CorD Magazine No. 154

EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIP ACROSS THE BOARD

IN PURSUIT OF HARMONY

Ambassador Of The Republic Of Korea To Serbia

Ambassador Of India To Serbia

LORDAN ZAFRANOVIĆ Film Director

AUGUST ’17 / ISSUE NO. 154

www.cordmagazine.com

H.E. DAE JONG YOO

H. E. NARINDER CHAUHAN

I’M INTERESTED IN THE EVIL IN ME AND IN THE NATION

interviews opinions news comments events PRICE 300 RSD NATAŠA SEKULIĆ

e-Government - Prerequisite for Progress EU-WESTERN BALKANS

Trieste Summit Gives Hope Of EU Accession

ARCHBISHOP LUCIANO SURIANI APOSTOLIC NUNCIO IN SERBIA

AT THE SERVICE OF

DIALOGUE AND PEACE

ISSN1451-7833

COMMENT TENA PRELEC

Is The Western Balkans 6 Process A ‘SURROGATE FOR THE REAL THING’?

When Angela Merkel took the initiative to establish what was to become known as the Berlin Process in 2014, she was prompted to do so by Jean-Claude Juncker’s very clear statements on the Commission’s intention to pause the enlargement process over the course of their PAGE 6 five-year mandate.

CONTENTS

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AT THE SERVICE OF DIALOGUE AND PEACE

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Ljubica Vujačić, Member Of The Executive Board Of Wiener Städtische Osiguranje a.d.o. Beograd

Archbishop Luciano Suriani, Apostolic Nuncio In Serbia

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42 EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIP ACROSS THE BOARD H.E. Dae Jong Yoo, Ambassador Of The Republic Of Korea To Serbia

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GLOBAL DIARY

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HE CURE FOR T BUREAUCRACY

Nataša Sekulić, President Of The e-Government Alliance Within NALED And IBM Country Leader For Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia And Albania

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RIESTE SUMMIT T GIVES HOPE OF EU ACCESSION THE NEW ABNORMAL IN MONETARY POLICY

E NJOYING WORK ENSURES SUCCESS

A UNIQUE PLACE FOR LEARNING ALL THE WORLD’S LANGUAGES The Polyglot Club

44 O PEN ACCESS ARTS “FRINGE” FESTIVAL

70th Edinburgh International Festival

48 FACES & PLACES 51

INDIA

Strength Of Human Values And Diversity

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I ’M INTERESTED IN THE EVIL IN ME AND IN THE NATION Lordan Zafranović, Film Director

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CHILL OUT

Nouriel Roubini

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74 CULTURE CALENDAR PWC FORECASTS OCTAILS FOR HOT SLOW EXPANSION IN 75 C SUMMER U.S

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@CorD_Magazine

@cordmagazine

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F ASHION – SUMMER STYLE TIPS

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A FTER WORK

August 2017 EDITOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs DESIGNER: Branislav Ninković CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić EDITORIAL MANAGER: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING Halifax Translation Services office@halifax-translation.com MRP Editorial mrpeditorial@mail.com PROJECT MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Nataša Trifunović, n.trifunovic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Nevena Đurković, n.djurkovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs FINANCIAL MANAGER: Dragana Skrobonja d.skrobonja@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs GENERAL MANAGER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

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COMMENT

Is The Western Balkans 6 Process A ‘Surrogate For The Real Thing’?

TENA PRELEC

When Angela Merkel took the initiative to establish what was to become known as the Berlin Process in 2014, she was prompted to do so by Jean-Claude Juncker’s very clear statements on the Commission’s intention to pause the enlargement process over the course of their five-year mandate

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The business dimension was prominent, but its concrete outcomes he focus was put on economic and regional integration, in are likewise debatable. The business forum gathered around 1,000 acthe belief that a common purpose on these fronts would consolidate the region and put it on a better footing to join tors in total – representatives from the ministries of economy, but also the EU further down the line. The 2014 Berlin Summit was entrepreneurs, banks and European agencies. The successful signing followed by a 2015 meeting in Vienna and one in Paris last year – fiof a Transport Union was overshadowed by the decision by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entity Republika Srpska not to take part in the acnally culminating in the Trieste gathering this summer.

Since the start of the initiative, real prospects of EU integration cord. The Regional Economic Area – wanted by Serbia but greeted with have still not advanced at all. While several countries have made good greater reluctance by several other countries – covers matters related to progress on paper, the institutional constraints remain strong – or intrade, investment, mobility and digital issues such as telephone roaming charges, but its final wording is very vague, only concretely committing deed even stronger, after Britain’s decision to leave the EU and the the states to implement CEFTA protocols (which they arguably all had to subsequent effort by the EU27 to appear more cohesive, entailing a do anyway). A timeframe has not been set. reluctance to expand the union further. The lack of an actual EU acA particularly bright aspect of the process is the one that concerns cession roadmap has thus prompted critics to speculate that the WB6 youth initiatives: RYCO, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office for the initiative is being used by the EU to pacify the region while not givwhole WB6 area, was successfully established in Tirana. A total of 13 ing it ‘the real thing’. States that have made good progress (Albania, officers – seven located in the headquarters, and one in each of the Montenegro and partially Serbia) feel particularly betrayed by this WB6 countries – will lead a programme focused on the integration purported strategy. of young people coming from the region. RYCO’s But others point out that the alternative would Secretary General Đuro Blanuša explained that have been a resounding nothing. As Hannes A strategy that privi- the initiative owes a lot to the experience of Swoboda, a prominent former MEP who has takthe Franco-German partnership in the field of en a leading role in the European Parliament’s leges stability over the founders have collaborated closely, Western Balkans working group since 1997, deep-seated reforms youth: learning from previous best practices on how puts it, “there simply was no EU enlargement on – such as making to bridge tensions through youth exchanges and the table: Angela Merkel was quite right to start shared projects. this initiative”. The EC also made it explicit in a pacts with bigger or The trilateral meeting of the three ‘bigs’ – memo that the Regional Economic Area “is not lesser evils to stem the host country’s PM Paolo Gentiloni, German an alternative to EU integration”, specifying that the current migraChancellor Angela Merkel and French President the initiative would represent “an important Emmanuel Macron – took place on a scenic boat milestone for preparation for EU accession”. tion crisis – would outside Trieste’s main square, Europe’s The countries involved in the process are the risk bearing only very moored second largest with direct access to the sea. In neighbouring Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia short-sighted fruits the statements that followed, each of them paid and Slovenia as well as the six Western Balkan lip service to the importance of the integration countries: Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herof the Western Balkan countries, but quickly passed onto what had zegovina, Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Whether including more ostensibly been the main theme of their discussion: migration.

EU countries would be a productive step or not is a matter of debate This prompted some to comment that ‘even when the summit is (some argue that such a move would dilute the process). At any rate, about them, the Balkans are still left at the periphery’. Was it really a it has been an encouraging sign that Emmanuel Macron decided to missed opportunity? It is too early to say whether the good intentions show up in Trieste and make several strong statements (‘we need to expressed at the summit will have any concrete outcomes. But surely, revitalise… we need to re-found Europe’), giving hope that France’s a strategy that privileges stability over deep-seated reforms – such as so far lukewarm attitude towards enlargement might shift towards a making pacts with bigger or lesser evils to stem the current migration more supportive stance. crisis – would risk bearing only very short-sighted fruits. ■ British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson also attended the Trieste gathering, signalling that the UK remains committed to supporting the Balkans’ future in the EU – in spite of Britain being entangled in a The author is Editor of EUROPP and a Research Associate at LSEE complicated process headed towards the opposite direction.

Research on Southeast Europe, LSE European Institute.

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By LJUBICA GOJGIĆ

INTERVIEW

AT THE SERVICE OF

DIALOGUE AND PEACE ARCHBISHOP LUCIANO SURIANI, APOSTOLIC NUNCIO IN SERBIA

Members (of the Mixed Commission) acknowledged that the shared review of Cardinal Stepinac’s life was a positive experience and that the meetings took place in a climate of cordiality and free exchange. The work accomplished in those months allowed for a better knowledge of the historical period extending from the Second World War to the death of the Cardinal in 1960. Appreciation was expressed for what the Cardinal accomplished, amid countless difficulties, even if – as we read in the above joint communiqué – the various events, speeches, writings, silences and positions taken by Cardinal Stepinac remain the object of divergent interpretations 8 |

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INVITATION

DIALOGUE

POPE

Pope Francis willingly accepted the invitation that former President Tomislav Nikolić extended to him at the time of their meeting in September 2015, and wishes to visit Serbia

It must be acknowledged that for many centuries little dialogue existed between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church

Pope Francis has often observed that we are in the midst of "a third world war being fought piecemeal".

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he head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, and open dialogue as the privileged way of resolving tensions and accepted the invitation of Tomislav Nikolić to visit promoting cooperation and peace between nations.

Serbia. In order for this visit to be realised, the invitation should be renewed by new President Aleksandar ■ Bilateral relations are also viewed in the public through Vučić, but an agreement should also be reached with the question of the possible visit of Pope Francis to Serbia. the Serbian Orthodox Church – says Archbishop An invitation was allegedly sent Luciano Suriani, Apostolic Nuncio in Serbia, in this interview for CorD Magazine.

In a conversation that included discussion of the Vatican’s stance regarding Kosovo and its relationship towards cultural and religious heritage sites, Archbishop Suriani also recalls the fact that Pope Francis has made ecumenical and interreligious dialogue one of the primary commitments of his papacy. In this spirit, CorD’s interlocutor also mentions his mission whilst in Serbia to “accelerate communication between the Vatican and Belgrade”, despite the challenges – one of the greatest of which is also the issue of the canonisation of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac.

-Following the lead of my predecessor, Archbishop Orlando Antonini, I have tried from the outset to deepen the cordial and constructive relations that already exist with the civil and religious authorities, and in a special way with Archbishop Luciano Suriani and Patriarch Irinej His Holiness Patriarch Irinej. I think I can say The different bishops that, in matters of common interest, there is a twice by former President Tomislav whom I have had the good spirit of cooperation with representatives Nikolić. Is there a willingness in the of the government and with those of the Serbian Vatican to make this visit happen? pleasure of meeting, Orthodox Church. some on a number of oc- - Pope Francis willingly accepted the invitation that former President Tomislav casions, have never given Nikolić extended to him at the time of ■ What do you consider the greatest chalme the impression of be- their meeting in September 2015, and lenges in relations between the Holy See and Serbia? ing opposed to a possible wishes to visit Serbia. In the meantime, - As Pope Francis’ representative in Serbia, I would the country has a new President in the visit of Pope Francis to consider it one of my priorities to remain close to person of His Excellency Aleksandar Serbia the Catholic communities in the country, and in a Vučić, who, I imagine, would want to special way to their pastors. Quite often, these are renew the invitation. So I think that I small communities needing support in upholding their rights and can confirm that willingness is there, but it will be necessary to find, help in living their faith in dignity and freedom. There is also our by common agreement, the times and means to make it happen. commitment to building genuine and fraternal relationships with our brother bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and to seek■ The invitation for Pope Francis to visit Serbia was sent ing out and travelling together along paths of communion towards with one proviso: that the Serbian Orthodox Church also the unity that Jesus implored from the Father. The Holy See also needs to express its position. Given that since your first follows with interest Serbia’s relations with other European counday in Serbia you have been in contact with the Serbian tries, particularly its closest neighbours, and strives to contribute, Orthodox Church, do you believe that their opposition to at both the bilateral and the multilateral levels, to a steady, honest date can be overcome?

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- As is always the case with papal visits to countries having an Orthodox majority, for the visit to take place, the Pope wants the local religious authorities to be in agreement, or at least not opposed. In this particular case, as you know, the Apostolic Nuncio does not take part in meetings of the bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, so I am not in a position to know the reason for the opposition to which you referred. But I can add that the different bishops whom I have had the pleasure of meeting, some on a number of occasions, have never given me the impression of being opposed to a possible visit of Pope Francis to Serbia.

that I appreciate and encourage the efforts and the commitment of all those who, on the local and international levels, are seeking a mutually acceptable and peaceful solution, for the good of all.

■ How do you look at the problem of protecting cultural and Christian heritage in Kosovo? How does the thesis of the “Kosovar heritage” sound to you, which aims to link this heritage to the territory upon which it is located and not necessarily to the nation and religion through which it originated?

- If a cultural treasure is really such and, as in this case, also involves the religious identity of a community, it is a value that must be preserved and protected, since it is a treasure for all humanity. In a particular way, it is a treasure for future generations, for it is a part of history and history is the teacher of life.

For that matter, as is well known, the Holy See is represented at UNESCO by a Permanent Mission: in that context, the Holy See willingly cooperates in seeking the best solutions to preserve and promote the cultural and Christian heritage present in Kosovo. More generally, churches and monasteries everywhere should not be seen only as “cultural treasures” needing to be preserved materially, but also with due respect for the conditions that enable Christian communities to practice their faith freely in those centres.

■ Pope Francis is an advocate of strengthening ties between the Catholic and Orthodox Pope Francis and Archbishop Luciano Suriani Churches, which he has also written about in his letters, one of which was quoted in The Holy See is repre■ Is there a greater chance for sented at UNESCO by a particular in Serbia, addressed to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with whom he jointly Pope Francis to visit Pristina, Permanent Mission: in signed the Declaration on the Unification which the local government has that context, the Holy of Christians two years ago. Ecumenical stressed numerous times as one of their great wish?

See willingly cooperates dialogue has both its advocates and opponents in the Serbian Church. What have your - If the desired visit to Serbia by Pope in seeking the best soexperiences been like to date on this issue?

Francis were to take place, it would lutions to preserve and - Sadly, it must be acknowledged that for many be of a primarily pastoral nature, as promote the cultural and centuries little dialogue existed between the Orhas always been the case for his other visits and those of his predecessors.

Christian heritage present thodox Church and the Catholic Church. On the other hand, it should also be pointed out that once In that case, then, I believe it would in Kosovo our “ecumenical journey” began, albeit with small not be out of place for him to visit the steps, we have travelled a good distance together.

Catholic communities present in the Pope Francis, following in the line of his predecessors, has made neighbouring regions, in order to confirm them in their faith in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue one of the primary commitJesus Christ and to strengthen their communion with the Successor ments of his papacy. We still have vivid memories of his embrace of Peter and with the entire Church. with Patriarch Kirill in Cuba, as well as his various meetings with Patriarch Bartholomew and with other Orthodox leaders. I believe ■ On numerous occasions we have heard announcements that events like this cannot be overlooked; they are signposts along from Pristina that it is only “a matter of timing” when the the way and an incentive for everyone to persevere, looking espeVatican will recognise Kosovo’s independence. Is that true? cially to the many things that unite us and not the few that set us - The Holy See’s position on the question of Kosovo is well known, apart. So far, my experience here in Serbia has been positive, since and here I refer to well-founded and official information. Beyond I have always found, in the bishops, priests and laity I have met, an this, due to the delicate nature of the problem, I want to state clearly 10 |

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openness to honest and cordial dialogue. We are not living in easy carry out that role by virtue of his training and the office he holds. times and in many countries Christians are the target of persecuDialogue, even when difficult and irksome, is always the best road tion and violence. Pope Francis has often spoken of an “ecumento take. It is the best way to grow in mutual knowledge and to ism of blood”, meaning that many of our brothers and sisters are overcome truisms and prejudices that can turn into unsurmountable walls. Dialogue helps build bridges and being poorly treated and frequently killed, A joint communiqué was tear down walls. Your readers will know that simply because they are Christians; those Pope Francis, from the beginning, wanted who persecute them do not care about their issued, whose text can differences. I am convinced that nowadays be found on the internet. the work of the Commission to take place in complete confidence, out of respect for its most Christians want to make a greater effort In it, the members all members and as a way of avoiding needless to pursue paths of communion and to seek acknowledged that the chatter and inappropriate comments that the way of unity in Jesus Christ. shared review of Cardinal would have proved completely unhelpful ■ Another great challenge for relations Stepinac’s life was a posi- for the Commission’s work. On 13 July last, the final meeting was held in the Vatican. A between Serbia and the Vatican is the tive experience and that joint communiqué was issued, whose text can issue of the canonisation of Cardinal the meetings took place be found on the internet. In it, the members Aloysius Stepinac. Serbian Patriarch Irinej asked in a letter to Pope Franin a climate of cordiality all acknowledged that the shared review of cis that this issue be “removed from Cardinal Stepinac’s life was a positive experiand free exchange ence and that the meetings took place in a the agenda”. How do you view that climate of cordiality and free exchange. The work accomplished process? in those months allowed for a better knowledge of the historical - Pope Francis, accepting a proposal by Patriarch Irinej, established period extending from the Second World War to the death of the a Mixed Commission of experts, made up of both Serbian Orthodox Cardinal in 1960. Appreciation was expressed for what the Cardinal and Croatian Catholics, for a joint historical re-evaluation of the accomplished, amid countless difficulties, even if – as we read in figure of Cardinal Stepinac. He entrusted its organisation to Father the above joint communiqué – the various events, speeches, writBernard Ardura, the President of the Pontifical Committee for the ings, silences and positions taken by Cardinal Stepinac remain the Historical Sciences, a qualified person who is particularly suited to

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object of divergent interpretations. This notwithstanding, Hence, the communiqué concludes that, “the members of the Commission have agreed on the possibility of future collaboration in a common effort to share the memories of the martyrs and confessors of both Churches”. The pain, the sufferings and the death of so many of our brothers and sisters in the faith cannot fail to advance the fellowship we desire.

■ Turning to global challenges, how would you comment on the predictions of some geopolitical analysts that the world is threatened by another major “clash of civilisations”, and

ervation of a nation’s own identity. What do you think of such an approach?

