CorD Magazine, September 2022, Issue No. 215

7830027714519ISSN1451-7833 TATJANA MATIĆ MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM TELECOMMUNICATIONS& New Tech For New Jobs H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ CROATIAN AMBASSADORTOSERBIA How Are We Neighbours?As DRAGAN STANIĆ PH.D., PRESIDENT OF MATICA SRPSKA IN NOVI SAD Poetry & Matica Shine From Within interviews opinions news comments eventswww.cordmagazine.com 215NO.ISSUE2022/SEPTEMBER Ana, Again COMMENTFOCUS DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ, PH.D., ECONOMIST, REGULAR PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE Winter Of Great Discontent Exclusive SCOPE OF THE SERBIAN OPPOSITION’S ENTRY INTO PARLIAMENT

4 September “CorD does not criticise or critique. We are a place where people can inspire and be inspired by others” 06 ANA, COMMENTAGAINBYZORAN PANOVIĆ 08 DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ, PH.D., ECONOMIST, REGULAR PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE WINTER OF GREAT DISCONTENT 12 H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ, CROATIAN AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA HOW ARE WE AS NEIGHBOURS? 16 GLOBAL DIARY 18 MORE THAN DECORATION, LESS THAN PLURALISMPOLITICAL Focus 24 EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IN A FRAGMENTING WORLD Opinion JAVIER SOLANA 27 BUSINESS DIALOGUE 40 MILLS ENTREPRENEURMENSER 43 VLADISLAV BAJAC PROFILE 44 WORLD’S STUNNINGMOSTTRAIN & METRO ARCHITECTURESTATIONS 48 IVAN MEDENICA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, BITEF COMRADES IN ARMS ON THEATRE BOARDS 50 DRAGAN STANIĆ PH.D., President of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, aka poet Ivan Negrišorac POETRY & MATICA SHINE FROM WITHIN 56 CHILL OUT 58 6 OF THE RAREST FRAGRANCES AND INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO KNOW FRAGRANCES 60 CULTURE CALENDAR 62 FACES & PLACESCORDMAGAZINE@CORDMAGAZINE@CORD_MAGAZINECONTENTSCORDMAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF: Neda Lukić ARTn.lukic@aim.rsDIRECTOR: Branislav Ninković b.ninkovic@aim.rsCONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING: PULLENHALIFAXEDITORIAL SALES MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rsOFFICEMANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rsFINANCE: Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rsPUBLISHER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rsDIRECTOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@cordmagazine.coma.novcic@aim.rs allianceCorDSegedinskiRotografikaPRINTING:d.o.o.put72,Suboticaispublishedby:internationalmediaProteMateje52,11111Belgrade17,PAK126909,SerbiaPhone:+(38111)2450508Fax:+(38111)2450122E-mail:office@aim.rsoffice@cordmagazine.com www.cordmagazine.com allianceISSNwww.aim.rsno:1451-7833Allrightsreservedinternationalmedia2022 The expressedviews in this publication are those of the necessarytheypresenter;donotreflect the view of alliancepublishedpublicationsbyinternationalmedia CURRENT TOPIC

Compared to the initial disbelief of the Progressive masses, and the softening of the judgement among a section of the people and coalition partners (Dragan Marković Palma), due to her gay orientation, it seems that today Ana has even been accepted by the priests of Republika Srpska have accepted Ana, and Palma has almost come to accept the point that women can be with women, just that men can’t be with other men. It’s only now that Minister Zorana Mihajlović wouldn’t dare roll her eyes disapprov ingly behind Ana’s back, as she’d done when Ana was still enduring the initiation process. It could even be concluded that today’s relationship between Vučić and Brnabić is closer to the relationship between Slobodan Milošević and Mirko Marjanović, rather than the relationship between Boris Tadić and MirkoThereCvetković.werenaïve

A na Brnabić passed her party initiation, proved through her diligent work that she’s a fullcapacity progressive, even though she wasn’t that at the start, nor does she have a background in Šešelj’s party. Even veteran progressives - the old Šešelj Radicals – can sing (at least from anguish) in the same way her compatriots sang on the Croatian island of Krk when she won her first mandate in 2017 – “Oh, Ano, oh Anica, not in the rain, not in the rain without a raincoat”. However, given current relations between Serbia and Croatia, it is highly unlikely that we’ll hear that song from the island of Krk again. In June 2017, when Vučić opted for Ana Brnabić as prime minister, she was certainly considered as being the more liberal solution, as she’d come from the non-governmental sector and had been educated in the West. The question today is whether Ana represents a liberal current in the Progressives, or a conservative one? And is she more liberal than her competitor Miloš Vučević, who will, according to Vučić’s decision, be her minister and deputy PM. And back in June 2017, the most serious candidate for prime minister was that same Miloš Vučević, who was then Novi Sad mayor and SNS vice-president. The election of Ana Brnabić, who then held the post of minister for State Administration and Local Self-Government, seemed almost sensational.

And the new government of Ana Brnabić will be in the service of the President of the republic, who is the only one with full legiti macy. The government is merely the channel to transmit Vučić’s might. I followed the 24th April elections in Slovenia, while those in Serbia were held on 3rd April. On May 25, Robert Golob became the prime minister of Slovenia on 25th May, while Serbia is only now receiving its mandate representative. Vučić’s technology of govern ance functions well for that government, but this protraction shows that some things aren’t okay systemically in Serbia.

6 September Comment

And the new government of Ana Brnabić will be in the service of the President of the republic, who is the only one with full legitimacy. The government is merely the channel to transmit Vučić’s might

people among the op position and the NGO sector who hoped back in 2017 that Vučić would recalculate, that Ana’s values and principles would lead to her quickly becoming some kind of rebel. On the contrary, it was actually within the ranks of SNS that the prime minister recognised her system of Throughoutvalues.allthis time, Ana has not become totally beloved within SNS, but she has been relatively accepted (which is still a better status than being imposed), while among the opposition she has become hated and, paradoxically, is even more hated among the so-called urban liberal than among the anti-gay right-wingers. The impression is that the prime minister does better when she heads to the digitalised West than when she has to answer unpleasant questions about analogue democracy in countries about which that same West mostly splits hairs.

BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

Of course, it’s absurd that, on the day when the gay prime minister received her third mandate, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić simultaneously cancelled the gay parade and accompanying events in Belgrade. But the trick is that Vučić has successfully mastered the principle of mutually functional paradoxes, and this is only one of them. Because if that wasn’t the case, someone naïve would think that the third term of the gay prime minister means at least a gay-friendly atmosphere in the country

Ana, Again

8 September Exclusive

Winter Of Great Discontent DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ, PH.D. ECONOMIST, REGULAR PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE Interview

I think the war in Ukraine will come to an end soon, as a result of the imbalance of forces on the ground, but also that the political ramifications of the war and sanctions will be felt for a much longer time to come. I believe political change is vital in many countries where politicians have opted for policies that, in the eyes of voters, lead to their social decline over the medium and long term. This could lead to positive changes in international relations, but unfortunately doesn’t necessarily have to

Russia will certainly see reduced economic activity due to broken supply lines with the West, but projections of that economic decline have been reduced from the initial prediction of 20% of GDP to the current level of around 4%. Ukraine has suffered, and will undoubtedly continue to suffer, the greatest damage as a result of the war having destroyed economic facili ties and infrastructure, and due to its reduced ability to communicate with the international market, but also due to its huge budget deficit and rising inflation. Europe will gradually enter a recession by the end of the year, with the German economy – as the engine of the entire EU economy – facing increased energy supply problems for its own economy. The U.S., unlike Europe, will not face significant energy supply problems, but it will be hit be an economic slowdown in response to higher energy prices and a restrictive monetary policy aimed at curbing inflation.

It’s difficult to provide this type of forecast because it’s dependent on many factors that are subject to change in a relatively short timeframe. But let’s just say that I wouldn’t be surprised if the U.S. enters a relatively short-lived recession with a somewhat higher inflation rate, only to re-establish sustainably low inflation and return to an economic growth path within a year and a half to two years. In contrast, I think the existing sanctions policy is not only leading the EU into recession, but also into long-term stagnation due to what is likely to be a lasting increase in the price of energy for EU economies, which will cause an enduring

SUBSTITUTION

The long-term exclusion of Western trade with Russia potentially creates tectonic shifts in the world economy and could lead to the rise of alternative international payment mechanisms, the creation of new reserve currencies, significant differences in the prices of key inputs (energy and food) in different parts of the world market, but also marked reductions in the competitiveness of the West (primarily the EU) on the world market

9September new supply chain disruptions in certain coun tries and sectors, with direct consequences in terms of price hikes and reduced economic activity. If we want to take an overview of the consequences of this situation as it relates to the countries you mentioned in your question, and to do so for the coming winter, we could very succinctly and simply state the following:

LESSONS We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that North Korea has succeeded in developing, and continues to develop, its nuclear technology despite long-term Western sanctions

It is a rare year when we think about a com ing winter in the way we’re doing today in Europe and in Serbia. And those thoughts range between the seemingly rudimentary - whether we’ll have enough energy, electricity, and whether inflation will continue to rise – to considerations of how the political and economic constellation of the world will look, a constel lation that’s being constructed in conjunction with daily news from the Ukrainian front. In this interview with Dejan Šoškić, economist and regular professor at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics, we discussed the immedi ate and long-term ramifications of the conflict in Ukraine, setting out from the assumption that considering the economic impact of the conflict can help us gain a better understanding of its political consequences. To borrow from the title of a novel, for whom will this be “the winter of our discontent” (Russia, Ukraine, Europe, U.S.) if we take an overview of the situation awaiting us this winter when it comes to gas supply, electric ity restrictions, inflation and blows to numerous sectors of the economy? Pronounced global economic problems had already appeared during the Covid-19 crisis, due to the very sudden shift in the volume and structure of supply and demand that came largely as a result of the measures imposed to protect the population under pandemic conditions. This had the knock-on effect of disrupting some supply chains, causing some fixed costs per unit of production to rise and transport costs to increase markedly, but also led to reduced economic activity in certain sectors, particularly those with a high level of global connectivity in the area of supply and in selling their products. A poor year for agriculture led to rising food prices in 2021, while prices also rose due to reduced supplies of some products as a result of disrupted supply chains, the sudden recovery of demand fol lowing the initial waves of the pandemic and rising transport costs. Some time was needed to eliminate these problems, but the outbreak of war in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia created reductions and the halting of supplies from Russia, as well as pronounced

REDUCTION Russia will experience reduced economic activity, but projections of the economic decline have been reduced from the initial 20% of GDP to the current level of around 4%

If we had to measure how much the world and the individual countries that are closely involved (the U.S., EU, Ukraine, Russia, etc.) are losing this war on the economic front, how would an immediate snapshot and the view of the future look?



The place of Western companies in Russia will be taken over by existing and new Russian companies, but also foreign companies from elsewhere in the world

The policy of imposing sanctions, it seems to me, has always yielded political results that are below expectations. In the case of introducing sanctions against Russia, I think it was the wrong move entirely from the perspective of the actual and long-term interests of the EU, but also the West as a whole.

How much does everything that’s happening influence the fundamental reshaping of these markets? In light of the instability preceding both the pandemic and the conflict, is the Ukraine war itself the straw that broke the camel’s back? What do the losses incurred on both sides tell us about the extent to which decline in their competitiveness at the global level. Simultaneously, levels of public debt in the EU, which are already high, are now head ing in the direction of additional increases due to many countries having announced higher defence allocations, which further accentuates financial risk in the domain of the EU’s sover eign debts. Ukraine is undoubtedly suffering and facing the greatest damages. Not only is it currently experiencing a huge fall in economic activity due to losses in the conflict and its loss of control over territories with significant industrial capacities, but it’s also in the midst of a crisis in public finances, considering that the budget is already being heavily financed through the creation of new money. This could push the country’s inflation to unsustainably high levels in the coming period. If we add to this the enormous increase in the country’s debt from the financing of its war effort, it is quite clear that this country has, unfortunately, already sustained economic collapse. Russia will undoubtedly suffer damages due to the breaking of relations with the West. It is my belief that its economic growth will only return in a few years. However, considering the real size and structure of the Russian economy, the country’s abundance of natural resources and traditionally high scientific and technological knowhow (applied mainly in the domains of Europe will gradually enter a recession by the end of the year, with the German economy – as the engine of the entire EU economy – facing increased energy supply problems for its own economy

economic pressure can be a means of achieving peace?

The economic problems and political aspects of the war are very often debated with a view to the will of voters or the general ire of citizens on both sides of the front. Considering which layers of society actually bear the burden of the conflict, to what extent do they represent a real force for change able to influence political views on the tactics of wearing down the opponent (through drawn out war and sanctions) versus a quick concluding of the conflict? I think the war itself will come to an end soon, as a result of the imbalance of forces on the ground, but I also think that the political ramifications of the war and sanctions will be felt for a much longer time to come. I believe political change is vital in many countries where politicians have opted for policies that, in the eyes of voters, lead to their social decline over the medium and long term. That process has already begun in several European countries and I think it will continue in the coming period. This could lead – but unfortunately doesn’t necessarily have to – to positive changes in international relations.

10 September Interview Exclusive

Many multinational companies have withdrawn from Russia after operating on this market for years and investing in it for decades, in some cases since the time of the former Soviet Union.

The consequences of the pandemic would have been overcome relatively quickly. The longterm exclusion of Western trade with Russia potentially creates tectonic shifts in the world economy and could lead to the rise of alternative international payment mechanisms, the creation of new reserve currencies, significant differences in the prices of key inputs (energy and food) in different parts of the world market, but also marked reductions in the competitiveness of the West (primarily the EU) on the world market.

What does the entire operation for Russian owners to takeover those firms mean for the future? Will some autochthonous Russian McDonald’s or Siemens emerge from these transac tions; or is the idea to preserve the place of large Western companies on the Russian market? And how realistic defence and aerospace exploration), but also the alternative supply channels it has available from Asia and elsewhere, I think the negative effects on Russia will be short-lived and less pronounced than Western analysts expected when the sanctions were first introduced.

There are many methodological nuances to calculating GDP. The fact that the prices used in some countries to calculate GDP differ significantly from the standard world prices for the goods and services in question, and the fact that the exchange rate used to ascertain the value of GDP in dollars or euros doesn’t partially or fully eliminate these dif ferences, means that a more precise gauge of GDP is created when corrections are applied are any of these options considering that the sanctions, the U.S. ones in particular, are expected to remain in place for a long time to come?

11September for purchasing power parity (PPP), and that is recognised as the most realistic measure of GDP among the world’s experts. In the cases of many countries, nominal GDP and PPP GDP don’t differ much or even at all. In the case of Russia, however, these differences are extremely large and PPP GDP ranks Russia sixth worldwide, only around 5% behind Germany, as the world’s fifth largest economy. Furthermore, the fact that the grey economy and natural production – which are generally more difficult to encompass in calculating GDP – have a significantly higher presence in Russia compared to Germany, provides an argument for some international analysts to claim that the Russian economy is really stronger than Germany’s. Still, if we set out from the data on PPP GDP, which we can source easily from the World Bank or the IMF, and from the fact that this indicator places the Russian economy sixth in the world, that the country produces approximately 4,400 billion dollars a year – around 1,100 billion dollars more than France annually – and that it represents, with the exception of energy, food and artificial fertiliser production, one of the world’s three largest exporters of an entire range of goods and products of mineral origin that are crucial to many branches of industry and high technology, it becomes clear that such an economy cannot be sanctioned without very serious negative consequences for those imposing such sanctions.

One equally important topic is the long-term impact of sanctions on Russia’s technological advancement. What do you consider as being a real istic scenario in this context? Could some kind of parallel be drawn with our experiences of sanctions; and what’s now different when it comes to possibly bypassing sanctions or replacing losses with technologies from other countries that haven’t imposed sanctions? How possible is it to switch large production chains based on a single technology to oth ers, or to replace said technologies with local alternatives? I don’t think that comparisons between the impact of the sanctions imposed on our economy and those now imposed on the Russian economy are based in reality. Coming up with alternatives to broken supply chains is possible, but requires time. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that North Korea has succeeded in developing, and continues to develop, its nuclear technology despite long-term Western sanctions. I see enduring obstacles to Russia’s technological advancement primarily if the country neglects the development of its own education system and scientific research institutes.

 Unlike many decidedly astounded economists who claimed that the size of Russia’s economy is equivalent to those of Italy or Spain, you used World Bank data to claim that the Russian economy is comparable to those of Germany or France, which now seems to have been grasped by some Western economists who understand why the sanctions imposed to date haven’t worked as intended. When it comes to making your assessments about this war, what do you read and monitor, and what indicators do you pay attention to? Ukraine has suffered, and will undoubtedly continue to suffer, the greatest damage as a result of the war having destroyed economic facilities and infrastructure, and due to its reduced ability to communicate with the international market, but also due to its huge budget deficit and rising inflation

I don’t think any return to the “old way” in relations between Russia and the West is likely in the near future. Similarly, I think the place of Western companies in Russia will be taken over by existing and new Russian companies, but also foreign companies from elsewhere in the world. At the same time, it wouldn’t surprise me if activities aimed at creatively averting sanctions in certain domains were initiated on the Russian side, but also on the side of the so-called ‘collective West’.

12 September

How Are We As Neighbours? H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ / CROATIAN AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA Interview

I have no desire to wrangle with the public and media atmosphere created here around the “case of Petrovačka cesta” [1995 war crime], because I would then have to pose numerous questions: why did that “refugee column” even occur; what was the context; what happened prior to that event; why was “Operation Storm” launched in the first place; how come the Hague Tribunal investigators didn’t find any reason in that specific case to launch a legal process; why was the “case” initiated almost 30 years after the fact? ~ Hidajet Biščević

BILATERAL RELATIONS Unfortunately, we witness attempts to humiliate, renounce, downplay and usurp – from politics to linguistics, history...

The most recent tensions in relations came in response to the Croatian authorities’ op position to the President of Serbia visiting Jasenovac, a site of great suffering during World War II. Why is that visit deemed a “political risk”, as it was explained in Zagreb? Considering that this “case” is also one of the examples of non-observance of the aforementioned principles of mutual relations, in the sense of politi cal dialogue and reaching agreement, allow me to be completely clear and precise. Firstly, Croatia has repeatedly condemned the severe suffering that happened at Jasenovac and shown respect for the victims... and I am not saying this in order to draw attention to the attitude of other nations regarding other crimes committed in these lands throughout history and during recent history. Focusing public attention on one crime – which, as I stated, has been condemned on our part – cannot detract from the existence of, or eliminate, other crimes. Secondly, it is indisputable that the procedures are known at the levels of high officials... In other words, if there is an attempt to circumvent them, that opens the door to questions: why, for what purpose? Again, the same question - whether highlighting one crime discuss problems, a neighbour is someone you help, neighbours don’t have to be on perfect terms, but that’s why rules exist. And, honestly, where are we? Next, mutual respect? Unfortunately, we wit ness attempts to humiliate, renounce, downplay and usurp – from politics to linguistics, history... I’ll move on, to the principle which is perhaps the most important - non-interference in internal affairs. How do we stand on that front? Considering all our differences, it would perhaps be illustrative to mention that this principle was introduced into international practise back during the clash between East and West, at the time of the adoption of the Helsinki Accords - meaning that the USA and Russia [USSR], two very different and opposing worlds, adopted this principle during the 1970s, in order - among other things - to open the door to détente, as a phase in easing the consequences of their competing on ideological and security fronts. Is this principle applied in our relations? No, we don’t

13September By Ljubica Gojgić

The fact is that the economy and trade find their own routes to cooperation independently, or even despite a lack of “political dynamism”

see our bilateral detante. Of course, I cannot avoid asking the logical question – why? Why are these key principles not applied? I must be candid, open, and therefore “undiplomatic” in my answer: Croatia does not have a problem with a single one of these principles. I’m not idealising the state of affairs - I’m not blind to the fact that there are those in Croatia who would, according to the old saying, swap their “political position for a better geographical location”, just to “avoid the neighbour”. But, that’s a marginal narrative in our country, which, by the way, is most often “fed” by the moves, statements and writings of those in Serbia who basically don’t accept any of the aforementioned principles of mutual relations, those who prolong narratives from the past. To recap and conclude: Croatia remains committed and ready to develop good neighbourly relations, on the basis of the aforementioned principles, in the context of European principles and values.

 Your Excellency, speaking in the first interview you gave for the Serbian media as ambassador two years ago, you said that your goal is “for relations between Croatia and Serbia to reach the level of good neighbourliness, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of the two countries, thereby contributing to the permanent stabilising of this part of Europe”. How would you comment on the assessments we’ve been able to hear in recent months about bilateral relations being at an extremely low level? Unfortunately, mutual relations are, as you say, at a very low level. However, on the Croatian side, as a long-term strategic goal and interest, conviction remains, as well as an orientation, towards establishing relations based on those same principles that I men tioned in that long-ago conversation: equality, good neighbourliness, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. I would add to this the notion of resolving the outstanding issues exclusively through political dialogue, refraining from any kind of im position or provocations. That’s not something I’ve invented, and Croatia didn’t invent it either – those are fundamental principles of international relations, that’s the essence of the Helsinki Accords. So, allow me to honestly analyse the actual situation regarding each of these principles in real life. Good neighbourliness? Do we see one another as good neighbours? A neighbour is someone for whom you have understanding, with whom you Ukraine is burning, flames are smouldering around Taiwan, climate change is frying people and drying up the rivers; the international order is collapsing as it did in the Middle Ages, rockets are flying, old spies have been awakened, Serbia stands between two worlds, facing the biggest challenge in its modern history... and here I am, sitting in Batrovci, because instructions were sent down to “slightly delay” the ambassador with a diplomatic passport!

TRADE EXCHANGE

Relations between Croatia and Serbia are experiencing a low ebb, says Croatian Ambassador Hidajet Biščević in this CorD Magazine interview. In his analysis of the current state of affairs, Ambassador Biščević says that Croatia remains committed and ready to develop good neighbourly relations on the basis of principles of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs, in the context of European principles and values. He sees the development of these relations, which he believes are crucial to regional peace and stability, as being obstructed more on the Belgrade side.

JASENOVAC I strongly believe that there is no politically justified murder, of one person, one hundred thousand people, eight thousand people...

cisely in an effort for us to move beyond the “residues of the past” that we proposed suitable meetings at working levels, to create a kind of “inventory” of our relations, to see where we stand, what needs to be done regarding the most important and sensitive issues, to make a kind of “road map” and set out on a new course. Unfortunately, there was no response. And so, it is precisely the unresolved and open is sues – I’ll also mention the most painful: missing persons – that make it more difficult to work on improving relations in real political life. And lastly, and most importantly: Serbia cannot contribute substantially to improving relations if it continues to sweep the recent past under the carpet. Serbia needs to face that past. For the sake of its relations with its neighbours, but also for its own sake…and I notice that Serbian people are recognizing this. How can we expect the sincere and substantial, and honest, improvement of relations if – I’ll return to the last example – charges are raised on the basis of so-called universal jurisdiction in yet another attempt to assume the role of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia, declaring its own jurisdiction on the territories of other sovereign, internationally recognised states, without any of the restrictions that are integral to international law? Croatia is a member of the European Union and certainly wouldn’t have become a member if its judicial system hadn’t been evaluated as being functional. I will add something else – similarly to the “Jasenovac case”, where is the observing of procedure; why wasn’t the documenta tion submitted to the Croatian judicial bodies? This inevitably raises questions about the actual objectives of such an approach. Such a stance is contrary to the rule of law, international law and international criminal law, and dosen’t contribute to the building of good neighbourly relations.

You personally pointed out that there long haven’t been (since 2019) any meetings It is undeniable that CroatianSerbian relations are crucial to peace and stability in this part of Europe – what’s more, under today’s circumstances, when the confrontational mood has prevailed in relations between the West and Russia, creating many unknowns about the geopolitical configuration in that “interspace” between the West and Russia

As always, those kinds of meetings must be prepared with the utmost seriousness and precision. Honestly, under the current circumstances – when relations with Croatia are being used in the public and media space here, completely unjustifiably, and often inappropriately, as an “exhaust valve” for some other challenges and problems – it is tough to imagine meetings at the higher levels. It was pre can detract from the severity of another etc, opening a “competing vicious circle”. Do we need this? Do our new generations deserve it? I’m not that profile of man. I strongly believe that there is no politically justified murder, of one person, one hundred thousand people, eight thousand people...

Interview

14 September

Look, recently I was sitting in my car in Batrovci, as an accredited ambassador on my way back to Serbia, delayed, if not obstructed for more than an hour... and I was thinking nonsensical the whole situation was, how contravene to everything that is going on in the world. Ukraine is burning, flames are smouldering around Taiwan, climate change is frying people and drying up the rivers; the international order is collaps ing as it did in the Middle Ages, rockets are flying, old spies have been awakened, Serbia stands between two worlds, facing the biggest challenge in its modern history... and here I am, sitting in Batrovci, because instructions were sent down to “slightly delay” the ambassador with a diplomatic passport! How far form realities, like some sort of gameshow in the midst of a burning world. Is that a contribution to normalising relations? What conclusions do I draw from that?

 You believe that Croatia’s interest is in EU expansion and Serbia joining that community. You have stated repeatedly that Croatia will not block that process. However, the President of Croatia an nounced recently that the indictment of Croatian pilots over the shelling of refugee columns in August 1995 on the ‘Petrovac Road’ represents “unintelligent conduct” on the part of the Serbian leadership, which violates its accession process obligations and brings Serbia’s EU entry into question. Could dealing with the past become part of the trade-off in that process? between Croatian and Serbian officials at the higher levels. Under the current circumstances, could such meetings result in any positive effects?

Is there still a special control regime in place for the entry of Croatian officials into Serbia, which was introduced as a reciprocity measure, and has it led to the cancelling of any planned visits?

If you still consider “Croatian-Serbian relations crucial to the stability, peace and security of this part of Europe”, how can the prevailing narrative be changed? It is undeniable that Croatian-Serbian rela tions are crucial to peace and stability in this part of Europe – what’s more, under today’s circumstances, when the confrontational mood has prevailed in rela tions between the West and Russia, creating many unknowns about the geopolitical configuration in that “interspace” between the West and Russia, when we shouldn’t exclude the possibility of some new “divid ing lines” in the middle of Europe, that relationship between Croatia and Serbia is even more important. The prospects of peace and stability in this part of Europe would be totaly different were we both part of the same security system, and completely different again, even potentially very dangerously different, if that would not be the case.

far as I know, this year almost 50,000 of your citizens are spending their summer holidays on the Croatian coast, and alongside that there have been almost 15,000 work permits issued for the tourism sector. So, this is about the personal choices of individuals and families, and about assessing the earnings of those who come to Croatia to work.



15September

How would you explain the fact, which was announced this summer, that an in creasing number of Serbian citizens are spending their summer holidays in Croatia?

 The new convocation of the Serbian National Assembly will include two MPs from the Together for Vojvodina [Zajedno za Vojvodinu] list, which is led by the Demo cratic Alliance of Croats. Do you consider this return of ethnic Croats to the Serbian National Assembly as having the potential to contribute to improving relations between the two countries?

