,250

he first 4-doors sedan to make the list, the Maybach 62 includes many luxurious features and it was made for comfort rather than speed. Exclusive design features plus high-tech performance enhancement give the Maybach 62 S an athletic, one-of-a-kind feel that make it into a beguiling travel companion on any road in the world. Maybach does place an extra speedometer in the passenger compartment as well as dials for time of day and outside temperature, so we were able to stay on top of things from the back, snug within our leather armchair-style accommodation. We drew the side curtains closed, tuned the 600-watt sound system to a quiet classical selection and assumed the position of a Maybach owner catching up on some of the sleep lost while flying through 12 time zones.

supercar with dynamic stability control and a top speed of 209 mph+ and it can reach 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. The Porsche Carrera GT applies the absolute calibers of a true racing car to offer an unprecedented driving feeling on the road. Developed in 1999, Porsche Carrera, manufactured by Porsche of Germany, is deserving it`s price if we count the 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 DIN (605 SAE) horsepower (450 kW) and the acceleration that comes from 0 to 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in 3.9 seconds, touching a maximum speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). The design is stunning too, Carrera GT having a 5 colors paint schemes that includes: black, guards red, fayence yellow, basalt black, GT silver and seal grey.

Maybach 57 S $367,000

igh-end luxury saloon with sporty handling and top performance technology. Measuring an impressive 225.5 inches (5.73m) in length, the Maybach 57 is one of the most luxurious cars in the world. Its proportions provide four or five privileged passengers with exceptional room and comfort.Standing out from the crowd has never been easier. And it starts with the paintwork: The specially selected colors, such as Nayarite Silver or Himalayas Dark Grey, can be combined to give the Maybach a striking, yet elegant, two-tone finish. It goes without saying that only particularly fine and exclusive materials are considered for the interior. Sumptuous leather is complemented by exotic woods, such as Amboyna, while the superbly finished trim elements lend their own unique and timeless appeal to the passenger cabin. CorD 62 / July - August 2009 81

066-082 K.indd 81

24.6.2009 13:23:38

how to... |

... enter Medical Studies in English in Serbia BELGRADE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (BUSM) organized medical studies in English - Enrollment in the 1st year(2009/2010). To meet the needs of both European and Overseas students, this year we will have two admission periods – one in July 2009 and another, as usually, in last week of September. The BUSM offers a six year program leading to an MD degree (Doctor of Medicine). The language of instruction is English. Although in Europe our tuition fee is exclusively in US dollars. It is only US$ 7,000 per academic year (paid annually). Admission fee is US$ 100. The entry exam includes Biology and Chemistry tests. FOR THE 1ST ADMISSION PERIOD the deadline for submission of original documents is July 13 - 14, 2009. The entry exam and the interview will be held on July 16, 2009, and the enrollment on July 17, 2009. FOR THE 2nd ADMISSION PERIOD the deadline for submission of original documents is September 21 - 22, 2009. The entry exam and the interview will be held on September 24, 2009, and the enrollment on September 25 - 30, 2009. ...to find english books in Belgrad Visit a site www.englishbook.rs or look at bookstore Kralja Petra br. 51. Besides being the exclusive representative and distributor of Oxford University Press and Macmillan Education, the English Book makes endeavours to include as many English teachers as possible in seminars and trainings that ELT team of the English Book organises. ... to pay for the highway fee You can use euro as well as local currency. You can exchange foreign currencies at exchange offices, banks, and post offices. When withdrawing money from your credit or debit card at bank machines, you will receive the money in domestic currency. ... to find dentist Specialist Dental Clinic “Dr Kuljaca” was established in Belgrade as early as 1952. Dr. Kuljaca, has 14 years of experience and fluently speaks three world languages: English, German, and French. Dental clinic is located in 76 Kraljevacka street. Using the state-of-the-art equipment and materials, dental clinic provide a wide range of services: dental conservations, all types of extraction and operations on teeth and gums, state-of-the-art implants, as well as applications of modern aesthetic prosthetics. ... to quit smoking Visit IQS Serbia in Beogradu, located in 34Majke Jevrosime street. IQS is working to overcome the addiction of smoking faced by people worldwide. The treatment administered with the R.I.S.E. (Reflection Instrument Scanning Electro-pulse) device takes a time span that may last from a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 60 minutes.

CROSSWORD

Solve this crossword puzzle and test your Serbian – the clues may be in English, but the answers should be entered in Serbian

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ACROSS: 1. Ancient Greek sculptor, 2. Ruins, wreck, 3. A novel by Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky – Abbreviation of the New York Metropolitan Opera, 4. U.S. state – During winter, 5. First name of American actress Gardner – Type of contemporary dance, 6. First name of American actress Derek – famous American actor, Jack, 7. The first letter – Surname of Serbian actress Marija – symbol for Potassium, 8. First name of Russian writer Leonov – symbol of Silicon, 9. First name of German philosopher, Bloch – grove, small forest 10. Rag – small insects without wings, 11. Weeping willow – half-breed, bastard, hybrid, 12. Slanted, crooked 13. Area around South Pole. DOWN: 1. Principal female ballet dancer, 2. Village near Lipljane – capital city of Armenia, 3. The biggest continent - link, connection, contact, 4. Korean poet – an ancient Roman consul who died fighting against Anthony, – symbol for Radium, 5. Clock – type of mineral – silence, 6. Car licence plate abbreviation for Israel – surname of the former football player from FC Partizan, Rade – surname of Slovenian writer, France, 7. A plant, thyme – the former Dutch football player, Ruud, 8. Antihaemorrhagic medication – Lesson (plural), 9. A classic language, often used in medicine.

RESENJE: Praksitel, razvalina, idiot, met, mejn, zimi, Ava, Bajon, Bo, palans, a, Karan, k, Leonid, si, Ernst, gaj, rita, buve, Iva, melez,nakriviti, antarktik.

How to...

82 CorD 62 / July - August 2009

066-082 K.indd 82

24.6.2009 13:23:38