- Every man and woman is a person, possessed of an identity and a dignity that are universal. Next year we will celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It would be sufficient if, from time to time, all of us, especially government leaders, were to reread it and try to apply it for the sake of a more just society and a better world. International organisations are charged with disseminating and promoting the spirit embodied in the Declaration and implementing its contents. We all know that fear is a poor counsellor and never helps. What is needed is the courage to confront the phenomenon of migration in all its various facets. The world has always experienced events of this kind. The competent authorities are called to work together in seeking solutions that benefit everyone, both individuals and society as a whole. The supreme good, to be preserved at any cost, is human lives, followed by the challenging task of seeking employment, so that those who have left their homeland can lead a dignified life and contribute to the prosperity of the country that receives them. Naturally, too, for the sake of a correct integration, newcomers cannot consider themselves only as having rights, but also, like everyone else, duties as well.

■ In today’s world of great social stratification and global terrorism, how seriously do you think leaders understand Pope Francis’s call for the poor and refugees to be the top priority for world politics? This was also precisely what was said by the G20 leaders Next year we will celethus religions, primarily Christian brate the seventieth an- at their June meeting in Germany.

- I greatly hope that Pope Francis’s words were and Islam? niversary of the Universal welcomed by the participants in the Hamburg - Sometimes analyses can risk giving Declaration of Human G20 and prompted some reflection in the course a partial vision of reality. Yet it is also evident that humanity as a whole is livRights. It would be suffi- of their discussions. The Pope has often said that ing through a very difficult period. Pope cient if, from time to time, he wants to be the voice of all who have no voice, Francis has often observed that we are in other words, the poor. The leaders of these all of us, especially govin the midst of “a third world war being nations cannot claim not to see or recognise the ernment leaders, were to importance of the problem of poverty, which today fought piecemeal”. Sadly, when all the outbreaks of war and all the battlefields reread it and try to apply it more than ever is evident in many guises and on are combined, we are indeed faced with for the sake of a more just many faces. Furthermore, it is not enough to make a large-scale war that daily takes a high decisions if these are subsequently ignored and society and a better world remain unimplemented. Pope Francis ended his toll of mortalities. I would not speak of a clash of civilisations, but instead Message to the participants in the G20 Summit acknowledge that it is becoming increasingly urgent for national by invoking God’s blessing “on the meeting and on every effort of leaders to seek new and realistic ways of eliminating all forms of the international community to shape a new era of development injustice, so that peace, which is the fruit of justice, can once more that is innovative, interconnected, sustainable, environmentally reign among peoples. In all this, the religions are called by their respectful and inclusive of all peoples and all individuals”. I am very nature to be means of communion and not of division, as at profoundly convinced that all believers have the responsibility to times they can appear. accompany the commitment and the work of government leaders with their prayers and their own personal contributions. May universal fraternity be the goal to which all of us tend in confident ■ In some Eastern European countries, intolerance towards hope, and not a mere utopia. ■ migrants is explained by alleged concerns about the pres12 |

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INTERVIEW

Excellent Relationship

ACROSS THE BOARD H.E. DAE JONG YOO AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO SERBIA

In recent years, Serbia’s reform-minded government has made great strides, as evidenced by macroeconomic indicators.

The government deficit is back in control, GDP is growing again at three per cent per year, and international credit rating agencies are upgrading its status. As the European economic crisis seems to be abating, with the ECB even talking of winding down quantitative easing, this will also further strengthen the rebound of the Serbian economy

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ince 2016, Korea and Serbia have been accelerating their cooperation in the area of knowledge-sharing in e-government. The 2016 MoU between the two ministries of public administration related to cooperation on e-government was the first such international MoU signed by the Serbian government. In November 2016, a pan-governmental delegation from Korea visited Serbia to host knowledge-sharing workshops and meetings with counterparts. Serbian public officials have been invited back to Korea again for special seminars on various e-government systems, such as e-customs, e-tax, high-tech forensics, civil service HR, e-learning and others.

■ Your Excellency, are you satisfied with the results of the G20 Summit that was held in Hamburg, given that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was among the topics?

- The summit meeting dealt with a number of pressing issues in this drastically changing world. During the meeting, President Moon Jae-in of Korea expressed strong support for free trade, as well as commitment to the Paris 14 |

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Climate Change Agreement, reaffirming once again to the world Korea’s commitment to play its part as a responsible member of the international community. It also served as an opportunity for President Moon Jae-in to outline major economic policy stances of the new Korean government, with an emphasis on a more humane economic growth model, encompassing job creation, eco-friendly energy industries and the empowerment of women.

It is not altogether surprising, then, that President Moon committed US$10 million to the global fund aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Even though the G20 summit meetings are focused on economic issues, global leaders discussed North Korea’s provocations, including its recent launch of a ballistic missile just three days before the start of the meeting. There was widespread concern about the escalating tension and leaders called on the UN Security Council to respond firmly and adequately to these latest provocations.

The side-lines of the G20 also yielded fruitful outcomes, with president Moon Jae-in meeting with U.S., Japanese, Chinese, German and Russian counterparts, among others, and discussing the situation on the Korean peninsula. In particular, during the Korea-US-Japan trilateral summit meeting, President Moon Jae-in, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued the first joint trilateral summit declaration and reaffirmed their cooperation on this matter.

ASIAN PARADOX

TRADE

INVESTMENT

In Asia we have what is known as the “Asian Paradox”, where even as intra-regional trade and commercial interactions intensify, regional security remains unsure.

I am encouraged to hear that last year our bilateral trade grew by over 12 per cent, according to Serbian statistics. This represents growth across both exports and imports.

I would like to see more Korean investors in Serbia, because I firmly believe that both countries stand to benefit from this partnership.

■ Do you believe that international pressure on North Korea can yield results, or are you considering the possible escalation of tension?

- As my President laid out during his recent trip to Germany, there can be no alternative to a peaceful solution on the Korean peninsula. The fact that he chose the site of the former Berlin City Hall, where the historic agreement on German reunification was negotiated, to announce the blueprint for a peaceful Korean peninsula speaks volumes about the vision and aspirations of my country. I would like to quote his inspirational words: [the Government of the Republic of Korea] will “begin the bold journey of establishing a peace regime on the Peninsula, with the Republic of Korea playing more of a guiding role.”

We are fully conscious of the fact that the North Korean nuclear issue has become increasingly more advanced and complex. This is why we must look into a comprehensive step-by-step approach, with a nuclear freeze as the starting step, and denuclearisation as one of the last.

■ Relations between the two countries are good in every sense.

What will be the priorities of your mandate in Belgrade?

- Korea and Serbia enjoy an excellent relationship across the board. Politically, the two countries are closely cooperating on a host of issues and are also active in high-level and civil servant exchanges. In fact, the two countries signed an MoU on cooperation in the area of civil service matters, to promote such exchanges during the visit by the Korean Minister of Personnel Management in February. The Korean government is also actively engaged in the areas of youth, education, e-government and IT cooperation. The IT Centre, which is

■ The seminar “Regional Stability and Cooperation in the Korean Peninsula and the Balkans” was held recently. Does the title suggest some other similarities between the two regions, other than them both being geopolitically viewed as potential crisis hotspots?

- Being situated on peninsulas at the nexus of great powers, both Korea and the Balkans have often become battlefields for rival neighbours and have witnessed regional division and colonisation. Thus, we have much I believe we need to continsoon to open in Belgrade thanks to a donato learn from each other, and this is why the Korean ue building on this momen- tion from the Korean government, is a prime Embassy organised a political seminar for the third year tum. Economically, I would example of cooperation which combines all in a row, which provides a comparative insight into the these areas. The two countries also have situations in these two regions. like to see some more What’s more, both Korea and Serbia, unlike most other Korean investments arriv- excellent cooperation and exchange in the cultural field. In May and June this year my nations, must grapple with legacy issues of the past predating in Serbia. Korean inves- Embassy presented a month-long Korean ing this century. In the Balkans there is an on-going effort tors generally have a good culture festival in Belgrade and Novi Sad, to join the European Union, a component of which deals th specifically with overcoming the tensions of the late 20 reputation and standing in with a huge turn-out from the public. century. On the Korean peninsula, the spectre of the Cold I believe we need to continue building on many parts of the world, War still looms, with North Korea continuing on its path this momentum. Economically, I would like to and I believe Serbia could see some more Korean investments arriving of self-isolation and provocation. Japanese imperialism in benefit from the diversifi- in Serbia. Korean investors generally have a the early 20th century also left the region divided.

In Asia we have what is known as the “Asian Paradox”, good reputation and standing in many parts cation of investment where even as intra-regional trade and commercial of the world, and I believe Serbia could benefit interactions intensify, regional security remains unsure. from the diversification of investment, advanced technology and business Both our experiences demonstrate that nothing can replace the political knowhow that Korean businesses can bring. In turn, Korean investors would commitment, institutional framework for cooperation and mutual underbe benefiting from Serbia’s well-educated and competitive labour force, vast standing in building lasting peace and stability. In this regard, I applaud the FTA network and strategic location as the hub of the region. efforts of the Serbian government to continue on its European path and to Korean entrepreneurs are increasingly recognising what Serbia offers and build better relations with its neighbours. are making serious inquiries. At the moment, an international consortium led AUGUST

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by Incheon International Airport is making a bid for the concession project of Nikola Tesla Airport. The Incheon Airport is the world’s number one in terms of operating margins. Since 2005, it has been rated as the world’s best airport by Airport Council International every consecutive year. It has nearly a zero per cent accident rate, despite servicing over 50 million passengers a year. It has also been cited as the future of airport operations, because it has established the best balance between aviation and non-aviation revenue.

Upon these solid credentials, Incheon Airport stands ready to assist Nikola Tesla Airport in fulfilling its vision of becoming a regional transport hub.

is 50 million-strong, with high incomes and a discernible taste for foreign goods. It is also a good test market, because Korean consumers often set the standards for consumer goods for the rest of Asia, while regulations are transparent and business is easy to do.

So, I am encouraged to hear that last year our bilateral trade grew by over 12 per cent, according to Serbian statistics. This represents growth across both exports and imports. Recently, Serbia made headlines in one Korean newspaper which found that Korean exports to Serbia grew by nearly 30 per cent in 2016, making Serbia the 3rd fastest-growing export destination in the world for Korean companies.

Food, cosmetics, medical equipment, machinery and automobiles are just ■ The Korean economic miracle is increasingly mentioned in Serbia. some areas where the two countries have great You are probably asked regularly about potential. The Korean Trade and Investment the secret of the economic progress that Promotion Agency (KOTRA) provides a prosaw Korea develop from a poor country fessional service in connecting importers and to the very top of the world economy. exporters, and also in introducing various trade - These statistical gains have yet to fully materialise in the life of everyday citizens. I believe fairs held in Korea for those who are interested. the Serbian government realises that the crisis In May, with the support of the KOTRA office, management phase is over, but the heavier the Serbian Chamber of Commerce & Industry toil of building up industries, creating jobs led a delegation of agricultural producers for and improving economic resilience is still the first time to the Seoul Food Fair, which is on-going. This is why my Embassy held an the largest food products trade fair in Asia economic seminar in December last year that and is well-attended by buyers in the region. had inclusive growth and shared prosperity as One area that often gets overlooked is the central themes, and which provided Korea’s possibility of Korean-Serbian partnership on case study for Serbian policymakers, as they third markets. In this age, simple bilateral trade consider the next steps. In particular, Korean is no longer the norm, and discussion of a trade guest speakers discussed in-depth the role surplus or deficit is dangerously simplistic. We of good governance and free trade in Korea’s should help each other by being a launchpad economic development. into respective regions. My Embassy has been The speakers were also very lucid about taking the initiative in establishing various the different economic environment faced by economic treaties to enable such partnership These statistical gains have the Serbian government today, in contrast to and joint ventures in this aspect, and I hope yet to fully materialise in the the days of Korea’s early development. The that we will see the conclusion of one of the key life of everyday citizens. I be- treaties, the bilateral investment treaty, soon. proportion of manufacturing in the global lieve the Serbian government value chain is decreasing and the disruptive th industrial revolution are forces of the 4 ■ What impact has been made by the realises that the crisis mantransforming the global economy. The lucidwork of the Korean Trade and Investagement phase is over, but ity of their diagnosis makes their consistent ment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), which the heavier toil of building up opened its office in Belgrade in Decemsupport for good governance and free trade industries, creating jobs and ber 2015? even more persuasive.

While replicating the Korean experience on improving economic resilience - Since the KOTRA office opened in Belgrade in December 2015, we are seeing an intensificathe whole would not be possible, and Serbian is still on-going tion of commercial interaction in all sectors. policymakers may have to leapfrog certain Partly in recognition of their efforts, the KOTRA office increased its manpower developmental stages, as they are gearing up to do with the platform on at the beginning of 2017, with one additional employee from headquarters digitisation, the Korean case still provides an enticing model in fast-track dispatched here. This is quite an achievement, considering that the office socioeconomic and political development. was only opened a year before.

Just this year, many Serbian companies sent representatives to trade fairs ■ The trade exchange between Korea and Serbia is on the rise, but organised in Korea, such as the bio-medical trade fair, the Seoul Food Fair and the possibilities still far outweigh the reality. How can you increase others. And every half-year a large delegation of the Korean trade mission the volume of trade and which areas do you see as interesting? visits Serbia to meet with potential buyers and distributors.

- With the markets in the Americas, Asia and the EU becoming more and more saturated, the Korean entrepreneurs are looking to find up-tapped ■ Do you have any general comments about Korean investors in markets elsewhere, such as in the region of Southeast Europe. At the same Serbia? time, Serbia’s awareness of the Korean market is growing. The Korean market 16 |

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- I would like to see more Korean investors in Serbia, because I firmly believe that both countries stand to benefit from this partnership. The timing is also right. Nearby, production prices are rising in the Visegrad 4 countries, and a bit further away in China, economic growth is also slowing down. As you know, these two areas have experienced strong investment from Korean companies, but there are still Korean companies that have not made a commitment in these areas and are being forced to look elsewhere for new investments. As such, great potential exists for Korean companies to come and invest here.

My Embassy hopes to draw attention to the merits of Serbia as an investment destination during this time. To this end, in September we are planning to publish a handbook in the Korean language about Serbia’s business environment and incentives, which we will disseminate to interested Korean companies.

■ The two countries work together closely in the information technology sector. Serbia is at the start of the process of establishing e-government, while Korea is at the top of the world in that domain. What are the best ways for Serbia to utilise Korea’s experience?

- Korea’s own experience in this area shows, without a shred of doubt, that e-government systems can have multiple benefits for good governance: increasing transparency, reducing corruption, improving government efficiency and providing more accessible and better services for citizens. This is why international institutions like the UN, World Bank and the IMF are all recommending the adoption of e-government systems.

What is important is that e-government is not merely composed of algorithms and software, but also an ecosystem of mindsets, operational knowhow, legal and institutional foundations. Both public and private sectors must buy into its underlying premises, while civil servants also have to be retrained to adapt their work.

Korea’s e-government system, which boasts a five-year ranking as the world’s best by the UN report, provides invaluable insight into building such an eco-system.

For example, Korea has been a pioneer in the legal and institutional foundation for e-government systems. And the kind of cross-Ministerial collaboration Korea has fostered enabled it to provide a one-stop service for the end-users, who are citizens.

commitment to digitisation, we are certain that it will bear tangible fruit for our growing bilateral relations.

Preparations are going well at the moment. On 6th July 2017 a visiting delegation from Korea’s National Information Society Agency (NIA) chose the site for the new IAC centre and signed an MoU with Mr Branko Ružić, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government. When it is finished, the fully equipped and refurbished IT centre will open at the heart of Belgrade, benefiting from a Korean donation worth €250,000.

■ The Republic of Korea also owes its successful economic transformation to its education system. What is cooperation with Serbia like in that area?

- We have vibrant and enthusiastic cooperation in the area of education. What is encouraging is that cooperation is occurring at both the governmental and civil society levels. For example, in November 2016 the Korean Education Development Institute (KEDI) and the Serbian Institute for Education Improvement held a joint seminar for the second year in a row, with the wide participation of commentators and experts.

On this occasion, the two leading institutions also signed an MoU on further cooperation and the exchange of information.

Around the same time, State Secretary Vladimir Popović, from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, made an official visit to Korea and held fruitful discussions with his counterpart at the Korean Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Our high-level The Korean market is 50 contact continued in April this year, when million-strong, with high Korean and Serbian delegations met for the incomes and a discernible first joint committee on cooperation in the taste for foreign goods. It areas of culture and education.

In the future we hope to establish a govis also a good test market, ernment-to-government MoU on education because Korean consumcooperation. This will hopefully align the ers often set the standards regulations on curriculum for both countries, for consumer goods for the to facilitate student and professor exchanges.

rest of Asia, while regulations are transparent and business is easy to do

■ Why is it significant that the Information Access Centre in Serbia is opening, which is being prepared by the Ministry of State Administration with the help of a donation from Korea; and how are preparations going for the start of that centre’s work?

- Korea is well-known for its world-class IT sector, and it is our mission to contribute to reducing the digital divide in other parts of the world through such channels as the Information Access Centre (IAC) programme. Building upon strong cooperation between Serbia and Korea in the area of e-government and IT, Korea selected Serbia as the only country in Europe in 2017 to be a beneficiary of the IAC programme. As this initiative corresponds well to Serbia’s own profile as an emerging IT hub, and to the Serbian government’s

■ The Republic of Korea has donated millions of dollars to the authorities in Serbia for assistance in taking care of migrants. Given that there are currently between 6,000 and 8,000 migrants in Serbia, do you intend to help further?