You noted recently that cooperation be tween Croatia and Serbia lacks a “stronger dynamic” at the political level, though no such dynamic is lacking in the areas of the economy and trade. What do you consider as being the best examples of that economic cooperation? The fact is that the economy and trade find their own routes to cooperation independently, or even despite a lack of “political dynamism”. The volume of the goods trade exchange has been at a high level for years, and in some sectors even maintains an upward trajectory. Also testifying to this is the fact that the exchange of goods didn’t fall significantly even during the difficult period of the pandemic. Additionally, I recognise Serbia’s great dedication specifically to economic development, the modernisation of in frastructure etc., even though, quite frankly, I don’t understand the media’s need to present all such progress as some kind of “competing against Croatia”. Gener ally speaking, I still believe our cooperation should Democratic Alliance of Vojvodina Croats was part of the ‘Zajedno za Vojvodinu’ coalition list. Their return to the National Assembly offers the potential for the stronger political affirmation of the Croat community in Serbia

Honestly, I wouldn’t say there’s anything about that which needs to be specially “explained” – people choose for themselves and decide where they will spend their money. If that’s Croatia, considering the recent past, then all the better and all the more useful – people see each other, talk, communicate, and all of that alleviates tension and suspicions. As I have no desire to wrangle with the public and media atmosphere created here around the “case of Petrovačka cesta”, because I would then have to pose numerous questions: why did that “refugee column” even occur; what was the context; what happened prior to that event; why was “Operation Storm” launched in the first place; how come the Hague Tribunal investigators didn’t find any reason in that specific case to launch a legal process; why was the “case” initiated almost 30 years after the fact? In other words, I’m afraid this is yet another example of drawing attention to some individual case or event in order to distract from the bigger picture and avoid dealing with the real context of those times. Do you understand the calls of Serb refugees from Croatia, but also among Croatians, to unblock the process of exhum ing and identifying the victims of the war waged 30 years ago? Why is this procedure at a standstill? I understand that call, and the right of every person, whether Serb, Croat or anyone else, to locate, identify and hand over the remains of the missing victims of those times to their families. Unfortunately, in contrast to the tenacious and devoted work being done on the Croatian side, here the entire “missing persons file” is obviously not in focus and is being side-lined. So, your question as to why, as you put it, the procedure is at a standstill, should be directed towards Belgrade.

More accurately, the Democratic Alliance of Vo jvodina Croats was part of the ‘Zajedno za Vojvodinu’ coalition list. Their return to the National Assembly offers the potential for the stronger political affirmation of the Croat community in Serbia, possibly even at the executive level, though much of that will depend on their strength and capacity for action, the extent to which their initiatives are appreciated on the part of the authorities, but certainly also on the actual character of future bilateral relations. In this sense, every step forward brings us closer to the rights of Croats here becoming equatable to the rights of the Serb community in Croatia, and that would certainly contribute to improving our mutual relations. be strengthened in the fields of infrastructure and transport, in order to pull this entire part of Europe out of “traffic route darkness”. Even though, under the current circumstances, it should be recognised in real terms that this is also dependent on the future geopolitical developments.

Sanna Marin has apologised for the second time in a week after a photograph of two topless women taken at a party inside the Finnish prime minister’s official resi dence last month was published on social media. The picture, which has since been deleted, first appeared on the TikTok account of the model and influencer Sabina Särkkä. It shows her and another woman – not Marin – kissing while lifting up their tops, with a “Finland” sign covering their breasts. “I think the picture is not appropriate, I apologise for it. Such a picture should not have been taken,” Marin said. She said it was taken at the residence, Kesäranta, when she invited friends round after the Ruisrock music festival on 8 July.

FINLAND’S PM SANNA MARIN APOLOGISES FOR ‘INAPPROPRIATE’ PICTURES AT RESIDENCE

“I am confident over France’s energy supply this winter, as we are less dependent on Russian gas than other EU countries”

DIARYGLOBAL

16 September

According to the Iranian foreign min istry, Iran received the US answer to its nuclear deal on 24th August 2022. The ministry also reported that Tehran will respond to US and EU soon. Iran responded on 16th August 2022 officially to the top European Union proposal aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and was waiting for US and EU response. Iran is facing an economic crisis over sanctions by US and EU.

The euro hit a two-decade low against the dollar at $0.9930, stoking fears that the energy shock will keep inflation high and make a recession in Europe all but certain. The reasons for the drop are the fact that Russia will suspend natural gas deliveries to Europe via Nord Stream 1 for three days at the end of this month, which reminded market players of the uncertainty of the situation regarding the conti nent’s energy supply. Also, the heat wave in Europe has already burdened the energy sup ply, and there is an increasingly pronounced fear of potential supply interruptions during the winter months, which could be disastrous for business activity.

EURO AT 20-YEAR LOW, WORTH LESS THAN DOLLAR

– EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE

IRAN RECEIVES US ANSWER TO THE NUCLEAR PROPOSAL

17September

South Korea has launched a lunar orbiter that will scout out future landing spots. The satellite launched by SpaceX is tak ing a long, roundabout path to conserv ing fuel and will arrive back in December. If successful, it will join spacecraft from the U.S. and India already operating around the moon, and a Chinese rover exploring the moon’s far side. India, Russia and Japan have new moon missions launching later this year or next, as do a slew of private companies in the U.S. and elsewhere. And NASA is next up with the debut of its mega moon rocket in late August.

The second Serbian representative in the final, Milica Gardašević, finished in seventh place with 6.52. People carrying children wade through a flooded area following heavy rains in Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 29th August 2022. Ac cording to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on 27th August, flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed over 1,000 people across Pakistan since mid-June 2022. More than 33 million people have been affected by floods, the coun try’s climate change minister said.

Ivana Vuleta became the European cham pion in the long jump at the Old Continent Championships in Munich, with her jump from the first series of 7.06 meters.

Serbian athlete won with her jump which reached her fifth continental champion title in total, and her second in the open air.

“What worries me is that there is no ready answer to the question of what happens when the gas runs out”- OLAF SCHOLZ, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY

German Malaika Mihambo, the current world and Olympic champion (7.03), won the silver, while the bronze was won by Britain’s Sawyers with 6.80 meters.

IVANA VULETA THE EUROPEAN CHAMPION PAKISTAN FLOODS

SOUTH TOLAUNCHESKOREAN1STSPACECRAFTTHEMOON

The entry of opposition MPs into the Assembly has reo pened the debate on whether fresher winds of democracy could start blowing over Serbia from the parliamentary benches or whether it will remain a scene of political ba nality, tastelessness and cheap discourse. Here, CorD’s interlocutors offer nuanced answers about how parliament received seven deputy speaker seats and how that could benefit the ruling coalition and opposition parties.

18 September

The Serbian National Assembly has never had a strong democratic tradition, but an opposition with political creativity and originality has been able to raise topics from the parliamentary benches that are important to Serbian society and aren’t otherwise included in political discourse. For now, however, it remains unclear how oppositional the opposition really is More Than Decoration, Less Than Political Pluralism

Focus SCOPE OF THE SERBIAN OPPOSITION’S ENTRY INTO PARLIAMENT

19September BOJAN KLAČAR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR FREE ELECTIONS AND DEMOCRACY (CESID)

Following the April elections, parliament is returning to the pre-2019 period (when the opposition launched its boycott of parliament), with all the virtues and challenges brought by parliamentary life. The National Assembly is returning to itself and to its role in the political system, and that is good news.

OPEN DOORS

THE RETURN OF THE OPPOSITION TO THE PARLIAMENT WILL LEAD TO NUMEROUS CHANGES. THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WILL ONCE AGAIN BE PLURALISTIC, WITH MPS THAT DIFFER IN TERMS OF THEIR PROGRAMME AND IDEOLOGY, AND OPENNESS TO DIFFERING OPINIONS

The return of the opposition to the parliament will lead to numerous changes. The National Assembly will once again be pluralistic, with MPs that differ in terms of their programme and ideology, and openness to differing opinions. In terms of politi cal dynamics, this convocation of the parliament will resemble the 2016-2018 period, or the 2012-2014 period. This means that the ruling majority will sit opposite a relatively large number of dissenting voices (around 90 MPs), but that there will be major political disagreements among the opposition MPs themselves. Secondly, the opposition’s return strengthens the parliament’s control function, which had been reduced to a minimum in the previous convocation. The opposition’s participation in parliament also creates more opportunities for opposition political activity, which was very limited during the period when it was outside the institutions (lasting almost three and a half years). The boycott of the parliament (from 2019) and the 2020 elections greatly dam aged the opposition and time will be needed for the opposition to recover both politically and financially. Parliament will partially regain trust, but we shouldn’t be opti mistic that it will become the most important political institution overnight, nor that it will improve dramatically over the recent past (until 2020). Political power has always resided either at 11 Nemanja Street, during the phases when Serbia has been closer to the parliamentary system, or at 1 Andrićev Venac, during the quasipresidential phases, which is the case today. Marking the work of the parliament will be a combination of constructive debates, frequent confrontations between MPs and shifting away from the agenda. The election of heads of parliamen tary groups shows that political parties have opted for tried and tested politicians. Returning to the parliament gives the opposition increased media visibility, institutional action, networking possibilities and opportunities to communicate differently with voters (through the opening of parliamentary offices, for example). Those possibilities are partly represented by broadcasts of sessions that are not among the most watched content on television, but which do have their own audience. Through their work in com mittees, MPs can launch topics and be at the source of information, while they will gain opportunities to lead some of the ses sions through deputy speaker posts. The seven deputy speaker posts are important, though not crucial, and they shouldn’t be tied to the future look of the parliamentary majority. By granting seven deputy speaker positions, the ruling Serbian Progressive Party wanted to send a message that it is taking a constructive approach, because previously the Serbian National Assembly has only once (2004-2008) had this many deputy speakers.

RETURNING TO THE PARLIAMENT GIVES THE OPPOSITION INCREASED MEDIA VISIBILITY, INSTITUTIONAL ACTION, NETWORKING POSSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO COMMUNICATE DIFFERENTLY WITH VOTERS... BY GRANTING SEVEN DEPUTY SPEAKER POSITIONS, SNS WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE THAT IT IS TAKING A CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH, BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY THE SERBIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS ONLY ONCE (2004-2008) HAD THIS MANY DEPUTY SPEAKERS

I’m not convinced that opposition parties’ entry into parliament will contribute to changing public discourse, because such a discourse also existed prior to the boycott. Opportunities for the public to hear different opinions are created through the parliament, but it’s evident that this isn’t sufficient in overall political relations in Serbia. It is certainly a positive shift that we will be able to hear more diverse opinions in parliament, regardless of the topic in question. We don’t have clear indicators of who watches parliamentary broadcasts. The audience certainly also changes with changes to the parliament. I would say intuitively that the previous convocation of the National Assembly was watched very little, and that the reason for that was precisely the lack of discussion and differing opinions. Voters’ views are gradually changing, due to a large number of factors, and the popularity and image of individuals can certainly be influenced by their parliamentary advocacy and activities.

THE POST-ELECTION DYNAMICS OF RELATIONS WITHIN THE OPPOSITION SHOWED THAT A DEBATE WILL BE LED ON THE TOPIC OF GENUINE OPPOSITION TO THE REGIME AND THAT CERTAIN OPPOSITION LISTS WILL TRY TO TRANSPOSE THEIR POLITICS FROM PROTEST TO INSTITUTIONS. ALL OF THIS COMPETING CAN PROFILE INDIVIDUAL PARTIES AMONG VOTERS, BUT SOME WILL CERTAINLY LOSE OUT IN THAT CONTEST.

The parliamentary life of a country depends on the dynamics of parliamentary relations. The previous convocation of parliament, without the presence of the opposition, exposed all the shortcomings of the absence of parliamentary debate and criticism. There is no democracy without parliament, and no parliamentarianism without an opposition.

THE CHOICE OF HEADS OF PARLIAMENTARY GROUPS SHOWS THAT CARE IS BEING TAKEN TO ENSURE THERE WILL BE PARLIAMENTARY DE BATES... THAT SHOULD BE A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY LIFE, BUT IT’S STILL MERELY A DETAIL THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE UNDERLYING ESSENCE OPPOSITION’S ENTRY

The choice of heads of parliamentary groups shows that care is being taken to ensure there will be parliamentary debates. However, that wasn’t the decisive reason for them being chosen. These are predominantly individuals with considerable parlia mentary experience, who are very familiar with parliamentary life well adapted to various parliamentary situations, and are therefore better able to lead their parliamentary group and utilise all mechanisms to steer discussions in a desired direction. This convocation gives the opposition a chance to profile itself among voters. We can’t speak in general terms about all oppo sition lists and parties, as there are existing specifics that must be taken into account. The post-election dynamics of relations within the opposition showed that debate will be held on the topic of a real opposition to the regime, that certain lists will try to transpose their politics from protest to institutions, that certain parties will strive to prove who is the greater patriot etc. All this competing can profile individual parties among voters, but some will certainly lose out in that contest.

Focus SCOPE OF THE SERBIAN

INTO PARLIAMENT

Parliament voted on the deputy speaker positions and it is clear that there was general agreement on the proposal and that they all received around 200 votes among MPs. These are certainly important positions, but they don’t tell us anything about the composition of the government. This is about accord that should be a good foundation for democratic parliamentary life, but it’s still merely a detail that doesn’t change the underlying essence.

CHANCE FOR THE OPPOSITION TO PROFILE ITSELF AMONG VOTERS

20 September DESPOT KOVAČEVIĆ ASSISTANT PROFESSOR/LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCES

IT WILL BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING TO WATCH THE OPPOSITION PLAY THE GAME OF “RED FLAG” IN FRONT OF AN INCENSED RULING BLOC THAT’S LARGELY UNACCUSTOMED TO TONES OF A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION, ESPECIALLY ONE WITH ARGUMENTS. BUT WE SHOULDN’T EXPECT MORE THAN THAT, WITH PLENTY OF INSOLENT OUTBURSTS, BAD BEHAVIOUR, CHOIRS AND PARROTING OF INSULTS, AND OTHER CUNNING STUNTS.

OPPOSITION PLAYING “RED FLAG”

POLITICAL SCIENTIST

21September DUŠKO RADOSAVLJEVIĆ

The entry of the opposition – regardless of its quality, number and programming directions – is a good thing, both for im proving parliamentary life and strengthening democratic processes in Serbia. This means that a shift in public opinion will come and certain changes will occur on the political scene, though we shouldn’t expect overly good results, given the character of the regime, the ruling party and its political satellites. We will also hear some other and different voices, with some new personalities having appeared – a small shift, but a shift nonetheless.

The opposition isn’t an unambiguous category in Serbia. We would have to mention the opposition, because some groups are much closer to the government than other opposition options, while others are against the government only at a personal level and there’s a third group that don’t even know what they want… Testifying to this is the scramble for deputy speaker posts and other positions in the bodies of the Assembly. That’s why each of these, let’s call them unidentified politi cal objects, will destroy themselves with their own political public appearance, and will thus prove easier prey for the govern ment majority, which will more easily eliminate them from political and public life if they are already so broken. Our parties haven’t learnt anything during the more than 30 years of multipartyism – the same behaviour, the same mistakes, the same belief that SOMEONE else will do the work instead of them. Naïve? Perhaps... Accidental? No way!

THE OPPOSITION ISN’T AN UNAMBIGUOUS CATEGORY IN SERBIA. THAT’S WHY EACH OF THESE, LET’S CALL THEM UNIDENTIFIED POLITICAL OBJECTS, WILL DESTROY THEMSELVES WITH THEIR OWN POLITICAL PUBLIC APPEARANCE, AND WILL THUS PROVE EASIER PREY FOR THE GOVERNMENT MAJORITY

Parliamentary broadcasts long ago lost their purpose – to inform the public and as a kind of education teaching citizens about the nature of political processes, particularly for their possible civic engagement. These broadcasts have long caused serious confusion in the minds of even the most well-intentioned, as well as the most leisurely viewers who follow them. They serve more to make the average voter feel disgusted by democracy than to strengthen democratic standards. However, despite being small in number, the opposition will utilise this minimal chance to impose itself with certain proposals and certain issues. It will be particularly interesting to watch the opposition play the game of “red flag” in front of an incensed ruling bloc that’s largely unaccustomed to tones of a different discussion, especially one with arguments. But we shouldn’t expect more than that, with plenty of insolent outbursts, bad behaviour, choirs and parroting of insults, and other cunning stunts. The regime isn’t a champion of democracy, having not even been established in that way, so we shouldn’t expect rea son, oratorical heights in performances, reasoned arguments, a constructive couch and the respecting of opposite views –that’s something we’ll still have to wait for in Serbia.

Personal solutions mean little in Serbian politics, or rather decisions have not been made in the Serbian National Assem bly, without exception, since the introduction of the multiparty system! As such, the National Assembly is just a toy, admittedly a pretty expensive one, that’s the plaything of various “lead ers” who are powerless to take over the role of sovereign power, the real highest representative and legislative body.

As an ordinary citizen from the bottom of the social scale, I expect the rational (very small) part of the opposition to move towards seriously articulating real, existential social and group interests. I expect it to organise a series of open civil and expert debates; to diligently record the views expressed, and particularly the questions; to systematise all that and - again in an open atmosphere - present to citizens what (I insist on that) those rational questions and wants are.

I don’t expect anything worthwhile from the ruling party conglomerate, nor am I disappointed by their policies. That’s because I wasn’t previously spellbound by them. And the opposition and the so-called opposition have so far betrayed us with their promises many times. That’s how tough the opposition’s job is. Will the opposition grasp it in that way? It has the right to a democratic election, regardless of what it’s like.

ISSUES AREN’T

I’m not interested in the tactics the opposition would use to escape the impersonality of parliament, provided the tactics aren’t what they must be: practical politics founded on an open, serious conception and leading to strategies. We don’t see that.

WILL SOME MP, UNCOMPROMISINGLY, BOLDLY, WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING OSTRACISED BY THE PARTY AND BY TURNING THEIR BACK ON MONOIDEOLOGICAL SPEECH, SHIFT TO PROVIDING A RATIONAL EXPLANATION OF SOME SOCIAL ISSUE? WE AWAIT THAT HISTORICAL BEAT. OPPOSITION’S ENTRY INTO

Focus SCOPE OF THE SERBIAN

22 September ĐOKICA JOVANOVIĆ SOCIOLOGIST

PARLIAMENT

The choice of heads of parliamentary groups means noth ing more than the possibility for agitation in opposition to party interests. Will some MP, uncompromisingly, boldly, without fear of being ostracised by the party and by turning their back on mono-ideological speech, shift to providing a rational explanation of some social issue? We await that historical beat.

WHAT WE DON’T SEE FROM THE OPPOSITION ARE WELL-CONSIDERED STRATEGIES. TODAY’S PARTIES ARE INCAPABLE OF MAKING SUCH ENDURING, LARGE AND SIG NIFICANT MENTAL ENDEAVOURS. THEIR COGNITIVE POTENTIAL DOESN’T EXTEND BEYOND THE CONFINES OF BANALISED MASS, FOLK, CULTURE FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT

It is important that the opposition has entered parliament. Better any opposition than none at all. I’m not convinced that we’ll always hear the precise opposite opinion to the positions of the ruling parties. Party pluralism has existed in Serbia for several decades, but there’s almost no ideological pluralism. A hegemonic mono-ideological order is in force. Even during the time of the socialist Yugoslavia, within the framework of a single party system, there was more political pluralism than there is today. I don’t know, in even the least precise overview, who watches TV broadcasts of parliamentary sessions, but experience shows that parliamentary speech doesn’t play a crucially important role in shaping the political views of voters. At least that’s been the case to date. Will the opposition give a performance of (highly unlikely) political creativity and originality that will succeed in drawing attention to the most important and unestablished topics? The dominant topics remain “state-building” and “the national interest” etc., without a serious rational explanation of what these terms encompass. Other social issues that are more essential aren’t even on the agenda for discussion that would culminate in tangible political implementation. The National Assembly – especially when the cameras are rolling – is predomi nantly, more or less, an amateur training ground for learning rhetorical and very often banal stunts, without any kind of social significance whatsoever.

The building of a conception is painstaking and enduring job on a foundation of ideas and the careful study of social reality. To day’s parties are incapable of making such enduring, large and significant mental endeavours. Their cognitive potential doesn’t extend beyond the confines of banalised mass, folk, culture. I see the deputy parliamentary speaker posts primarily as clerical-bureaucratic appointments.

NEWSPAPER DANAS SERBIAN PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ EXPECTS A FRONTAL CONFLICT WITH PART OF THE WEST AND CONSIDERS THAT UNAVOIDABLE, AND THUS THE RETURN - NOT ENTRY - OF THE SERBIAN OPPOSITION TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IS PART OF HIS POLITICAL STRATEGY, IN ORDER TO ENTER THIS UPHEAVAL AS UNITED AS POSSIBLE DECISIONS

The fratricidal war raging in Eastern Europe between Russia and Ukraine is creating a completely new political situa tion in Serbia, but also around most of the world. In this sense, the National Assembly won’t be a place for creating differing opinions, but rather for the nation to gather – or at least that will be Vučić’s intention.

The viewing figures for broadcasts of parliamentary sessions on the RTS Public Service isn’t of crucial importance in and of itself. Vučić has already announced his attendance of the parliamentary session that will be dedicated to Kosovo. This means that one important political stage is again relocating to the National Assembly, and with it the spectators, i.e., the citizens.

THE FACT THAT THE OPPOSITION RECEIVED THREE OR FOUR DEPUTY SPEAKERS AMONG A TOTAL OF SEVEN, AS WELL AS POSITIONS AS CHAIRS OF CERTAIN IMPORTANT COMMITTEES, IS A SIGN OF THE GOODWILL OF THE RULING PARTY – GOODWILL THAT HASN’T PREVIOUSLY EXISTED IN THE 10 YEARS SINCE VUČIĆ CAME TO POWER

The tone and acrimony of the debate will depend on the dis cipline of the parliamentary majority, which comprises Vučić’s party and the party of Ivica Dačić and its minor allies, but also on the readiness of opposition MPs to adapt to the fact that they won’t be giving speeches in front of their supporters at open-air meetings.

At this juncture, there isn’t a single existing political option or leader in Serbia that it would be unthinkable to imagine becoming a minister in Vučić’s government.

23September JASMINA LUKAČ POLITICAL EDITOR AT DAILY

Given that the opposition operated – from year’s end 2018 until summer 2022 – beyond the confines of the parliament, on the streets, didn’t prove sufficiently successful and didn’t win them enough support to seriously threaten Vučić’s rule, they will now be more appreciative of what they have. And that is a pulpit with a much stronger reach than opposition street rallies, as well as the associated parliamentary privileges.

The fact that the opposition received three or four deputy speakers among a total of seven, as well as positions as chairs of certain important committees, is a sign of the goodwill of the ruling party – goodwill that hasn’t previously existed in the 10 years since Vučić came to power. He is ready for the second phase of his reign. Considering that he’s enthroned himself as the undisputed, unparalleled ruler, he will be able to “treat” himself to a government that would also include current opposition representatives. This is particularly important for possible outcomes in the future, in the case that he needs to share responsibility with all parties in making difficult decisions regarding Kosovo, Republika Srpska and sanctions against Russia, or if he needs an unques tionably firm negotiating position on withdrawing from power.

DÉCOR FOR UNPOPULAR

G

Javier Solana/Project Syndicate

lobal stability is a fragile asset, as the war in Ukraine and height ened tensions over Taiwan have recently shown. In a world that is tearing itself apart, the European Union should make trust in the European pro ject a top strategic priority. Against the backdrop of unfulfilled EU membership aspirations, other powers could exploit citizens’ frustration – as we are now see ing in the Western Balkans, where Russia is seeking to reassert its influence. More than ever, the Union must demonstrate that it is a useful and reliable partner for all European countries, regardless of their formal relationship with the EU. The present is a period of paradox for Europe. Despite a succession of severe con

European Integration In A Fragmenting World

24 September

The European Union’s undeniable success in advancing regional integration does not make it a finished project. As threats to global stability increase, the EU must continue to pursue its strategic interests, as well as attend to the European ambitions and prospects of all the countries in its immediate neighborhood

Opinion

The EU will never renege on its long standing commitment to extend its integra tion project to countries that show a clear willingness to join. Ukraine and Moldova – driven toward the Union by Russian Presi dent Vladimir Putin’s senseless war – were granted candidate status in June. And the EU’s recent decision to start formal preaccession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia could trigger a positive dynamic that strengthens Western Balkan countries’ ties with European institutions.

Ukraine is part of Europe, and its citizens have repeatedly demonstrated their eager ness to become part of the EU. If the country meets the bloc’s entry requirements, there is no reason why it should not be admitted.

The EU must continue to integrate, knowing that its vocation extends to the entire European continent. To guarantee its continuity, the EU will have to offer accession candidates new forms of participation that help to foster a feeling of belonging to the European project

vulsions, European integration has recently undergone a historic acceleration. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Europe two and a half years ago, practically all of the EU’s decisions have sought to strengthen member states’ political integration. Historically, the success of European integration has created the possibility, as well as the challenge, of enlarging the Union to include new members. The EU must continue to integrate, knowing that its vocation extends to the entire European continent. But, to guarantee its continu ity, the EU will have to offer accession candidates new forms of participation that help to foster a feeling of belonging to the European project. In fact, the EU’s internal political inte gration and its enlargement to include other European countries are two historically inseparable processes. In a speech at the beginning of this century at the Humboldt University of Berlin, then-German ViceChancellor and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer clearly explained the historical importance and difficulty of European in tegration. “The need to organise these two processes [the EU’s political integration and enlargement] in parallel is undoubt edly the biggest challenge the Union has faced since its creation,” Fischer said. “But no generation can choose the challenges it is tossed by history.”

25September

French President Emmanuel Macron, for exam ple, has proposed a “European Political Community.” But, whatever name the new structure takes, it must create opportuni ties for cooperation with the EU, thereby making integration a tangible reality for candidate

Achievingcountries.thiswill require the EU to fos ter cooperation between candidate countries.

Recognising that there may be other formulas besides enlargement for integrating the European continent does not imply that this policy has been unsuccessful. Without the EU’s 2004 enlargement to Eastern Europe, the bloc would not be the com mercial and regulatory power it is today. Successive enlargements have made the EU one of the world’s biggest economies, accounting for around 16% of global GDP (in purchasing-power-parity terms).

But such a strategy presupposes the exist ence of responsible geopolitical actors – and the main lesson of the Ukraine war is that Russia is currently not a responsible actor. Clearly, economic interdependence does not contribute to stability if it produces asymmetric dependencies that leave one party vulnerable in times of conflict. Europe will have to stop feeling vulnerable, and a lot will have to change in the Kremlin, before the EU can consider any formal relationship with Russia in the future.