- The Republic of Korea has donated US$1.5 million to the Serbian Government for the running costs of the migrant crisis and to the UNHCR in the last two years. Two ambulance vehicles were purchased from that amount last year and delivered to hospitals in Vranje and Subotica. We will very soon deliver five ambulance vehicles, which will provide assistance not only to migrants, but also to the local population in Belgrade and other cities across Serbia. ■ AUGUST

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PRIORITY

GLOBAL DIARY

“For Serbia enlargement remains our strategic priority. It is one of our key focuses and for us within…, for our European accession regional stability is obviously a key part of it. So we are very happy to be part of the Berlin Process,” - Ana Brnabić, Serbian Prime Minister

68TH DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL OPENED ▶ By raising the Libertas Festival Flag accompanied by the sounds with a spectacular performance of Carmina Burana on 10th July, in front of St. Blaise’s Church, the 68th Dubrovnik Summer Festival was officially opened and will be traditionally held until 25th August. During those 47 days, at more than 15 unique locations, almost 2,000 artists from across the globe will present around 80 dramatic, musical, operatic, ballet, folklore and other programmes to 60,000 domestic and foreign guests.

The first premiere, of the play Messrs Glembay by Miroslav Krleža, directed by Zlatko Sviben, will take place at the Modern Art Museum of Dubrovnik.

The excellent acting ensemble is led by Predrag Ejdus as Ignjat Glembaj, Anja Šovagović Despot, as Baroness Castelli, and Mijo Jurišić, in the role of Leone.

SARAH FERGUSON USED BUCKINGHAM PALACE AS CELEBRITY PLAYGROUND

arranging for Harper Beckham’s princess party. In fact, some royal observers say that the party was hideously inappropriate and that no one should use Buckingham Palace as their p.. Read at Source

THE RAREST PASSPORT IN THE WORLD ▶ The Sovereign Military Order of

Malta is so exclusive that passports are only granted to the three highest ranking officers in the Catholic order, ▶ Sarah Ferguson has been banned

by the royals after she reportedly used Buckingham Palace as a celebrity playground. This comes after reports indicated that Sarah Ferguson reportedly arranged a princess party for David and Victoria Beckham’s daughter Harper Beckham at Buckingham Palace earlier this week. Not every child gets the opportunity or even the privilege to play dress up and meet a real-life princess at Buckingham Palace. That’s why so many critics are slamming Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson for reportedly 18 |

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by Pope Paschal in 1113AD and is one of the oldest institutions in the Christian world. It currently operates as a charitable organisation, offering medical aid around the globe, and doesn’t control any territory of its own, despite having diplomatic relations with more than 100 states.

There are more than 13,500 knights, dames and chaplains in the Order, along with 80,000 volunteers and 25,000 medical employees.

Germany currently enjoys the most powerful passport in the world, which allows its citizens to travel to 176 countries out of 218 without a visa.

FLOATING ISLANDS COULD HELP SOLVE LAND SHORTAGE ▶ Dutch researchers have unveiled a model of what could become within two decades a floating island to be used as a creative solution for accommodating housing, ports, farms or parks.

Made up of 87 floating triangles of different sizes, the huge, flexible island made of concrete or steel would eventually stretch 1.5 to two kilometres, or a total of three

'SUCH GOOD SHAPE' ▶ U.S. President Donald Trump praised French first lady Brigitte

The Sun reports.

The chosen few in possession of the prized red book are the grand master, deputy grand master, and chancellor of the Order.

The group’s sovereignty is also expressed on licence plates, stamps and coins.

The Order was officially recognised

Macron for being in “such good shape” on 13th July during his state visit to France, according to a video on the French government’s Facebook page.

Trump, 71, who has come under fire for his comments about women’s appearances, and his wife, Melania, met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte, at Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon Bonaparte and other French war heroes are buried.

After a tour, Trump turned to the French first lady, gestured toward her and said: “You’re in such good shape.” After repeating the comment to the president, Trump turned back to Brigitte Macron and said: “Beautiful.” Her response was unclear.

SUPPORT

“This is a firm demonstration of our support for much-needed reform to improve the region’s security, boost the economy, and to combat challenges such as illegal drugs and human trafficking, which pose a threat to all of us whether in the Western Balkans or the UK.” - Boris Johnson, foreign minister

'PYGMIES' LIFESTYLE UNDER THREAT ▶ In Central Africa, over 20,000 hectares of virgin forest are

disappearing every year due to logging, forcing the indigenous Baka pygmies out of the jungle they rely on for survival.

They’re often forced to try to make a living performing menial tasks for low pay by the roadside. As a result, increasing numbers of pygmies are falling into alcohol and substance abuse.

Across the central Africa, forest peoples have lived by hunting and gathering for millennia. But in the past few decades their homelands have been devastated by logging, war and encroachment from farmers.

Their fundamental problem is the lack of recognition of land rights for hunter-gatherers coupled with the denial of their ‘indigenous’ status in many African states. The ‘Pygmy’ peoples’ intimate connection to the forests was once valued and respected by other societies, but is now derided.

Current estimates put the population of the ‘Pygmy’ peoples at about half a million.

six by eight metres and is made of wood and polystyrene, was laid out last month in a huge water tank to simulate wind, waves and storms, in a presentation for several potential investors. square kilometres.

If plans for floating islands go ahead it would be a twist in the history of the Netherlands, much of which down the centuries has been reclaimed from the sea and which is protected from the waters by an intricate system of dykes and canals.

The model, which measures roughly

rights and access to sports.

The Education Ministry said it will introduce the physical education classes “gradually” and “in ac-

▶ A Slovenian comic who has at-

SAUDI ARABIA’S REFORMS FOR GIRLS’ SPORT ▶ Saudi Arabia said that it will grant

girls in public schools access to physical education, a decision that comes after years of calls by women across the kingdom demanding greater

SLOVENIAN COMIC'S PARODY

cordance with (Islamic) Shariah regulations.”

The decision to allow girls to play sports in public schools is significant in Saudi Arabia because women taking part in exercise is still seen as a taboo. Some of the kingdom’s ultraconservatives shun the concept of women’s exercise as “immodest” and say it blurs gender lines.

Despite incremental openings for Saudi women, tight restrictions remain in place. Women are banned from driving and must seek the permission of a male guardian to travel abroad or obtain a passport.

Boys and girls are segregated in schools and university to prevent unrelated males and females from mixing.

tracted millions of online hits with extravagant musical parodies of such figures as Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and the Pope gives Angela Merkel the same satirical treatment.

Klemen Slakonja (32) plays the German chancellor in a YouTube video, along with a cast of dozens. Merkel dances with the German national football team as well as with “refu-

gees” made up to resemble zombies.

Adolf Hitler and Trump make brief cameo appearances.

“Refugees coming to Europe ... don’t have the opportunities that they should get, so they are like the living dead here,” Slakonja explained to Reuters.

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BY MILOŠ BELČEVIĆ

E-GOVERNMENT

The Cure

FOR BUREAUCRACY Nataša Sekulić

PRESIDENT OF THE E-GOVERNMENT ALLIANCE WITHIN NALED AND IBM COUNTRY LEADER FOR SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, MACEDONIA AND ALBANIA

In a country in which a medium-sized bank prints 11 million papers a year, the retail chain spends 150,000 euros on the storage of documentation, shelves of state institutions reach length of several tens of kilometers, and citizens have to bring payment slips at the counters to prove that they paid the fee, the only way out from bureaucracy is the development of e-government

F

ollowing the success of its Fair Competition Alliance, NALED formed the e-Government Alliance, which brings together 34 companies and local self-governments in the ICT, financial and retail sector that have the capacity to support the state and other stakeholders in the process of digitisation and establishing e-government. Presiding over this alliance is Nataša Sekulić, IBM Country Leader for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

■ Estonia is an example of one of the most successful digitisations of state administration, often considered the world’s most digitised country. To what extent are the experiences of such countries relevant to Serbia, and are some of the strategies they applied also applicable for us?

- Every experience of a state and this development path is relevant, but what is very important is to take into account the specificity, history and current state of the country in which we are located. There is no single recipe that’s applicable for everything, but learning from other good examples of practise is always very good.

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■ Projects that are as extensive and important as digitisation often require teamwork among various stakeholders. In this respect, who are the bearers of digitisation in Serbia?

- That’s a very broad concept. When we look at IT as such, digitisation has entered into absolutely all industries. Digitisation of the state implies the economy and all branches of the economy, especially those parts that based their new business models on digital services, and of course all other bodies which need to recognise that this is the way forward. All are important, though some will contribute a little more because their business models are based on that. I am pleased that the state has also recognised that this is the way forward, because it is increasing transparency and efficiency, IT is recreating itself as a new export branch that can be better than some others... There are certainly a large number of stakeholders.

You have a major objective, but also small steps to take in order to succeed. It is important to make a successful small step each day. You shouldn’t wait for something to succeed in five years, but rather work every day in order to succeed in the end.

■ According to UN stats, Serbia had the largest index of egovernment development in Europe in 2016, while it is also highly rated in terms of the inclusion of citizens in public debates, who comment online on laws and the decisions of institutions. This is a great success, but what are some of the biggest challenges on route to digitisation?

- I also believe that the campaign we undertook under the auspices of NALED with the e-Government Alliance was one of the key factors for making such a report, because the Alliance was one of the key members of this development dialogue with the Ministry of State Administration and all other stakeholders.

We did recognise a few tactical moments that we are currently working on, which we need to overcome.

Perhaps one of those issues is e-payments and how to overcome them. There are many challenges, but I am very pleased that is also a lot of desire and willingness from various stakeholders for us to overcome this through combined forces.

■ With all new technologies – even when they make life much easier for us – there is that famous learning curve, but also the diffusion of innovations, which relates to the speed and the way in which new technologies and ideas spread. How can this customisation process be sped up? Is it necessary to educate users; and how do we deal with these challenges?

- There are always those who are ‘early adopters’, such as people from IT. As someone from IT, as an early adopter, I want to do everything I can online. Likewise, there are also ‘followers’. So last week I sat with my parents, explained to them how to pay bills using online banking, how to

■ How do you handle these challenges?

- I enter every day with great optimism. I wake in the morning and say: Today I have a major objective, but also small steps to take in order to succeed. It is important to make a successful small step each day.

You shouldn’t wait for something to succeed in five years, but rather work every day in order to succeed in the end.

■ What does digitisation mean for citizens as civilians, and what does it mean for entrepreneurs, SMEs or investors?

The e-Government Alliance’s priorities are to establish basic - As a citizen who wants to take any action or request any service from the state, I can do everything online, data registers (first of all, the citizens register), enable elecand that is the point of the whole story. I don’t have tronic payment of all state and local services, abolish the to take a day off, go to the counter of an institution, obligation to store paper documents after digitisation (ebe told at the counter that I need this, that and the archiving), develop cloud services, and facilitate more conother, spend the next half a day collecting everything venient access to online services.

I need, then physically submitting all of that... The point of digitisation is that as a citizen, using modern technology, we arrive at a situation where everything can be done online. do this or that, and that is the moment of education. Thus, it is not only The time spent is reduced, everything is completed quickly, we can feel systemic education that the state and the economy should organise under assured that everything has been done well and transparently, and we the auspices of its competences, but also community feedback, and each get the fastest possible service. individual who will utilise these benefits should educate their environment.

When all of this is viewed from the standpoint of the economy - speed, transparency, quality of service – that then translates into profitability ■ When it comes to eGovernment, so-called blockchain technology is mentioned as a potential carrier of new innovations, and the possibility for that time spent, and time is money, to be invested and individual countries, such as Luxembourg and Dubai, are in other things, such as improving our operations, improving the climate experimenting with this technology... Is this something like that for doing business, and thus the overall efficiency of operations. also interesting for Serbia, and what are the infrastructural or Efficiency and improvement of the business climate lead further to a technical challenges and solutions that are applied in Serbia? higher quality base for new employers, who will employ more workers, - I personally think that blockchain tech is interesting, and it is also based develop new jobs and industry, invest etc. on the same distribution model that Bitcoin uses. It is based on you having We must not for one moment allow for responsibility to be lost from a transparent system, where some problems cannot arise, and since it is man to machine, which is the first and most basic postulate. I’m not not centralised, in the event of the fall of some of the nodes, you still have saying that just for e-Government, but also generally for the future of a system that functions. So blockchain has a whole range of advantages. technology as such.

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On the other hand, in order for any of these technologies to be applied somewhere, an analysis of the situation must be carried out, in order to see the readiness and capacities, so it moves from the pilot onwards. I think there is potential for that, but which steps are required still needs to be discussed and seen. I think it’s too early or too ambitious to me to talk about that at this stage.

at the level of the human, or the team that designed it, in order to reduce the number of errors to the lowest possible level.

■ Estonia issued a statement explaining that it runs eGovernment as a start-up, which is a continuous process of testing, learning from mistakes and pivoting. In the process of digitising and introducing eGovernment to Serbia, there have been prominent ■ There is a joke that the main problem of eGovernment (uprava) successful examples, such as e-building permits, but also less is that if a person isn’t correct (upravu) we can argue, but when successful examples, such as e-health booklets. What can we the machine isn’t correct there is no room for discussion – even learn from these two experiences? if it is written that we have parked badly, we did not pay taxes - I always learn more from those experiences that were not good, because in that way we best see the shortcomings. What we learned in the first case is how much of a positive effect the introduction of an electronic system can have, in this case on the economy.

Here, thus, we have measurable elements for this positive impact - how much the issuance of building permits has accelerated etc. The entire procedure from submitting a request for obtaining the location conditions until obtaining a usage permit has been shortened almost three times. From January 1, 2016 to June 1 this year, 80,222 requests were submitted electronically, of which 91,5% were resolved. The average time to obtain a building permit is shortened to 9 calendar days which indicates that the system is efficient and functional.

In the case of health booklets, we learned In cooperation with the Ministry of State Administration, the Alliance how important it is to have an overview of coordinated the preparation of the Action Plan for the development the entire process, review everything from of e-Government. A major contribution was given to the adoption of the beginning to the end, including that mothe amendment to the Electronic Office Operations by-law act, which ment around education, change management; abolishes the obligation of state and local authorities to print and ar- that everything is done in its entirety. There are parts that need to be done step by step, chive any document received by electronic means. We have improved which are done in teams, but the completethe Draft Law on e-commerce, Law on Signature Certification and ness and encircled picture of everything in the Law on Planning and Construction. As a member of the working order to make the whole project successful group, NALED is involved in the drafting of the Law on e-Government is always important.

and Law on the protection of users of financial services at a distance. or we do not exist, if some bug appears. This, of course, is a very superficial and quite humorous look at things, but what are the actual challenges from that aspect, or perhaps the potential for shortcomings related to e-government?

- Someone made that machine, and that responsibility, the liability, is absolutely and always with the person. The way the process is made, the way in which that “if, then else” is made, or any other algorithm, we always have an owner of that process. We must not allow that responsibility to be moved from man to machine for one moment, which is the first and most basic postulate. Here I’m not just talking about eGovernment, but also generally for the future of technology as such. We must never allow any dialogue and discussions to transfer liability, or responsibility, from a human to a machine.

What are the challenges in a technological sense? That depends on the technology we use. And if something needs to be solved, that has to be done 22 |

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■ Let’s imagine that we’ve travelled briefly into the future. EGovernment and digitisation have been fully implemented in Serbia. What does that mean in practise for citizens and businesses; what services can they expect?

- If we are talking about the current situation, there is a complete list of services on the eGovernment of the Republic of Serbia website, and some of the most popular are the renewal of vehicle registration for authorised technical inspections, registration in the register of real estate in public ownership and the scheduling of sessions to file a request for an ID card and passport...

I think the services themselves depend on how the dialogue goes between the state and the citizenry. I don’t know if there will still be interest in a registry in a hundred or two hundred years, but there may be interest in where you parked your space shuttle, but that is unimportant – what is important is that this dialogue between the state and the citizenry unfolds in the most efficient possible way. ■

EU-WESTERN BALKANS

Trieste Summit Gives Hope

OF EU ACCESSION The Western Balkans Process – also known as the Berlin Process – is a joint initiative of 13 European countries and the European Commission. It supports the efforts to integrate the region into the European Union and foster regional cooperation

T

he Process covers areas such as resolution of bilateral disThe summit pledged a further EU grant of €11.4 million for energy putes, endorsement of rule of law, connectivity and economic and transport projects in the region. development as well as strengthening the cooperation in The region’s countries were also urged to “accelerate” efforts to education, science (research and innovation) and intercreate a common economic and trade area. societal dialogue.

Ahead of the summit, Merkel said the EU had a duty to move the Leaders from the European Union and six Western Balkan nations region “slowly but surely” toward the bloc, more than 25 years after came together for a summit on July 12 to exchange ideas on how Yugoslavia disintegrated in war and newly-independent states emerged. step up cooperation and enhance the region’s chances of eventual “Political stability in the region means political stability for us too,” accession into the 28-member bloc.

Merkel said. “We know this from “For Serbia the enlargement stays The EU-Western Balkans Summit, experience.” held in the Italy’s Adriatic port of Western Balkan countries, however, our strategic priority. It is one of our Trieste, brought together Albania, remain skeptical of such meetings, key focuses and for us within…, for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macworried that they are meant to apour European accession regional edonia, Montenegro and Serbia, pease them instead of helping them stability is obviously a key part of it. toward their goal of eventually joinas well as EU members Germany, ing the EU. France, Italy, Britain, Austria, Croatia So we are very happy to be part of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiand Slovenia. the Berlin Process,” said Serbian PM loni said in closing remarks that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel Ana Brnabic EU must keep its doors open to the and French President Emmanuel region or risk allowing Russia and Macron were among the leaders other global powers to increase their influence there. present at the summit -- the fourth such meeting since 2014.

Gentiloni admitted that EU enlargement “isn’t around the corner” “The future of the Western Balkans lies in the European Union, a but said it nevertheless must be held out as a concrete possibility for Union open to those European countries which respect its values the region’s countries. and are committed to promoting them,” a final statement from host “Naturally there are other regional or global powers that are very country Italy said. interested in having an influence in this region,” Gentiloni said.

The summit agreed on seven new “connectivity projects with a Before the summit, Gentiloni, Macron, and Merkel met on a boat total investment of over €500 million, including €194 million in EU moored off Trieste. Their discussions focused on the growing wave grants and loans from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the statement said. of migrants reaching Italy’s southern shores from North Africa. ■ AUGUST

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The New Abnormal In MONETARY POLICY

By NOURIEL ROUBINI

FINANCE

Financial markets are starting to get rattled by the winding down of unconventional monetary policies in many advanced economies. Soon enough, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will be the only central banks still maintaining unconventional monetary policies for the long term

T

he U.S. Federal Reserve started phasing out its asset-purchase programme (quantitative easing, or QE) in 2014, and began normalising interest rates in late 2015. And the European Central Bank is now pondering just how fast to taper its own QE policy in 2018, and when to start phasing out negative interest rates, too.

Similarly, the Bank of England (BoE) has finished its latest round of QE – which it launched after the Brexit referendum last June – and is considering hiking interest rates. And the 24 |

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Bank of Canada (BOC) and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) have both signaled that interest-rate hikes will be forthcoming.

Still, all of these central banks will have to reintroduce unconventional monetary policies if another recession or financial crisis occurs. Consider the Fed, which is in a stronger position than any other central bank to depart from unconventional monetary policies. Even if its normalisation policy is successful in bringing interest rates back to an equilibrium level, that level will be no higher than 3%.

It is worth remembering that in the Fed’s previous two tightening

cycles, the equilibrium rate was 6.5% and 5.25%, respectively. When sume that revising inflation expectations from 2% to 4% would the global financial crisis and ensuing recession hit in 2007-2009, go smoothly. When inflation was allowed to drift from 2% to the Fed cut its policy rate from 5.25% to 0%. When that still did 4% in the 1970s, inflation expectations became unanchored not boost the economy, the Fed began to pursue unconventional altogether, and price growth far exceeded 4%. monetary policies, by launching QE for the first time.

The last option for central banks is to lower the inflation As the last few monetary-policy cycles have shown, even if target from 2% to, say, 0%, as the Bank for International Setthe Fed can get the equilibrium rate back to 3% before the next tlements has advised. A lower inflation target would alleviate recession hits, it still will not have enough room to maneuver the need for unconventional policies when rates are close to effectively. Interest-rate cuts will run into the zero lower bound 0% and inflation is still below 2%. before they can have a meaningful impact on the economy. And But most central banks have their reasons for not pursuing such when that happens, a strategy. For starters, the Fed and other maThe last option for central banks is to lower the in- zero inflation and perjor central banks will sistent periods of deflabe left with just four flation target from 2% to, say, 0%, as the Bank for tion – when the target International Settlements has advised. A lower options, each with its is 0% and inflation is own costs and benefits. below target – may lead inflation target would alleviate the need for unFirst, central banks conventional policies when rates are close to 0% to debt deflation. If the could restore quantitareal (inflation-adjustand inflation is still below 2% tive- or credit-easing ed) value of nominal policies, by purchasing debts increases, more long-term government bonds or private assets to increase liquidity debtors could fall into bankruptcy. Moreover, in small, open and encourage lending. But by vastly expanding central banks’ economies, a 0% target could strengthen the currency, and balance sheets, QE is hardly costless or risk-free. raise production and wage costs for domestic exporters and Second, central banks could return to negative policy rates, import-competing sectors. as the ECB, BOJ, SNB, and some other central banks have done, Ultimately, when the next recession strikes, central banks in in addition to quantitative and credit easing, in recent years. advanced economies will have no choice but to plumb the zero But negative interest rates impose costs on savers and banks, lower bound once again while they choose among four unapwhich are then passed on to customers. pealing options. The choices they make will depend on how Third, central banks could change their target rate of inflathey weigh the risks of bloating their balance sheets, imposing costs on banks and consumers, pursuing possibly unattainable tion from 2% to, say, 4%. The Fed and other central banks are inflation targets, and hurting debtors and producers at home. informally exploring this option now, because it could increase In other words, central banks will have to confront the same the equilibrium interest rate to 5-6%, and reduce the risk of policy dilemmas that attended the global financial crisis, including hitting the zero lower bound in another recession. the “choice” of whether to pursue unconventional policies. Given Yet this option is controversial for a few reasons. Central that financial push is bound to come to economic shove again, banks are already struggling to achieve a 2% inflation rate. To unconventional monetary policies, it would seem, are here to stay. reach a target of 4% inflation, they might have to implement Project Syndicate: The author is a professor at NYU’s Stern even more unconventional monetary policies over an even School of Business and CEO of Roubini Macro Associates. ■ longer period of time. Moreover, central banks should not as-

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ENTERTAINMENT AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES

PwC Forecasts

SLOW EXPANSION IN U.S. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2017 Global Entertainment and Media Outlook forecast, companies in the entertainment and media space face the prospect of anaemic revenue growth — or declines — over the next five years, with mature segments – like film, pay TV and television advertising – under pressure, and digital content expanding at a slowing rate

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Worldwide, PwC expects E&M revenue to rise from $1.8 expected to increase at a 6.6% CAGR over that time period, growing trillion in 2016 to $2.2 trillion in 2021, representing from $3.5 billion to $4.9 billion. a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% – down from Internet subscription VOD services, led by Netflix, Amazon Prime the 4.4% CAGR forecast by this consulting firm last Video and Hulu, are projected to grow at a healthy 11.3% CAGR, year. For the U.S., revenue is projected to grow more with segment revenue rising from $8.2 billion in 2016 to $14.0 billion in 2021 in the U.S. Meanwhile, pay TV — facing cord-cutting slowly: increasing from $635 billion in 2016 to $759 billion by headwinds — will see revenue remain flat over that time period, 2021, a CAGR of 3.6%. generating $100.9 billion in 2016 and $101.1 billion in 2021.

While PwC is relatively bullish on nascent areas like virtual reality and eSports, those are only just starting to take off. As a whole, Two of the fastest-growing entertainment and media segments are entertainment and media “is approaching an industry plateau,” the VR and eSports, but they will remain comparatively tiny, according firm said in announcing the 2017 forecast. to the PwC report. By 2021, the firm projects 68 million VR headsets will be in use in the U.S. by “These companies are facing significant pressures on Mobile advertising is set to explode: it ac- 2021. VR content revenue will growth,” even setting aside increase from $421 million in counted for 50.5% of total U.S. internet macro-level challenges like 2016 to $5.0 billion in 2021, a advertising revenue in 2016, and will rep- CAGR of 64% over the five-year geopolitical turmoil, regularesent 74.4% in five years, PwC estimates time frame. Meanwhile, eSports tory changes and technology disruption, said Mark McCafis forecast to reach $299 million frey, head of PwC’s U.S. Technology, Media, and Telecommunications in 2021, nearly tripling from $108 million in 2016. practice. The firm’s recommendation, he said, is for E&M companies Internet advertising is another booming area, growing in the U.S. to develop “sustainable relationships” with consumers and invest from $72.5 billion in 2016 to $116.2 billion in 2021 (a CAGR of 9.9%). in user experience to stand out in the market.

And specifically, mobile advertising is set to explode: it accounted The film industry will struggle over the next five years, PwC prefor 50.5% of total U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2016, and dicts. U.S. box office revenue will grow at a 1.2% CAGR, increasing will represent 74.4% in five years, PwC estimates. from $10.6 billion in 2016 to $11.2 billion in 2021, as exhibitors Thanks to the continued growth of digital streaming, the music see intensifying competition for a consumer share of the wallet. industry is forecast to increase at a 5.6% CAGR — growing from On the home-video front, the picture is bleaker. Physical disc sales $17.2 billion in 2016 to $22.6 billion in 2021 in the U.S. Digital music and rental revenue will drop from $8.1 billion in 2016 to $4.0 bilstreaming grew 99% year-over-year in 2016 to total $3 billion, PwC lion by 2021 (-13.4% CAGR), while digital rentals will decline at a noted, and competition for new subscribers by players like Spotify, -1.8% CAGR, per PwC’s forecasts. Electronic sell-through revenue is Apple Music, Pandora and others will be fierce in 2017.

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AUGUST BUSINESS LEADERS’ MEETING POINT

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MLADEN PETKOVIĆ General Manager of HK Krušik a.d. (JSC) Valjevo

DRAGAN KARAKLIĆ Acting Director, Tara National Park

Breaking One’s Own Records

Serbia’s Mysterious Beauty

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MIRKO BUTULIJA President of the Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia

LJUBICA VUJAČIĆ Member of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische osiguranje a.d.o. Beograd

Family With 100,000 Members

Enjoying Work Ensures Success

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CORPORATE

MLADEN PETKOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF HK KRUŠIK A.D. (JSC) VALJEVO

Breaking One’s Own Records

Last year’s results are among the best in the 78-year-long history of the factory. The plan for this year is to export goods worth 80 million U.S. dollars. Contracted projects, worth 257 million U.S. dollars, will be realised by the end of 2019

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ith business profits exceeding 500 million dinars and exports worth around 50 million dollars in 2016, Krušik achieved one of its best results in its 78-year existence. The General Manager of the factory, Mladen Petković, says that it was also kind of a “start”, with the Company striving to achieve an export record this year.

- Considering this year’s contracted projects, we expect the achieved results to be the best in Krušik’s entire history. In the 1980s, at the time of the biggest expansion, the factory recorded exports worth 76 million U.S. dollars, but back then 9,000 people worked at Krušik. Now we plan to reach 80 million U.S. dollars with just over 2,000 employees, thereby achieving the highest export in the Company’s history.

■ How many people will get jobs in Krušik in 2017, having in mind the opening of two vital facilities: “Alatnica” (Plant for 28 |

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rocket motor chambers production) and “Kapislana” (Primer plant)?

- In order to realise concluded contracts within the prescribed deadlines, we have hired additional labour. Since 2014, 1,493 working places have been established, 405

More than 90 per cent of Krušik’s profit comes from export. Its products are present in more than 70 countries worldwide, while the biggest customers are from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam of which include workers hired this year, so the factory currently employs 2,641 workers. Each time Krušik announces a need for new workers, the HR department really has its hands full, because there are at least ten applications for each position.

At the same time, the staff structure of

employees has also been improved. Here I am primarily referring to the age structure of engineering staff and master craftsmen.

The ratio of administrative to production workers is also changed. Although this is a production company, in 2013 a total of 60 per cent of employees were engaged in non-production positions, while today that number has fallen down to under 15 per cent.

■ You already have valuable contracted export dealings. Are there any new major contracts to be announced and, if so, with which countries?

- In order for Krušik’s products to find their place on the world market, we have commenced the activities related to modernisation of the production programme and expansion of the production range by implementing fully new items and technologies. We have established serial production of products from the missile program, which has led to growth in sales and production volumes, so that Krušik today has concluded contracts worth 257 million U.S. dollars, which ensures the utilisation of capacity until the end of 2019. I would like to note that a technology transfer contract worth 30 million Euros came into force in 2016. Average annual growth in the past three years amounted to 68 per cent.

More than 90 per cent of Krušik’s profits is achieved from export. The biggest buyers at present are the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, but Krušik’s products are present in more than 70 countries worldwide.

■ What are current priorities for Krušik: investment in new plants and products, retraining of personnel, reconstruction of facilities destroyed NATO bombing...?

- We have started the investment cycle in the past two years, through investments in the adaptation and reconstruction of existing production capacities, as well as through the construction of new production facilities and the restoration of capacities damaged during the bombing.

In addition to the products from the mortar programme, which Krušik is renowned for all over the world, today we produce modernised and brand new products from the missile programme. Here we are primarily referring to the GRAD rockets, with extended range (40 km), rocket 107mm, the upgraded Oganj rocket, the upgraded Malyutka guided missile with 2T and 2F warhead (tandem-cumulative and thermobaric), the rockets Plamen A, Plamen D and others. We have also started the production of 155mm artillery projectiles.

We expect to have serial production of the S-8 air-to-ground rocket by the end of 2017.

Krušik suffered significant damage during the bombing, and until 2014 almost nothing had been reconstructed. With the arrival of the new management, the reconstruction of damaged facilities and the construction of new ones began. The first facility, worth 9.4 million euros, was built on the site of the former “Alatnica”. This is a rocket motor factory that is the only one of its kind in Serbia and the countries of the region.

The modern Primer plant will also start working soon. Within the first phase, its value amounts to 10 million euros and the plant will be intended for the production of domestic primers for the “boxer” type ammunition, which have previously been purchased from abroad for the needs of the entire Serbian Defence Industry.

■ Unlike a large number of domestic companies, Krušik has an open competition for hiring employees, with salaries

that are regular and above average. To what extent do these working conditions influence employees’ attitudes towards the Company and impact on the overall efficiency of the technological process?

- We will hire new employees in accordance with the needs of the production

■ How satisfied are you with Krušik’s performance at the Eighth International Defence Exhibition, “Partner 2017”, which was held in Belgrade at the end of June?

- At the Eighth International Defence Exhibition, “Partner 2017”, which was opened

by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and

The modernisation of the production programme and the expansion of the production range are underway. Facilities destroyed during the NATO bombing in 1999 are being restored; the rocket motor factory has been built on the site of the former “Alatnica”, while the modern Primer plant will soon start operating process and the pace of new production capacity building. Given the domain and nature of the production process at Krušik, we mostly need mechanical and electrical engineers, operators on CNC machines and other related profiles.

The average net salary paid for May amounted to 49.151,91 dinars, and in the course of the last three years the Factory has connected the working status for 261 workers, while around 179 million dinars has been allocated for the payment of arrears and retirement benefits.

attended by the Ministers of defence and justice, as well as representatives of numerous Embassies and military delegations of ten countries, Holding Corporation “Krušik” a.d. Valjevo presented its complete production programme.

In addition to products from the mortar programme that Krušik is known for throughout the world, we also showed modernised and completely new products in the field of rocket production.

The wide range of products exhibited at our booth drew the attention of both domestic and foreign visitors. The Exhibition was visited by high-level delegations from around the world, as well as representatives of NATO, the European Defence Agency and other international military-security organisations. We can note that, besides the usual questions related to the standard programme, the greatest interest was shown in unguided rockets for multi-barrel launchers of all calibres, all produced in our factory, but also for overhaul and the modernisation of “old” Krušik products. ■ AUGUST

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LOCAL NEWS

BARRIERS “Integration is key to the Berlin Process and all obstacles on that path, such as customs barriers, should be removed.” — DUSAN VUJOVIĆ, Serbian Finance Minister GAZPROM

KOSTOLAC

Gas Exports To Serbia Tose By 42 % In The First 5 Months

Construction Of River Dock For TPP Kostolac Started

Gazprom announced that its natural gas deliveries to Serbia in the January-May 2017 period has increased by 42.2 % compared to the same period last year.

CEO of Gazprom Alexey Miller and Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic have met at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, where they have discussed the need to establish additional routes for gas supplies to the European market, as well as further development of gas infrastructure in Europe.

On the occasion Srbijagas and Gazprom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the expansion of underground gas storage facility in Banatski Dvor. The statement from Gazprom said that this MoU envisages the possibility of the capacity of Banatski Dvor gas storage to 750 million cubic meters, from current 450 million. Gazprom is the majority owner of Banatski Dvor underground gas storage with 51% stake, while the remaining 49 % is owned by Srbijagas, In 2016, Gazprom delivered a total 1.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Serbia, which is 4.3 % more than in 2015.

The construction of a dock on Danube river, worth over €14 million, which is being built primarily for the needs nearby thermal power plant Kostolac has started. It is one of the five projects funded within the first phase of credit arrangement between Serbia and China.

NEPI ROCKCASTLE

Construction Of New Shopping Centres In Serbia Real estate investor NEPI Rockcastle will put over €100 million into the construction of a shopping centre in Serbia’s Novi Sad, due to open by the end of 2018.

NEPI Rockcastle was created through the merger of real estate investment trust New Europe Property Investments (NEPI) and Rockcastle Global Real Estate (Rockcastle) in 2016.

The shopping center, Promenade Novi Sad, will be the largest such facility in the region, covering 150,000 sq m, and it will spread on four floors of commercial space and employing some 1,500 people once completed.

“We are long-term investors. We plan to manage this facility in the long run, and thus contribute to the economy of the city,” said Alexandru Morar, CEO of NEPI Rockcastle Promenade Novi Sad will increase the total area designated to shopping centres in Serbia by 25%.

Source: novisad.rs

CISCO SYSTEMS

Serbian Government Signs MoU with Cisco Systems The Serbian government and U.S. tech giant Cisco signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Washington DC July 17. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who was on an official visit to the U.S., was in attendance as the Serbian Ambassador to the U.S., Djerdj Matkovic and Cisco’s Senior Vice President for Relations with Governments and Communities, Michael Timmeny signed the document.

The memorandum highlights the intention of the two parties to start talks to reach an agreement on the National Digitisation Accelerating Agenda (CDA) programme, the Serbian government announced on its website, citing a statement issued by the president’s press service, and added: The goal of this memorandum is to help attract foreign direct investment, strengthen economic development, meet a number of social goals, enable young people to participate in digital economy, foster digital innovation and competitiveness, and create space for export oriented and knowledge-based possibilities, the statement said.

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The dock on Danube will be primarily used for the transportation of coal to the plant, but also for the removal of byproducts of the plant, such as ash, which could be used for industrial needs. General project for the dock was prepared by the company Ehting in cooperation with the Institute of Transportation CIP and it envisages three operating wharves for loading and unloading with total length of 220 meters.