To facilitate Ukraine’s integration process, the EU has a responsibility to assist in the country’s physical and political reconstruc tion from the ravages of Putin’s war. Re searchers at the Kyiv School of Economics estimate that rebuilding Ukraine’s physical infrastructure alone will cost at least $100 billion. Clearly, reconstruction will have to be a collective effort.

Ever since West German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik established the basis for rapprochement between the West and the Soviet bloc in the late 1960s, establishing bonds of economic interdependence has been the main answer.

The EU must offer nonmembers an ambitious and realistic regional integration model. Promises of eventual membership and the long negotiations that precede it will harm the Union if they generate frustration among candidate countries’ governments and citizens

The EU must therefore offer non-mem bers an ambitious and realistic regional integration model. Promises of eventual membership and the long negotiations that precede it will harm the Union if they generate frustration among candidate countries’ governments and citizens. North Macedonia, for example, had to wait too long – 17 years – between being granted candidate status and receiving the green light to start accession negotiations.

Javier Solana, a former EU high repre sentative for foreign affairs and security policy, secretary-general of NATO and foreign minister of Spain, is President of EsadeGeo – Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and a Distin guished Fellow at the Brookings Institution Javier Solana/Project Syndicate

26 September

Opinion

While the Union’s current bilateral approach to accession candidates enables a separate assessment of each country’s membership prospects, it also risks turning enlargement into a predominantly competitive process.

But, in cases when enlarging the EU to extend the zone of European stability is not feasible for geographical or politi cal reasons, the fundamental question for European policymakers has been what alternative instruments they could use.

The EU’s undeniable success in advanc ing regional integration does not make it a finished project, or even one with a predeter mined ending. But Europeans must remain on this path. That means that the EU must pursue its strategic interests while attending to the European ambitions and prospects of all the countries in its immediate neighbourhood.

Today, with war on the EU’s borders, all options for deepening Europe’s politi cal integration – and not only the Union’s enlargement – must be on the table.

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Anniversary Year

MIRJANA LUČIĆ AND VLADAN ILIĆ, GENERAL MANAGERS AT SAINT-GOBAIN

What are you preparing for the period ahead that is significant to the company? (for Mirjana Lučić)

VI: Our integrated solutions for renovating public and private buildings, lightweight construc tion and the decarbonisation of construction and industry have been developed through a con tinuous process of innovation and ensure sustainability and performance. The Group has more than 40 research and de velopment centers around the world. Special attention is paid to this segment in order for us to differentiate ourselves from the competition on the market. The motto of the Group, “Making the world a better home”, clearly illustrates the purpose of our op erations. It is for this same reason that we’ve committed ourselves to becoming carbon-neutral at the Group level by 2050. How much is the trend in dry con struction systems being applied? (for Vladan Ilić) VI: If we’re talking about the construction sector, then the answer is very much. This is a system of construction that im proves the protection of the envi ronment, well-being the aesthetic component, energy efficiency, spatial acoustic performance, easier and faster installation, durability, the possibility to work under all weather conditions, significantly simplifying con struction, saving on costs and much more. These are certainly the materials of the future!

28 September The company’s strategy is to continue its strong growth in this region, as confirmed by announce ments that the period ahead will see even greater investments in production capacities, automat ing production lines and expand ing the product range.

Innovative materials and systems form an integral part of the SaintGobain Group’s operations. Which innovations would you single out in particular and why? (for Vladan Ilić)

ML: Almost all of our products are “made in Serbia”, which is why we are working intensively on new acquisitions, both in Serbia and the surrounding coun tries. The aim is to increase our market share.

Saint-Gobain is a company that’s a world leader in the production of construction materials and that has a tradition dating back more than three and a half centuries. What marked this period the most significantly? (for Mirjana Lučić) ML: The Saint-Gobain company was founded in France as far back as 1665, with the founding of the Royal Glassworks by Louis XIV. A mirror factory was opened in the small town of Saint Gobain, after which the group was named. Our company is today known worldwide and has operations in 76 countries, with an annual turnover exceed ing 40 billion euros and 166,000 employees. Innovation is a very im portant element of the strategy, and our Group invests continuously in research and development. Over the course of two and a half decades, which is how long you’ve been operating on the Serbian market, you’ve made two acquisitions that are this year celebrating anniversaries of their successful work and two jubilees of operations on the Serbian market. Which factories are we talking about? (for Mirjana Lučić) ML: The Weber company was founded in France in 1902 and became part of the Group in 1996. Weber operates in 60 countries around the world. The factory in Topola this year celebrates the 10th anniversary of the acquisi tion of the former ‘Karbon’ fac tory, while the factory in Apatin celebrates 15 years since the acquisition of the former ‘Elba’ factory. We are currently the only company operating in this sector, and in this area, that has two pro duction plants. Our commercial branches, through the activities of Rigips and Isover, launched operations on the local market in 1996 and 2002 respectively. Isover, Rigips and Weber all belong to the Saint-Gobain Group and operate around the entire world. How much has the brand awareness contributed to product sales on the market? (for Vladan Ilić) VI: We have strongly devel oped brands, which we are very proud of, and we rely on this advantage. Local engineers, construction companies and architects have always followed trends. As science and technol ogy advance, so construction materials and the construction system itself advance. Materials play a significant role, particularly in the segments of construction finishing works, which represent the backbone of our work.

DIVERSIFYING ASSETS

Economic experts worldwide are offering advice on ways that every company, but also every individual, should prepare for the coming recession. Here we highlight some of them.

Economic experts are unani mous in their view that de positing money in banks for a fixed term is not only the most secure way to save, but also the most profitable way by far, given the interest provided by this way of saving. You should certainly check out all the pos sibilities that exist and choose a bank wisely before making such a fixed term deposit. For example, UniCredit Bank Serbia has an excellent offer on fixed term savings this summer, and you can find more information about that on the bank’s web site –might appear as though you’re communicating with someone purely out of interest, have trust that this is completely legiti mate. Experts recommend that you expand your network of contacts during such difficult times as these, because it is clear that just such circum stances lead to a rising sense of community, where the human spirit achieves its full meaning. You never know whose help you may need and find crucial at any given moment. TO SAVE: The Future Is Certainty

Over the previous six months, growing con cern among econo mists and consumers over rising inflation has been more than obvious, but also completely rational, given events currently unfolding around the world, and particularly on Euro pean soil. Although individual experts continue to claim that there is no recession, what awaits us in the future is cer tainly questionable. Nonethe less, regardless of the current macroeconomic picture of our country and the world, being financially prepared is always an extremely wise move.

Although such advice could perhaps be more greatly ap plied on markets that are stock market-oriented, it certainly isn’t a bad idea to direct your assets - income and invest ments - towards different sides and in different areas. If one of the jobs you’re focused on happens to go awry, you will still have certainty elsewhere. Try to take an overview of the situation from various perspec tives, and to invest in markets where you haven’t previously been present or in areas that hitherto haven’t attracted your attention, because – as econo mists note – not all markets will suffer the same impact and face the same consequences. See this as your opportunity.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

INCREASING shouldayouritperts,AccordingCONTINGENCYEMERGENCY/FUNDStotheviewsofexduringtimesofrecessionisessentialtokeeptrackofexpenditureandtocreatespecialfundtodoso.Onethenlookforpossibilities to cut costs, such as unneces sary subscriptions, dining out, entertainment etc. However, it is perhaps more important than actually increasing your savings to invest some of your funds in monetary investments, such as in high-yield savings accounts.

FIXED TERM BANK DEPOSITS

29September

There’s no need to talk about the fact that it’s important to find a certain degree of stability and certainty under the current circumstances in which we live. On the other hand, it isn’t overly difficult to achieve something that will provide us with a certain future

RegardlessACQUAINTANCESEXPANDINGpeacesituationsible,thoughtsfix.nessyouationdecisions.youimpactcaltakethatFearVIGILANCEnearestbank.rs/https://www.unicredit–orbyvisitingyourbranch.ANDDECISIVENESSandirrationalbehaviouryoucanbepromptedtobythecurrentgeopolitisituationanditsnegativeonmarketscanleadtomakingtheworstpossibleDon’tallowthesitutodistractandcompeltomakecareerandbusimistakesthatyoucan’tBevigilantinkeepingyourasrealisticaspostakeanoverviewofeachandensureyourownofmind.NETWORKSOFofhowmuchit

 LOCAL NEWS

FOREIGN INFLOW FROM TOURISM 72.4% HIGHER THAN IN 2019

In the first six months of this year, Serbia had a foreign exchange inflow from tourism of 969 million euros, which is 57.9 per cent more than last year, and 72.4 per cent more than in the first half of 2019, stated the Minister of Tourism Tatjana Matić. She assessed that the latest data on foreign exchange turnover in the tourism sector is an indicator and a sure sign that tour ism in Serbia has recovered, according to the announcement. Serbian tourism is experiencing expansion, break ing records, and I am sure that it will significantly raise the GDP and contribute to the overall economic growth of our country. This success was greatly contributed by the incentive measures and investments of the Ministry of Tourism,” said Minister Matić.

30 September

Serbian Internal Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin attended a celebration marking the 16th anniversary of the launch of the campaign “When I drink, I don’t drive”, which is implemented through cooperation between the Interior Ministry Traffic Police Administration, Apatin Brewery and the Agency for Traffic Safety. On this occasion, Apatin Brewery [Apatinska Pivara] donated 20 state-of-the-art breathalyzers to the Traffic Police Directorate, with Apatin Brewery General Manager Igor Vukašinović stating that one of the goals and tasks of Apatin Brewery is to influence awareness among citizens and consumers about not getting behind the wheel after having consumed alcohol.

DR. HEIMEIER & PARTNER EXECUTIVE SEARCH GMBH

A complex and detailed analysis determined that OTP banka stood out the most in the area of involvement and inspiration, transformation and growth as well as HR strate gic consulting. These results clearly indicate that the bank has a strategic approach to employees and recognizes their role as crucial in the development of the bank.

APATIN BREWERY DONATES 20 BREATHALYZERS TO INTERIOR MINISTRY TRAFFIC POLICE DEPARTMENT

OTP BANKA WINNER OF THE “EMPLOYER PARTNER” CERTIFICATE FOR HR PROCESS EXCELLENCE

“Furthermore,

OTP banka Srbija is the winner of the “Employer Partner” certificate, the prestigious HR recognition of the consulting company “Selectio”, which from this year, in part nership with the consulting agency “HR Xcel” for the Serbian market, guarantees excellence of HR processes within companies and confirms continuous investment, modernization and improvement of employee experience.

Dr. Heimeier & Partner Executive Search GmbH, a consulting company with headquarters in Stuttgart, has been in existence since 1989 and today is one of the leading human resources consulting companies in Germany. Through his main activity in executive search, Dr. Heimeier & Partner advises companies of various sizes and industries and provides support in the process of identifying and selecting candidates for management positions. As a partner company in IMD Interna tional Search Group, a global executive search group with offices in the largest markets and business centres around the world, Dr. Heimeier supports its multinational clients.

OPEN OFFICE FOR JIE IN BELGRADE Company

“The arrival of large chains on the Serbian retail market has increased demand for labour, and we hope that the further growth of competition will encourage the development of operations and increases in employees’ earnings” ~ TATJANA MATIĆ, SERBIAN MINISTER OF TRADE, TOURISM AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Placementspostings &

REAL ESTATE MARKET IN SERBIA WORTH TWO BILLION EUROS

Born 21st September 1987 in the Somalian city of Baidoa, ambassador Mohamed Abdullahi Ahmed earned a bachelor ’s degree in business administration from Mogadishu’s Hamar University, before earning a diploma in international relations from Al-Imra University. He initially served as assistant national security advisor to the president (2005-06) and director of logistics at the office of the prime minister (2006-07), before becoming deputy director of the secretariat at the office of the prime minister (2008-09) and assistant to the chief of staff at the office of the prime minister (2009-10). He became director of the secretariat department at the office of the prime minister in 2010, where he remained until becoming acting director of humanitarian aid at the ministry of the interior and national security (2012–13). His 2014 move to the Somalian MFA led to his first foreign posting in 2014, when he was appointed first secretary at the Somali Embassy in Ankara, in charge of consular and cooperation affairs (2014-16). After serving as acting director of state protocol at the MFA (2016-17), he spent four years (2017-21) as personal secretary of the President. He arrived in Belgrade in August 2021, first serving as chargé d’affairs “e.p.” and then, as of June 2022, ambassador. Apart from his native Somali, the ambassador also speaks English and Arabic.

Last year saw 30,000 tons of ice cream, worth 63.5 million euros, exported from Serbia, mostly to countries in the region, according to data from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce-PKS. “We export ice cream to markets in the region, mostly to Bulgaria 7,415 tons and only a little less to Greece – 5,351 tons. The United Kingdom is the third country in which we export the most produced ice cream in terms of volume, 2,352.4 tons, while we export just a little less to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2,246 tons,” PKS statement said. 2,026 tons of ice cream were exported to Romania, 1,918 tons to Poland, while slightly less was exported to Montenegro, 1,625 tons, as well as to Germany, 1,530.9 tons. appointments@aim.rs

SERBIA EXPORTED 30,000 TONS OF ICE CREAM WORTH 63.5 MILLION EUROS

Real estate turnover in Serbia this year increased by one per cent compared to 2021, with the total value of transactions in the country reaching two billion euros, said Ivana Štrbac, head of the Department for Real Estate Valuation Management at the Republic Geodetic Insti tute (RGZ). Speaking in an interview for news agency Tanjug, Štrbac mentioned that the purchase of real estate from loans has decreased, so that 88 per cent of turnover is paid in cash and that buyers are more cautious when taking out housing loans due to rising interest rates. “It is interesting that, compared to last year, there was a slight decrease in the purchase of apartments on credit, because in previous years about 30 per cent were paid for using loans, while this year only 27 per cent of apartments were purchased on credit,” noted Štrbac.

H. E. MOHAMED ABDULLAHI AHMED, NEW AMBASSADOR OF SOMALIA TO SERBIA

31September “The Serbian government has made high-technology development and digitalisation a major focus, and it’s clear that those efforts are bearing fruit” ~ CHRISTOPHER R. HILL, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA

32 September Here MPC Properties Retail Leasing Direc tor Nemanja Bućinac reveals the upcom ing new look of UŠĆE Shopping Center and announces a new mobile loyalty platform called Tvoj Centar, as well as new con tents, offers and amenities. He also adresses the topic of the future of shopping.

You recently announced a major renovation of the UŠĆE Shopping Center. What does that mean for your customers and the market as a whole? We would like to pioneer some of the latest retail trends, refresh our interior design and architecture, further focus on building a stron ger community and better con nect with the nature surrounding the centre. One part of the centre will provide more open areas overlooking some of Belgrade’s most famous historic sites, as well as its two rivers.

Are more customers shopping online today? What is the current ratio of online vs. brick-andmortar sales in Serbia? The market itself has become more challenging, with the online market still in the consolidation phase, while the offline one still holds first place and has great potential to develop further. How ever, the offline market is also experiencing transformation and is moving towards more content-rich shopping desti nations and an improved user experience. The consumer is today at the heart of every busi ness more than ever before. In numbers, around 10 to 15% of all sales are delivered via dif ferent e-commerce platforms, while 85 - 90% are in brick-andmortar stores. Shopping is a journey, a unique experience, a combination of interactions that gives you pleasure. You cannot experience that while shopping online, becouse online sales and e-commerce platforms lack strong emotional and social triggers that are integral to any physical shopping experience.

F&B formats will include a quality offer of both fine dining and fast food, with outdoor seating areas providing memorable cityscape views. By doing this, our intention is to truly entertain our customers and, of course, increase the time they spend with us. Besides the upgraded F&B offer, we will enrich our shopping mall with many more leisure and entertainment concepts, in order to create chillout and relaxation zones for kids, families and busi nesspeople. The interior of the mall will become far brighter, while the new multipurpose spaces will bring new possibilities for different events and promotions, such as food fairs, concerts, theatres or home décor installations. What do you do to embrace changing retail trends and consumer behaviour? Both shopping centres and re tailers cannot simply rely on traditional sales methods, but rather need to focus on finding innovative ways to engage their customers and find solutions that would be fun and enjoyable. In order for that to happen, we must provide certain benefits to our customers. MPC Properties – as a company that operates not only shopping malls, but also office buildings – has launched its own mobile loyalty platform called Tvoj Centar. We decided to combine our four shopping cen tres – UŠĆE, Beo, Mercator and Delta City – into one very exciting digital shopping destination.

UŠĆE Shopping Center has been the market leader for over 13 years. In order to retain this position, UŠĆE is preparing for a major redevelopment. This renovation project will focus primarily on new and innovative formats

The UŠĆE Shopping Center renovation project will focus pri marily on new and innovative for mats, improvements to our food and beverage offer and amenities, as well as to safety and overall convenience. This is how we intend to create a multi-purpose environment, which represents the future of the retail industry. When it comes to the food and beverage offer at UŠĆE Shopping Center, I can say that a true renais sance is coming. A new generation of food and beverage options will bring us some exciting changes.

Changing With The Times NEMANJA BUĆINAC, RETAIL LEASING DIRECTOR, MPC PROPERTIES

The company has increased its annual revenue by 20% annually over the last few years, while the current year is expected to be even better than the previous one

Could we say that opening Alumil’s factory in Serbia almost 20 years ago turned out to be an excellent business move?

y

Today, at our facilities in Nova Pazova, a fully integrated production, logistics and com mercial corporation operates with an annual capacity of 15,000mt of state-of-the-art, preci sion engineered, surface-treated aluminium profiles, which are distributed to Serbian and European markets. We also operate six sales and distribution centres nationwide across Serbia and one showroom at the heart of the New Belgrade central business district, employing almost 400 people in total. The company has increased its annual revenue by 20% annually over the last few years, while the current year is expected to be even better than the previous one, with revenues set to hit historically high increases.

B

Do you succeed in covering the impressively broad spectrum of architectural needs with those 65 different aluminium systems? The needs of our customers are quite broad, but so is our product portfolio. Each of our products is designed with one thing in mind: how to provide the best possible solution and maximise the value for our customers. Alumil’s top quality aluminium systems offer high performance levels and unparal leled design that provide the best solutions and shape impressive outdoor spaces. Through our modern production facilities and strict quality controls along the entire production line, we ensure the creation of superior products of high added value. Our continuous research and development leads to us offering unique solutions with many innovative features, which totally meet the needs of our customers. For a second con secutive year, Alumil has been declared one of the Most Sustainable Companies in Greece. What enables you to always remain at the cut ting edge of technological development; a step ahead of the rest? Alumil produces high-quality aluminium sys tems that are designed and developed by the Group’s innovative Research & Development Department and then tested and certified by internationally accredited certification institutes andResearchlaboratories.&Development is part of our DNA. Our experienced and specially-trained engineers design new systems and invent technical solutions continuously. At the company’s advanced laboratories. research is ongoing on systems that incor porate excellent design, top performance and outstanding energy efficiency. By using state-of-the-art equipment, and thanks to our Advanced Testing Centre, we are always at the forefront of technological development, always one step ahead of the competition. Our R&D is able to offer customised solu tions for projects that require specially designed systems or typologies. The level of expertise of our engineers, along with the flexibility of our production processes that is thanks to the high vertical integration of our plant, lead to exceptional results, particularly when it comes to customised solutions. It is worth noting that we recently developed one of the most sophisticated high-tech customised window systems on behalf of Google Inc. in New York. Our highly advanced technological level, combined with our ability to provide tailormade solutions, makes us one of the most competitive companies in the industry globally. In addition, we maintain collaborations with leading European universities and research centres and are in direct contact with the R&D departments of renowned manufacturers of aluminium system accessories.

Alumil is one of the largest brands producing windows and doors, with 12 factories across Europe, including one in Serbia. The company continues, year-on-year, to increase its personnel levels and assets, but also its market share

33September

focusing always on the specifi cations and requirements of the world’s most advanced markets, Alumil has created a product port folio that incorporates innovative products and provides the perfect response to the needs of modern construction.

CustomisedSuperiorSolutions

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

According to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovačevski, this country last year exported wine worth more than 61 million dollars. This is an increase of over 19 per cent compared to 2020, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski. He pointed out that for three consecutive years the export of N.Macedonian wines has been growing both in terms of quantity and value, and that he is particularly pleased that the share of exports of draft wine is decreasing, while the export of bottled wine is increasing. “Macedonian wine is known worldwide for its quality, and our country is considered one of the leaders in terms of the value of exported wine in the region. We are it is the second largest exporter” said Kovačevski. TO INTRODUCE ZERO VAT RATE FOR SOLAR PANELS

The Croatian government submitted to parliamentary procedure amendments to the law on value-added tax, which, in addition to the necessary elements of adaptation to the introduction of the euro, foresees a reduction of the VAT rate to five per cent on the delivery of wood chips, pellets and firewood, as well as a zero VAT rate for solar panels. According to Finance Minister, Marko Primorc, the amendment to the law proposes a change in the provisions related to the introduction of the euro, as well as further tax relief and mitigation of price increases faced by citizens and the economy. Thus, it is proposed that the delivery of heating from thermal sta tions, including fees related to that delivery and the delivery of firewood, pellets, briquettes and wood chips, be performed from the day the law enters into force until 31st March 2023.

CROATIA

34 September

 REGIONAL NEWS

“Citizens of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania will be able to freely access the single labour market from September, thanks to the connection of the national electronic systems of those countries, as part of the Open Balkan initiative” ~ MIHAILO JOVANOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA FOR IT AND E-GOVERNMENT

ELEKTROPRIVREDA MONTENEGRO NEGOTIATES WITH TOSČELIK ABOUT NIKŠIĆ ŽELEZARA Elektroprivreda Montenegro (EPCG) is negotiating with Tosčelik over the purchase of the Nikšić Željezara. After the meeting with representatives of EPCG, Dritan Abazović said that the biggest burden is the date because the Turkish company stated that it will pull out after 1st September. EPCG representative Radovan Đukanović announced that they are trying to overcome the problem in Železara, adding that everyone is on the same task. “We are all on the same task and there is a good and kind will among all, as well as for acting as quickly as possible. That is perhaps the biggest problem, that we don’t have much time.” He added that negotiations between EPCG and the Turkish company are ongoing.

NORTH MACEDONIA RANKED SECOND LARGEST WINE EXPORTER IN REGION

The Italian government is launching legal proceedings against Slovenia in an attempt to defend the authenticity of its geo graphically protected balsamic vinegar. The issue started at the beginning of last year when the Slovenian government informed the European Commission that it plans to introduce standards in the production of vinegar and to market any wine vinegar mixed with fruit juice concentrate as “balsamic vinegar”.

MARKO ČADEŽ, PRESIDENT OF THE SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

“Trade between the Serbian and Croatian economies in the first six months of this year amounted to 805.7 million euros and was 210.9 million, or 35.4 per cent, higher than in the same period of last year”

~

35September

WIZZ AIR TO LAUNCH BULGARIA-SAUDI ARABIA FLIGHTS IN 2023

BANK OF CYPRUS CONCLUDES EXIT FROM ROMANIA Bank of Cyprus liquidated its activities in Romania by selling its last portfolio of nonperforming loans and real estate worth roughly EUR 147 mln. The assets were acquired by the APS group in a transaction that was signed in May 2022 and finalized on August 24 of the same year, after a review by the Competition Council, the authority charged with ensuring a normal competitive environment for businesses in Romania.

Bank of Cyprus sold its remaining portfolio as part of the termination of its operations in Romania, a process that has gradually moved forward over the last few years.

Wizz Air, a Hungarian carrier, issued a statement that it will start a new flight from Bulgaria’s Sofia to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in spring 2023. This comes as part of a Wizz Air expansion which will link a total of 20 European cities to the Saudi Arabian capital. The flight between Sofia and Riyadh will be launched in April 2023, it was announced in the Wizz Air press release. The expansion will include flights to the Saudi kingdom from Bucharest, Budapest, Larnaca, Tirana, Rome and Vienna. It is expected to generate traffic of over 1 million passengers in Saudi Arabia next year, Wizz Air wrote in a statement.

ITALY SUES SLOVENIA OVER BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi gave the go-ahead to the state prosecutor’s office to initiate misdemeanour pro ceedings because according to a 2009 law, the term “Aceto balsamico di Modena” (balsamic vinegar of Modena) can only be used by producers from the Italian city of Modena and the Emilia-Romagna region.

Taking on the challenges of the most technically demanding markets and succeeding provided the company with additional strength to launch its expan sion to another continent. The U.S. is now our biggest export market. Each new order represents further confirmation of the quality of our work and demonstrates that we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s biggest “players” in ourClientssector.can expect us to be even bet ter in all business segments, and that we will work to promote energy-efficient solutions and elegant architectural solutions.

It could be said that your work demands constant improvement and investment. Are we mistaken?

You’ve implemented façades and windows on many beautiful and prestigious buildings, both here in Serbia and abroad. How challenging has that work been for Testeral? Yes, that’s correct, some of the most outstanding buildings certainly include the Embassy of German and Hotel Ru bin in Kruševac. And abroad there’s the largest logistics centre in Zurich and a 5-star hotel that’s located right next to the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Those are projects that attract attention. It wasn’t easy to deal with them from a technological aspect, but they certainly now represent the pride of our company and employees. What’s important is the experience gained working on them, which is precious to us and contributed plenty to the actual development of the company.However, each individual project is a story in itself for us, and each project demands equal attention and commit ment. Our work is extremely dynamic, but that’s what makes it interesting. Being an entrepreneur during these turbulent times is a challenge, and when you add to all that the accepting of responsibility to implement the most demanding product on buildings, then you are compelled to be professional, courageous and tenacious on your path.

ere Testeral CEO Sanja Stanimirović speaks to CorD Magazine about business challenges, ever-more de manding clients, the state’s attitude towards family businesses, market and product range expansion, as well as the future of the construction industry.

H

Demanding Markets Develop Quality

SANJA STANIMIROVIĆ, CEO, TESTERAL

Some of the most outstanding buildings in our portfolio certainly include the Embassy of Germany and a 5-star Hotel in Manhattan Testeral exports 95 per cent of its production to the markets of Western Europe and America, and one of the company’s goals is to become the leader of its sector in the Balkans. Testeral is committed to keeping pace with world trends, the specialised training of its employees and investing in technological and production capacities

36 September

You are right. Considering that we handle all processes – from project design to production, delivery and installing of aluminium façades, structures, windows and doors – we’ve become the number one choice for many architects and in vestors. We are committed to keeping pace with world trends in architecture and construction, the specialised training of employees and investing in techno logical and production capacities and innovations. The multiplying of turnover has led to us quadrupling our production capacity. We are currently finalising one of the most modern production facilities in the Balkans, equipped with the latest cutting-edge CNC machines, while in parallel we’re carrying out the digitalisation of the company. You have representative offices in Geneva, Lugano, New York and Chicago, as well as major plans to open new branches. Does this mean that you satisfy the most stringent European and American standards?

37September

The goal of the ReFresh programme is to regenerate and rest the body, but also refresh and rejuvenate the face and body in a short period of time, extremely quickly and efficiently.