In early 2017, Serbian state-owned power utility EPS announced that it has started the second phase of the modernisation project of thermal power plant Kostolac B with the start of installation of excavator-conveyorspreader (ECS) system at Drmno coalmine.

The project for the modernisation of TPP Kostolac B also includes the construction of the new B3 unit with power output of 350 MW. Implementation of the project was officially launched on 4 January 2016, when EPS made an advance payment to the contractor, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). In order to finance this project, EPS obtained a preferential loan from Chinese Exim Bank. The maturity of the loan is 20 years, with a 7-years grace period and fixed interest of 2.5 %. The deadline for the completion of the new unit is five years (until the end of 2020), and since the grace period lasts for another two years the idea is that the unit will partially repay itself if electricity production starts on time. The whole project is worth $712 million.

PROJECT “Tenants in the first two buildings under construction at the Belgrade Waterfront (BW) site will start moving in by spring next year at the latest. I am very satisfied with the way the project is being realised so far.” — MOHAMED ALABBAR, chairman of Eagle Hills, Abu Dhabi, UAE ALEX FASHION D.O.O

Opening Stores In Novi Sad And Belgrade

After several years of experience in America and Italy, Aleksandar Kosovac, CEO of ALEX FASHION D.O.O is planning to open a stores in Novi Sad and Belgrade. So far in production plant in Novi Sad a hundred employees, mostly women, have been working for nine months. Kosovac explains

that Alex Fashion is an export-oriented company, which makes clothes in line with the EU standards.

“Our products are already being sold. We cooperate with Italian stylists and we learned how to sew from them. All the materials used in our programme are natural. Everything is 95% cotton with a minimum of elastin, which sets us apart from the global brands which use recycled harmful materials,” Kosovac explains.

He adds that whoever wants to create a brand should start locally, as he has done in Novi Sad. His next destination is Belgrade, where he will open another store this autumn.

SIGMA ELITE RENTALS

The Luxury State Of Mind Sigma elite rentals is a Belgrade based agency founded in 2017, dedicated to those who appreciate subtle luxury and expect nothing but the best. This agency is hoping to upgrade the way we perceive luxury, the way we surprise ourselves and those who we live or work with. A ride to the airport and back?

That can be so distressing, with all the gates, parking and traffic and luggage and even worse – with an uncomfortable taxi whose driver feels very comfortable talking all the way. Why not use those precious moments before an important business trip to focus, read the paper, meditate and relax. Sigma offers the smoothest ride to the airport, with a professional chauffeur offering door to door service, so that you can spend your time more wisely. Like you always do. Down by the river. Belgrade can be too hot in summer, the global warming is taking its toe. The weather doesn’t care if you have an important meeting or a private arrangement already scheduled. Now, imagine the possibility of being driven to the river, escorted to a charming and intimate yacht, navigated and equipped with everything you need or might desire. That sound great, but looks even greater – how many people have witnessed the beautiful Belgrade sunset from the river Danube or Sava?

Not too many. The immediate strike of freshness and nature will add up to your moment while you do what you do best: negotiate, seduce, enjoy. Do what drives you. Fly me to the sea – right now! While the interstellar tourism is yet to be established, Sigma elite rentals will sure get you to the nearest stardom. This is one of the most exciting offers – while your reading this, dinner tables are being set somewhere on the Adriatic coast, while the pilot is getting ready for the short and comfortable flight. Speaking of success-driven people and their ways of surprising themselves, this is probably the most accurate behavior mode: I want it all, and I want it now! The weekend has just become incredible: private airplane, amazing Porto Montenegro bay…all of that and much more within hours. Now, that is Carpe diem for real!

Find out more at: sigmaelite.rs; Phone: +381 62 50 30 30

Placements & postings appointments@aim.rs

▪ KRISTINA JOHANSSON, NEW GENERAL MANAGER OF METRO CASH & CARRY SERBIA

Kristina Johansson has been appointed as the new General Manager of Metro Cash & Carry Serbia, having taken on her new position as of 1st July 2017.

After having amassed many years of professional experience in the field of the strategic development of global companies, Johansson joined the Metro Cash & Carry team in October 2016.

She built a successful career working as a consultant in the field of management for company Accenture, after which she spent almost 15 years working at Ikea, on several markets, in various managerial positions.

“We will continue to focus strongly on our primary goal, in order to provide buyers and employees with the best conditions,” said Johansson.

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LINDA VAN GELDER, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR WESTERN BALKANS, WORLD BANK OFFICE, VIENNA Linda Van Gelder has become the new World Bank Regional Director for the Western Balkans, having assumed this position, based in Vienna, in July 2017. This position sees Van Gelder assume responsibility for leading the dialogue on economic reform with the six countries of the Western Balkans, developing the World Bank’s country strategies, managing the World Bank’s portfolio, coordinating with partners, and engaging in outreach on economic growth and poverty reduction in the Western Balkans. Prior to taking on this post, she served as the Director of Strategy and Operations for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Practice Group, covering the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Management, Finance and Markets, Trade and Competitiveness, Poverty and Equity, and Governance Global Practices.

Van Gelder, who has a Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University, joined the World Bank in 1994. Her regional and country work has ranged across economic management, governance, and poverty reduction issues. She has also held several corporate positions, including leading the development of the first World Bank Group strategy (2013) and as Director for Operational Policy and Quality.

NEXT SMOOTHIE

Fruity Snack For Successful Day While working, you need to be highly focused constantly in order to complete all tasks and objectives for that day. In order to be focused, we should be full as well, since hunger may distract us a lot. Generally, we allocate little time to planning our diet and most of us relate a short break at work with a quick snack.

Although it has a beneficial effect on our focus and creativity, we neglect fruit, which turns a snack at work into rinsing, peeling, chopping and blending. Who has the time for that today? That is why neXt Smoothie is a practical solution, as its glass bottle preserves everything you need to enjoy various types of fruit, with no added sugar, aromas, preservatives, or even water. Two fruit combinations to choose from your quick and practical fruity snack at work are mango, orange, banana, passion fruit, lemon and apple and red grapes, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apple, pear and banana. neXt Smoothie will become your favourite ritual for relaxation and a smart choice of snack that will recharge your body and refresh your working day.

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CORPORATE MIRKO BUTULIJA, PRESIDENT OF THE AUTOMOBILE AND MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

Family With 100,000 Members The network of the AMSS business system comprises over 200 retail outlets, 50 technical bases, auto-centres nationwide throughout Serbia, where a driver can carry out everything required in one place. Also operating within the system are more than 60 other contract partners, franchisees, with the aim of providing timely services to all, in accordance with international standards and regulations

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ermany’s ADAC is one of the world’s best organised national auto-motor alliances, and AMSS, despite its growing competition, is its only authorised partner in our country. In order to get the lowdown on the problem of wild tow trucks on the roads of Serbia and their impact on road safety and the international reputation of the association, we spoke to AMSS President Mirko Butulija.

“The international reputation of AMSS has never been brought into question, but the fact remains that there is an existing problem of wild tow trucks, or vehicles carrying the faked marking of our AMSS and Germany’s ADAC, who extort money from people, and that problem is most common during the summer season. The most common targets of scams are precisely drivers who are members of Germany’s ADAC, and that doesn’t only damage AMSS, but also the reputation of the entire Republic of Serbia, which is a transit country.

“With the aim of resolving this problem, AMSS has standardised the way it provides services, clearly marked all vehicles and employees, in accordance with agreements reached with foreign clubs.

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At the meeting with the management of ADAC, we defined the procedures of cooperation and concluded that Serbia is ready for drivers from Germany during this year’s summer season. Our efforts and investments, and not only when it comes to these moves, are recognised and acknowledged by the international community. This is also supported by the fact is that at the last session of the Assembly of FIA Region 1, in Belgium, I - as AMSS president – was elected to become a board member. This is the first time in

AMSS acts as the most socially responsible and operationally successful organisation in Serbia in the fields of automobiles and traffic history that the governing body of the FIA has included someone only from Serbia, but from anywhere in the Balkans, and that person was directly elected by the Assembly’s delegates.”

■ What comprises all elements of AMSS today?

- AMSS’s complex business system, which has been developing for more than 90 years – via subsidiary companies – has unified all services required by the modern driver: service, technical inspection, registration, all types of vehicle and passenger insurance, and – as of a few years ago – real estate property, driver training through manuals for passing driver’s tests, issuance of international driving documents, creden-

tials and ADR certificates, then checks on the origin and estimates of vehicle worth, checking and obtaining tachygraphy, selling TAG devices and updates for electronic pay toll collection, recording and assessing the safety of roads in accordance with the EuroRAP/iRAP Methodology, organisation of 24/7 roadside assistance, tourist and freight forwarding services.

■ In which does AMSS, in terms of travel assistance and insurance, monitor European trends and succeed in maintaining a high position on the market?

- Over the previous year we have paid special attention to improving and developing the membership of AMSS, and we have done that through the development of adequate packages of roadside assistance services, discount schemes for members, and the development of new sales channels. Drivers have good reason to believe in AMSS, which now has a family of drivers that includes the largest number of members in the last 10 years: 100,000!

Simultaneously, AMS Osiguranje (Insurance) holds the position of a stable and leading domestic insurance company, the biggest asset of which is both in its wide sales network and the speed at which damages are paid to insured parties. We are exerting great efforts in the development of property and travel health insurance, in order for the key of “all in one place” to enable people to be worry-free in the right sense of that term, both on the road and in the home. ■

CORPORATE FOREST ENGINEER DRAGAN KARAKLIĆ, ACTING DIRECTOR, TARA NATIONAL PARK

Serbia’s Mysterious Beauty The Tara National Park covers most of the Tara Mountain, which lies in the far western part of Serbia. It covers a region of the Old Vlach Mountains encompassed by the elbow-shaped course of the Drina river, between the towns of Višegrad and Bajina Bašta

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dorned by many hidden gorges and canyons, hollows, and caves, this mysterious beauty of Serbian tourism deserves far better treatment on the map of Serbian tourist treasures. Perhaps one gentle touch, one incentive from the state would suffice for this beauty to show its full splendour.

■ The Tara National Park covers almost 25,000 hectares, with the Vrelo stream, Lake Perućac all the way to the dam and Lake Zaovine.

Is it possible to preserve and maintain such an enormous area, and what does it take to do so?

- Managing protected areas, especially national parks, is a complex endeavour, requiring a multidisciplinary and responsible approach towards nature and people. In essence, its core is not in merely applying the prescribed protective measures and performing routine duties, but in a deep understanding of the management role you have been assigned. In the Tara National Park, we try to harmonise the projected general goals with the interests of each and every individual user.

Whether we have succeeded in reaching that goal, it’s not up to us to say.

■ The National Parks Tara and Black Canyon in Colorado have signed a fiveyear Cooperation Agreement. In what way do you expect the experience of this world-renowned natural park to be useful for our domestic national park, and how in practice?

- This Agreement foresees cooperation in sharing know-how, experience and staff.

This cooperation runs across different areas, ranging from managing national potentials, restoring swamps and forests, controlling rare species, overseeing water and air quality, via training in environmental protection, through planning the con-

The Tara National Park is a unique area in western Serbia, characterised by nature that is still pristine, and with a great many natural phenomena and attractions. struction of youth camps and mountain climbing for ecotourism, to administering web sites. There are many interesting topics here, but what is most important for us is their experience in restoring forests.

■ In addition to being one of the most valuable and richest European ecosystems, Tara is also rich in cultural and historical heritage. Can you tell us about efforts to discover sites treasuring valuable messages from the past?

- The Tara National Park is known for the Drina river canyon, the monumental Pančić spruce, the brown bear, and vast stands of fir, spruce and beech trees. Its important cultural and historical heritage should also

be mentioned. The recognition of the terrain and the results of preliminary archaeological research over the last decade have provided an indication of a considerable civilisational continuity. Today, beside the famous Monastery Rača from the 13th century and a necropolis with specific medieval tombstones called stećak (pl. stećci) in Perućac and Rastište, which are included in the World Heritage List, we also see foundations of early Byzantine churches from the period between the 4th and 6th centuries. The next thing we are planning to do is to publish the results of ethnological research on Mt Tara, which we have just carried out in cooperation with the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade.

■ Tara is a favourite destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

What kind of help do you expect from the state in achieving an even more effective use of the tourist potential of this area?

- The Tara National Park is the only national park in western Serbia, and it is considered one of the leading tourist destinations in this part of the country. This is an area which is still in an almost completely pristine condition. It’s a real mountain, with a great many natural phenomena and attractions. When it comes to tourist activities, the Public Enterprise ”Tara National Park” is focusing on establishing basic infrastructure, defining and marking walking, mountain climbing, and cycling tracks, arranging picnic areas, opening visitors’ centres, and promoting the overall treasures. We definitely need better quality roads, and in that regard the role of the state is indispensable. ■ AUGUST

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REGIONAL NEWS

ENLARGEMENT “The tactic has ever weaker pull. It seems there is an ever louder voice against enlargement. The EU needs to offer a realistic membership path if it’s to maintain its influence.” — ERIC GORDY,

University College London

BULGARIA

ROMANIA

Among The EU Biggest Growth In Registrations Of New Cars

Start-Up Nation Programme

Bulgaria is among the countries in the European Union with the strongest growth in registrations of new cars.

It is data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association In June, new registrations in Bulgaria are 3,206 compared to 2,440 in June 2016, an increase of 31.4%, the organisation reports.

For the first half of the year, the total number of registered new cars in Bulgaria reached 14 749 compared to 12 361 for the first half of 2016, which is a growth of 19.3%.

For comparison, the increase in new registrations in the EU was 2.1% in June and 4.7% in January-June. While sales are highest in June since 2007, growth is slowing down from 7.7% in May. Reported Investor.

CROATIA

Atlantic Group Sells Factories In Germany And Croatia The Atlantic Group reported mid last month that it was selling its production capacities and the production of private trademarks from the sports and active nutrition segment to Belgium’s Aminolabs Group, while keeping the Multipower brand.

“The Atlantic Group has decided to sell factories in Germany (Bleckede) and Croatia (Nova Gradiska) and the private label production tied with them to the Belgian company Aminolabs Group,” the Group reported The transaction amounts to around €27 million, of which the payment of €20.3 million is to follow immediately after the signing of the agreement, whereas the rest is to be paid in the next two years. The transaction is expected to be completed in the final quarter of 2017, the press release adds.

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More than 19,000 business plans were registered in the Start-Up Nation programme, of which 70 per cent were submitted over the past five days of last month, a new session to be scheduled in 2018, Ilan Laufer, Minister for Business Environment, Trade

and Entrepreneurship said in a press conference.

According to the minister, 270 business plans were wrongly recorded. Also, out of the total number of submitted projects, 2,926 were from Bucharest and 2,289 from Cluj.

Of the budget allocated to this Start-Up Nation stage, 8,653 business plans could be funded, equivalent to the creation of 20,956 new jobs.

The Start-Up Nation programme has a budget of RON 1.7 billion this year €372,700, and the maximum amount a company can get is €43,800.

KOSOVO

Remittances Expected To Turn Into Investments The latest report of the Central Bank for the first quarter of the year, shows that remittances for this period were €163.4 million, with an annual growth of 13.3%.

But, this money has mostly been spent for household consumption and not investments which would generate new jobs.

Representatives of the Ministry of the Diaspora say that the money that migrant workers send to their families in Kosovo must be spent elsewhere.

Naim Deudshaj, head of the Office for the Investments of the Diaspora in this ministry says that meetings have taken place with 10 thousand business representatives of the Diaspora to discuss on how to

better spend their funds.

“Remittances have helped Kosovo, but I think that time has come to change methods. These remittances must not only be spent for consumption, but also investments. We have several ideas that we will put to practice immediately after the creation of the new government,”said Deudshaj Meanwhile, the amount of funds sent by the Diaspora each year in Kosovo amounts to over half a billion euros.

WEST BALKAN

EBRD Urge To Support Growth Of Small Firms

By Anthony Williams More steps are needed to develop small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Western Balkans, senior European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) official said at summit of Western Balkan leaders in Trieste, Italy, describing the sector as an engine for innovation in the region and a driver for economic growth.

At a summit EBRD Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, Pierre Heilbronn, also told a panel

on SME financial instruments it was crucial to find mechanisms to support SME growth, including via improvements to their financial management and corporate governance – key components in becoming creditworthy bank customers.

The EBRD itself was putting a major focus on its SME activities, which combined the provision of finance with knowhow and advice, and driving forward its Women in Business programme that promotes women’s entrepreneurship and their role in the economy.

The Bank was also exploring ways to enhance vocational skills and youth inclusion through its work with SMEs across the region.

Mr Heilbronn referred specifically to the Western Balkan Enterprise Development and Innovation Facility, EDIF, an innovative platform uniting the European Union, International Financial Institutions, governments and donors. EDIF provides small businesses in the region with a comprehensive set of instruments to address their financing requirements.

CRITERIA “Even the EU would have trouble meeting its own criteria to join, if it were to join itself now. In light of this, there is growing skepticism regarding enlargement,” — SEVIM DAGDELEN, German MP HUNGARY

MONTENEGRO

Bosch Ti Invest €17mln In Digital Logistic Base

Renovated Maestral Hotel Opened

Following meeting with Bosch’s heads, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced that Bosch will open its new and supermodern digital logistics base in Hatvan next year.

He noted that Bosch would move its logistics hub for central and eastern Europe next to its existing factory in Hatvan in Central Hungary, creating 250 new jobs there.

Construction of the 17 billion forint (€55mln) industrial park where Bosch will set up the automated logistics base

Prime Minister Duško Marković opened the renovated Maestral Hotel in Pržno. The ribbon was cut by the Prime Minister and co-owners of the hotel Petros Status and Paul Phua.

The renovated hotel has 205 accommodation units (22 apartments and 183 rooms) of an international standard. Maestral Hotel & Resort offers a modern Wellness & Spa centre with outdoor and indoor pool and the most up-to-date trends in the Wellness offer. There are also modern restaurants and bars, as well as a convention centre with a number of seats for up to 400 participants. The hotel has 380 employees - 70 more than before the hotel’s adaptation.

Maestral Hotel operates within the company Hit Montenegro owned by Monte Rock company, who bought the hotel for €27 million and invested further €20 million in its adaptation so that the total investment was about €50 million. The works lasted from October 2016 to June 2017.

ALBANIA

will start in days and finish by the end of next February Hungary’s state-owned National Industrial Park Operating and Development Company would build the industrial park on the outskirts of Hatvan for Bosch, which will lease 60,000sqm of the area for a period a 16 years. Bosch will also commit to raising the value of its orders from local suppliers by €60mln over the next six years under the arrangement. With the establishment of the logistics base in Hatvan, Bosch’s local headcount will rise to 14,700, higher than any other foreign-owned producer in the country.

“EDIF is a model for coordination … and we hope to see the continuation and further expansion of its role in the future,” the EBRD Vice President said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the EBRD signed a letter of intent demonstrating a determination to further support the implementation of the Western Balkans EDIF in the region.

Other signatories were the World Bank, the European Commission and the European Investment Fund. Under this latest step, the EU intends to contribute an additional €48 million to the Facility with €15 million dedicated to the launch of the EBRD’s regional SME Competitiveness Programme, which helps SMEs in the Western Balkans comply with EU and international standards and improve their competitiveness at home. Within the WB EDIF, the EBRD also manages the Enterprise Expansion Fund (ENEF), which provides otherwise scarce equity and mezzanine finance to the region.

Under its Small Business Initiative, the EBRD is providing over €1 billion in intermediated and direct financing a year to SMEs in its regions.

In the Western Balkans, the Bank has a portfolio of over €166 million, providing direct financing to smaller businesses, improving access to finance for SMEs through local financial institutions, risk sharing and engaging in business advice and policy dialogue.

First Private Stock Exchange Licensed

The news has been announced by the Financial Oversight Committee, according to which, it will be the Albanian Stock Exchange that will be given the right to exert its activity as the first Albanian stock exchange with private capital licensed in the country.

With initial capital of 50 million ALL (€377,000), its main activity will be: the trading of shares, bonds and

other financial instruments.

Meanwhile, this company will use the electronic system known as “Quick Trade”, a system which is used by the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, Skopje Stock Exchange, Banja Luka Stock Exchange and Montenegro Stock Exchange. This system may process up to 100 thousand transactions a day.

In the first year of its activity, the Stock Exchange’s transactions will be focused on the trade of government bills and stocks belonging to companies which have been privatised.

“Based on this macro-economic point of view, the creation of a stock exchange shows a level of maturity for the Albanian market”, financial experts say on the licensing of the first private stock exchange in Albania.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Mercator Returns To BiH Slovenian retail chain Mercator returns to BiH Croatian Government Commissioner for Agrokor Company, Ante Ramljak, confirmed in Sarajevo that Slovenian retail chain Mercator will take over 83 stores in BiH, now owned by financially compromised Croatian company Agrocor and its retail chain Konzum.

Mercator was one of the biggest chains in BiH few years ago but Konzum entered the market and take over all stores. Months ago, the entire company came under financial problems and Agrocor is now under pressure to solve the situation, not so much in Croatia, as in other countries including BiH. However, Konzum will stay on the BiH market since other 170 stores in their ownership will continue to work under their company. At this moment nobody knows if these

Ante Ramljak

stores will operate for longer period or if they will close.

Ramljak confirmed that all the analyzes, made in the past few months, showed that this is the best option. The analysis with precisely detailed financial indicators, were presented at the meeting to suppliers, who claimed that the total debt of Konzum to them is about 80 million BAM (40 million Euro). Source: IBNA

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AUTOMATION BY ADAIR TURNER

Is Productivity Growth Becoming Irrelevant?

As the Nobel laureate economist Robert Solow noted in 1987, computers are “everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” Since then, the so-called productivity paradox has become ever more striking. Automation has eliminated many jobs. Robots and artificial intelligence now seem to promise (or threaten) yet more radical change. Yet productivity growth has slowed across the advanced economies; in Britain, labor is no more productive today than it was in 2007

S

ome economists see low business investment, poor skills, outdated infrastructure, or excessive regulation holding back potential growth. Others note wide disparities in productivity between leaders and laggards among industrial manufacturers. Still others question whether information technology is really so distinctively powerful.

But the explanation may lie deeper still. As we get richer, measured productivity may inevitably slow, and measured GDP per capita may tell us ever less about trends in human welfare.

Our standard mental model of productivity growth reflects the transition from agriculture to industry. We start with 100 farmers producing 100 units of food: technological progress enables 50 to produce the same amount, and the other 50 to move to factories that produce washing machines or cars 36 |

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or whatever. Overall productivity doubles, and can double again, as both agriculture and manufacturing become still more productive, with some workers then shifting to restaurants or healthcare services. We assume an endlessly repeatable process.

Such zero-sum activities have always been significant. But they grow in importance as we approach satiation in many basic goods and services. In the U.S., “financial and business services” now account for 18% of employment, up from 13.2% in 1992 But two other developments are possible. Suppose the more productive farmers have no desire for washing machines or cars, but instead employ the 50 sur-

plus workers either as low-paid domestic servants or higher-paid artists, providing face-to-face and difficult-to-automate services. Then, as the late William Baumol, a professor at Princeton University, argued in 1966, overall productivity growth will slowly decline to zero, even if productivity growth within agriculture never slows.

Or suppose that 25 of the surplus farmers become criminals, and the other 25 police. Then the benefit to human welfare is nil, even though measured productivity rises if public services are valued, as per standard convention, at input cost.

The growth of difficult-to-automate service activities may explain some of the productivity slowdown. Britain’s flat productivity reflects a combination of rapid automation in some sectors and rapid growth of low-productivity, low-wage jobs – such as Deliveroo driv-

ers riding around on plain old-fashioned for them out of freely arising “consumer output, because companies’ legal expenditures are an intermediate cost. Meabicycles. In the United States, the Bureau surplus.” But the essential insight is still sured productivity slows as intermediate of Labor Statistics reports that eight of important: much that delivers human welfare benefits is not reflected in GDP. zero-sum activities proliferate, while other the ten fastest-growing job categories are Indeed, measured GDP and gains in zero-sum activities swell GDP but deliver low-wage services such as personal care human welfare eventually may become no welfare benefit. and home health aides. entirely divorced. Imagine in 2100 a Potentially offsetting this effect, inforThe growth of “zero-sum” activities may, mation technology may improve human world in which solar-powered robots, however, be even more important. Look welfare in ways not captured in measured manufactured by robots and controlled around the economy, and it’s striking how output. Billions of hours of consumer time by artificial intelligence systems, deliver much high-talent manpower is devoted previously spent filling in forms, making most of the goods and services that supto activities that cannot possibly increase human welfare, but entail competition for the available economic pie. Such activities have become ubiquitous: legal services, policing, and prisons; cybercrime and the army of experts defending organisations against it; financial regulators trying to stop mis-selling and the growing ranks of compliance officers employed in response; the huge resources devoted to U.S. election campaigns; real-estate services that facilitate the exchange of already-existing assets; and much financial trading.

Much design, branding, and advertising activity is also essentially zero-sum. It is certainly good that new fashions can continually compete for our attention; choice and human creativity are valuable per se.

But we have no reason to believe that 2050’s designs and brands will make Imagine in 2100 a world in which port human welfare. All that activity us any happier than those of 2017.

Such zero-sum activities have alsolar-powered robots, manufac- would account for a trivial proportion ways been significant. But they grow of measured GDP, simply because it tured by robots and controlled in importance as we approach satiawould be so cheap. by artificial intelligence systems, tion in many basic goods and services.

Conversely, almost all measured GDP deliver most of the goods and In the U.S., “financial and business serwould reflect zero-sum and/or imposvices” now account for 18% of employsible-to-automate activities – housing services that support human ment, up from 13.2% in 1992. rents, sports prizes, artistic perforwelfare. All that activity would mance fees, brand royalties, and adThe impact on measured GDP and account for a trivial proportion ministrative, legal, and political system productivity reflects national accountof measured GDP, simply being conventions. If people devote costs. Measured productivity growth more of their income to competing for would be close to nil, but also irrelevant cause it would be so cheap scarce housing, driving up property to improvement in human welfare. prices and rents, GDP and “productivity” We are far from there yet. But the telephone calls, and queuing are eliminated by Internet-based shopping and search increase, because housing rent is includtrend in that direction may well help exed in GDP, even if the aggregate supply plain the recent productivity slowdown. services. Valuable information and entertainment services are provided for free. of housing services is unchanged. Since The computers are not in the productivity statistics precisely because they are Contrary to what some right-wing econ1985, the share of rents in the UK economy has doubled, from 6% of GDP to 12%. omists argue, such free services cannot so powerful.

Likewise, more and better-paid divorce make increasing income inequality irrelProject Syndicate: The author is Chairevant. If rents and commuting costs are man of the Institute for New Economic lawyers increase GDP, because end consumers pay them. But more and betterdriven up by intense competition for atThinking. His latest book is Between Debt tractively located property, you can’t pay paid commercial lawyers don’t raise and the Devil. ■ AUGUST

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WORLD NEWS

DESTINY “We Europeans have to take our destiny into our own hands - of course in friendship with the U.S... but we have to know that we have to fight for our own future.” — ANGELA MERKEL, German Chancellor CHINA

GERMANY

Asia’s Largest Takeover

Adidas To Return Mass Shoe Production to Germany

A consortium led by China Vanke Co. and Goldman Sachs’ former China chairman have won a management buyout to take over Global Logistics Properties Ltd., the largest operator of warehouses in China, in Asia’s biggest-ever private equity acquisition by value.

The Nesta Investment Holdings MidCo consortium will offer US$11.6 billion, for control of Singapore-listed GLP, aiming to delist the company from the city’s exchange and take it private.

The consortium beat out a rival group led by Warburg Pincus, in a buyout that has generated complaints from potential bidders over the GLP management team’s access to privileged information, giving the Nesta consortium an advantage over other bidders.

The China market has been the biggest revenue contributor for GLP, as it owns 17.5 million square meters of completed warehouse area. By June this year, as much as 57 per cent of the firm’s net asset value came from the Chinese market, while 26 per cent was from Japan, 9 per cent from the U.S. and 8 per cent from Brazil.

Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars CEO SWEDEN

Volvo Reveals Plans To Go All Electric All new Volvo cars will be equipped with an electric motor from 2019, making it the first of the world’s traditional car makers to pull the plug on cars powered only by a combustion engine.

“This is about the customer,” said Volvo Cars president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson in a statement. “People increasingly demand electrified cars, and we want to respond to our customers’ current and future needs. You can now pick and choose whichever electrified Volvo you wish.”

Volvo said it would launch five fully electric cars between 2019 and 2021, as well as petrol and diesel plug-in hybrids and socalled “mild-hybrid cars”, cars with a small petrol engine and large battery.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car,” said Samuelsson. “Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of one million electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it.”

AUSTRIA

OMV Purchases Stakes From Germany’s Uniper For €1.8 billion The government commission has approved the deal on acquisition of a stake of 24.99% in Russia’s Severneftegazprom

by Austrian OMV from Germany’s Uniper for €1.8 billion.

The government commission on foreign investments approved the deal on acquisition of a stake of 24.99% in Russia’s Severneftegazprom by Austrian OMV from Germany’s Uniper for €1.8 billion, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) Igor Artemyev announced.

Severneftegazprom is controlled by Gazprom who will retain control as a result of the deal, and this company controls 1.1 trillion cubic meters of gas in broad terms, an absolutely fantastic volume.

The acquisition is made by OMV Exploration and Production - a company registered in Austria. It acquires slightly less than 25% - 24.99% in AO Severneftegazprom.

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Adidas will launch mass production of running shoes at a German factory operated largely by robots next year and plans to open a similar plant in the United States next year, the company announced.

Founded by German cobbler Adi Dassler in 1949, Adidas closed its last shoe factory in Germany in 1993 as it shifted most production from Europe to lower-wage Asia, particularly China and Vietnam.

But advances in robotics and automation means that Adidas can now afford to bring production back closer to customers to meet demands for faster delivery of new styles and to counter rising wages in Asia and lengthy shipping times.

The company gave journalists a first look at its new “Speedfactory” in the southern German town of Ansbach, saying large-scale production will start in 2017 after producing the first 500 prototypes for sale later this year.

The factory is expected to employ 160 people.

TURKEY

Turkish Airlines: 30.3 Million Passengers In First Half Of 2017 The number of passengers Turkish Airlines carried in the first half of the year has hit 30.3 million people -- the highest ever, according to a statement released by the airline.

The national flag carrier said this year’s number of customers in June rose by 13.5 percent, reaching 5.7 million, compared with the same period in 2016. The airline said the number of customers in June rose by 15.3 per centon its international flights compared with June last year.

Turkish Airlines flies to 120 countries in total, more than any other airline and currently has 337 aircraft and flies to more than 302 destinations

MR. TRUMP “I don’t know Mr Trump, I have never met him. I don’t know what he will do in the international arena, so I have no reason either to attack him, criticise him or defend him.” — VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian President RUSSIA

U.S.

Uber Merges With Russia’s Yandex In Six Countries

Siemens And AES “Fluence” New Venture Siemens AG and AES Corp., the Virginia-based independent power producer, are forming a venture to focus on a sector that’s revolutionising electricity markets: battery-based energy storage.

The new venture, called Fluence, will market and service storage systems made by AES and Siemens. They will each own 50 per centof Fluence once the deal is finalised, which is expected in the fourth quarter, according to a joint statement. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Fluence will arrive at an inflection point in the evolution of energy storage, which includes battery-based systems and other technologies. Battery costs have declined about 40 per centsince 2014, and some regulators are requiring they be added to power grids. Developers are expected to build $2.5 billion in storage systems this year, and there’s growing interest from banks and other prominent lenders.

JAPAN

“Uber and Russia’s leading internet giant Yandex have entered into an agreement to form a new company,” the head of Uber’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, said in a statement, calling it “an exciting opportunity in a unique situation.”

The merger applies to ex-Soviet Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and will also cover Armenia and Georgia, where Uber does not currently operate -- in total covering 127 cities, he said.

Uber launched in Russia three and a half years ago.

Yandex started its taxi app in 2011 and controlled more than half of the market in 2016.

Yandex.Taxi’s general director Tigran Khudaverdyan said in a statement that the joint venture would provide 35 million taxi journeys per month.

The joint company is worth $3.725 billion. Yandex was investing $100 million into the venture, with a 59.3 per centstake, while Uber investment is $225 million dollars and its 36.6 per centstake will be worth almost $1.4 billion. The remaining stake will be held by employees.

Japan’s Pension Fund Plans To Buy Even More Socially Responsible Assets The world’s largest pension fund aims to boost and broaden its socially responsible assets after buying them for the first time this year.

Hiromichi Mizuno, who helps manage €1,147 trillion in assets for the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) as its chief investment officer, said the fund wants to increase allocation to the point where it impacts results. For that to happen, ESG assets should reach around 10 per centof its Japanese equity holdings.

“Just 3 per centdoesn’t have much effect on our performance, there’s no point unless it makes a difference on our performance from a fund manager’s perspective,” Mizuno said.

The monolith is balancing its desire to promote ESG awareness and disclosure with its fiduciary duty to keep returns from falling below the Topix. GPIF’s Japanese stock holdings returned almost 15 per centlast fiscal year to outperform the benchmark by more than 2 percentage points. Total investment returned 5.9 per centin the best performance in two years, pushing total assets to a record ¥144.9 trillion (€ 1,125 trillion).

ALGERIA

WorldRemit And Huawei Team Up In Africa Digital-first remittance firm WorldRemit is partnering with the world’s largest telecom, Huawei, to expand its mobile money transfer service in Africa, according to a company statement.

The partnership is significant because it will make WorldRemit available to all of Huawei’s partners that are on the telecom’s mobile-money platform, which offers basic banking services. As a result, WorldRemit will be able to connect with more than 100 million mobile accounts that use the platform.

In return, Huawei gets the advantage of quickly adding a “ready-made solution for remittances” to its platform. Not only will this feature make Huawei’s platform more robust, but it also could attract more firms given how important remittance is in Africa — for background, remittance flows to Sub-Saharan Africa reached $33 billion in 2016, according to The World Bank. And given the impact WorldRemit is poised to have in the region going forward, this partnership could become even more significant for Huawei.

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FEATURE ADVERTISING

B y D O U G L A S B RU N DAG E , A DV E RT I S I N G AG E

Brands Must Be Patrons, Not Sponsors To be a patron of the arts has been a mark of distinction for thousands of years. In ancient Rome and feudal Japan, patronage was considered to be an intrinsic part of life in the aristocracy. Those with money must support those without who embark on artistic endeavors to better the culture

T

he apex of patronage came during the Renaissance, when the Medicis supported the work of everyone from da Vinci to Galileo over the span of a century.

Recently, however, the role of patron has morphed into the role of sponsor, which can be best defined, to borrow the words of Samuel Johnson, as “one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help.”

Unfortunately, brand sponsors frequently abandon the causes they herald as most important as soon as the going gets tough. Social media has only expedited this process. There’s no better example of this than Delta and Bank of America’s recent ill-conceived flight from their support of The Public Theater -- an organisation that has produced important works of art in New York City since 1954.

In particular, the sponsorship was withdrawn over the portrayal of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s eponymous play as a Trump-like figure. This makes obvious little sense from a PR perspective -- the brands are abandoning a free service designed to introduce New Yorkers to the most important playwright in the Western canon.