Although the holiday season is not yet over, it is already time to think about new challenges and preparations for the rainy autumn and long cold winter. There is nothing better than the ReFresh programme for extremely fast and efficient body regeneration and the ReShape programme to achieve hormonal balance, weight reduction and body reshaping www.ioanna.rs

ReShape programme ReShape is a personalised programme designed for body reshaping. It lasts two to three months, and is intended for those who want to lose five to 20 kilograms, those who lead a stressful life, patients with thyroid disorders, people with insulin resistance and other hormonal disorders. The ReShape programme is intended for women who have had in vitro fertilisation, after recovery from interventions, but also for women in perimenopause and men in andropause. It is recommended for anyone who spends a lot of time sit ting at a desk.

It’s Time For ReFresh And ReShape

ReFresh is a personalised programme intended for quick and efficient recovery of the body after great effort or a stress ful period. It is ideal for body recovery in patients exposed to high stress in specific life situations, whether private or professional. Combined therapy includes a strong infusion, i.e. a personalised mul tivitamin cocktail, which is prepared on the basis of the condition of the patient’s organism which instantly gives energy and strength for upcoming life challenges; facial exfoliation, massage, face mask according to the need and condition of the patient’s skin, along with facial, neck and cleavage hydration treatment and CLEO 24K LED mask with infrared light therapy

ReFresh programme

The goal of the ReShape programme is to achieve hormonal balance and reduce body weight and girth.

T he programme consists of meso therapy, nutritional therapy, specific physical procedures, massage, medi cal dermatological lasers, ultrasound, algae packing, magnets, green coffee for a quick treatment effect. If needed, supplementary therapy or vitamin infu sion is also prescribed.

France has responded to multiple requests from environmental organizations and introduced a ban on fossil fuel advertising. This applies to all petroleum-based energy sources, the energy obtained by burning coal and carbon-containing hydrogen, while natural gas is exempt from the ban until June 2023. According to the US-based Climate Accountability Institute, fossil fuel companies are among the biggest carbon polluters and make millions in profits promoting the sale of coal and gas.

Calls for a ban on fossil fuel advertising have been growing louder in the world in recent years. Last year, Greenpeace and 20 other environmental organizations called for a ban on fossil fuel advertis ing across the European Union.

TAIWAN’S TRADE WITH CHINA FAR BIGGER THAN ITS TRADE WITH THE U.S. Data show that Taiwan depends more on China for the trade than it does on the U.S., even if U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw her weight behind Taiwan this week in a high-profile visit. Taiwan came under military and economic pres sure from Beijing this week after the democratically self-ruled island allowed the visit of Pelosi — the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot on Taiwan in 25 years. The visit came despite warnings from China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and maintains the island should have no right to conduct foreign relations. The U.S. recognizes Beijing as the sole legal government of China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan. Still, Taiwan’s business and economic ties with mainland China and Hong Kong have grown so large that the region is by far the island’s largest trading partner.

Ford Motor is cutting about 3,000 jobs from its global workforce, as the automaker attempts to lower costs as part of restructuring efforts under CEO Jim Farley. Ford began notifying workers of the reductions on Monday, a company spokesman confirmed. The cuts are for 2,000 salaried positions and 1,000 agency jobs in the U.S., Canada and India, Farley and Ford Chair Bill Ford said in a message to employees that was obtained by CNBC. Ford’s costcutting actions are the latest in a series of efforts by companies to reduce expenses and employee headcount amid fears of a potential recession or economic softening, with inflation hovering near a 40-year high.

38 September “Stable use of nuclear power will be promoted on the major premise that public trust in nuclear power should be gained and that safety should be secured” ~ FUMIO KISHIDA, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

FOSSIL FUEL ADVERTISING BANNED IN FRANCE

FORD TO ELIMINATE 3,000 JOBS IN EFFORT TO CUT COSTS

 WORLD NEWS

A British oil company has won over €190 million ($190m) in compensation from the Italian government for blocking a planned project off Italy’s Adriatic coast. After tens of thou sands of Italians protested against the Ombrina Mare oil drill ing project in 2015, the Italian government banned oil drilling within 12 miles of Italy’s shoreline. This prevented the project from going ahead. Represented by no-win-no-fee lawyers, the developer Rockhopper sued the Italian government under the controversial Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).

AUDI HAS CONFIRMED ITS FORMULA 1 ENTRY FROM 2026

BRITISH COMPANY FORCES ITALY TO PAY €190M FOR OFFSHORE OIL BAN

The unanimous vote comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom set a target in 2020 to accelerate the shift away from internal combustion engines.

The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board, will force automakers to speed up the production of cleaner vehicles beginning in 2026 until sales of only zero-emission cars, pickup trucks and SUVs are allowed in the state.

CALIFORNIA BANS THE SALE OF NEW GASPOWERED CARS BY 2035 California, the country’s most popu lous state and the centre of U.S. car culture is banning the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2035, marking a historic step in the state’s battle against climate change.

39September “When it comes to the energy sector, we are in a situation which resembles a wartime economy” ~ MAGDALENA ANDERSSON, PRIME MINISTER OF SWEDEN

The luxury brand is expected to have a tie-up with Sauber, although have only announced they are manufacturing engines from 2026 so far. The entry of the Volkswagen-owned brands Audi and Porsche into F1 has been one of the sport’s worst-kept secrets in recent months, and Audi was the first to confirm its plans ahead of this weekend’s Belgian GP. Audi was previously linked with a partnership with McLaren but has reportedly turned their attentions to Sauber, who currently runs under the Alfa Romeo banner but has been in talks with other brands.

40 September MILLS MENSER / FOUNDER OF DIAMOND BANC AND OWNER OF BUCHROEDERS JEWELERS Entrepreneur Valuable Assets From Pricey Trinkets To thriveglobal.com

41September jewellery purchasing and financial lending company. This would prove to be a first, with no such branded luxury companies offering a palette of financial liquidity options to clients wishing to leverage the equity of jewellery items in their possession and maximising their potential returns on outright sales.

“Supplying capital is always good business and it became my true passion,” says Menser. As he explains: “I founded Diamond Banc to purchase diamonds and other high-end jewellery from the public substantially below traditional wholesale pricing. Diamond Banc also offers luxury asset-based loans to the public using their jewellery assets as collateral. This concept has truly transformed the business at my retail store by vastly lowering cost of goods, dramatically increasing inventory turn, and improving cash flow.

Seeing his son’s instant success and believing the company’s future was in safe hands, Mills’ father began considering his own future, and his ultimate decision to retire prompted Mills to buy the company when he was just 24. His decision to change the company’s business model was almost immediate. He says: “it was obvious to me that the traditional retail model was broken… Clients demanded better pricing, category specialisation, transparency, and a non-stuffy, yet still luxurious shopping experience. The company was performing and profitable when I purchased it, but in need of a re-invention to create growth.”

He identified a gap in the market that prompted him to rebrand and relaunch the business as a hybrid

Considering his upbringing, it comes as no surprise that Mills appreciates outstanding dia monds, luxury watches and unique items of valuable jewellers, but his true passion lies on the business side of the industry. Indeed, he has had an intense drive for business success since as far back as he can remember – to such an extent that, for him, entering the traditional family business as a third-generation entrepreneur was more about making the most of an opportunity than his innate love of the industry.

As he himself explains,“My father and I discussed the opportunity for me to join the family business from an early age, providing my results and success at my job earned me that right.” And they certainly did that: he soon earned a place among the ranks of the company’s management and had become Buchroeders top salesman and sales manager by When Mills Menser bought his own family’s successful jewellery business from his father in 2007, he wasn’t motivated by a desire to merely increase Buchroeders Jewelers’ sales operations and market share, rather he set himself the lofty goal of innovating and disrupting an extremely outdated industry the time he’d turned 18. And he’d done so while attending night school after holding down a fulltime day job at the company.

Diamond Banc buys both over the counter and nationwide through www.diamondbanc.com. Since its inception

Kentucky-born Mills Menser has been im mersed in the jewellery industry his whole life, having become active in the family business from an early age, personally overseeing huge sales and becoming the company’s top salesman and sales manager by the tender age of 18. But generating sales and turning a profit wasn’t enough to satisfy the ambitions of this young entre preneur, who had a vision to completely transform the company, and the industry to which it belongs. He did so by transforming Buchroeders Jewelers into a hybrid jewellery and financial company with the creation of Diamond Banc, defined as a national jewellery buyer and equity lender, and by pioneering the creation of a new capital market that enables access to short term capital for investors and entrepreneurs to expand their portfolios by borrowing against the equity that exists in items of jewellery that they already own. As a luxury brand that focuses solely on the provision of unrivalled liquidity solutions for owners of fine jewellery, Diamond Banc has today grown to include over half a dozen offices throughout the United States and continues to expand into key markets across the country.

Starting out with locations in Columbia, Kansas City, and Charlotte, Diamond Banc today has seven offices around the States and plans to double that number over the next two years, while it has to date already executed and funded over 3,000 loans.

“Diamond Banc also makes asset-based loans secured by loose diamonds, mounted bridal, designer lines, diamond fashion, signed pieces, gold and silver bullion directly to jewellers and wholesalers. We are happy to make loans as small as several thousand dollars secured by one diamond or in excess of one million dollars secured by a substantial inventory.”

Menser’s plans for his flourishing and unique business include the opening of more offices in metropolitan areas, continuing to double down on online growth, adding exclusive designer fashion items like purses and handbags to Diamond Banc’s list of accepted items of collateral and achieving the target of an active loan book exceeding 100 million dollars.

Admittedly, Menser notes, convincing clients to submit their most valuable assets in order to borrow money and trust that the company will duly wire them the funds is challenging. “We overcome this with hundreds of positive customer online reviews, lots of educational video content and an extremely professional, knowledgeable, and responsive team in 2008, we have acquired millions of dollars-worth of jewellery from the public via the website, as well as made loans in over 20 states.”

42 September of great communicators,” explains Mills

Diamond Banc formed a partnership in 2018 with Diamond Cellar Holdings, one of America’s largest privately owned retail jewellers, with the aim of accelerating the nationwide expansion of the brand and its offices.

Diamond Banc is also able to provide retailers with unlimited capital to help profitably purchase their own customers diamonds, fine jewellery and signed designer pieces. “We can also help you offer tremendously profitable asset-based loans to your clients and quickly increase your revenue stream by assisting your customers not only when they buy jewellery, but also when they wish to sell or obtain a loan,” explains Menser.

Completely transforming a traditional family business that has operated in a specific way for many years is far from easy, and Menser is of the opinion that transitioning a family business suc cessfully requires that the company remain under family ownership, but that the new family member heading the business possesses at least the same level of passion, ability and drive as their predecessor, if not even greater. As he notes: “customers cast votes with dollars, and few care today if the business they engage with is family owned… The concern is value, experience and efficiency.”

“It was bootstrapped in the beginning, and started with $20,000 in a checking account,” he customers cast votes with dollars, and few care today if the business they engage with is family owned… The concern is value, experience and efficiency atestly.com

Mills is eternally grateful to his family for their unwavering support for his endeavours, and to his father, in particular, for providing him with the op portunity that resulted in him successfully launching Diamond“ManyBanc.ofthe lessons I learned from him and the values he taught me about persistence, work ethic, confidence, results, marketing, accepting mistakes and taking responsibility continue to service Diamond Banc and Buchroeders,” insists this pioneer of 21st century business. says. “I invested a nickel to make a dime over and over again. From there, I found support from traditional banks that grew with Diamond Banc. Next, we took on private capital in the form of loans, returning above-market interest but never giving up any ownership.”

Entrepreneur

It was the needs of clients that led to the emer gence of the Diamond Banc division in 2008, with Mills noticing that, although some people wanted to sell their jewellery items outright, some potential clients were inquiring about borrowing against their most beloved pieces of jewellery that they simply couldn’t bear to sell. While there were plenty of companies selling jewellery, there was a distinct lack of well-funded and professional jewellery buyers with the knowledge required to be able to take into consideration every value-adding factor when purchasing diamonds and top items of fine jewellery – with the unenticing option of pawnbrokers often lacking the expertise needed to evaluate the true value of diamonds and thus typically undervaluing them.

In a desire to retain the Buchroeders retail divi sion as a separate entity, Mesner established the first branch of Diamond Banc in 2008, housed in a small office just a stones’ throw away from the family’s traditional retail outlet.

“I identified the lending requests as the service that Diamond Banc could be the best in the nation at offering,” says Menser.

VLADISLAV BAJAC, WRITER AND PUBLISHER also be spread among audiences of more modest desires. Despite everything, we suc ceeded: we bridged the chasm with “serious” books reaching larger circulations than had previously been the case, and by demolishing prejudices on all sides. We reconciled the length and breadth of antagonisms.

In parallel with all the professions that I’ve changed, I’ve always carried within me my core profession: writer. And I have been guided in that wonderful job by the same cosmopolitan curiosity to familiarise myself with the world both for myself and for others

As a writer, I’ve introduced important knowledge about the world in the Serbian language through my books, but I’ve also conveyed the specifics of the spirit and space of Serbian culture to that same world, through the translation of my books into many other languages. The beauty of literature and its power, which is sometimes even greater and stron ger than that of politics, still leads me into new conquests of freedom. It is important that I succeeded, as both an author and a publisher, in conveying these convictions to thousands of readers. Because books don’t exist without readers: if they aren’t read, they aren’t even written.

Geopoetika also succeeded in something else: to show how, even today, that the famous names of world literature that we publish were unknowns when we first introduced them in the Serbian language. That was also the model for unknown Serbian authors to believe in the power of literature and their own artistic convictions.

The Power Of Literature

Ifounded publishing company Geopoetika thirty years ago, in 1992. That was the time of the start of the collapse of Yu goslavia and the era when Serbia was under economic and political sanctions, with war following on the territory of the former homeland. One could say: the worst time for romantic ideas linked to books. Both yes and no. I’ve spent my life to date in the world of literature, as a writer and translator, as well as in the world of media as an editor and teacher of generations of journalists. I also previously had personal experience in publishing, as did my father, much earlier, as one of the first private publishers in the then socialist state. I was also helped by my family’s turbulent diplomatic experience. In the totality of all of this, together with my conviction that – with the help of books – we must remain in touch with the world even during times of isolation, alongside record scales of hyperinflation, with a few friends who remain with me today, I set out to conquer a utopian goal. From that first day, I had a desire to reduce the diametrically opposed extremes between elite and popular literature. The mission ap peared to be impossible, but I was convinced that so-called high and quality literature can

In parallel with all the professions that I’ve changed, I’ve always carried within me my core profession: writer. And I have been guided in that wonderful job by the same cosmopolitan curiosity to familiarise myself with the world both for myself and for others. That’s why my books contained the experiences of ancient and modern China, Japan and India to an equal extent as North America, Great Britain, Turkey and Scandinavia. That same kind of curiosity and breadth also formed the basis of Geopoetika. It earned a reputation precisely for covering the whole world and its diverse languages and cultures. It’s only in the last 10 or so years that we’ve started publishing books by local authors. Admittedly, for our English edition Serbian Prose in Translation we received the world award of the Publishers Association of the United Kingdom for initiative in translation at the London Book Fair. That same edition of contemporary Serbian writ ers, together with us, was then also launched by publishers in the U.S., Egypt, China etc., publishing the works of individual Serbian authors in English, Arabic and Chinese. That type of consistency is probably the main pillar of what differentiates Geopoetika from other publishers in Serbia. The desire to discover new things has constantly dragged me forward; that’s how both professions succeeded in pioneering ideas and original projects. That’s also the source of the many domestic awards and several international awards and decorations for Geopoetika and myself as a writer (from Japan, China and the UK to Norway). It was thus very important for me to con tribute, with my personal and collective work, to promoting my culture, to making it better known and thought of more positively around the world, to affirm the wealth of spirit and artistic talents of Serbian authors. Cultural di plomacy was actually the idea that guided me.

43September

PROFILE

44 September Architecture

WORLD TRADE CENTER TRANSPORTATION HUB

The industrial revolution saw trains help to completely transform the world, with the development of these trans port networks reaching their peak during the most financially lucrative period, the Gilded Age. With trains having grown in popularity throughout the second half of the 19th century, it should come as no surprise that some of the stations that emerged during that time across Europe and North America represent beautiful architectural works. From inspiring frescoes depicting the heavens adorning high ceilings to shiny floor mosaics, the most eye-catching train stations serve as living testaments to the economic boom brought about by such transport hubs. Whether they form stops on your daily journey to work or ports of call on interna tional adventures, train stations offer some of the world’s most attractive architecture. From the stunning Gothic Revival style of London’s famous St. Pancras Station to the Art Deco and Spanish Colonial looks of John and Donald Parkinson’s Union Station in Los Angeles, the dramatically designed features of these stations ensuring embarking on a train journey can be an inspiring experience. Which is why you might want to incorporate a trip to one of these famous stations into your itinerary the next time you’re planning a travel adventure.

Public transport stations often extend far beyond their utility to become treasured landmarks of the cities they serve. With Serbia currently redeveloping its own rail transport system and the new high-speed link between Belgrade and Novi Sad enticing passengers back to trains, here we hark back to the golden age of trains and urban metro systems by bringing you some of the world’s most stunning stations

World’s Most Stunning Train & Metro Stations

KANAZAWA STATION

The terminal station known as the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, located in New York’s Lower Manhattan, became highly anticipated after architect San tiago Calatrava first unveiled his design back in 2004. The project’s centrepiece is the main station house known as the Oculus, a four-billion-dollar glass and steel structure representing the main transport hub connecting 11 subway lines, the PATH train, the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal and several buildings in downtown Manhattan. The main hall is decked white marble floors and culminates with a retractable skylight of over 100 metres. The Oculus is also home to a new shopping centre known as the Westfield World Trade Center Mall.

LIÈGE-GUILLEMINS RAILWAY STATION

Renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava opted for steel, glass and white concrete when designing the new railway station for the Belgian city of Liège. Completed in 2009, his new hub replaces the original 1958 International Style station building (itself a replace ment for the pre-existing Beaux Arts structure first built in 1842) and intentionally lacks a single façade as a way of bringing together two neighbourhoods that had been previously divided by the railway tracks. The design emphasises Calatrava’s interest in the plasticity of concrete, with his enormous ribbed vault seemingly flowing organically to suggest a wave breaking above the thousands of passengers that pass through the station on a daily basis.

MILANO CENTRALE LIÈGE-GUILLEMINS RAILWAY STATION

When the old station in the Japanese city of Kanazawa, dating back to around 1898, was upgraded in 2005, it was met with mixed reactions. Many criticised the addition of an ultramodern glass-and-steel dome and giant drum-shaped wooden gate as being out of place. However, visitors continue to flock to this main transport hub of Ishikawa Prefecture, with its modern upgrades and additions contrasting alluringly with the city’s other historical attrac tions, including its geisha district and former samurai quarters.

KANAZAWA STATION

MILANO CENTRALE Milan’s main railway station, Italy’s second-largest station after Rome’s Stazione Termini, opened back in 1931 and draw design inspiration from Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. However, with Mussolini’s rise to power came the expansion of the existing Beaux Arts design to encompass Art Nouveau and Art Deco elements. The spectacular results include 36,000 square metres of marble flooring adorned with a range of stone sculptures and five train sheds roofed with sprawling iron-and-glass canopies.

45September

WORLD TRADE TRANSPORTATIONCENTERHUB

SOUTHERN CROSS STATION, MELBOURNE

SOUTHERN CROSS STATION, MELBOURNE

Melbourne’s elaborate Southern Cross Station extends the distance of an entire city block and is characterised by an undulating roof held up by a series of Y-shaped columns. Renovated and renamed (it was previously known as Spencer Street Station) in 2005, it now sports an innovative design by London-based firm Grimshaw Architects.

ROTTERDAM CENTRAAL STATION

Like many industrial cities with train stations that have stood the test of time but require upgrading to meet the needs of the modern world, Rotterdam required a new central rail and metro hub to accommodate many more passengers and high-speed and commuter lines. The City chose not to preserve the existing bland 1957 terminal and instead commissioned a team of architectural firms to collaborate on the new complex. Representing the design’s centrepiece is the glittering boomerang-like canopy covering the main entrance hall, as a stainless-steel structure that is brought a degree of warmth thanks to its partial wood cladding. A similar fusion of contrasting cool and warm materials also characterises the platforms, which are under a transparent roof supported by wooden beams. The use of 130,000 solar cells covering the roof area might be less visible but is no less impressive, and it also makes this one of Europe’s largest rooftop solar energy projects.

HUNGERBURG STATION

ROTTERDAM CENTRAAL STATION

British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid first made her mark on the Innsbruck region of Austria with the Bergisel ski-jump tower back in 2002, only to return with her design for the Nordpark Cable Railway, a four-station funicular line that replaced a dilapidated tram and now transports passengers along a 1.7km-long vertiginous incline. Hadid’s stations are all topped with lunging glass forms that are reminiscent of ice floes and snowdrifts. The main Hungerburg Station, the final stop in the funicular’s ascent, was completed in 2007.

46 September Architecture

HUNGERBURG STATION

Strasbourg-Ville station opened in 1841 and was rebuilt about 40 years later. Despite not being in Paris, it remains among France’s busiest hubs of rail transport. The superstructure of this late 19th century station was designed by German architect Johann Eduard Jacobsthal, but the building’s most famous section - the Salon de l’Empereur - added in 1900 in honour of then German Emperor Wilhelm II, was the work of another German architect, Hermann Eggert, who also designed the nearby Palais du Rhin. Refurbished between in 2006 and 2007 by French architect Jean-Marie Du thilleul, much of the station’s renovation consisted of restoring the original architects’ work, though Duthilleul did add an iconic glass roof covering the entire historical façade.

The stations of the Naples Metro underground rail system received a prestigious makeover in the early 2000s, with internationally renowned architects breaking a new look to public transport in this fashionable Italian city. One such metro station, Toledo, was designed by Spanish architect Oscar Tusquets, whose drew inspiration from the simple elements of earth, water and light. The new station was unveiled in 2012 and represents a spectacular work of intricate mosaics.

TOLEDO NAPLES METRO STATION

47September

London is home to many great railway stations, but a few of them, like St. Pancras International, represent truly beautiful works of architecture. Originally opened in 1868, at the peak of the Victorian era, this station is considered one of the world’s most elegant. Designed by William Henry Barlow and constructed by the Midland Railway Company, the station is infused with Gothic elements throughout. It served the main line into London from neighbouring cities, and the huge numbers of passengers arriving in the city on a daily basis prompted Midland Railway to construct the Midland Grand Hotel on the station’s façade. It still operates as a hotel today, and is also protected as a Grade I-listed building.

TOLEDO NAPLES METRO STATION

STRASBOURG-VILLE STATION

ST. PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL

ST. PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL

STRASBOURG-VILLE STATION

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, BITEF

The loss of a job, working multiple jobs in parallel just to be able to survive – these are themes that are topical in our lives, but also themes that we almost never find on the front pages of the press and in the news, in politicians’ presentations and at symposiums. But BITEF Artistic Director Ivan Medenica decided to dedicate this year’s 56th Belgrade International Theatre Festival – to be held from 23rd September to 1st October under the slogan “We, the Heroes of Our Own Labour” – to this particular topic. Was it difficult to find nine plays to bring to BITEF, or is this a topic that’s commonly considered in artistic circles? This topic isn’t quite a trend in world theatre, but we nonetheless succeeded in putting together a selection without difficulty. The thematic arc extends from the misery of Mexican factory workers who live on minimum earn ings, through the mass exodus abroad of Serbian health workers and the fate of guards of world museums who are often overqualified for their job, to working conditions in the theatre itself, with special emphasis on the position of women. This last topic – the phenomenon of work in the theatre – forms a special subsection of the programme, because it forms the core of as many as three of the shows: the Belgian dance show ‘Any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones’, the Slovenian play ‘Solo’ and our own ‘A World Without Women’.

OnComradesInArmsTheatreBoards

September48 Interview

The plays featured in this year’s 56th BITEF don’t treat the bleak themes of work in an angry, rageful and bitter manner; on the contrary, the dominant tones are warm and witty, even when the theme in question is the phenomenon of work in the theatre

This year’s BITEF opens with a play addressing the topic of ecology. What makes this issue such a force that moves so many people today, includ ing those protesting in our cities? How does this differ from the protests of the 1980s, when we had the same knowledge, but more time to react? Your question itself contains the an swer. This topic is today rendered urgent due to the fact that humankind has no more time to waste. Even if the necessary political decisions were taken immediately at the global level, and implemented consistently (when it comes to emissions of harmful gases, for example), it is still questionable whether there would be enough time to halt climate mutations and other serious environmental problems. Apart from the noted urgency of the prob lem, I don’t know exactly how things differ compared to the protests of the ‘80s. Perhaps the tendency to elevate the environmental movement above

After two years of a depressing situation in which obituaries and ‘cancellations’ were, directly or indirectly, the news of the day in almost everyone’s life, you chose a gloomy topic. What do you think attracts audiences to these plays that delve deeply into their souls? What kind of thinking would you like them to head home with after the curtain falls? This topic is gloomy, but I’m deeply convinced that aesthetic emancipa tion isn’t BITEF’s only mission, but rather it also has a social mission. In other words, BITEF is also a festival of engaged, critical, emancipatory and progressive theatre. Having that in mind, it would be logical – in the Brechtian tradition – for viewers to head home thinking about what they’ve watched, for that to prompt them to reflect critically on their own existential position – in this case, with regard to working conditions and labour rights. However, I don’t think we’re depriving the viewers of catharsis, which Brecht vehemently opposed. Many of the plays offer opportuni ties to feel empathy, to identify with the more or less unfortunate fates of their heroes. It is interesting that, in the selected plays, these gloomy topics are not treated in an angry, rageful and bitter manner; on the contrary, it seems to me that the dominant tones are warm and witty.

IVAN MEDENICA

On the other side, if I knew of some one in Russian theatre who’s like Nikita Mikhalkov, someone who openly supported the invasion of Ukraine, I would avoid his work, and maybe even support “cancelling” him. As far as BITEF is concerned, if the selection had included any Russian author or play, I certainly wouldn’t “cancel” them, because I know that would represent artistic and social discourse that wouldn’t be in any way supportive of war and imperialistic policies. With the exception of the authors of domestic plays, all the directors and choreographers at this year’s BITEF are participating for the first time, they are essentially strangers to the local audience. What prompted you to make this choice? That was down to circumstance; we didn’t set out from that as a set goal. However, when it became evident that the selection was moving in that direc tion, we liked it and it became one of the many criteria of selection towards the very end of the process. At BITEF we don’t interpret “novelty” as necessarily meaning something completely new, but certainly still radical and different theatre practises. This year that novelty is ‘devised theatre’, while the previous ones were installations, durational performances, immersive theatre etc. However, “novelty” can also be grasped in a more simplistic sense – as authors’ poetics that are new to our area. I think that has great importance, because, unfortunately, in our area, even among professionals, it is unknown who today’s most relevant theatre authors, events, companies and festivals are. In contrast to film or popular music, we find this context elusive. For instance, Katie Mitchell has been one of the world’s leading theatre directors for years, but I’m afraid that she’s not known in our country. Thus, selecting figures who are new to our area also has a certain informational and educational value. What should those of us who are hungry for BITEF be sure not to miss that isn’t included in the main programme? I’ll be brutally honest: you shouldn’t miss anything.