Additionally, Julius Caesar is a play primarily concerned with power, politics and how the pride of one man can affect the future of a nation. The interpretation of the titular character as in the vein of Trump is, if anything, the most obvious artistic choice a creative director could make in 2017. The act of 40 |

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having him stabbed to death on-stage is not a bold political provocation -- it is merely the apt retelling of one of the most famous stories in history.

Brands cannot and should not weigh in on artistic choices, even controversial ones, with their wallets. There are a few key reasons why.

First of all, to choose to sponsor the arts is a savvy move for any brand seeking to reach higher net-worth, well educated and passionate individuals across any demographic. It adds the gloss of culture to brands that, like Bank of America or Delta, simply provide services and are often cast as villains (whether they deserve it or not). Cultural collaboration and participation add personality and style to

Brands need the arts now more than ever. As marketing and communications continue to shift around an obsession with the millennial cohort, culture must drive every decision we make a brand that no amount of lifestyle marketing can achieve. To meddle with an artist’s “process” is not smart. Brands don’t need to like or even publicise the work that results from their support of the arts -- but they should never attempt to censor it by withdrawing financial support.

Secondly, the 24-hour news and instantoutrage cycle that we live in today is a result of online culture. It is a game played by individuals and media entities that are nimble and reactionary -- two things no large corporation can afford to be. To play into the hands

of internet trolls is historically a poor decision for any brand to make. Those who claim to support the arts, however, must double down in their fortitude not to be swayed by the niche opinion of a small group of very loud Twitter users. It’s most likely that the people who take issue with this interpretation of Julius Caesar are not New Yorkers nor theater-goers and, therefore, they are not the target consumer for a sponsorship of The Public Theater. If it’s important to remain neutral, sponsors should certainly spread the money around to support artistic causes that are pertinent to the conservative end of the political spectrum. They should not, however, let the fringes of either side alter the decision to make a sound investment in culture.

Finally, brands need the arts now more than ever. As marketing and communications continue to shift around an obsession with the millennial cohort, culture must drive every decision we make. Get it right and you’re Heineken. Do it wrong and you’re Pepsi. It is the artists that create culture -- and therefore must be an intrinsic part of the consideration of any brand attempting to achieve an everelusive “authenticity” factor. This is also at the heart of influencer marketing. Brands that align themselves with creators of culture can borrow equity from those communities in exchange for their support. Brands that drop endorsees or influencers with strong personalities based on questionably controversial statements also deserve to get caught in the blowback. A racial slur must always be a fireable offense. Having an opinion must never be. Not knowing your consumer well enough to align a brand with the right cultural causes is the fault of agencies and brand managers, not the artists themselves. ■

PROFILE

Enjoying Work Ensures Success “When work is a pleasure and not just a duty, you are bound to succeed”

LJUBICA VUJAČIĆ Member of the Executive Board of Wiener Städtische osiguranje a.d.o. Beograd

I

fell in love with the world of numbers and fractions at a very early age. It’s been a passion of mine ever since, so it was only natural that I would choose to study economics at university.

My first job was in accountancy, while I have also worked in the manufacturing industry and financial institutions.

Thanks to my hard work and dedication, I have progressed from entry level positions to higher levels. I entered the insurance industry by chance back in 1992. As insurance wins you over for the rest of your life, I am here today and intend to stay here until retirement. Ever since I started I’ve had an undying wish to learn more about insurance.

I have been working at Wiener Städtische osiguranje since its establishment in 2003. There were only six of us here at the time. Looking back over the past 14 years, I can only be proud of myself and my colleagues. We have introduced new products, improved our services, responded to our clients’ and market needs... Our results reflect our success. Our company today employs over 1,200 people. Despite the challenging business conditions and growing competition, we have managed to retain

one of leading position on the insurance market. Last year our growth was higher than that of the market. We have kept half of our portfolio in life insurance and half in non-life insurance, which shows the stability of our company. All these results are even more compelling when considered in light of our business environment, where the financial market is underdeveloped and awareness of the benefits of insurance are still quite low.

From the very start, our shareholder, Vienna Insurance Group, has had great confidence in the management’s ability to get the business up and running.

Last year’s acquisition of AXA Osiguranje proves that they still believe in us, and also affirms the wish of the Group

I think that I am living proof that success comes gradually, step by step, and that in life plans should be realised when their time comes to do business here in the long term.

This business decision fills both our staff and clients with confidence.

Most companies target good business results, but we also want to make people feel better and relaxed. We don’t want them to worry about losing a roof over their heads in the case of a flood or storm, to go to bed agonising over the future of their loved ones if they don’t wake up in the morning, or stressing about how they will cope if their family business goes downhill... Our mission is not only to increase the number of clients, but to make as many people as

possible feel good because they’ve got us. This corresponds to my own values and motivates me in my work.

In addition to dedication and expertise, human values and team spirit were the key characteristics I was looking for when deciding who would be part of my team. I insist on a positive working atmosphere. In such an environment, each staff member can do their best. When work is a pleasure and not just a duty, you are bound to succeed. I am especially proud of the team I lead. There are many young experts in it, in whose education we constantly invest. But I also learn from them every day. I love to hear what they think and respect their opinions.

Being a woman in a position of seniority and responsibility is not easy.

Every business brings along stressful situations that require our wisdom, patience and energy. I am glad that I have always had the support of my family. Having your family behind you means a lot, especially if you are woman doing serious business. My husband, son, daughter and three grandchildren fill me with new energy every day and inspire me to learn and advance in every sphere of life.

I think that I am living proof that success comes gradually, step by step, and that plans in life should be realised when their time comes. This is how one achieves a balance between work and family, and gains experience and knowledge, which are key factors of one’s sense of security. You must have a sense of security if you want to take greater responsibility and achieve good results. ■ AUGUST

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THE POLYGLOT CLUB

BY SONJA CIRIC

A Unique Place For Learning

ALL THE WORLD’S LANGUAGES Do you speak a foreign language? If your answer is in the affirmative, are you sure it is correct? Can you really communicate, in every situation and about everything, in the foreign language that you know?

Specifically, most people understand and read a foreign language, but don’t speak it well enough

Aleksandar Ristin

I

n our schools and on language courses, few lessons are dedicated to learning a spoken language – not to mention the fact that spoken language is one of those forms of knowledge that is necessary to renew constantly. “How is spoken language renewed? Exclusively through practise, i.e. talking, and most of us don’t have enough money for private classes, nor someone willing to speak a foreign language with us. That’s why we founded the Polyglot Club,” explains Aleksandar Ristin, while we sit in the very pleasant ambience of a Belgrade café at 6 Nušićeva Street. At each table in our vicinity is an inscription with the name of a foreign language: English, German, Greek etc.

Ristin is one of several polyglots who founded the Polyglot Club at the beginning of this year, as a place where anyone who wants to perfect a foreign language for free can come. The Polyglot Club is a European organisation that was founded in Paris two decades ago and has since 42 |

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spread all over the world.

“Language exchange is an idea that has long been confirmed in practice,” says Aleksandar. “When we consulted the parent Polyglot Club in Paris about our intention, they told us – make an event and it will exist. And so it was. We made a Facebook page and for the first few days shared it with friends. The response was small, until we posted an announcement on the page on the Faculty of Philosophy. After a few hours, hundreds of people had called! That was the kind of response we’d only hoped to receive at the end of the year.”

On the first night 160 people came, too many for the available space in the club, so a second date was soon added. “We meet every Sunday and Wednesday from 8pm to 11pm, even during holidays. Our members are both local people and foreigners. No membership fee is paid, nothing is paid. Whoever wants to drink can, whoever doesn’t want to doesn’t have to. The desire to learn a language is sufficient. All languages are spoken here. Everyone who comes sits at the table displaying the name of the language which interests them, or they can form their own group if need be. It doesn’t matter how well you know a language; you don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to: you can sit at a table and listen to others. You can spend the whole time talking to one group, or you can walk from table to table”.

The most common languages, as is to be expected, are English and Spanish, but there is also interest in languages that are only spoken by a few – Japanese, Indonesian and Korean. Almost every time there is also

a Serbian table that is formed and occupied by foreigners. Alexandre while once a month an evening of international music is organised, De Lima, a diplomat from the Embassy of Brazil in Belgrade, says that twice a year they will organise a picnic, while they also plan thematic he has not missed a single meeting in the last two months. “I’ve been lectures and trips. These programmes will also include the participation of other organisations interested in in Belgrade for almost five months, but I was in the Balkans before and it was then that I began learning your language. I’ve noticed that my Serbian has improved considerably since I started coming to the Polyglot Club. This is an extremely good experience.

I socialise with people who are linked by their desire to learn the language better, and we encourage each other to speak as well as possible. We talk about everything and anything, but most of all about the topics we deal with: culture and economics. Every time we discuss something else. I must admit that there is least talk about football, and I really love football,” says De Lima.

Around 200 members attend regularly, while the others who interchange give the club its liveliness. Ristin says that word about the Polyglot Club is spreading through Facebook by the targeting of those whose location is outside of Belgrade and who post that they will be in Belgrade within 48 hours.

Shortly after this conver- partnership with the Polyglot Club. The One of them is Icelander Marcus Gudmunndsson. “I sation, the Polyglot Club Brazilian Embassy in Belgrade hosted an came to Belgrade for work. I have a small company that deals with computer software and I collaborate expects to form a partner- evening in June, inviting guests from the of Mexico, Cuba, Portugal and with one of your companies. Nobody speaks my lanship with the organisation embassies guage here, but I didn’t expect them to. We speak in the Spanish Cervantes Institute in Belgrade.

“SOS Children’s Villages”, English. It’s very exciting to hear so many languages “This year we will have six such evewho want to introduce to nings. If each of our meetings is attended at the same time. I don’t think there’s a better way by 60 people on average, that means that to learn a language.” their Strong Youth proare 500 per year, or 6,000 per year.

Belgrader Mirjana Georgiev says that she comes gramme a spoken foreign there We do all of this as a non-profit project,” occasionally. “I would like to learn Italian and practise language course in orsays Ristin.

German. The club is great, everything is relaxed and der to help young adults Shortly after this conversation, the PolyI talk to various people. The last time I met people from Pakistan - these are wonderful experiences. I when they apply for work. glot Club expects to form a partnership with the organisation “SOS Children’s invited friends to come, and I know they enjoyed it.”

Villages”, who want to introduce to their Strong Youth programme a According to Ristin, the work of the Polyglot Club is divided into spoken foreign language course in order to help young adults when several topics. The main gatherings are on Wednesdays and Sundays, they apply for work.

Testifying to the fact that the Polyglot Club is a good idea is the interest among other organisations in forming partnerships with the club, but also the willingness to participate in this non-profit project.

They also plan to open a branch in Novi Sad this summer.

Concluding with his personal experience, Aleksandar says: “I use seven foreign languages. Most of them I didn’t learn in school or through courses, and I have excellent awareness of how valuable it is to have an opportunity to speak in the language you are studying. I claim that this is the most reliable way to conquer and adopt any foreign language.” ■ AUGUST

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Open Access Arts

70TH EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

“FRINGE” FESTIVAL Every August (4th to 28th) sees the Edinburgh International Festival transform one of the world's most beautiful cities into a venue for three exhilarating weeks of presentations of the finest creators and performers from the worlds of the arts. The city’s six major theatres and concert halls, as well as a few smaller venues and often some unconventional ones too, come alive with the best music, theatre, opera and dance from around the globe

F

ounded in 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival is an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for peoples of all nations.

Committed to virtuosity and originality, this festival presents some of the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre.

Over the course of the year, the team of the Edinburgh Interna44 |

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tional Festival travels the world in search of today’s most exciting and creative artists. Together, it brings unique collaborations, world premieres, new takes on classic works, critically acclaimed productions and more, to captivate, thrill and entertain audiences from around the world, all in one place, in Scotland.

The Festival presents events that cannot easily be recreated by any other UK arts organisation, through innovative programming and a commitment to new work.

The Fringe began in 1947, when eight groups arrived in Edinburgh hoping to perform at the newly formed Edinburgh International Festival but found themselves refused entry. So they decided to perform on the fringe of the Festival anyway. The Fringe has remained true to the defiance expressed by the eight companies who performed in 1947, upholding its open access principle that permits the participation of anyone with a story to tell and a venue willing to host them. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe was born.

People travel from all over the word to take part in the Fringe, creating an international melting pot of culture and art in Scotland’s capital city every year. This year’s programme is as varied as ever, offering theatre, dance, circus acts, physical theatre, comedy, music, musicals, opera, cabaret and variety, children’s shows, free shows, exhibitions, events and spoken word performances.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the defiance of those

eight groups, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is now the largest multimedia show Frogman will take place at Traverse at CodeBase. arts festival in the world. It is a truly open access festival where, in Sweet Holyrood features three performance spaces in the Macdonald the spirit of the original eight, no one is denied entry, making it the Holyrood Hotel, with a host of shows including Adventurers Wanted: planet’s largest platform for creative freedom.

A 250-Hour Epic Tabletop Roleplaying Game.

The official 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme was The Acoustic Music Centre changes its residence for 2017, Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC can be found at the Ukrainian Community launched with shows catering for all ages and appetites, inviting performers and spectators from around the world to join the Alliance of Defiance and celebrate 70 years of defying the norm at the Fringe.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has gone from strength to strength over the last 70 years, inspiring a global network of more than 200 fringes and establishing itself as the largest platform for creative freedom in the world. On 11th July, fringes from around the world came together for the inaugural World Fringe Day, an international celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of the fringe movement.

In 2017 new venues are spread across the city and beyond. In Leith, Hibernian Football Club becomes a venue for the first time for Strange Town’s production of A Field of Our Own, while The Leith Volcano, formerly St James’ Church on Constitution Street, will be flooded for the Volcano Theatre’s visceral production of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Army @ the Fringe in Association with The Fringe began in 1947, Centre on Royal Terrace. C royale is a Summerhall sees the Army Reserve Centre on East new C venues hub on George Street, ocClaremont Street transformed into a venue, while when eight groups arGilded Balloon at Rose Theatre will feature four rived in Edinburgh hoping cupying the Royal Society of Edinburgh and presenting a mix of new writing, performance spaces in the old Charlotte Chapel to perform at the newly cabaret, circus and comedy. SpaceUK on Rose Street. formed Edinburgh Inalso returns to theSpace on North Bridge On George Street, Salt ‘n’ Sauce Promotions after a two year hiatus, while Venue150 present a programme of comedy, spoken word ternational Festival but acts, theatre, music and interactive game play found themselves refused at EICC expands to the tunnel below the main venue, where Trainspotting Live at New Town Theatre. Traverse move off site to entry. So they decided to will take place.

Traverse at the Wee Red Bar in the Edinburgh perform on the fringe of Outside of the city, two performances College of Art campus for Bluemouth Inc.’s immersive performance show Party Game, while of Oceanallover’s dance piece, Sea Hames, the Festival anyway will take place at Dalkeith Country Park, The Brunton presents a programme of music and theatre, including The Mikado at Musselburgh Race Course and Alice Through The Looking Glass in the idyllic surroundings of Inveresk Lodge Garden, while Beyond Borders Festival Scotland brings a programme of debate, discussion, art and music to Traquair House in Innerleithen.

New free venues for 2017 include Black Market on Market Street, which features six performance spaces in the former offices of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, while in the Grassmarket, tiki bar 52 canoes will host shows in its basement lounge. New Edinburgh AUGUST

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comedy club Monkey Barrel becomes Heroes @ Monkey Barrel for the duration of the Fringe, while Laughing Horse brings a programme of free music to Newington’s Southpour bar with Laughing Horse @ Southpour, as well as presenting shows at Laughing Horse @ The Cuckoo’s Nest on Home Street.

More unusual locations for Fringe shows this year include the Lochrin Belle boat, which will host Scotch Egg Club Presents: Whisky on Water, a food and drink cruise along Edinburgh’s Union Canal. Novotel Swimming Pool becomes a venue for 274 Theatre’s water-based production Brodsky Station, while Chamber Pot Opera brings toilet-based opera to The Bathroom at Assembly Hall.

DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE AND CIRCUS Dance companies of all shapes and sizes are also bringing their work to the Fringe this year. At Dance Base, contemporary dance master and choreographer Bill Coleman portrays a figure whose whole world is literally falling in around him in Dollhouse and Chordelia Company collaborate with inclusive theatre company Solar Bear for Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here, a piece which explores the ambition, power and remorse of one of Shakespeare’s most complex female characters. The National Dance Company of Wales bring their production of Caroline Finn’s award winning Folk to Zoo Southside, and from the Northern Territories of Australia, Aboriginal dance and YouTube sensation Djuki Mala make their UK debut in a heart-warming show that combines traditional Yolngu and contemporary pop culture, dance and storytelling.

A host of international circus companies will be wowing audiences at this year’s Fringe. Underbelly and Bibi and Bachu present Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams, 46 |

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This year’s programme is as varied as ever, offering theatre, dance, circus acts, physical theatre, comedy, music, musicals, opera, cabaret and variety, children’s shows, free shows, exhibitions, events and spoken word performances

an unashamedly joyful mix of astonishing stunts, astounding circus skills and enchanting adventure, featuring the inimitable Konjowoch Troupe. Acéléré

by Circolombia combines mindboggling skill and a willingness to take terrifying risks to deliver world-class, gravity-defying performances direct form Bogota, Columbia. Quebec’s Cirque Éloize transform the classic film Metropolis into a virtuosic spectacle for the whole family in Cirkopolis, while in Paris De Nuit the Recirquel Company from Budapest brings the decadent and lovable Paris of the 1930s to life, inspired by the voluptuous images of Hungarian photographer Brassaï.