49September civic actions and profile it with more ideological breadth and clarity, so that it can provide answers to all important social issues, and not just environmental ones. It would thereby become what some theorists dub “political ecology” and would become a new, different and relevant political force, which could perhaps also provide hope for humanity. During recent days, intel lectual curiosity has led me to start translating from French the book by famous philosopher and sociolo gist Bruno Latour that he wrote in collaboration with Nikolaj Schulz and which deals with these issues in particular. Its very title is significant, programmatic – On the Emergence of an Ecological Class: A Memo. A new topic leaps to the surface seem ingly every hour in our world, from ecology, via tough and undignified work, to the war in Ukraine. As artistic director of BITEF, what makes you decide to say “this is what we need to deal with this year”? Have you considered that the issues of labour, no matter how difficult, pale in comparison to the shadow of war that’s almost at our doorstep? The selection is formed, in the first period, by festival dramatist Filip Vujošević and myself watching very different plays, until a few of them, on the same or a similar topic, stand out –on the basis of artistic value and social importance. Then, around the middle of the selection process, that topic is “solidified” and only projects that fall within that framework are sought out until the end of the process. This means that the main theme of the 56th BITEF was chosen, and many plays already invited, at the end of last year, i.e., a few months prior the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Though even if there hadn’t been an objective reason based on dates, I think I would have stuck to the topic of labour. Viewed from a Marxist perspective, issues of social injustice, inequality, exploitation, class oppression etc., are older than issues of war. These phenomena are less consequences of wars and more their cause. We are reading constantly about nu merous theatres, opera houses and ballet companies deciding to remove works of Russian authors from their repertoire, even if they are centuries removed from the current political juncture, as is the case with the likes of Chekhov or Tchaikovsky. What would you have done if the plays you wanted to bring to BITEF included some work by a classical or new Russian author or theatre, either Russian and Ukrainian? Where is it appropriate to combine the artistic and the political; and where does that become tasteless and grotesque? I’ve already given statements on this topic, at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In short, it is absolutely unacceptable to “cancel” dead Russian artists who, for obvious reasons, could not have contributed to, supported or justifies this inva sion. As you say – it’s completely grotesque. The same goes for the vast majority of Russian artists alive today: namely, they consist mainly of authors who oppose Putin’s policies and suffer the resultant consequences, with some even having to emigrate.

Živan Milisavac, Čedomir Popov, Božidar Kovaček et al. Connoisseurs weighed up the situation well, noting that - at the time of the election for such an important position - there was no man better suited for the job than professor Stanić.

My life Dragan Stanić Ph.D., President of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, aka poet Ivan Negrišorac

A professor of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, a writer and Serbian literary scholar, Dragan Stanić Ph.D. is one of the few presidents of Matica to have led this oldest shrine to Serbian literature, culture and science for a third consecutive term. For the 196th year of this institution’s existence, professor Dragan Stanić is its 27th president. His election as this institution’s top man was expected and welcomed by all cultural workers in Serbia, with only he himself considering that there are perhaps more worthy figures.

&POETRYMATICASHINEFROMWITHIN

50 September

Unbeknownst to himself, Stanić seems to have been inadvert ently preparing for the respon sibility of leading the Serbian people’s most important insti tution for years. Matica Srpska is like his second home: he first served as its secretary, then as editor of its chronicle Letopis, representing Serbia’s oldest periodical, which has been pub lished in continuity for almost two centuries, and then took on the role of chairman of the Editorial Board of the Serbian Encyclopaedia, only to finally be elected president of Matica Srpska in Professor2012.Stanić is also a poet, who is better known in literary circles under the pseudonym Ivan Negrišorac. His many obligations – first and foremost as president of Matica – don’t prevent him from being a literary scholar, but they do stop him from dedicating more of his time to other literary genres - novels, dramas, essays. If his health serves him, and provided he has enough creative energy, he says that he will make up for that in the future. He is simultaneously also a regular professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, where he lectures on literary theory.

“I remember my childhood as a carefree time, during which I gained those first experi ences that are in the sign of childish innocence and purity. I grew up in Sirig, a village close to Novi Sad, and that rural childhood is something that I value today as the most beautiful period of my life. In that pleasantly tame environment, but also at my grandparents’ place, where I spent my summers, I befriended animals and plants, nature, which I experience as a beautiful, almost poetic blessing. I wasn’t a stranger to the city either, on the contrary, I often visited Novi Sad with my mother Stamena and father Mile, to visit my uncle Ivan. When my father, who worked in Novi Sad, received a flat, we lived between the village and the city, until we quickly relocated entirely to the city.”

And to this very day that hasn’t changed much. He still lives in the city, while yearning to be in the countryside. He is at his happiest when he’s at his holiday home in Čortanovci, on Fruška Gora, where – just like in his child hood – he befriends nature. Though, admittedly, there are none of those animals that he had at his relatives’ rural place, with cats, cows, sheep... “I loved animals and took care of them. That love was mutual. When I would visit my grandparents during the summer break from school, I would also take on certain responsi bilities around them. They entrusted me with I experienced a complete turnaround when I realised that what I’d been taught, which was an atheistic image of the world, had no basis in reality, or rather that there is a different image of the world that is much more multifaceted and offers a much richer view of everything that comes after a person’s death. And that’s an image of the world that, alongside science, leaves a much broader space that is observed through the lens of poetry, religion and philosophy caring for sheep and cattle, with feeding and watering the horses... I first rode one when I was ten years old, pulling another horse by the reins to the well to drink. When I look back today, I know that I had a beautiful childhood.”

51September

Stanić’s parents were highly educated people (geography professor mother and philosophy professor father) and they had a large family library. His father was a particu larly passionate buyer and reader of books, and that love didn’t bypass his son either. His mother still reads novels every day, at the age of 90. He grew and developed intellectually alongside his parents, while the other side of his upbringing was his enjoyment of nature and an everyday life that showed him all the values of the Serbian people and culture. His father’s region of Dragačevo and his mother’s homeland of Šumadija, along with Bačka, where he grew up, helped him to develop an understanding for the many differences of Serbian culture, but also for how these differences contain numerous underlying similarities. He discovered how the rural way of life enables people to live from what they themselves produce, which delighted him. In the early 1960s, in the Stanić family home in the Dragačevo village of Negrišori, the only things they bought were gas for lamps, salt and sugar. They didn’t even use much sugar, as they had their own apiary and honey. They produced everything else themselves.

By Radmila StankovićBy Zorica Todorović Mirković; Photography: Branislav Lučić ZMAJ’S AWARD

“I was fortunate enough to meet Father Tadej during the moment of one of my mental breakdowns, and that’s how it came about that I returned to the path of my ancestors, though greatly delayed. My father was a selfproclaimed atheist, a communist, stubborn and consistent in his views. He didn’t have understanding or answers to the questions troubling me. I found those answers in the books I read and in conversations with spiritual people. I hope I will one day convert this drama that I endured in my youth into a literary testimony that will show the seriousness of all the problems I encountered.”

My life

As a then young man, he began adopting different views on life, the world, people... He decided to continue heading in that direction, and it became his own personal path. He had to deal with it himself, because nothing in the education system encouraged him to do so. He recalls with particular sentimentality some intellectuals who’d had an ear for such topics, like Nikola Milošević, Vladeta Jerotić and an entire array of people who’d raised such questions at the time Marxism was imposed on the people. He spotted all the limitations of the Marxist worldview, while his discoveries of other kinds of knowledge, such as Indian – not only through reading, but also through spiritual practice – opened him up to new horizons. With his discovery of Christian Orthodoxy in the mid ’80s, peace and serenity returned to his life. Also contributing to this were the country’s most spiritual figures, who marked our entire intellectual life, firstly our great hieromonks, later bishops and metropolitans - Bishop Irinej, the late Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović, Bishop Atanasije and a series of other spiritual leaders, among whom the most important for him was Father Tadej Vitovnički.

52 September

His secondary school years were a time of enjoying the beauty of his youth and his school days at the Svetozar Marković High School, where he completed his schooling. Surrounded by great teachers, he socialised while walking around the famous “Novi Sad strafta”, where all the students tended to head after classes, staying until 9:30pm and only then returning home. He lived just like his peers. “It was then that my life began to get complicated. A split suddenly appeared in my experience of the worldview I’d held. This had actually first occurred to me back in primary school, sometime during the fourth year, but back then such phenomena were less frequent, and less intense. I experienced serious existential crises, which were primarily a consequence of me being confronted by the phenomenon of death. That was a major metaphysical problem for me, which I set about resolving, with great difficulty. That period lasted until somewhere around the end of my twenties, or more precisely until the age of 28. I experienced a complete turnaround when I realised that what I’d been taught, which was an atheistic image of the world, had no basis in reality, or rather that there is a different image of the world that is much more multifaceted and offers a much richer view of everything that comes after a person’s death. And that’s an image of the world that, alongside science, leaves a much broader space that is observed through the lens of poetry, religion and philosophy.”

Professorsuccessfully.Stanićistoday a self-aware man, a man greatly devoted to Matica Srpska and I see some connectionfatedwith Matica, which awakens within me a special kind of metaphysical, mystical responsibility on behalf of all these people whose portraits I look at every day and feel as though I’m answerable to all these great men for my actions WITH HIS PARENTS

He believes deeply that crucial things like love and the search for the meaning of one’s personal existence are eternal preoccupations of man. Material things are undoubtedly necessary for life, but life’s higher meaning manifests on another plane. In these times in which we’re living, when talk of the material is constantly imposed on us, there will always be those striving towards life at that higher level. He’s of the opinion that everyone endures similar trials and tribulations at some point in their lives, but he hopes that today’s youth and some future generations will be able to handle that

Dragan Stanić Ph.D., President of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, aka poet Ivan Negrišorac

“Since its very inception, Matica nurtured the spirit of Serbian Christian Orthodox values and the way of life that derived entirely from all of that, until the post-World War II period, when greater importance was attached to some other values. My predecessors worked to change that situation. Back when Boško Petrović served as president of Matica, and bishop Irinej became the Bishop of Bačka, a symbiosis was again formed between Matica and the Church. That spiritually enriches and strengthens us, so I couldn’t imagine Matica functioning in any other way than continuing along the path we’ve been living, for more than three decades, in full Christian communion and acting in complete rapport with our Church.”

“I experience my duty as president of MS as a great honour, even though I’ve always been convinced that I’m not worthy; that there are older, more deserving people... I have a special relationship of responsibility towards this institution, with deep awareness of the noble functions it takes charge of. Some magical con nection exists between me and Matica. When I recalled the past, in my poetic imagination, it appeared in its own way. My uncle lived across the street from Matica and the impos ing Matica building was the first thing I saw in Novi Sad when I was brought there as a baby. When I would later come to my uncle’s house, my concept of that building was as a place where intelligent people gather, where a huge library exists... I couldn’t comprehend all those facts in a tangible and meaningful way as a boy, but I only know that I always felt a great internal respect.”

AND GRANDDAUGHTERS IVANA AND ISKRA

53September

WITH DAUGHTER ISIDORA, SON-IN-LAW DEJAN

Who would have thought that today’s Matica president spent the early 1960s play ing football with his cousins Mićo and Vojkan in front of the building where he would one day serve as president? Cars rarely drove by back then, and children kicked the ball in Matica Srpska Street without a care in the world. Later, in 1995, when he was appointed Matica secretary, he was haunted by images of those bygone days. When he would circle the institution and head down to the building’s basement, looking through the windows, to both the left and right of the central entrance, he would recall the image of playing carefree as a child... As though in a trance, he would again see himself, as a boy, playing football in front of the building, with the glazed basement windows, protected by wire netting, serving as the goals. As the poet Ivan Negrišorac, he wrote a poem about that secretary who descends to the basement and observes his childhood from a distant yet familiar perspective.

“I see some fated connection with Matica, which awakens within me a special kind of metaphysical, mystical responsibility on behalf of all these people whose portraits I look at every day and feel as though I’m answerable to all these great men for my actions. To mark the occasion celebrating the 196th anniversary of Matica, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije noted that “the life and work of Matica is intertwined with the life and work of our Church”. Testifying to this claim is the fact that, during the 19th century, Bishop of Buda and Bačka Platon Atanacković served two terms as the president of Matica Srpska, but other senior figures in our church have also been active in Matica.

It was predestined that Stanić would be come a writer and poet. He spent eight years as editor of the Letopis chronicle of Matica Srpska, a key asset in Matica’s existence and a periodical that still today forms the basis for the development of Serbian literary life and other disciplines. Preserving Letopis, both now and in the future, represents one of the most important missions still to be faced by Matica. The very survival of Letopis was under

Alongside the many projects being worked on at Matica, professor Stanić attaches great importance to everything related to the Serbian language –orthography, normative grammar, the MS Single Volume Dictionary. All these books have also received their versions in the Ijekavian dialect everything this oldest independent, non-profit, non-governmental, cultural-scientific Serbian national institution does and fights for. And he has always had an innate sense of responsibil ity and justification for everything he does.

He also works ceaselessly to draft capital projects for our nation, first and foremost the Serbian Encyclopaedia, which will ul timately include around 18,000 pages, then the Serbian Biographical Dictionary, as well as lexicographic projects - the Multi-volume Dictionary of the Serbian Language, the Dictionary of the Slavic-Serbian Language and the Dictionary of Serbian Folk languages from the 12th to 18th centuries.

My life

“It was the Western political elites in par ticular, and their corresponding services, together Professor Stanić is a man who loves his own people and respects others. He can’t imagine the history of Serbia without Kosovo. It’s clear to him that Kosovo could, in a political sense, be displaced from the political framework of the state controlled by the Serbian people, and that this can only be done by force. In a spiritual sense, for him the tradition of Kosovo is fully part of the very foundation of our being

JULY 1980, IN FRONT OF COLOGNE CATHEDRAL

54 September threat during one period, but the danger has since abated and Matica is happily preparing for a great anniversary: commemorating two centuries of the existence of this chronicle that represents the only periodical in the world of literary magazines that has been published in continuity for such a long period. Alongside the many projects being worked on at Matica, professor Stanić attaches great importance to everything related to the Serbian language – orthography, normative grammar, the MS Single Volume Dictionary. All these books have also received their versions in the Ijekavian dialect. This serves as a clear declaration that the lands of the Serbian language encompass the areas covered by both the Ekavian and Ijekavian dialects. There are some unreasonable people who think that the Ijekavian dialect should be left to some other newly formed nations, or old ones with designs on usurping that which is the product of Serbian folk dialect. In this area of nurturing Serbian culture in its entirety, MS boards, like the Timișoara and Njegoševo boards, are also active, together with the newly established Krajiško, Kosovsko-Metohijska and Omladinska boards.

Dragan Stanić Ph.D., President of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, aka poet Ivan Negrišorac

Professor Stanić is a man who loves his own people and respects others. He can’t imagine the history of Serbia without Kosovo. It’s clear to him that Kosovo could, in a political sense, be displaced from the political framework of the state controlled by the Serbian people, and that this can only be done by force. In a spiritual sense, for him the tradition of Kosovo is fully part of the very foundation of our being. Nor is he indifferent regarding the situa tion in Russia and Ukraine. As someone who was raised to be righteous, he claims that this conflict wouldn’t have come about if the entire process hadn’t been concocted by centres of great power that believe they have a monopoly on producing crisis hotspots around the world.

He insists that we fail to care enough about our language and script, including Cyrillic as our identifying script. Reminding us that the Cyrillic script has been persecuted in all situations when the Serbian people have also faced persecution, and that this fact in itself should serve a clear indication to help us avoid new problems, he say it’s worrisome that many people fail to see the importance of these facts, while it is evident that schools, and the education system generally, pay very little attention to language and the study of the Serbian language and literature. This results in a large number of people who don’t love their own language, and even nurture open hatred towards both it and their own culture.

Poetry has held a very important place in his life since childhood, so it is always significant when he starts writing something important. It might be paradoxical, but whenever he started to write some poem, he felt as though something important was happening. As he matured and reached some kind of threshold of human maturity, adulthood, he increasingly realised that it is worth dedicating one’s whole life to poetry SAD, AUGUST 1980

“When it comes to my literary creativity, I’ve done a lot, awards and acknowledge ments haven’t been lacking, but in relation to the multitude of creative ideas, I could say, together with Branko Radičević, “your father leaves you in tatters”. Most of the time that I have at my disposal today belongs to Matica, to my daughter Isidora and her family, and that all has its price. But I somehow still believe in the time ahead of me. It’s not yet time for settling accounts; there will be new articles and new books, everything that has comprised my literary world. I have always written with all my heart. All periods of writing are dear to me, I’m honest with the pen. I’ve received awards and accolades, but after receiving an award I’ve always tried to hold myself and others to account: why that accolade; did I deserve it? Who’s on the jury is important to me, whether they’re people with honest and fair judgement. And it’s just as important for me to know whose name the award bears.”

Poetry has held a very important place in his life since childhood, so it is always significant when he starts writing something important. It might be paradoxical, but when ever he started to write some poem, he felt as though something important was happening.

He has spent two decades teaching creative writing courses at the Faculty of Philosophy: professor Sava Damjanov for prose and pro fessor Stanić for poetry. Many students have completed this “school”, where young peo ple build themselves and become individual personalities ready to devote themselves to nurturing their internal poetic spirit. He achieves a sense of fulfilment from working with students, but he says unequivo cally that he’s dissatisfied with those students who approach their study obligations and the vocation they’ve chosen half-heartedly, with a lack of true passion and any desire to learn.

“There’s never enough time, and recollections of loss are ever more intense and painful. I miss my wife tremendously, but to my joy there are also happy moments when she shows me that she’s still somewhere around us. And only poetry can preserve and unify all those experiences.”

As he matured and reached some kind of threshold of human maturity, adulthood, he increasingly realised that it is worth dedicating one’s whole life to poetry.

55September with the corrupt government, that began shap ing Ukraine into an anti-Russian state with clear lines of hostile activity, and that could no longer be tolerated by a power like Russia. I’m not hereby justifying the military intervention itself. The West, which produced the crisis, was counting on precisely that happening. Their goal was for blood to be spilt; for two brotherly nations to become bloody enemies. I sincerely hope that relations between Russia and Ukraine will be patched up, though I’m well aware that this won’t happen easily or quickly.”

There are students who don’t show sufficient desire to raise their level of knowledge and to seriously consider their own destiny: to discover why they are here, what they are doing, where they should go... That’s why he dedicates himself fully to those students who are striving and eager to learn, who read and learn constantly, broadening their own horizons. Those young people bring him joy as he watches them grow and mature...He revels in their success. Now, with the sun setting on his university career, he is nonetheless satisfied because his best students prove that it has all made sense.

The fact that he’s excessively busy and dedicated means that he almost abandoned the joys of everyday life, above all spending time with his family, his grandchildren... Despite his obligations and interests, he tries to dedicate every free moment to his nearest and dearest. Unfortunately, his wife Mirjana has passed away, so he now fills the time he spent with her in other ways: by working or spending time with his family or friends.

NOVI

The Economist article ran through possible explanations of the obesity gap of 10 percentage points between men and women in the Middle East, then cited Iraqis who see actress Enas Taleb’s curves as the ideal of beauty. “Fat,” a word now considered taboo in much of Western media, was repeated six times. The article triggered torrid criticism on social media. Twitter users blasted it as misogynistic. Local rights groups issued denunciations. Some writers were appalled by what they described as demeaning stereotypes about Arab women.

Guardian Newspaper Loses Court Challenge Over Secret Prince Philip Will Hearing

56 September OUTCHILL

The Guardian newspaper has lost a Court of Appeal challenge over the decision to hold a court hearing about the Duke of Edinburgh’s will in private. Lawyers for the Guardian argued in court that the entire private hearing over whether the will should remain secret was the “most serious interference with open justice.” Prince Philip, the nation’s longest-serving consort, died aged 99 on 9th April last year, two months before he would have turned 100. After the death of a senior member of the royal family, it has been a tradition for more than a century that an application to seal their will is made to the president of the Family Division of the High Court.

Economist Article On ‘Fat’ Arab Women Sparks Uproar Over BodyShaming

Belgrade Zoo Is Home To The Oldest Living American Alligator 85 years ago, on 9th August 1937, the oldest living American alligator in the world arrived at Belgrade Zoo. His name is Muja. International statistics confirmed Muja’s absolute world record for the longevity of alligators living in controlled conditions. Muja arrived in Belgrade from a German zoo, together with several other animals. For a long time, efforts have been made to find out accurate information on how old Muja was then. If the accuracy of the information in the daily press of the time is to be believed, on 10th August 1937, Belgrade’s “Vreme” announced that Muja had arrived at the Zoo the previous day as a two-year-old, although in the photo they published he looks much older. According to the estimates of the specialists, it is thought that he was already ten years old at that time.

Meghan Markle Promises To Show ‘The Real Me’ In Spotify Podcast Meghan Markle has declared that she is going to ‘be me and talk and be unfiltered’ in her new Spotify podcast. In a new video promoting her long-awaited Archetypes podcast - which has taken two years to get off the ground after the Sussexes signed a lucrative deal with the audio streaming giant estimated to be worth around £ 18 million after they quit royal duties - the duchess said ‘people should expect the real me in this and probably the me that they’ve never gotten to know. She said: ‘People should expect the real me in this and probably the me that they’ve never gotten to know.

Emir Of Qatar Invites President Of Serbia To FIFA World Cup

57September

The Ambassador of Qatar in Bel grade, H.E. Faris Roumi Mohammed Shaheen Al-Nuaimi, handed Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić a letter from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that included an invitation to attend the upcoming football World Cup, which will be held in Qatar this November.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Turns 75, Still Maintains WorkoutsDaily Arnold is a bodybuilding legend, actor and former governor of the U.S. State of California (20032007) who has just turned 75. He still works out for up to an hour and a half daily, mainly cycling for 45 to 60 minutes, and lifting weights for 30 Schwarzeneggerminutes.saidthat work ing out, alongside eating and sleeping, is part of his daily rou tine for maintaining good health.

FRANKINCENSE - Fragrance family: Sweet, spicy and woody

Amouage Incense Rori Attar Pure Perfume Oil

Price: €204

You

Price: €219

ORRIS BUTTER - Fragrance family: Fresh, woody yet delicately floral

Of The Rarest Fragrances And Ingredients Need To Know

September58 Diptyque Opsis

Cherished by 16th-century Italian noblewoman Catherine de’ Medici, the material obtained from the rhizomes of the iris plant – known as orris butter – is among the most hypnotic in perfumery with a smell that is a combination of powdery, woody and violet notes. As it requires between three and five years to mature before it can be used, it is extremely precious, with some varieties costing more than three times as much as gold.

6

In the time of the Roman empire – when frankincense played a crucial role in religious ceremonies – the world’s most important source of the material was Oman. To this day, the country’s Dhofar region, which endures monsoon-like rain in the summer, produces what is considered to be the highest grade of frankincense in the world.

Scent-makers devote considerable time and effort to travelling around the world seeking the most exceptional grade and rarest of ingredients that they can find in the hope of lifting their fragrances out of the ordinary and making them truly unforgettable. The ‘preciousness’ of a fragrance can therefore depend on several different factors, but most of these come down to either how scarce the ingredient is or how difficult it is to process and transform into a substance that can be poured into a bottle. While the ingredients may seem rare, you can rest assured the fragrance is breath-taking. Turning to exceptional ingredients for inspiration, and framing fragrances in novel ways to highlight their heart-stoppingly beautiful notes is a thing of beauty. Between frankincense, saffron and oud, these are the rarest fragrances and ingredients you’ll need to elevate your perfume wardrobe – talk about heaven scent.

Created by perfumer Julien Rasquinet as a traditional attar – composed entirely of precious oils – it showcases the richest, most meditative attributes of this noble ingredient.

Inspired by the meanderings of a London theatre, this fragrance encompasses the smell of the woodwork to the curtain drawn across the stage. Launched 11th July.

FRAGRANCES

OUD - Fragrance family: woody, ranging from sweet to earthy

A cup of cardamom-flavoured coffee, perfumer Thierry Wasser says, always greets him on arrival at an Arabic house – a gesture he has now bottled in the latest addition to the collection.

Perfumer Sophie Labbé has made use of the ingredient’s uniquely smouldering properties where it supports dark, smoky vanilla to create a mysterious leathery composition.Price:€305

Saffron – so special that some of its varieties can cost almost £8,000 per kilogram –. Known as ‘red gold’, saffron is one of the most ancient perfume ingredients. Either as a single note or harnessed within a blend, it adds an undeniable aroma to any perfume because of its intimate, soft yet earthy characteristics.

Naturally warm, the cacao bean is equally sweet and spicy and renowned for its gourmand scent. With the versatile play between a bitter allure and a creamy sweetness, it’s a sheer pleasure on the nose.

SAFFRON - Fragrance family: gourmand, deep and leather-like.

59September

CARDAMOM - Fragrance family: Spicy, citrus-woody notes

Almost overwhelmingly powerful, oud oil is created when a fungus attacks the bark of the aquilaria tree. The substance is produced by the tree as a defence mechanism and is by far one of the most expensive perfume ingredients, with some varieties of oud priced at around € 88847 per kilogram.

Price: €180

Price: €180

In this Harrods exclusive composition, the dry, herbal, honey-like scent of the star material is linked with florals to create an unexpectedly lushPrice:bouquet.€238

Bvlgari Le Gemme Orom Guerlain Epices Exquises Acqua di Parma Zafferano Wilgermain Passion Victim

A rare example of a spice that manages to smell both hot and cold, cardamom has long been prized as a vital addition to perfume. The third costliest spice in the world, its warm aroma is a breath of fresh air. With two varieties, cardamom can be both fresh with hints of mint and eucalyptus-green remnants, and earthy with a smoky black aroma. Leaning between a skin-like, suede-soft touch to a brighter fragrance, it’s intoxicating.

CACAO BEAN - Fragrance family: warm, spicy gourmand.

A complex and rarely used material, cacao bean acts as a keystone in the heart of this Harrods exclusive. It has a bright citrus opening with warming background notes.

Bisera Veletanlić 4 September – Kapetan Mišino zdanje – 20.30

Partibrejkers celebrates 40 years of rock and roll at the Belgrade Fair! The legendary band was established at the beginning of August 1982 and will mark its jubilee on 22nd September with a big outdoor concert in Belgrade.

Carmina Burana

The legendary singer Bisera Veletanlić with Vasil Hadžimanov’s band will hold a con cert on 4th September, opening a series of musical performances called “Atrium Ses sions”, organized by the Center of Belgrade Festivals - CEBEF. Bi sera will delight nu merous fans with an outdoor performance in a special setting in the centre of Belgrade. Tickets for this excep tional concert can be purchased online through the tickets. rs website, as well as at Ticket Vision sales points. Bisera Veletanlić, the star of the big festivals of the former Yugoslavia, is one of the biggest names in the domestic music scene.

60 September SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM calendar Culture

“We will celebrate 40 years of life and rock and roll at the Fair with our audience that has been following us from the beginning, from the middle and from now on,” Zoran Kostić Cane announces and invites us to a concert on the occasion of this important jubilee.

Partibrejkers: 40 years of rock and roll 22 September - Belgrade Fair – 21.00

“Come and see each other. With aggravating circumstances we are born again. Let’s be together, let’s enjoy music, love, tolerance. Let’s enjoy everything that is not there”.

2 September - Republic Square, Belgrade – 20.00

A unique open-air musical spectacle, Carl Orff’s impressive work ‘Carmina Burana’ will take place on Friday, 2 September, starting at 20.00 at Republic Square in Belgrade. The audience can expect a performance of Orff’s impressive work with around 400 performers, including two symphony orchestras, two choirs and a children’s choir. The conductor will be Maestro Aleksandar Kojić and the soloists are soprano Marija Jelić, tenor Stevan Karanac and baritone Vasa Stajkić. This outdoor spectacle, as part of CEBEF’s “Classical Sessions” program, is organized by the Center of Belgrade Festivals in cooperation with the Serbian National Theater and the “Stanislav Binički” Art Ensemble. The entrance is free.

56th Bitef until 2 October

This year’s Bitef will be held from 23 September to 2 October at seven locations in Belgrade. The main program will feature nine plays from Germany, Belgium, Mexico, France, Serbia, Slovenia, and Great Britain. The thematic focus of the festival, whose slogan is “We – the heroes of our work”, is the issue of modern society: job loss, precarious work, the labour market after the pandemic, professional retraining…and a special part will be made up of performances that treat the issue of work in the performing arts.

The General in His Labyrinth Gabriel Garcia Marquez 1336 rsd TheGeneralinhisLabyrinthis the compelling tale of Simon Bolivar, a hero who has been forgotten and whose power is fading, retracing his steps down the Magdalena River by the Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of One

Emotional Intelligence For Sales Leadership Colleen Stanley 1835 rsd Chronic complainers, no accountability finger-pointers, or learning-resistant laggards - these culture-killers cost sales organizations more in productivity than being weak in the so-called hard skills of selling. Learn how emotional intelligence and the development of these critical soft skills improve sales leadership effectiveness and outperform doubling down on more sales technology tools and fads.

The charismatic, near-mythological figure of Josip Broz Tito was many things: an inspirational partisan leader and scourge of the Germans during their occupation of Yugo slavia in the Second World War; a doctrinaire communist but an ever-present thorn in Moscow’s side; an oppressor, a dictator, a reformer, and a playboy. He managed Yugo slavia’s internal tensions through personality, the force of will, and political oppression. It was only after his death in 1980 that the true scale of this feat was understood.

The Founders Jimmy Soni 2106 rsd In The Founders, award-winning author Jimmy Soni nar rates how a once-in-a-generation collaboration turned a scrappy start-up into one of the most successful busi nesses of all time. Facing bruising competition, internal strife, the emergence of widespread online fraud, and the devastating dot-com bust of the 2000s, their success was anything but certain. But they would go on to change our world forever.

61SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM RECOMMENDS

HundredYearsofSolitudeandLoveintheTimeofCholera„ItwasthefourthtimehehadtravelledalongtheMagdalena,andhecouldnotescapetheimpressionthathewasretracingthestepsofhislife“

Various Pets Alive and Dead Marina Lewycka 1774 rsd Marina Lewycka explores the clash of the generations in one extremely colourful family in her comic novel Various PetsAliveandDead.FortwentyyearsDoro and Marcus lived in a commune, convinced lentils and free love would change the world. They didn’t. What they did do was give their children a terror of radicalism, dirt, cooking rotas and poverty. Their daughter Clara wants nothing less conformist than her own, clean bathroom. Their son Serge hides the awkward fact that he’s a banker earning loadsamoney.

Tito Neil 1903Barnettrsd

September

Metabolical Dr Robert Lustig 2510 rsd In the hard-hitting, ground-breaking tradition of his NY Times bestseller Fat Chance, which revealed the dangers of sugar, Dr Robert Lustig persuasively presents a stark expose of how our addiction to processed foods (aided and abetted by the food industry, big ag, big pharma, institutional medicine and the government) is behind the lethal increase in major non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, can cer and dementia.

30/07/2022

Morocco Celebrates Throne Day

On 30th July the people of the Kingdom of Morocco celebrated Throne Day, marking the 23rd anniversary of the enthronement of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, which symbolizes the strong and repeatedly highlighted attachment of Moroccans to the Alawite throne and their unwavering bonds of loyalty to their Sovereign, which have been perpetuated centuries ago. This year, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Serbia marked 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which are currently experiencing exceptional momentum based on friendship, mutual respect and trust, as well as on convergence of positions on issues of common interest.

The Embassy of Egypt Hosts Reception On The Occasion Of National Day

62 September FACES PLACES& 25/07/2022

The Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia H.E. Bassel Salah hosted a formal reception on the occasion of the National Day of Egypt, marking 70 years since the modern Arab Republic was proclaimed. On this occasion, Ambassador H.E. Bassel Salah expressed his gratitude to the President of Serbia and the Government for the “magnificent welcome” of President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The reception was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Parliament Speaker Ivica Dacic, and followed only five days after the historic visit of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Belgrade.

Swiss National Day Commemorated

Spain has been supporting Serbia for more than two decades on the issue of Ko sovo, and after the two-day visit of its Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the first visit by a Spanish Prime Minister in the history of Serbia, the message is that relations between the two countries will continue to be based on the joint defence of the principles of international law and territorial integrity and sovereignty.

1/08/2022

The Embassy of Switzerland in Belgrade has celebrated Swiss National Day. The reception was held at the Swiss Ambassadorial Residence. Speaking in his address, H.E. Urs Schmid, Ambassador of Switzerland in Serbia, said “Like the first three Swiss cantons that signed an alliance more than seven centuries ago, let’s remember that we share common interests and values and that together we are stronger.” The reception marking the National Day of Switzerland was attended by members of the diplomatic corps and religious communities, as well as representatives of cultural and political life. A CorD special edition dedicated to bilateral relations between Switzerland and Serbia was presented at the reception.

After meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, PM Sanchez underlined that Serbia should become a full member of the EU and that Spain will always support it on the path to European integration.

63September SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

1/08/2022 First Visit Of A Spanish Prime Minister to Serbia

Ambassador Of Japan Attends Ceremony Of The First Toyo Tires Delivery Manufactured In Inđija

64 September FACES PLACES&

Standing Ovation For John Malkovich At Felix Romuliana

Hollywood actor John Malkovich and the orchestra of the Vienna Academy with the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra delighted the audience at the ancient site of Felix Romuliana near Zaječar with the performance of the musical piece “Paklena Komedija”. Malkovich and the musicians were rewarded for this theatri cal experiment by a standing ovation from around 1,000 visitors in an open-air space inside the remains of a 3rd-century Roman imperial palace. “Infernal Comedy” combined Malkovich’s stage expressiveness in speaking a text inspired by the experience of a serial killer and superb classical music performed by two orchestras. Bach, Beethoven, and Haydn’s arias were masterfully conjured up by orchestras and sopranos Chan Reese and Susan Langbein. The perfor mance was performed as part of the Zaječar Cultural Summer at Felix Romuliani and the ArtLink Festival, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

Ambassador of Japan H.E. Katsumata attended the ceremony organized by the company Toyo Tires Serbia on the occasion of the first delivery of 500 tires produced in their factory in Indjija. In addition to the ambassador of Japan, the ceremony was attended by Vladimir Gak, the president of the municipality of Indjija, Yoji Imura, the general director of Toyo Tires Serbia, as well as other representatives of the company’s management and employees. During the ceremony, guests loaded the last package of tires into the truck and sent it on its way to the USA. Ambassador Katsumata praised the efforts of the Toyo Tires team, which, despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, managed a great achievement. He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Serbia and the municipality of Indjija for their support.

10/08/2022

11/08/2022

Independence Day Of Pakistan Marked In Belgrade

65September SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

14/08/2022

Celebration Of Independence Day Of India India celebrated the 75th anniversary of its independence on 15th August 2022. To celebrate and commemorate these 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements, India has launched the India@75 initiative. The India@75 initiative is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India this far in its evolutionary journey, but who also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Modi’s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-dependent India). As part of India@75 celebrations in Serbia, Indian Ambassador H.E. Sanjiv Kohli hoisted the national flag of India at a 15th August event held on the premises of the Embassy.

15/08/2022

On the occasion of the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan, a flag hoisting ceremony was held at the Embassy of Pakistan in Belgrade. Ambassador of Pakistan to Serbia H.E. Shehryar Akbar Khan hoisted the flag at the Embassy’s premises. Messages from the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan were read out to participants. Embassy officials and members of the Pakistani community attended the ceremony.

The Indonesian Embassy in Belgrade held a flag ceremony marking the 77th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. H.E. Mochammad Chandra Widya Yudha, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Serbia, and Embassy staff welcomed Indonesian citizens and friends of Indonesia to the ceremony held on the premises of the Embassy.

24/08/2022

19/08/2022 Flag Ceremony At The Indonesian Embassy

66 September FACES PLACES&

Independence Day Of Ukraine Celebrated In Belgrade

“We admire the Ukrainians for their determination to realize their decisions to live in a country that is free, prosperous and make their own decisions,” said the European Union Ambassador to Serbia, Emanuele Giofre. Together with the US Ambassador Christopher Hill and the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister of Serbian Affairs, Nemanja Starović, participated in the ceremonial gathering on the occasion of the 31st Independ ence Day of Ukraine. EU ambassador Gioffre stated that it is a day of celebration, but also a day of mourning for all the victims of the war in Ukraine.

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

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2 Telecommunications 2022 IMPRESSUM EDITOR IN CHIEF Neda n.lukic@aim.rsLukić ART DIRECTOR Branislav b.ninkovic@aim.rsNinković PHOTOS Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR Mark mrpeditorial@mail.comPullen PROJECT MANAGERS Biljana m.cuckovic@aim.rsMihailov.vukajlovic@aim.rsVesnab.devic@aim.rsDevićVukajlovićČučković OFFICE MANAGER Svetlana s.petrovic@aim.rsPetrović FINANCE Dragana finance@aim.rsSkrobonja EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR Maja m.vidakovic@aim.rsVidaković PUBLISHER Ivan i.novcic@aim.rsNovčić DIRECTOR Ana a.novcic@cordmagazine.coma.novcic@aim.rsNovčić PRINTING Rotografika d.o.o. Segedinski put 72, Subotica TELECOMMUNICATIONS 2022 Published by: alliance international media Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fascimile: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@cordmagazine.comoffice@aim.rs; www.cordmagazine.comwww.aim.rs;ISSN:2560-4465Allrightsreservedallianceinternationalmedia2022Theviewsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseofthepresenter;theydonotnecessaryreflecttheviewofpublicationspublishedbyallianceinternationalmedia THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE OF CHARGE 04 TATJANA MATIĆ, MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM & TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEW TECH FOR NEW JOBS 06 EPSON:EPSON TECH THAT’S HOT YET HEATLESS 07 SLOBODAN PAPAK, FIXED SERVICES SEGMENT MANAGER, YETTEL HIPERNET TV PROVIDES THE BEST SPORTS CONTENT 08 ŽARKO KECIĆ, CTO RNIDS TLD OPERATOR’S ROLE IN CYBER SECURITY 10 GORAN STOJADINOVIĆ, A1 SERBIA ENTERPRISE SALES AND ICT SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR STRENGTHENING DIGITAL LIFE & OPERATIONS 11 SNEŽANA STJEPANOVIĆ, CEO AT LED PAY D.O.O. INTEREST IN E-MONEY ON THE RISE 12 DIGITAL AGENDA FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AND EUROINTEGRATION 5G NETWORK CATALYST OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION 14 SERBIA’S PERSPECTIVECAPACITIESINNOVATIONFROMTHEOFSERBIANREGIONS WHERE SHOULD START-UPS RESIDE? CONTENTS

New Tech For New Jobs

Despite many of the surrounding countries having already introduced 5G networks, Serbia continues to wait. Serbian Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Minister Tatjana Matić explains that the procedure for acquiring the right to use radio frequencies on the basis of an individual license, which is issued follow ing a public bidding process, is underway, in accordance with the Law on Electronic Communications.Uponcompletion of the procedure, the Regulatory Agency for Electronic Commu nications and Postal Services is then tasked with making a decision on whether applicants fulfil the conditions for issuance of individual licenses on the basis of the public bidding process.After this, explains our interlocutor, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommu nications passes an act that stipulates the minimum conditions for the issuance of indi vidual licenses in accordance with the public bidding procedure, then the Agency brings a decision on the launch of the public bidding procedure.

- The experiences of other countries, whether in the surrounding area, the European Union or around the world, represent examples of good practice that Serbia will take into consideration when planning and implementing public tenders. There are numerous examples of potential applications of the 5G network, which encompass areas like the automotive industry, agronomy, medicine, education, logistics, manufacturing, energy, connected autonomous vehicles, ap

4 Telecommunications 2022

Many of the countries of our region have already advanced in this work. What have their experiences taught us about implementing 5G?

INTERVIEW

The development of 5G networks and modern technologies will undoubtedly provide a strong impetus to Serbia’s overall development

TATJANA MATIĆ, MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia recently conducted a survey on the use of high technology (automation, artificial intelligence applications etc.) in Serbian companies. How much of a real need for 5G exists in our industry and who would be its most important users?

At the same time, you previously announced major works to construct capacities for broad band internet in the parts of Serbia that had a The biggest gap in the acquiring of digital skills is linked to income levels between households. That’s why social inclusion in the area of developing digital skills is the Strategy’s most important task Considering 5G’s development potential, Serbia will ensure that all interested parties have opportunities to utilise this technology

- The basic advantages that are brought by 5G technology include a significant increase in flow with reduced delays, which is essential for effi cient automation and other important processes for the development of industry. That’s why our industry is interested in the implementation and adequate application of 5G technology.

AVAILABILITY COORDINATION COMPETENCES

The Strategy for Digital Skills Development represents a fundamental document that will contribute to advancing digital competences in education

Considering 5G’s development potential, Ser bia will ensure that all interested parties have opportunities to utilise this technology.

The use of 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data and other modern technologies provides new opportunities for development, innovation and hiring staff, as well as contributing to society achieving optimised healthcare, improved operational efficiency, environmental protection and the development of smart cities.

Telecommunications 2022 5 plications for the automation of transport and storage, and many other areas. The development of 5G networks and modern technologies will undoubtedly provide a strong impetus to Serbia’s overall development.

The construction of the middle mile segment enables private sector operators to construct the last mile infrastructure and ensure their investments in rural areas are sustainable

poor internet signal or lacked internet coverage entirely. How much have these works progressed? Under the scope of the ongoing first phase of the project, the Ministry enables public institutions and primarily schools in certain rural settlements to connect with the existing optical network. The construction of the ‘middle mile’ segment provides an incentive for private sector oper ators to construct the ‘last mile’ infrastructure by rendering their investments in rural areas financially sustainable. The areas where joint construction is being conducted would be left without coverage if it weren’t for government intervention, because operators have no economic interest in independently constructing broadband infrastructure.

The Strategy for Digital Skills Development in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2020 to 2024 aims to reduce the gap that’s emerged due to accelerated technological development and the objective impossibility of individual and collective digital transformation unfolding at the same pace, along with indispensable internet security and personal data protection.

Less power consumption saves energy and money: Epson HeatFree Technology uses less power than laser technology, because it does not use heat to warm up. As inkjets have no fuser unit to heat, this results in significantly less energy consumption. Fewer replacement parts, low er environmental impact: Laser printers typically have more con sumables and require the periodic replacement of the drum, trans fer belt and fuser in many cases.

The benefits of Heat-Free Tech nology is consistent high-speed printing and less power consump tion that saves energy and money, requires fewer replacement parts, a reduced environmental impact and less intervention, thus increasing productivity.

The second phase of the project will see additional rural settlements provided with broadband access. The rise of e-services and e-government, and finally also the shift to online education, have all impacted on the need for all citizens to acquire digital skills. How much of a gap in digital skills exists in this domain and to what extent does the current Strategy represent a relevant platform for further action?

Thanks to Heat-Free Technology, Epson inkjet printers use fewer parts that need replacing than in a laser printer, and these printheads are not a consumable. This reduces the environmental burden of having to manufacture and recycle addi tional resources.

Consistent high-speed printing: Epson Heat-Free Technology re quires no heat to warm up when it is switched on or awoken from sleep. This means it starts printing imme diately, compared to the delayed functioning of laser printers that need to preheat the fuser to print. Consistent high-speed printing is ensured, even for documents with high-printing density.

Less intervention increas es productivity: The Heat-Free structure of Epson inkjet printers means that there are fewer parts that can fail, which reduces the amount of intervention required. As a result, Epson inkjet printers offer reliability and significantly reduced downtime.

In this sense, social inclusion in the area of developing digital skills is the Strategy’s most importantConsideringtask.the various identified groups of the population and their vulnerability when it comes to the capacity to develop digital skills, the Strategy follows the EU’s contemporary development goals and relies internationally on the existing regulatory framework that is constantly developing. As such, this Strategy really represents a fundamental document that will contribute to advancing digital com petences in education, improving digital skills with the aim of furthering the use of electronic services and labour market competitiveness, eliminating disparities that emerge between different groups of the population as a result of social stratification and the availability of modern technologies and infrastructure, as well as promoting the continuous and lifelong education of experts in this field.

Likewise, documentation for obtaining location conditions has to date been prepared and submitted for approximately 1,500 kilo metres, while requests for the approval of construction have also been submitted for almost 1,200 kilometres of the route. A tender is also underway for the works contractor on the construction of the middle mile segment of infrastructure, as well as for the expert supervision of construction, with these tenders being conducted in accordance with the rules of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Infrastructure works will begin following the culmination of the tender and the signing of the contract.

Epson Heat-Free Technology does not require heat in the ink ejec tion process. Instead, pressure is applied to the Piezo element, which flexes backwards and forwards firing the ink from the printhead. In contrast, laser printers need to heat the fuser to enable printing.

-

Existing data of the Statistical Office show the state of computer literacy, where a slight gap exists between the male and female popula tion in favour of men, as well as a distinct gap between urban and rural households when it comes to the use of information and commu nication technologies. However, the biggest gap is in income levels between households.

6 Telecommunications 2022

BUSINESSINTERVIEW Epson: Tech That’s Hot Yet Heatless Increase your productivity and reduce your environmental impact without compromise by using Epson inkjet printers that use Heat-Free Technology to deliver advanced benefits

SLOBODAN PAPAK, FIXED SERVICES SEGMENT MANAGER, YETTEL

Offering TV channels and streaming content has become an impor tant factor when it comes to satis fying users’ needs, and Hipernet is your response to that. What sets Hi pernet apart from the competition?

- The main vision of Hipernet TV is to bring content closer to users. This means that we break down the artificial barriers that divide content according to the source from which it comes, from some catalogue of movies or linear television, or some channel. Even the broadcast time isn’t crucial, with the exceptions of sports and news content. The content provided within the scope of Hipernet TV is sorted thematically. Thus, if the user wants to watch a thriller movie, it is enough to go to the “Movies” section, then the “Thrillers” cate gory, and all the thrillers broadcast on all television stations over the previous seven or more days will be available. We wanted to adapt the TV user interface to the large amount of content available, following the example of Netflix and other global pioneers of video content innovation. Of course, for all those users who are accustomed to watching TV in the tra ditional way, Hipernet TV provides all the functionality of traditional linear television. Another important area is optical Internet for the entire house hold and stableWi-Fi in every corner of the home. According to our research, this is extremely important to people, particularly when several members of a household have different needs. And thirdly, we are exerting efforts to provide a really high-quality experi ence for users during their interaction with us - from a clear presentation and easy service selection, via tidy installation, the exact time of which is determined by the user, to efficient customer support What can Hipernet TV users expect? - Hipernet users can now follow the English Premier League, as well as the other most relevant sports content available on the Arena Sport and Eurosport channels. We are talking about the best football competitions, including Serie A, La Liga, League 1, the Champions League, Europa League, but also the Super League of Serbia. Arena Sport channels will also feature the best basketball, such as the NBA and ABA leagues, while Eurosport is known as the home of cycling, tennis, winter sports and the Olympic Games. In this way, we have created a diverse offer for all sports fans. Is the app’s interface responsive to diverse content? - When developing products and services, we are always guided by a desire to enable users to access content that interests them in an in tuitive and simple way. With Hipernet TV, all sports content is in one place, organised by sports, competitions and leagues. In addition, with an ex cellent selection of channels, users can choose movies, TV shows or children’s content sorted by genre. Is it possible to use Hipernet TV as a separate service? - Hipernet TV is an ideal combination with Hipernet’s high-speed optical internet. However, we also offer Hipernet TV as a separate service, and the only prerequisite is that you have a stable internet connection, regardless of technology and opera tor. This means that you can choose a combination of optical internet and digital television, or just one of these services.

Yettel's Hipernet offer includes fixed Internet, the latest generation TV and fixed telephony services. It uses only the optical network, which guarantees excellent Internet connection speeds and service quality in all places where it is available

As of this summer, Hipernet TV also includes the best sports content, broadcast in top picture quality. Here we speak with Yettel Fixed Services Segment Manager Slobodan Papak about what sets Hipernet apart from the competition and which sporting competitions are available within the scope of the Hipernet TV offer.

BUSINESS

With Hipernet TV, all sports content is in one place, organised by sports, competitions and leagues

Hipernet TV Provides The Best Sports Content

Telecommunications 2022 7

ŽARKO KECIĆ, CTO RNIDS

8 Telecommunications 2022 for registrants of Serbian national domains. By locking their domain names using an ap propriate type of domain name protection, registrants allow only authorised persons to perform changes to the domain name.

The domain name system (DNS) is one of the most critical components of internet infrastructure and, sadly, one of the most neglected. When a portion of the DNS is compromised or un available, users cannot reach related online resources and services. That’s because the DNS runs as the address book for the internet and is responsible for translating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (series of numbers) into human-friendly domain names. Spoiling some elements of the DNS implies entire parts of the internet becoming unreliable or unreachable. It should therefore come as no surprise that DNS is a top target for cybercriminals.

Running a trustworthy ccTLD As more people and businesses have been moving online, it has been our duty, as a ccTLD registry, to maintain stable and safe access to internet resources. As in any industry, domain name holders want to be sure that their personal information is adequately protected and that they are provided with top-notch services.

TLD Operator’s Role In Cyber Security

Locking domain names, to some extent, prevent phishing and malware distributed via lookalike websites. Lookalike sites are regularly used to distribute malware or exe cute phishing schemes by replicating financial institutions or government portals to collect valuable personal information to drain bank accounts or steal identities.

BUSINESS

Locking the domain name solves only part of the DNS security problems. The Domain Name System (DNS) responds without vali dating the source, which means it is vulnera ble to injecting invalid DNS information and

With the outbreak of the pandemic, many companies rushed to implement digital technologies to keep their business running. Yet, many of them missed an essential step in securing their digital assets against cyber attacks. With increasing numbers of people using the internet and accessing their business environment, bad actors gain a larger field of operation and benefit significantly from a successful attack

As security risks ramp up, TLD registries must implement thorough protection against security threats on two key aspects: databases of contacts and technical information related to registered domain names and the technical DNS infrastructure critical for public domain nameOverresolution.thelast few years, certain security measures have been established to reduce vulnerability to known threats and respond to growing attacks. RNIDS and its registrar partners are now more secure, implementing stiff security protocols to prevent any incident involving the registry’s data and its opera tions. As a result, we haven’t experienced any registry breaches or operational difficulties, but this doesn’t mean there are no attempts. Like any system connected to the internet, we experience constant probing and attacks against our systems. Is registry assets security enough to gain our users’ confidence? One of the main threats faced by RNIDS is the compromise of registrants’ accounts used to update domain name information. That enables the attacker to execute unauthorised changes to domain name data by pointing a domain name toward a compromised online service instead of the appropriate content pro vided by the registrant. Accordingly, RNIDS has enabled three domain name lock mechanisms

RNIDS strives to contribute to a safer envi ronment for all internet users in Serbia. We thus actively organise educational campaigns and professional meetings to share our knowledge on technical, legal and internet protection issues related to domain names, DNS infrastructure and other issues that fall under our area of expertise.

DNSSEC (DNS Security Extension) is a technology that provides mechanisms for protection against the modification of DNS responses and redirecting users to online locations that are potentially harmful. For several years, RNIDS has been enabling Ser bian national domains to be DNSSEC signed, in order to protect internet users from be coming victims of cybercriminals. This DNS security extension can be used by all domain name holders, but is almost mandatory for financial institutions and companies that do business online.

Telecommunications 2022 9 redirecting users to malicious content. This happens every day, all over the world. The estimate is that two-thirds of all cyber-attacks are related to the abuse of the DNS used for criminal acts or censorship of content.

RNIDS has responded to the problem by implementing changes to network architecture and introducing rate limits on the number of consecutive queries. Our DNS infrastructure comprises a network of public DNS servers in several geographic locations on all continents. Trust is vital A vital element of any TLD operator is trust in the reputation and ability of the registry to manage its namespace and enforce its policies. Where domain name registration is suspicious or engaged in illegal activity, RNIDS may audit the registration by triggering the Registrant Information Validation process via a registrar, thus ensuring that a registrant meets RNIDS registration policy requirements. If the regis trant fails to verify that the information provided is correct, the domain name is suspended and cancelled, and no longer poses a threat to internetRNIDSusers.systems process more than 500 million DNS queries on a daily basis, and if someone wants to visit the website or send an e-mail on the .rs or . срб domain names, we ensure that they are directed to the right website; or that the message is delivered to the intended mailbox.

Conclusion The terms “secure, stable and resilient” have always been associated with TLD operators. From day one, we have been working to main tain the security, stability and resiliency of the systems that support the .rs and .срб domain names. We keep pace with the technology and cyber security trends and ensure that our customers enjoy the benefits of utilising the Serbian domain namespace. As a TLD operator, RNIDS constantly moni tors its systems to detect incidents and mitigate risk. We are aware that new attack vectors and events are constantly popping up and require continuous attention and the implementation of adjustments and different approaches to ade quately defend against changing circumstances.

DNS infrastructure security Attacks against DNS infrastructure have increased in frequency and intensity over recent years. The aggregated bandwidth of millions of compromised “zombie” devices in a botnet has proven disastrous, and even well-equipped targets cannot sustain that amount of traffic. The best practice of TLDs to mitigate large-scale DDoS attacks is to utilise multiple globally distributed DNS any cast providers.

We didn’t want to stop at the providing of telco services and internet access, rather we wanted to provide our users with full coverage to enter cyberspace

10 Telecommunications 2022 ICT advances have brought countless possibilities and benefits to enterprises of all sizes. Which of these gains do you see as being the most important?

STOJADINOVIĆ,A1 SERBIA ENTERPRISE SALES AND ICT SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR

Strengthening Digital Life & Operations

- The primary needs of business that will nev er change are to make your operations more efficient and profitable. Digitalisation has only increased those needs, but also brought the tools to achieve them. The applying of modern ICT solutions is synonymous with efficiency, as it enables enterprises to make major savings, improve the quality of their products and services, shortens the time required to complete a job and reduces administration. An excellent example of that is A1 SD - WAN [Software Defined Wide Area Network], which is software-defined networking that provides greater flexibility by enabling the flow of traffic via multiple networks, unlike VPN that directs all traffic down a single route.

Increased numbers of remote employees and new business models rely on flexibility, speed and security. Is security the most important issue in the online world because of the situation with the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine? - In this digital age, the risk of data loss continues to rise as a result of the rapid digitalisation of companies and as a result of the fact that data has become the most valuable asset of organisations worldwide. In order for every company to be fully pre pared for the new way of working, it must also take measures to ensure the protection of its resources, or its data, and provide for swift and efficient recovery in the event of an incident, hacker attack etc. We really recognised this need well and can state with pride that we launched the A1 Cyber Backup solution, which is intended for all business users, regardless of whether or not they’re users of A1 Serbia’s services, and has built-in proactive protection against cryptographic viruses, such as ransomware and other malware.

BUSINESS

The A1 Cyber Backup solution is intended for all business users, regardless of whether or not they’re users of A1 Serbia’s services, and has built-in proactive protection against cryptographic viruses, such as ransomware and other malware

W ith the successful comple tion of last year’s rebranding project and the launch of a new brand on the Serbian tel ecommunications market - A1 Serbia told its users that it would strengthen its users’ digital life and work. Less than a year and a half on, A1 Serbia is positioning itself as an important player in the area of applied ICT solutions and business software appli cations. This stride forward in operations also provided reason for us to interview A1 Serbia Enterprise Sales and ICT Solutions Director Goran Stojadinović. ICT development has shuffled the deck on the market in such a way that now one telecommunications company is recognised as a partner in IT operations. How would you comment on that? - We say in jest at A1 Serbia that we have long been connecting not only people, but also machines. Mobile operators are among the main drivers of the digital transfor mation of business around the world. We didn’t want to stop at the providing of telco services and internet access, rather we wanted to provide our users with full cov erage to enter cyberspace, with the help of solutions and services for cyber security, advanced connectivity, data storage and machine-to-machine communication. Given that we’re a provider of internet and digital solutions, we have possibilities to combine services and offer everything in one place for business users, under the one-stop-shop principle. Likewise, these solutions mustn’t be a burden on users, which is why we insist on the “managed service” model, where we relieve them of any concern over the running of the service, in accordance with the “turnkey” principle.GORAN

Led Pay is an electronic money (e-money) institution that operates within the framework of the OMR Group, with a license from the National Bank of Serbia to issue e-money and provide payment services. Among the pioneers of e-money in Serbia, Led Pay strives to become the leading institution in this domain not only in the country, but also further afield

- Led Pay will offer its clients (web shops and web platforms) the service of accepting payment cards at online points of sale, as well as the split payment transaction service, where payments are executed, on behalf of the web platforms, directly to the accounts of merchants who sell their goods or services online. The clients in this segment also had positive reaction and the interest was definitely greater than we expected.

BUSINESS Using e-money can bring a multitude of benefits, while it can be used for different purposes – from crowd funding to classic payments of goods and services

Telecommunications 2022 11

Interest In e-Money On The Rise

SNEŽANA STJEPANOVIĆ, CEO AT LED PAY D.O.O.

- Our company signs contracts directly with clients that use the Saturn 1000 POS terminal device (which enables the accepting of payment cards). In that way, we strive to promote cashless payment methods and thus ease clients’ handling of cash, and without the obligation to open current account in a different commercial bank.

- Interest in e-money is really massively on the rise in Serbia, as we can see from our daily con tacts with potential distributors and partners. Its use can bring a multitude of benefits, while it can be used for different purposes – from crowd funding to classic payments of goods and services. This payment method brings savings to both those who accept e-money and those who use it, and thus we have the aim of maximally raising awareness of the benefits of this type of cashless payment, as well as expanding our network of clients and becoming the leading electronic money institution in the country, and hopefully further afield.

Many clients that didn’t accept payment cards as a payment method prior to the shift to e-fiscalization are now doing so for the first time.

- As a company, Led Pay was actively included in the e-fiscalization process from the outset, by enabling its partner companies to combine a cash register app and a payment terminal in a single device.

The market is dynamic, while the demands of clients are changing significantly, together with their needs. How have clients responded so far?

- We were pleased to have succeeded, within a period of around a month and a half, in signing more than 400 contracts with clients, which makes us very proud, and for Led Pay to be accepted equally alongwith other banks that offer the same service. One important factor was definitely the fact that we don’t require our clients to open additional bank accounts, nor to switch commercial banks.

LedPay participated in the e-fiscalization process. In which ways did your company con tribute to this process?

Speaking for this issue of CorD Magazine, Led Pay CEO Snežana Stjepanović ad dresses current projects, the issuance of e-money and other payment servic es that it offers its clients, including business payment transactions and the acceptance of payment cards.

How do you enable clients to utilise this service?

Is the local Serbian market ready to shift to cashless payment options through e-money?

Specifically, this is a Castles device, the Saturn 1000 model, in which a cash register application is integrated with a payment application that is enabled for the acceptance of Dina, MasterCard, Maestro and Visa payment cards, and recently also UnionPay payment cards.

Your company has also launched several projects linked to the increasingly relevant e-commerce, while you also offer your clients payment card acceptance and split payment transaction services.

5G Network Catalyst Of Regional Economic Integration

The imperative of modern science is in its application, which is why science has entered deeply into the needs of industry. 5G is part of the industrial revolution 4.0, making a major contribution to its application in almost all branches of industry. The concept of 5G is based on the need to increase the speed of information transfer, greater mobility, enormous capacity and, crucially, small delays (at the level of human perception) of the order of a millisecond.

12 Telecommunications 2022

DIGITAL FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AND EUROINTEGRATION

Irini Reljin Ph.D., School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade

AGENDA

Video transmission that requires high through puts and shows sensitivity to variations in delay, but not to the magnitude of constant delay. Control and management of automated pro cesses are based on interactive user access or fully automated processes, with strict requirements for signal delays. The most complex automatic control is in the movement of driverless vehicles. Associa tions of car manufacturers are intensively testing such vehicles, based on the collection of information from interconnected vehicles on the road and data generated by servers at checkpoints along the road. Delays to data generated in this way must be extremely small, and the signal transmission must be highly reliable. The data is stored in a computing cloud distributed along the road. 5G networks need e a densely connected (capillary type) optical network for signal transmission, i.e. to exchange large amounts of data. The automotive industry in the EU is already installing devices intended to increase the safety of automated vehicles, which use a radio frequency range known as G5. Serbia was the only non-EU country to sign a memorandum of cooperation and participated in THEME

Given the stated and fulfilled requirements, the following are possible applications of 5G:

For development in the Western Balkans, it is important to follow the EU strategic framework for the digital agenda in the long term, while harmonising the interests of the countries' economies. The joint work of Western Balkan representatives ensures an exchange of experience and knowledge, which is good preparation for EU membership

Some Western Balkan economies have not even released 700 MHz yet, while Montenegro and North Macedonia were the first to hold auctions for the introduction of 5G systems. Hesitation on introducing 5G is only a loss for industry and the overall development of society.

Telecommunications 2022 13 preparing plans for testing cross-border passage of automated vehicles with two EU member states. Automation of processes in closed systems (production halls, mines, warehouses, ports, air ports), due to the possible collision of moving objects, requires small delays. Movements of objects take place in a limited space, creating conditions for the introduction of vertical operators (manufacturers, ports, construction sites, etc.). A part of the radio-frequency spectrum is usually set aside to be auctioned for these purposes in which the frequencies are used in a limited area, enabling their reuse in more distant places. Serbia has provided a portion of the 100 MHz band for use in limited areas. Vertical operators can be either independent operators, or engaged operators of public mobile systems, or a combination of the two.

• A higher frequency range (26GHz) provides small coverage (just a few metres), so it is often necessary to use a larger number of base stations. High frequencies ensure high flows making them suitable for urban environments.

Serbia was the first to release the 700 MHz band while digitalising the transmission of the television signal, but unfortunately it has yet to announce an auction for licenses to use this part of the spectrum.

DIGITAL AGENDA FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS

• The 700MHz band favours transmission in rural areas because it provides greater coverage and a smaller number of base stations, but unfortunately a smaller amount of data that can be transmitted.

In developing the Digital Agenda for the EU, a Digital Single Market (DSM) was defined, to provide better access to digital goods and services for consumers and companies. For economies that are preparing for European integration, DSM is a serious obligation, and the World Bank has defined an action plan for development of the Common Regional Market (CRM) for the period from 2021 to 2024. It was conceived as a “catalyst for deeper regional economic integration and a step towards the DSM”. The goal is to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of the region, to place it on the global investment map and reduce differences between the CRM and the EU market. An important element in this is the areas of the digital region, which will integrate the Western Balkans into the pan-European digital market. Activities aimed at intensive development and better connection of broadband networks (fixed and 5G), towards the adoption of digital skills for all Western Balkan citizens, towards the development of the digital economy in the light of new ICTs and towards the strengthening of capacities for the introduction of trusted services have been elaborated. Progress in developing the EU digital society is shown by the DigitalEconomyand SocietyIndex DESI. Initially, it relied on five categories: connectivity (network), human capital, public digital services, internet use and integration of digital technologies. By weighting the values of the parameters that describe the status of individual categories, DESI is calculated for each of the EU member states.

The responsible ministry of the Republic of Serbia calculated the DESI index for the first time for the year 2016. At that time, only one EU member state had a worse result. In 2020, the regulatory agency for electronic communications showed that Serbia was more successful than nine EU member states.

The methodology for calculating the DESI index in the EU is changing. The last major changes were made in 2021, and according to these DESI is calculated on the basis of four (originally five) cate gories. The changes followed the Digital Compass defined by the EU to speed up the digitalisation process. It insists on: the adoption of digital skills, the introduction and use of public online services, Cloud technology and BigData services in the economy, gigabit internet access for everyone and the introduction of Cloud and large databases at network endpoints.

Serbia was the first to release the 700 MHz band when digitalising the transmission of the television signal, but unfortunately it has not yet announced an auction for issuing licenses to use this part of the spectrum. Hesitation on the introduction of 5G is a loss for industry and the overall development of society

• The 3.4-3.8 GHz band is a compromise between the size of the coverage area and the amount of transmitted data and is considered the most interesting “golden band” for 5G.

Telemedicine applications in the 5G envi ronment are particularly interesting for remote operations, where a surgeon from a remote location controls a robot, while making decisions based on video with extremely low latency. Smart technologies in synergy with 5G make it possible to improve living conditions. Sensors are placed in a large number of locations col lecting data on environmental pollution, climate parameters, noise level, etc. The operation of the parking service, waste management, water supply network, water level monitoring, monitor ing of parks, green areas and agricultural crops (increasing yields) is simplified. The radio frequency bands intended for 5G systems were finally adopted at the World Radio Conference in 2019, after harmonising the require ments (and interests) of the 193 ITU members and performing tests.

SERBIA’S INNOVATION CAPACITIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SERBIAN REGIONS

Where Should Start-Ups Reside?

The approach taken to date in encouraging innovation in Serbia could deepen the gap between Belgrade, as the undisputed centre, and the country’s less developed regions. Is it time to re-examine the existing model of smart specialisation and provide more wind to the sails of Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac?

Through an overview of the regional allocating of various instruments of the Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia from 2016 to 2022, the latest study of the Public Policy Research Centre maps the key differential points in the development of innovation among regions in Serbia. With an initial overview of the regional al location of support, we can already observe serious disparities in the level of development of regional innovation ecosystems. The analysis conducted showed that economic and scientific capacities from the Belgrade region are unde niably positioned as the most productive part of Serbia’s innovation ecosystem. Testifying to how important these capacities really are is the fact that every other project of the Innovation Fund was awarded to applicants hailing from this region. Activities around the sharing of knowhow and creating of innovations are represented to a much lesser degree in the remaining three regions, though there are also differences among them. Specifically, every fifth project financed by the Innovation Fund, on average, is awarded

In the absence of a targeted policy to encourage the development of innovation capacities from the perspective of the country’s regions, a question arises over the actual level of innovation activity by region, as well as the degree to which a dichotomy exists between the development of innovation capacities and balanced regional development.

14 Telecommunications 2022

This article is authored by Ljubivoje Radonjić, research associate at the Public Policy Research Centre

The adoption of the Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Republic of Serbia for the 2020 to 2027 period created a platform to integrate scientific, economic and tech nological capacities with the aim of advancing the innovation and research ecosystem in Serbia and increasing its regional and global competitiveness. However, the current Action Plan for implementing the Smart Specialisation Strategy for the 2021 to 2022 period strives to maximise overall national potential, while side-lining concerns over their development at the regional level.

THEME

THE BELGRADE REGION’S SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES REPRESENT A PILLAR OF SUPPORT FOR THE ENTIRE NATIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

Findings show that, over previous years, partic ipants who were ready to establish a start-up came mostly from the Belgrade region. The second region in terms of the number of startups launched is Vojvodina, which lags behind Belgrade significantly, with almost three times fewer newly founded companies in this province during the period from 2016 to today. Of course, establishing start-ups is linked to urban centres, and given that the majority of them are estab lished in Belgrade, followed by Novi Sad, this type of innovation activity is almost negligible in the remaining two administrative centres of Kragujevac and Niš. This is also confirmed by data showing that, during the analysed period, only around 15% of the total number of startups supported by the Innovation Fund were in Šumadija and Western Serbia and in Southern and Eastern Serbia. Regardless of the fact that the Innovation Fund continues to incentivise the establishment of start-ups, by providing conditions for their growth via financing, net working and mentoring support, it doesn’t appear likely that the disparity between the number of new technology start-ups in these cities will be overcome quite so easily. Numerous local factors – such as a higher number of organisa tions that provide support to start-ups, more technological corporations present in the city and the higher concentration of young people and technological experts (Start-up Genome, 2021) – continue to provide a great advantage to Belgrade over other urban centres.

0.628205128 0.076923070.076923070.21794871877 VoBelgradejvodina Western Serbia and Šuma dija Southern and Eastern SerbiaStart-Up Support Programme #REF ! #REF ! Early Development Programme 0.628205128 0.217948718 0.0769230770.076923077 Belgrade Vojvodina Western Serbia and Šuma di ja Southern and SerbiaEastern Early Development Programme

Telecommunications 2022 15 to applicants from Vojvodina, while only one in every ten approved projects is implemented by someone from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region or the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. A higher number of approved projects equates to a greater inflow of investments. According to the data analysed, approximately 62% of total funding approved by the Innovation Fund has been allocated to applicants from the Belgrade region. The remaining funding was al located to the other three regions: 19% of funds to Vojvodina and 11% of funds to Šumadija and Western Serbia, while the smallest percentage of funding – a mere 8% approximately – was allocated to applicants from the Southern and Eastern Serbia region.

The commercialisation of knowledge, which is realised through collaborations between science and business, is most commonplace in the Belgrade region: this region’s private sector relies on intraregional scientific re sources to the greatest extent. Furthermore, the scientific capacities of the Belgrade region represent an important pillar of support for the development of the innovation potential of other parts of Serbia. The knowledge created in the scientific and research framework of the Belgrade region is of particular importance to the economic sector of the Šumadija and Western Serbia region. Findings show that, in more than 66% of the projects that urge cooperation between business and science, enterprises from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region networked with scientific and research organisations from the Belgrade region. On the other hand, 42% of projects led by companies from Vojvodina had key science domain partners from the Belgrade region, while cooperation with Belgrade scientific and research organisations was realised in approximately 36% of projects led by compa nies from the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia. This ubiquitous presence across other regions serves to confirm that Belgrade’s scientific capacities extend beyond regional frameworks and represent a lever that encour ages the development of the entire national ecosystem by connecting regional innovation capacities.

START-UP ECOSYSTEMS AS URBAN “OASES” OF INNOVATION

Successfully combining innovation and re gional development policies depends on the dual challenge of differentiating and specialising regional capacities. Differences – in terms of history, socioeconomic conditions, geographical, demographic and other specificities – determine regional differences in capacities, possibilities and limitations on research and innovation, as goals that cannot be met fully within the framework of undifferentiated policies, which are limited to providing aggregated and generic prerequisites (education, public research infrastructure and financing). As such, developing the innovation of each region requires the special determining of the relationship between opportunities and limi tations for each region. Once such combinations are identified, the need for a further process of “specialisation” becomes clear, which actually means attempting to concentrate resources, cluster actors, incentivise related projects and provide specific new public goods and institu tional support in order to advance knowledge and encourage innovation in selected domains.

Although the process of developing the Smart Specialisation Strategy actually identified re gional comparative advantages (and limitations), the existing mechanism for achieving the goals of the Strategy does not recognise the regional aspect. Approaching the support of innovation by viewing Serbia as a single entity raises the question of how optimal the existing develop ment model actually is, given the possibility of it further deepening the divide between the parts of the country that have developed scientific, economic and other capacities and those that don’t, and the possible need to harmonise the different parts of Serbia’s European integration process in a coherent way.

On average, every fifth project financed by the Innovation Fund is awarded to applicants from Vojvodina, while only one in every ten approved projects is implemented by someone from the Šumadija and Western Serbia region or the region of Southern and Eastern Serbia

In the region with the largest number of projects – Belgrade – it is most commonplace for innovations to be developed within the scope of these two areas.

16 Telecommunications 2022

Although the Innovation Fund doesn’t take the regional allocation of support into account when supporting the development of the 4S priority areas, the analysis indicates that incentives provided to date have fallen somewhat into line with the pre-existing comparative advantages within the regions. The two areas that were the most dominant, or at least highly represented, in all regions are information and communication technologies and the development of innova tions in the fields of mechanical engineering and production processes.

Innovation in Vojvodina mostly occurs in the domain of agriculture and the food industry, while ICT is also the second most represented area in this region. In the remaining two regions of Šumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia, innovative activities are most commonplace in the area of mechanical engineering and associated activities. Such a distribution of areas by region is to be expected to a certain extent, and serves to prove that the concentration of resources and participants within certain areas by region acts as a self-reg ulating mechanism that impacts on innovations being generated specifically in those areas and furthering regional comparative advantages.

SUPPORTING SMART SPECIALISATION PRIORITY AREAS AND THE REGIONAL ASPECT

COMMENT

2 Charms Of Late Summer 2022

We’re Achieving Excellent Results

During the course of last year and this, we achieved excellent results in the area of tourism, with contributions to these enviable results provided by the development of road structure, tourist economy support measures implemented by our state and the re-opening of the countries of the region and Europe

As was the case in tourist regions worldwide, the health crisis caused by the pandemic also halted the trend of growing tour ist activities in Serbia. However, this meant domestic tourist destinations became an appealing alternative to holidaying abroad and the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays began to be dominated by domestic Accordingtourism.todatafrom the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, over the course of 2020, the total number of tourist arrivals in Serbia fell by 50.7% compared to 2019. However, tourism trends had already started stabilising in 2021, mostly as a result of the intervention measures implemented by our state in support of the tourism economy, and the re-opening of the countries of the region and Europe. Apart from promotions for domestic tourists, we also focused on international markets, such as those of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Spain, France, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and others, with those efforts still yielding excellent results today.

The total number of tourist arrivals over the course of 2021 was up 42.4%, with the turnover of domestic tourists increasing by 25.2% and foreign tourist traffic up 95.5% compared to 2020, which means that inter est in Serbian destinations has increased among both locals and foreigners. We are also achieving excellent results this year. According to data of the eTurista [eTourist] portal – the central information system in the fields of hospitality and tourism in the Republic of Serbia – the country had more than 1,630,000 tourist TATJANA MATIĆ, MINISTRY OF TRADE, TOURISM & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

We are nonetheless still facing some chal lenges, primarily related to labour shortages. Low wages and a shortfall of workers in the hospitality industry are becoming chronic problems. According to the estimates of HORES – the Business Association of the Hotel and Restaurant Industry of Serbia –this sector has a shortfall of around 15,000 workers, with some 6,300 of them having quit their jobs over the last few years. The majority of hospitality sector workers accept job offers from abroad. That’s why, in Serbia, students, foreign workers and job applicants with no experience in the sector are hired to work in positions that lack competent personnel. A possible solution could be found in providing benefits like tax breaks and exemptions from income tax contributions. It is my sincere hope that the Open Balkan initiative will contribute to increased labour mobility in the Western Balkan region and speeding up the resolving of this problem.

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 3 arrivals during the first five months of this year, with more than five million overnight stays. This means that we can expect even better results by the end of this year and during next year, thanks to investments in infrastructure, particularly road in frastructure, as well as the allocating of vouchers for Serbian holidays. Vouchers have proven to be an excellent solution for the recovery of our tourism, as they contribute to increasing traffic among domestic tourists in the country, boosting the utilising of the existing tourist offer and affirming new destinations. A no less important factor is that this method of promoting domestic tourism also serves to help reduce foreign currency outflows.

Vouchers have proven to be an excellent solution for the recovery of our tourism, as they contribute to increasing traffic among domestic tourists in the country, affirming new destinations and reducing foreign currency outflows

DEJAN MAJIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER, MAMA SHELTER BELGRADEBUSINESS

The Spirit Of France In Belgrade

Mr Majić, your “Mama Shelter” adventure has lasted for four and a half years so far, and continues to grow ever more exciting. We know that you believed in the concept and the team, but did you know back then that “Mama” would be quite so popular? - That’s right, my adventure with “Mama” has lasted since her first day. I’m very proud of the fact that, in less than five years of operations, we’ve succeeded in singling ourselves out as one of the most successful among the 16 “Mama” hotels operating all over the world, from Los Angeles to Rome. I would like to highlight in particular the fact that “Mama” has brought to Belgrade the true spirit of French fun and hedonism, and has somehow changed the way hotels are enjoyed. I’m known in my team as a perfectionist, so I personally wouldn’t accept anything less than the great popularity of “Mama” among guests, both foreign ones and our dear fellow citizens with whom we socialise on a daily basis. We shouldn’t forget that “Mama” has as many as 125 rooms and that more than a million satisfied guests have passed through them to date. Apart from an excellent location, specific interior design and superior service, what’s the secret of Mama’s success? How important was that personal touch to your guests; the fact that they feel like they’ve ar rived home? - I consider that the most important feeling. Every hotel, especially when it comes to people who travel often, should and must represent a second home for them – a place where they feel comfortable, secure and cared for. Apart from that, “Mama” also introduced a fourth criterion: fun. Something happens at our cocktail bar almost every day, our terrace provides the most beautiful views of sunsets in the city, so you can enjoy a complete package of hedonism at the heart of Belgrade without ever needing to leave the hotel. We know that flexibility is today more important than ever before; and that without it businesses cannot survive. How does “Mama Shelter” adapt to market conditions and expectations? - I think the answer to that ques tion is best exemplified through our approach to operations during the pandemic. When it comes to the hotel business, we monitored trends and created new packages for digital nomads, for people who

4 Charms Of Late Summer 2022

The famous Jalil Amor really knew what he was doing when he designed the interior and every nook and cranny of Mama Shelter Belgrade

Despite it being an atypical and unusual occurrence, there is actually a hotel in Belgrade that’s equally enjoyed by foreigners from all over the world and local guests, for whom special packages and services have been created. The credit for that, apart from belonging to the major brand that is the “Mama” brand, also belongs to a small team of creative enthusiasts.

Over the course of less than five years of operations, Mama Shelter Belgrade has managed to set itself apart as one of the most successful of the 16 “Mama” hotels operating all over the world, from Los Angeles to Rome. More than a million satisfied guests have passed through its 125 rooms during that time

Your desire from day one was for Belgraders to also enjoy “Mama”, and not just guests from abroad. Have you devised special packages and services for locals?

- Yes, those are offers that were cre ated during the time of the pandemic, when it wasn’t possible to travel, so we let our imaginations run wild, and then helped our guests do the same...

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 5 had the ability to work remotely. On the other hand, our F&B sector was extremely creative and we imme diately introduced home deliveries of the finest “Mama” specialities.

Some of the operational models have remained in place today and proven themselves to be very suc cessful and practical.

All those offers, including Sexcation, Movie Night, Mama Deal and Sunday Lunch at Mama’s, became so popular that they remain relevant and widely used today. Apart from being able to be tour ists in their own city, Belgraders, but also other domestic guests, have opportunities to organise team building events and work at “Mama Shelter”. How was that concept conceived? - That’s right. Seemingly like every other hotel, “Mama” offers confer ence halls and rooms for meetings, team building events and work, but the feedback we receive from our clients is that the energy of “Mama” is special. For almost all of them, working from the “Mama” studios is fun and less strenuous, and this proves that the famous Jalil Amor really knew what he was doing when he designed the interior and every nook and cranny of Mama Shelter Belgrade. There has finally been more or less normal travel this summer, without restrictions and bans. Did you have sufficient capacity to handle all interested guests? Is it time to bring other Accor Group hotels to Serbia? - I experienced sweet anguish this summer, the best kind a ho tel manager can have, and that’s overbooking. Market demand was incredible, but I also believe and like to think that that was still partially down to us [laughs]. When it comes to the Accor Group, with years of planning behind us, this year will demonstrate our full result, and I’m personally very happy that, in the coming years, the Accor Group will be present in Serbia and the region with its broad palette of various types of hotels.

The luxury amenities of this exclusive, five-star hotel don’t leave anyone feeling indifferent. The standout feature of the offer is the Magnesium

The Luxurious Experience Of Autumn On Zlatibor

Guests also have at their disposal several types of saunas, a salt room, tepidariums, massage services and face and body treatments. A special, isolated corner – the VIP Spa – has been created for the enjoyment of visitors with more refined tastes. Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa has taken care to ensure its guests can take advan tage of its modern-equipped fitness centre, as well as unusual and innovative forms of entertainment, in the bowling alley and pool hall. A special place has also been set aside for the youngest guests. An attractive and con tent-rich playroom, adapted to suit children of all ages, is the right place for your little ones to spend quality time, have fun and enjoy unusual amenities. Autumn is reserved for various chil dren’s theatre shows and workshops, while the all-day animation programme allows parents to enjoy joint activities and personal time. When it comes to the gastronomic offer, the Kalem by ZAK Mountain Concept restau rant provides guests with incredible culinary creations that are prepared according to the recipes of top experts, while the RUJ guest house restaurant provides opportunities to enjoy both international dishes from around the world and local specialities that are typical of the Zlatibor area. Alongside its large selection of dishes, this restaurant also offers a unique preparation concept.

Wellness & Spa centre, where everything has been tailored to guarantee a sense of peace, relaxation and positive energy. Encompassing an area of more than 4,000m2, it is enriched by a special type of water with a unique chemical composition that has a positive effect on the body. This water is rich in magnesium and is found in all three of the centre’s swimming pools: the recreational, swimming and children’s pools.

LUXURY AMENITIES FOR THE PERFECT HOLIDAY

Zlatibor is a mountain with an authentic spirit and charm. It welcomes guests with open arms throughout the en tire year, and the Zlatibor autumn is something that everyone should feel and experience. It was at the beginning of this year that Zlatibor gained a new, state-of-the-art hotel facility in the form of the Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa. Representing the perfect combination of contemporary design and rustic elements that are characteristic of the area, it has been created as a new favourite destination for the ideal mountain holiday at the very heart of the “golden mountain”.

A special, isolated corner – the VIP Spa – has been created for the enjoyment of visitors with more refined tastes

Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa, the jewel of Serbian tourism and the country’s most modern mountain resort, has already won over tourists from across the entire region, thanks to its high-quality offer, luxurious facilities, fantastic location and impeccable service

T he Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa complex is located alongside the lake and central square, while the hotel provides a view that is itself priceless and precious, especially during the evening hours. A large selection of accommodation options and various types of units provide guests with the opportunity to enjoy a different holidaying experience, while the comfort and convenience of luxuriously equipped rooms and suites ensure an incredibly tranquil and relaxing experience.

6 Charms Of Late Summer 2022

BUSINESS

The autumn offer also includes a ride in the Gold Gondola lift and planned activities that the hotel provides for its guests, as well as a family voucher for the Dino Park, where you are sure to have a fun time and spend unforgettable moments with your nearest and dearest. This is the right time for an ideal mountain break! Find details of the autumn offer on the hotel’s website: www.hotelzlatibor-resort.com You can receive all information on the hotel’s luxury facilities and available capacities over the telephone (+381/31-31-50 500) or via email (info@hotelzlatibor-resort.com).

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE Autumn is the ideal time to enjoy fresh air and the blessings of nature. Alongside its luxurious hotel amenities, Hotel Zlatibor Mountain Resort & Spa also offers its guests opportunities to experience the natural beauty of Zlatibor in the best possible way. Quad riding, with a break and refreshments at Lake Ribnica, is reserved for the bravest guests, while practising yoga outdoors is the perfect choice for those wanting to feel balance and synergise with the energy of pristine nature. You can also feel the energy of You can also feel the energy of nature in the air, from the heights, while enjoying views of the clearings and forested landscapes of one of the region’s most beautiful mountains

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 7 nature in the air, from the heights, while enjoying views of the clearings and forested landscapes of one of the region’s most beautiful mountains.

PETAR PLATIŠA, SALES DIRECTOR, MONA HOTEL MANAGEMENT

N ext year will mark two decades since fashion house Mona entered the world of hotel management, and last year saw the company commemo rate the birth of Mona Hotel Management. Here the group’s sales director, Petar Platiša, speaks to CorD Magazine about what was brought by separating the fashion and hotel sectors, as well as discussing plans for the period ahead.

BUSINESS

8 Charms Of Late Summer 2022

- Managing a hotel implies the complete syn chronising of managerial and operational activities with the aim of satisfying guests, satisfying employees and achieving the desired profitability. Legal service, sales, marketing, accounting and other services provide signif icant contributions to achieving goals, such that it is only the full synchronising of the noted services with operational activities that leads to the desired results.

- Without an experienced and well-connected team, it’s not possible to manage one’s own hotel, let alone hotels owned by other inves tors. One of the fundamental differences in managing one’s own hotels compared to hotels owned by other investors is reflected in the harmonising of business philosophies and the metrics of the business itself, given that the majority of hotel industry investors come from other industries that have some different business philosophies, thus the harmonising of philosophies represents the basic difference in managing hotels owned by other investors.

The portfolio of the Mona Hotel Management group currently includes four hotels: Hotel Mona Plaza and Hotel Argo, both in Belgrade, Hotel Zlatibor Mona and Hotel Javor in Kušići. Apart from its own properties, the group also manages hotels owned by other investors

What’s among everything included in your portfolio? We assume that Mona Plaza is your biggest project to date, something that brings

What are all the aspects involved in hotel management? Is it just a case of leading operational activities that the services used by the guest depend on, or does it also include the legal aspect, sales, marketing, planning etc.?

Does managing hotels that you own differ from managing hotels that are owned by other investors, and if so, how? Can it be done without a large, experienced and tightly knit team?

A total investment value of 30 million euros, with 170 rooms and nine conference halls, makes the Hotel Mona Plaza really special

Guests Seek An Experience

How far have you progressed on your planned introduction of a loyalty programme that will provide member companies with benefits at hotels operating under the scope of the Mona Hotel Management group?

Today’s guests, particularly the foreigners who are increasingly coming to Serbia, seek much more than spacious rooms and a supe rior service. They seek a unique experience, authentic contents, original interiors etc.?

- The pandemic had a great impact on changing the structure of market segments, which is to tally understandable. We are noticing changes in market segments, as well as opportunities to increase average sales prices. We’ve redesigned our budgets in accordance with the potential of the new market and growing market segments that accumulate the most. As for the needs themselves, I would like to highlight the fact that, as in the previous question, it is experi ence that represents one of the main points of interest in the desires of guests. How do you utilise your unique advantage reflected in having two top hotels, one in the centre of Belgrade and the other on the country’s most popular mountain?

- The loyalty programme represents one of our most strategically important projects, considering that we plan to use the period ahead to expand across the region – both through our own investments and through man agement contracts and franchise agreements, as I mentioned, so creating a unique database of companies, individuals and groups will have a lot of importance, not only in terms of our further development, but also to all potential investors interested in cooperating with us and taking on the Mona Plaza brand.

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 9

you are particularly sense of pride.

- Our portfolio currently includes four hotels: Hotel Mona Plaza in Belgrade, Hotel Argo in Belgrade, Hotel Zlatibor Mona and Hotel Javor in Kušići. Our biggest investment to date is certainly the Mona Plaza, with 170 rooms, nine conference halls and a total investment value of 30 million euros, which really makes it special. We plan to further develop that brand in the period ahead, both within our own portfolio and by way of expansion through management contracts and franchise agreements.

- Guests today, both in Serbia and other des tinations, desire experiential travel, which is why we are shifting our entire philosophy to “experience”, to a model through which we want to offer an immersive adventure, whether that’s about individual guests, groups or other market segments. Experience is what people pay money for nowadays. Who are your most frequent guests; who fills your capacities? Did the pandemic lead to a change in the structure of your guests, their habits, desires, needs and expectations?

- I will gladly use this opportunity to announce that the Zlatibor Mona Hotel will also become part of the Mona Plaza brand prior to the start of the upcoming winter season, so we will have Hotel Mona Plaza in Belgrade and Hotel Mona Plaza in Zlatibor. We utilise our unique advantage in “cross-selling”, given that many market segments participate in both hotels to a large extent, so having two hotels of the same brand in different destinations provides us with a great “cross-selling” opportunity, which we try to take advantage of, thereby spreading our brand’s strength and visibility.

Tourism was recognised globally, even before the pandemic, as an important and powerful branch of the economy, with importance and influence that extends far beyond activities related to holidaying and free time, and which represents a unique and significant source of new jobs and the generat ing of funds for the life of local communities, particularly when it comes to sensitive sections like young people, women, persons with special needs etc. In other words, tourism represents a genuine opportunity to achieve more sustainable and balanced regional development, at the global and national levels. At the same time, the UN General Assembly hosted its first major debate on tourism in May 2022, emphasising tourism’s key role in ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth and the development of modern societies. It is likewise important to point out that, over the last decade, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has made tourism a high priority in the scope of its economic agenda. The implementation of key infrastructure projects across the country has created the prerequisites required for the future development of tourism.The Government support that was provided during the most critical periods of the pandemic was essential to preserving jobs, but also ensuring the survival of many companies. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that, alongside highlighting the importance of tourism to the Serbian economy, the pandemic also highlighted outstanding issues that need to be resolved in order to make serious strides on the future development of Serbian tourism. That requires an intensive, cross-sector ap proach from the government that will enable predictability and the improvement of conditions for doing business and investing in this sector, innovative sources of financing, but also effective coordination of the public and private sectors aimed at achieving a shared vision of Serbia as an authentic, globally recognisable and competitive touristEverythingdestination.thatI’ve mentioned motivated mem bers of the Foreign Investors Council to initiate the forming of a new FIC Committee for tourism and hospitality, with the desire to utilise their vast international experience and repute – especially in the human resources domain that’s crucial to this labour-intensive branch, in technological and organisational solutions, but also in the building of a corporate culture – to provide their contribution to redefining strategic priorities and improving the business and investment climate of Serbia’s tourism and hospitality sector. At its founding session, this Committee stressed the particular importance of regulatory solutions to the issue of workforce seasonality, the rationalisation of costs, including tax policy, combating the grey economy through the improving of the regulatory framework and the proposing of measures aimed at discouraging and preventing such activities, as well as creating an effective and approachable framework for improving investment in tourism and hospitality for all investors.

Furthermore, with its 20 years of experience and positive reputation, the Foreign Investors Council will provide specific additional weight to resolving the aforementioned issues, signalling to the Government how important this prospective economic branch is, but also signalling to companies operating in this sector that they are not alone, but rather the entire business community stands behind them with only one desire: to advance and ease the business and investment climate for their benefit, but also for the benefit of Serbian citizens, as our member companies are respectable and reliable employers for more than 100,000 citizens of Serbia.

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At a juncture when it’s evident that international demand for tourism is changing and pressure is mounting on the global tourist market, it is important to redefine the strategic orientation and the way tourism is managed, and to make Serbia an authentic, globally recognisable and competitive tourist destination

RENATA PINDŽO, FIC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Tourism Plays A Key Role In Inclusive And Sustainable Growth

Wine tourism is a trip that includes visiting vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and wine exhibitions, but also much more. It includes getting to know the culture and traditions of wine regions, getting to know the process of wine production, tasting different gastronomic specialities... Fans of these trips are people who enjoy wine and have a desire to learn more about the wine industry, but also to spend quality time in pleasant company and a natural environment. Such trips are also educational because the tourists learn about wine, its consumption and the essential elements of wine as a product.

12 Charms Of Late Summer 2022

Serbia currently has about 220 square kilo metres under vineyards and more than 700 types of wine. If investment in the development of wine making continues, wine tourism will certainly flourish and wine routes will be put on the map, right next to fortresses, imperial cities, but also traditional destinations like mountains and spas.

SERBIA HAS NINE WINE ROUTES

Although wine tours contribute to onsite sales, a much more important aspect is building a brand and relationship with consumers

Today, the state’s decision to provide wine making with a status similar to that of the IT sector and to adopt a development strategy for 2020-2030, which assumes 300 million EUR will be invested in wine making and viticulture in the next decade, contributes greatly to this.

There has been an increasing interest in recent years among foreign and domestic tourists in wine tourism and visiting wineries. These can be found all over the country, from the Subotica region in the far north, to Vršac and Fruška Gora, and further from Belgrade all the way to Šumadija, Smederevo, Negotin, Niš and Župa

The Wine Route To Happiness

WINE TOURISM

Although Prince Mihailo is considered the pioneer of wine tourism, connoisseurs of wine, the history of wine making and wineries in Serbia believe that the credit for this belongs to the or ganizers of the first Smederevo grape exhibition held in 1899, because it was open to all interested guests. After that, everything went much easier, so the events just kept coming, and today the most famous are the Župa Harvest, Grožđebal in Vršac, Smederevo Autumn and many others that celebrate wine and viticulture in Serbia.

Serbia currently has about 220 square kilo metres under vineyards and more than 700 types of wine. If investment in the development of wine making continues, wine tourism will certainly flourish, as foreseen by the state strategy for the period until 2030.

Wine tourism is extremely popular in Europe, and today our country is increasingly using its potential to compete with other destina tions. For this purpose, nine wine routes have been defined - Palić, Fruška gora, Šumadija, Smederevo-Belgrade, Župa, Kosovo and Metohija, Niš-Kragujevac, Vršac and Negotin - on which there are native vineyards and Serbian wineries, which have been producing, tasting and selling high quality wine for a long time. Thanks to this, there are Serbian agencies that organise special wine routes for wine lovers. However, visitors can also organise themselves, find addresses, working hours on the websites of

WINE TOURS ARE MADE FOR EVERYONE Wine tours are not reserved only for oenologists, for connoisseurs of excellent wine who know how to list all the grape varieties from different countries, for those who can distinguish between dozens of different wines. Anyone who enjoys the unique tastes of different wines and likes to spend time outdoors can enjoy wine tours. Many wine regions around the world have discovered that promoting wine is a fantastic way to achieve financial benefits, so our wineries have followed in their footsteps and invested major resources in improving and promoting this type of tourism. Although wine tours con tribute to on-site sales, a much more important aspect is building a brand and relationship with consumers. Selling in the winery itself is only a short-term goal, while building trust and positive associations is a much longer-term and more profitable goal. For wine lovers, wine tours provide a great experience. For those new to the world of wine, wine tours are a great way to soak up good tips on wine tasting and the unique flavours that wineries work hard to create. Meeting people with similar interests is also a great advantage of wine tourism.

To improve wine tourism, the Tourist Organization of Serbia, in cooperation with tourist associations, wineries and wine cellars, has designed the “Wine Routes of Serbia”

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 13 wineries, make an appointment and come for a visit. It usually includes a tour of the winery and the cellar, but also a tasting of several types of wine, the host’s advice on which wine goes with which food, getting to know the production technology, tradition and all the important but less known details. Along with that, there is also a tour of the vineyards, some of which are several decades old, and those in Fruška Gora even several centuries.

To improve wine tourism, the Tourist Organisation of Serbia has decided to create an institutional framework and, in cooperation with tourist associations, wineries and wine cellars, offer the public what has been expected for a long time: “Wine Routes of Serbia”. A programme has been established for a total of eight wine tours in different regions of Serbia, which tourists can visit through tourist agencies or on their own. Whereas every day of the year is good for visiting wineries, enjoying wine events requires a little patience, because they are held during autumn. Wine harvest in Vršac, Harvest days in Palić, Župa harvest in Aleksandrovac and Pudar days in Irig are scheduled for September, while the Belgrade Wine Fest will be held in October.

TOS HAS DESIGNED EIGHT WINE TOURS

The Aleksandrović winery is a leader among Balkan producers and has won a large number of medals for quality at the world’s largest competitions. Their wines can be found in the World Wine Museum in Bordeaux and in the wine lists of elite hotels and restaurants from Japan, China and Russia, all the way to the USA, and they are especially proud of Rodoslov, the crown of their work so far. The story of Rodoslov Grand Reserve is a primordial story of the birth of a great Serbian wine. It begins in 2004, when the Aleksandrović winery started thinking about making a wine that would be the crown of all their previous work. The project was started with the idea of making a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the best years, a typical burgundy blend that would bear the certification of the Šumadija terroir. That local certification was to be assured by the Prokupac grape. Thus, from the 2006 harvest, the first Ro doslov was created, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Prokupac, a total of about 5,000 litres of wine that macerated for 40 days and then matured for two years in French oak barrels and another two years in large used Slavonian oak barrels with a volume of 4,000 litres. When it was released on the market in 2011, after an additional year spent in the bottle, the wine immediately attracted the attention of local connoisseurs. Praise came from every di rection, and Rodoslov 2006 took first place in the selection of the Best Wines of Serbia that year. Wine is defined by the characteristics of theItclimate.wasthe beginning of a series of successful comparisons with other Serbian wines, which continued with numerous recognitions abroad, but also with another confirmation at home when Rodoslov 2016 repeated its success of the previous year and won the title of the best red wine of “RodoslovSerbia!isactually a wine authored by our oenologist Vladan Nikolić”, explains Božidar Aleksandrović, owner of the winery. “Although we had burgundy blends as a model, specifically several wines from Medoc, we were aware that Cabernet and Merlot cannot give the same From the 2006 harvest, 5,000 litres of the first Rodoslov were created, which was a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Prokupac

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The Aleksandrović family has been engaged in viticulture and winemaking for more than a hundred years. By the beginning of World War II, they had 30,000 vines, and today they can boast 75 hectares of their own vineyards planted with high-quality grape varieties

Rodoslov, Wine Ambassador Of Serbia

Photo: Ivana Čutura

A GREAT RECOGNITION FOR A SMALL WINE COUNTRY

When asked if they are thinking about re-in troducing Prokupac to Rodoslov, since in the meantime they have planted two hectares of vineyards with this most popular local red variety, our interlocutor gives an affirmative answer.

“Certainly, certainly. The only reason we haven’t done it already is that we are waiting for the vineyard to reach full strength. So, in about ten years.”

Today, Rodoslov is found in the most prestigious restaurants and hotels of 10-15 countries, from China and Japan, through Russia and Western Europe, to the USA

“If I had to single out the Rodoslov that best cor responds to the idea that Vlada and I had when we started making this wine, then it would be that vintage,” continues Mr. Aleksandrović. “We took the risk of bottling wine that had not undergone filtration, clarification, or stabilisation, everything that gives us the assurance that it will be micro biologically safe in the bottle. And we took that risk to get a wine that will bear the imprint of the vineyard and the climate even more, because every stabilisation and filtering procedure changes the wine’s style and eliminates part of the originality”. A little more of this wine was produced than in previous vintages, about 10,000 bottles. The winery closely monitors the market’s reactions to it, especially in countries where it is currently exported, first China and then Scandinavia. Today, Rodoslov is found in restaurants in 10-15 countries, from China and Japan, through Europe to the USA.

Rodoslov has become not only the pride of our winery, but also the wine ambassador of Serbia. We don’t produce it in large quantities, but it is a big deal when we see that some experts put it on the lists of the world’s best wines, as was the case in 2017. That year, in Japan, Tasaki Shinya, best sommelier in the world in 1995, ranked Rodoslov 2012 among the five best wines on the Japanese market. That’s a huge recognition for a small wine country. I can’t get more satisfaction than that”, concludes Božidar Aleksandrović in this short story about Rodoslov, noting that the next release of this special wine will be from the 2019 vintage.

GRAPES FROM THEIR OWN VINEYARDS

However, the next edition of Rodoslov from 2009 contained Cabernet Franc instead of Prokupac. The reason was the decision to make this wine only from grapes from their own vineyards. Harvesting was done on three occasions, from specially selected plots from which they obtained the best quality. The result was a particularly powerful wine with pronounced fruitiness, similar to a Bordeaux. The vintage of 2012 was a certain turning point, when the maceration was reduced to 25 to 30 days in order to highlight the elegance and accentuate the fruitiness even more. Thanks to this, Rodoslov from that vintage and the next one from 2013 had the qualities of a New World wine. Immediately after being put on the market, the wine was ready, and the presence of phenols and tannins was more harmoniously integrated. It was the first evolution in the development of Rodoslov. Finally, Rodoslov 2016 went one step further, as the first unfiltered wine from the Aleksan drović winery, which in a way united the stylistic characteristics of all the previous vintages.

Charms Of Late Summer 2022 15 result in Šumadija, because the soil and climate are different. So we had to find a way to define the characteristics of the climate as clearly as possible in the wine. That’s where we got the idea to add Prokupac to the blend, though we didn’t have it in our vineyards at that time, but we sourced top-quality grapes from a 50-yearold vineyard in the vicinity of Stalać.”

MARKET REACTIONS ARE CLOSELY MONITORED

Charms Of Late Summer 202216 TOURISM Resavska Cave, Photo: Đorđe Marković

Serbia's BeautyUnderground

Between the villages of Rožanstvo and Trnava, just 20 kilometres from the centre of Zlatibor, known as the “golden mountain”, a slightly different Among the many natural beauties that Serbia can boast of are more than 2,000 caves. Unfortunately, only a small number of them have been explored, arranged and made accessible. While many hidden underground gems are patiently waiting for someone to discover them, others have been attracting the attention of speleologists and tourists for decades, thanks to their magnificent underground halls, corridors, rivers, waterfalls, figures and decorations

Serbia does not have the longest cave in the world, because that title belongs to the Mammoth Cave in the American state of Kentucky, whose network of underground channels is 240 metres long. Serbia does not even have the most famous cave in the world. The Spaniards can boast of Altamira in the Santander province. Serbia does not even have the deepest cave in the world, because it would be difficult to outdo Krubera in the Georgian moun tain region of Western Caucasus, whose deepest point is at 2,197 metres down, but it doesn’t matter. We also have something to boast of. Serbia has more than 2,000 caves that are rightly considered precious, unique natural treas ures with a plethora of stalactites and stalagmites, magnificent jewellry, underground rivers and waterfalls, incredible figures... Most of the caves are hidden by the mountains in the western and eastern parts of Serbia, so well that only a small number are organized and accessible to visitors.

The title of the most famous speleological pearl of Serbia is rightly held by the widely famous Resavska Cave, one of the most visited tourist destinations and one of the most interesting places in our country. It lies about 20 kilometres from Despotovac, near the Ravanica and Manasija monasteries, surrounded by a beautiful landscape.

Stopića Cave, Photo: Sandro Zdravković

The Resavska Cave has as many as eight halls, and each of them holds unique cave jewellry, which is perfectly lit so that the visitors can enjoy the beauty. Due to its long tradition over several decades and its great popularity, the Resavska Cave is the best organized tourist cave in Serbia, even though the temperature in it is only seven degrees throughout the year.

RESAVSKA CAVE

STOPIĆA CAVE

17Charms Of Late Summer 2022

Photo: Tomaž Jančar

CEREMOŠNJA

ICE CAVE

Photo:CerjanskuGeograf208Cave,LazarRistić

Charms Of Late Summer 202218

Photo:Ravništarka,Geograf208

Ceremošnja, Photo:

Just 15 kilometres from Niš, near the Kamenički Vis picnic area, at the altitude of 515 m, at the place where the Provalija River sinks, you will find Cerjanska Cave. The main corridor of this cave is over three kilometres long, and it is decorated with numerous stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, wavy draperies, cave corals and crystal flowers. Cerjanska Cave has been under state protection since 1955. The path that leads to it is ideal for easy hiking in nature, and at the entrance you can see a small waterfall.

gem is hidden - Stopića Cave. Its five halls hide many beautiful sights that amaze tourists, and it all starts at the very impressive 18-metre tall entrance. There is also a unique underground waterfall, 10 metres high, known as the Source of Life, dugure, large openings in the ceiling, a cone with the unusual name Dogs’ Cemetery, and large “siga” tubs that are the trademark of the Stopića Cave. In these hollows lined with stone walls, water accumulates and overflows in cascades.

RAVNIŠTARKA

The winding meanders of the river Uvac are one of the biggest attractions in Serbia and one of the most visited tourist spots in our country. In the immediate vicinity is the Uvac cave system, the largest in our country. This system also includes the Ice Cave, which can be reached by boat on the Uvac Lake. In the cave, which has all the elements of an underground castle - decorations, tall pillars Lazar’s Cave,

In the immediate vicinity of Ceremošnja, in the area of the nearby village of Ravnište, there is Ravništarka. It is a little longer than Ceremošnja, and equally interesting in terms of the beauty of the jewellry. According to legend, this cave was discovered by fearless and curious village boys who managed to overcome all the obstacles. Thanks to them, tourists can admire the unique wealth of cave jewellry, enjoy the monumentality of the Black Castle hall filled with powerful stone figures Kraljević Marko, Beautiful Ravništarka Girl and Big Heads.

CERJANSKA CAVE

On the northeastern slopes of the Homolje mountains, 15 kilometres from Kučevo, near the village of Ceremošnja, after which it got its name, there is the Ceremošnja cave. It was opened to tourists only in 1981, and since then visitors have been able to admire one of the largest and most beautiful halls in Serbia, whose acoustics are so special that it is difficult to find a similar example. The largest hall is called the Arena and it contains the most beautiful examples of cave jewellry. The trademark of Ceremošnja is the cave column On Eternal Watch, and there is also Beautiful Vlajna Girl, a luxurious column made of crystalline, sparkling calcite, the Abyss and Andesite halls decorated with snow-white ceiling jewellry, the opening of the Door reminiscent of altar doors and a whole series of stone formations. The tourist trail is 447 metres long, the cave is dominated by the colour white, created by lime calcite. By the way, Ceremošnja belongs to the living caves, which means that decorations are still being created in it.

LAZAR’S CAVE Lazar’s Cave is located in eastern Serbia, in the idyllic surroundings of Lazar’s Canyon. It belongs to the poorly explored system of the Zlot caves and is the only speleological object from that entire underground system that is accessible to tourists. Lazar’s Cave is considered the longest speleological system in Serbia, as it is 10,000 metres long, of which only 900 metres are accessible to tourists. It is enough just to see the Throne Hall, the Concert Hall and the Hall of Blocks and to enjoy the cave decorations with interesting names, among them the conductor, the orchestra and the bison, which looks like a petrified animal.

BOGOVINSKA CAVE At the bottom of the Kučaj Mountains, near the road Boljevac-Zeječar and the village of Bo govina, there is the Bogovinska Cave, one of the largest and most beautiful in our country. Of the six kilometres discovered so far, only the first few hundred metres have been arranged, so tourists are not recommended to go deeper into the cave. The Bogovinska cave is considered a spring cave, because the Bogovinska river occasionally flows through its middle, the largest part, while the upper part is always without water. What fascinates everyone who enters the Bogovinska Cave is the beautiful cave jewellry.

RAJKO’S CAVE Just 2.5 kilometres from Majdanpek, next to the gold-bearing river Pek, Rajko’s cave is hidden, the only white cave in Serbia, whose decorations look like frozen scenes characteristic of a winter idyll. This speleological pearl abounds in hidden treasures, including the murmur of the clear Ra jko’s River, which echoes through the cave halls, thousands of calcite tubes on the ceilings, ruddy bigrene bathtubs, the Winter Fairytale Hall with a figure of a white bear, and the Crystal Forest Hall adorned with a twinkling lake. Following reconstruction, the two horizons of the Rajko’s Cave are connected, so that visitors can go around the entire complex on a concrete circular path that is beautifully lit.

Ice Cave: Photo: JYB Devot Rajkova Cave, Photo: Sawa Risovača, Photo:Vanilica Bogovinska Cave, Photo: Bubamara94

RISOVAČA

19 and draperies - there are large tubs of siga from which visitors can drink water.

The entrance to the Ice Cave is located under a steep limestone section, and with side channels its length exceeds 2.5 kilometres.

In the immediate vicinity of Aranđelovac, in gentle Šumadija, there is Risovača. Although it is far smaller than the endless tunnels of Lazar’s Cave, although its jewellry cannot match the decorations of the Resavska Cave, Risovača has been at the very top of the most visited caves in Serbia for a very long time. It was discovered quite by accident, during the collapse of the quarry, but that’s why what it hid immediately grabbed attention of both speleologists and archaeolo gists. Beneath the ground they discovered a large number of fossils, bones and skulls of long-extinct animals, from woolly mammoths, to rhinoceroses and cave lions. The researchers were particularly amazed when they discovered that Neanderthals had also lived in this place.