FAMOUS NAMES A feast of famous names returns to Edinburgh this year.

Ruby Wax appears for three nights only, with a show inspired by her best-selling book, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled.

Sue Perkins brings her sparkling wit and favourite stories to Pleasance, while Sean Hughes makes a welcome return to the Fringe with Blank Book, where

Famous Scots participating in the Fringe this year include Craig Ferguson, who last performed at the Fringe 24 years ago, before leaving Scotland to find fame in the U.S.; he brings The Craig Ferguson Show to the Gilded Balloon at Rose Street Theatre. Irvine Welsh presents two new shows – Creatives, a darkly comic pop-opera that examines the contemporary music industry, and Performers, a black comedy that revolves around two gangsters auditioning for roles in a 1960s film, making its world premiere at the Fringe. From the world of sport, Judy Murray and broadcaster Hazel Irvine take part in the New Town Theatre’s In Conversation With… series, while superstar Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss brings NOW to Venue150 at EICC. Al together, work from 58 countries will appear at the Fringe this summer. ■

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has gone from strength to strength over the last 70 years, inspiring a global network of more than 200 fringes and establishing itself as the largest platform for creative freedom in the world a team of highly talented comedians will make up a story live on stage. Dead Ringers star Jan Ravens makes her Fringe debut with a show that takes on some of the key female figures in international politics, while comedian, writer and actor Robin Ince has two shows: Robin Ince’s Rorschach Test and Pragmatic Insanity.

From the world of film and TV, Clive Anderson hosts the live incarnation of the legendary improvisational comedy TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? – Live at the Fringe, featuring a rotating cast of familiar faces. Dave Johns, star of I Daniel Blake, returns to his comedy roots with a show about his unexpected turn as a film star at Pleasance, while BAFTA TV award-winning actress Monica Dolan has written and will perform in The B*easts, a solo show that explores how far one mum will go to give her child what she wants. Dr Who legend Sylvester McCoy performs in A Joke, a new comedy by Dan Freeman, while Sam Underwood brings Losing Days, a story about losing his mind – and finding it again, to New Town Theatre. Annie Sertich presents How to Not Kill Yourself for 30 Days... and the Next 330 at Pleasance, and legendary American satirist Barry Crimmins performs at The Stand.

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FACES & PLACES

SEE MORE WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM 29.06.2017

Day Of the Apostolic Nunciature Apostolic Nuncio to Serbia H.E. Luciano Suriani organised a reception at the Hotel Metropol to mark “the Pope’s Day” – the fourth anniversary of the electing of Pope Francis and the 51st anniversary of the re-establishment of the Nunciature in Belgrade.

The reception was attended by representatives of the government, parliament and the diplomatic corps, with prominent figures from the cultural, public and religious life of Serbia.

H.E. Luciano Suriani

H.E. Luciano Suriani with HRH Prince Alexander and Princess Katherine Karađorđević

29.06.2017

05.07.2017

Celebrating 150 Years Of Canada

Celebrating 55 Years Of Algerian Independence On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the independence of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub and the Society of Friends of Algeria hosted a ceremony at the Central Military Club of Serbia in Belgrade, at which the book “AlgeriaBelgrade, Jubilee of Friendship 1962-2017” was promoted.

“Today we are marking 5th H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub July 1962, the end of the long shadow of colonialism that hung over Algeria for 132 years”, said H.E. Ambassador Chebchoub.

The celebrations were attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Army, the diplomatic Zoran Đorđević, former minister corps and Serbian public and of defence political life.

H.E. Philip Pinningtonand Mrs Erica Pinnington with Oplenac cultural club

Even ambassadors have feelings

Celebrations for Canada Day and the 150th anniversary of independence were held at the Canadian Ambassadorial Residence.

H.E. Philip Pinnington, Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, and his wife, Mrs Erica Pinnington, received around 600 guests. They included many ambassadors, among others those of the U.S., Germany, Japan and Croatia. The celebrations were also attended by General Diković.

Ambassador Pinnington wished his guests welcome from the balcony. He told them that to be a Canadian ambassador was always an honour, but that his mandate in Serbia was the pinnacle of his career.

After his speech, members of the Belgrade International Choir sang the Canadian and Serbian national anthems, and the Oplenac cultural club danced a traditional Serbian ‘Kolo’.

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06.07.2017

Celebrations For U.S. Independence Day U.S. Independence Day was marked on 4th July with a reception at the U.S. ambassadorial residence. Addressing the many guests, H.E. Kyle Scott said “our independence was declared by people who risked their lives for human dignity, for the people’s right to choose their own government, but also for the idea that the government exists to serve the people and not the other way around. This feast is something Americans do not celebrate formally but joyfully, together with their family and friends.”

The guests included Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić, Speaker of the parliament Maja Gojković, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, vice-president of the government and foreign minister Ivica Dačić, members of the government and parliament, representatives of the diplomatic corps and religious communities, U.S. companies in Serbia and cultural and public workers.

After the Serbian and U.S. national anthems, the guests continued the celebrations with music and refreshments in an informal atmosphere.

Philippe Cerf (left) and H.E. Christophe Lecourtier, the new French ambassador to Serbia

Sanja Ivanić, Executive Director of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Jean-Pierre Gastaud, Economic Advisor to the French Embassy, and H.E. Christophe Lecourtier

13.07.2017

French National Holiday Commemorated

H.E Kyle Scott

The national holiday of France, Bastille Day, commemorating events on 14th July 1789, has been marked by the Embassy of France in Belgrade.

- We are celebrating the holidays of the Federation, which symbolises the unifying of all French people regarding the notions of liberty, equality and brotherhood, which are our national values,” said Philippe Cerf, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of France, speaking at a reception that was also attended by new French Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Christophe Lecourtier.

“France will continue to support Serbia on its road to the European Union and will support progress in the areas of the economy and the rule of law, which are essential for joining the European Union,” added Cerf.

The reception was attended by Serbian National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojković, as well as representatives of the government, the opposition, the diplomatic corps and cultural life. As is tradition, guests were able to enjoy French cheeses, wine and other French specialities, as well as traditional French music.

13.07.2017

Australian Foreign Minister Visits Serbia

H.E. Julia Feeney, Australian Ambassador to Serbia, hosted an economic diplomacy gathering on 13th July to mark the occasion of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s visit to Serbia. The informal gathering, held at the Hyatt Regency Belgrade, served to highlight the increasing Australian business and investment footprint in the region by assembling a diverse group of Australian companies and entrepreneurs operating in Serbia, Montenegro and FYR Macedonia.

Australian stakeholders took the opportunity to showcase their innovative business models for FM Bishop and highlight successes in forging inroads across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. The function was also attended by members of the recently established Australian-Serbian Commerce Chamber (ASCC), the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS) and five key ambassadors (EU, U.S., Canada, Germany and UK). Foreign Minister Bishop welcomed the formation of the ASCC and growing Australian interest in both Serbia and the region.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (left) and H.E. Julia Feeney

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FACES & PLACES

SEE MORE WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM 18.07.2017

New BiH Embassy Building Opens In Belgrade

Ivica Dačić (left) and Igor Crnadak

Bosnia-Herzegovina Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igor Crnadak, and his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dačić, jointly opened the new building of the Embassy of BosniaHerzegovina in Belgrade. The new embassy building, which is owned by BiH state, is located at 37 General Anrija Street in the Belgrade municipality of Voždovac. The building has three floors, with the consular section on the ground floor and the other two floors housing the diplomatic section and office of the military attaché. The previous building of the Embassy, located in the city centre’s Krunska Street, was rented by the Bosnian state from Serbia. The opening comes after the BiH Council of Ministers brought the decision to purchase real estate for the needs of the country’s embassies in Belgrade and Zagreb.

26.07.2017

Belgian National Day Commemorated Belgian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Leo D’aes, hosted a reception on the premises of the Embassy of Belgium in Belgrade to commemorate the country’s national holiday.

Belgium celebrates 21st July as its national holiday, in commemoration of the date of 21st July 1831, which is considered the date of the creation of Belgium as an independent country.

It was then that Leopold of Saxe-Coburg swore his oath of allegiance to the new Belgian Constitution and became Belgian King Leopold I. The reception was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps in Serbia and numerous figures from the public, political and cultural life of Belgrade and Serbia.

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H.E. Leo D’Aes, Mrs D’Aes and Minister Zoran Đorđević

India

Strength Of Human Values And Diversity

70th Independence Day of India 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations

INTERVIEW

IN PURSUIT OF HARMONY Reversing the corrosive trend of extreme economic inequality is a challenge, and the international community has made significant strides towards raising people out of poverty. To reduce inequality, policies should universally pay attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalised populations - Narinder Chauhan

H. E. NARINDER CHAUHAN AMBASSADOR OF INDIA TO SERBIA

H

istorically good bilateral relations between India and Serbia were reconfirmed at the beginning of this year, in talks between the prime ministers of the two countries, Messrs Vučić and Modi, while a new era of good cooperation should be marked by the strengthening of economic cooperation – for which, as a precondition, there are existing intergovernmental agreements. In this interview for CorD, Indian Ambassador H.E. Narinder Chauhan addresses the foreign policy of her massive and economically powerful country and possible responses to global challenges, but also talks about her engagement in the promotion of yoga, which she says can “guide” those who practise it “towards right action and a lifestyle guided by compassionate concern for the happiness of others”.

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INDIA

• Are you satisfied with the way International Day of Yoga is marked in Serbia?

-Yoga is gaining popularity in Serbia. The 3rd International Day of Yoga (IDY) was marked by morning yoga exercises on 17th June at the historic Kalemegdan Fortress on the Victor’s Plateau overlooking the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube. In addition, yoga was also organised on a boat on the Danube on the evening of 21st June. Apart from Belgrade, IDY was marked in other Serbian cities, including Novi Sad, Šabac, Niš, Kruševac, Inđija, Jagodina, Zrenjanin, Apatin, Subotica, Knjaževac, Sremska Mitrovica, Kula, Aleksinac etc. Workshops on Yoga, Ayurveda and Homeopathy were organised

Prime Minister Modi recommended yoga as one way of fighting climate change, as it offered people a sense of “harmony with self, society and nature” and could create a “social consciousness” in Belgrade City Hall on 17th June. The Embassy of India organised a quiz and article writing contest on yoga and its benefits. I am happy that IDY 2017 in Serbia generated huge interest, enthusiasm and positive responses

from the local participants, and helped to spread awareness about the importance and health benefits of yoga.

• Speaking within UNESCO on one occasion, India Prime Minister Modi suggested that changing the way of life and thinking about the world around us could save the planet from climate change. What role does yoga have in developing this knowing?

-Climate change is not an individual problem, and it doesn't have solely individual solutions.

Collectively, our answer to climate change is oneness and in many respects yoga is a community of collective action. The practise of yoga can guide us towards right action and a lifestyle guided by compassionate concern for the happiness of others. Prime Minister Modi recommended yoga as one way of fighting climate change, as it offered people a sense of “harmony with self, society and nature” and could create a “social consciousness”. He says people will have to change their lifestyles and develop harmony with nature if the world is to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

• From the perspective of today's India, as the world's second most populous country and a global economic powerhouse, how do the challenges facing the world look:

INEQUALITY

TOURISM

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Global inequality is driven by changes both of inequality within countries and inequality between countries.

Our efforts at tourism promotion have resulted in year on growth of 26 per cent in the numbers of Serbs visiting India.

Bilateral relations are expected to grow deeper and closer, especially after the successful visit of H.E. Aleksandar Vučić to India in January 2017.

cooperation with India in his speech beeconomic inequality, the crisis in the EU, There is a robust exchange of business visits tension in relations between Russia and with Ambanis, TATAs & GMR visiting Serbia, fore the National Assembly. How did you the West, tensions in the Arab world, global and enhanced Serbian participation in major interpret that message? terrorism, and the migrant crisis etc. trade events in India. Serbian companies - India in January 2017 and held warm and -Global inequality is driven by changes both regularly visit India, particularly in the ICT productive discussions with PM Modi. The of inequality within countries and inequality & defence sectors. discussions reflected a joint desire to enter betweencountries. Reversingthe Indian cultural troupes conticorrosive trend of extreme econue to attract large audiences.

Recently, the Kriyative Theatre nomicinequalityisachallengeand Group participated in the INthe international community has FANT Festival and the BELEF made significant strides towards Festival. An Indian folklore raising people out of poverty. To ensemble from Punjab particireduce inequality, policies should pated in the FIDAF “Belgrade universally pay attention to the Award”. needs of disadvantaged and marginalised populations. Terrorism Our regular participation in and extremism are major security the International Tourism Fair, challenges on the path of the International Agricultural Fair, prosperityofoursociety.Wewant International Book Fair, Ethnic strong and united action against Food & Drinks Fair and Auteur all forms of terrorism.

Film Festival all helps to showThe EU and its member states case India's potential. Growing are actively collaborating with Serbian interest in India is eviIndia in our flagship initiatives. dent by the institution of Hindi Win-Win partnerships have been Chair at the University of Novi forged that provide a world of Sad and India studies at BelgraSerbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commercial opportunities for de University, the celebration of European businesses, while at the same three successive International Day of Yoga time contributing to India's socio-economic Historical relations between India etc. Our efforts at tourism promotion have development by bringing in much-needed best resulted in year on growth of 26 per cent in and Serbia are marked by mutual the numbers of Serbs visiting India. India's practices, investment, skills, technologies and trust, international understanding e-Visa facility is gaining popularity. Indian human resources. and support to each other on issues films have commenced shooting in Serbia. I India and Russia are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diploof core interest. India and Serbia am confident that summit-level discussions matic relations. We have deep, multifaceted support each other's territorial in India and our joint concrete efforts will relations in diverse fields - political, defence, integrity and sovereignty. yield fruitful results and enhance bilateral collaboration in all sectors. energy, trade, economy, finance, investment, culture, education, think-tanks, science • What kind of effects resulted from the and technology, sports, youth, tourism, new areas of cooperation to our mutual visit of Serbian officials to India and their people-to-people etc. India has time-tested benefit. The necessary agreements/MoUs participation in the “Global Forum Vibrant friendly relations with the countries of the have been signed and Working Groups have Gujarat”?

Gulf region and the Arab World. With over met. We seek the active participation of -Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić discussed eight million Indian expatriates living and Serbian industry in various Indian projects, a wide range of issues with Prime Miniworking in these countries, we have vital including Make in India, Digital India, Smart stakes in regional peace and stability.

Cities, agriculture, defence etc. Likewise, ster Narendra Modi and agreed on the Indian companies are looking at growing need to promote economic cooperation, opportunities in Serbia, in infrastructure, • New Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić including in the fields of food production, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, film etc. mentioned the importance of renewing agriculture, pharmaceuticals, the defence STRENGTH OF HUMAN VALUES AND DIVERSITY

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opportunities in manufacturing, IT, MSMEs and hospitality & tourism. Following PM Vučić’s talks with CEOs in Mumbai, Serbian businesses showed an interest in the Indian market. The e-Visa facility to Serbia is gaining popularity; the Air Services Agreement has been revised; Indian film shooting have begun. We are also seeing the appearance in Serbia of Indian companies based in UAE. The visit has created some energy among Indian businesses, which view Serbia as a business-friendly destination: including

industry, health, tourism and IT. Addressing the plenary session of the “Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit”, PM Vučić invited Indian investors to Serbia. In his meeting with Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Vučić stressed the importance of economic cooperation between Serbia and Gujarat, especially in agriculture, the food industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and IT. Chief Minister Rupani has suggested the establishment of a mechanism to move the agreed agenda forward. The Serbian Prime

H. E. Narinder Chauhan and Serbian PM Ana Brnabić

Minister also discussed enhanced trade and investment between Serbia and the state of Maharashtra with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra, in the fields of agriculture, seed processing, technologies for food processing, IT, tourism etc. Prime Minister Vučić also met Pankaj Patel, President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), to discuss the possibilities of expanding bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of tourism and the film industry. PM Vučić and Mr Anand Mahindra, President of the Mahindra Group, discussed the possibilities of producing electric scooters, increasing production of tractors and automobiles, agri-machinery, agro processing and the development of Serbia’s IT sector. The export of raspberries and other food products from Serbia to India were also discussed.

PM Vučić interacted with Indian CEOs and discussed enhancing economic engagements, with a focus on exploring business

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India emphasised the import of wheat, soybean and oilseeds, and also expressed interest in procuring copper and gold from Serbia healthcare, infrastructure and defence.

To sum up, the talks in India were meaningful, important and useful, and I am confident bilateral business contacts will intensify in the period ahead and yield tangible results.

• Economic cooperation between India and Serbia is based on many bilateral agreements, such as those governing cooperation on agriculture, science, mutual investment promotions, avoidance of double taxation etc. Do you consider that these agreements have found application in practise and yielded tangible results?

-I am happy that very constructive ideas have emerged from Joint Working Groups

on Agriculture, S&T and IT& Electronics.

During the first meeting of the India-Serbia Joint Committee on Agriculture (Nov 2016), the Indian side expressed interest in the import of pulses, soybean and oilseeds.

Serbia emphasised the export of fresh, frozen and processed fruits and vegetables to India, and the import of agriculture machinery, such as trucks, tractors and combined harvesters. India reiterated interest in exporting tropical fruits, such as mango, pineapple, banana, papaya etc.

India was offered ‘Partner Country' status at a future Agriculture Fair in Serbia.

Discussions held under India-Serbia Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Dec 2016) have identified five sectors for cooperation: (I) New materials and Nanotechnology; (II) Energy and Energy efficiency; (III) Information and Communication Technologies; (IV) Health and; (V) Biotechnology for food security.

Concrete projects under the MoU on IT & Electronics will boost digitisation efforts both in India and Serbia, and will add teeth to Prime Minister Brnabić’s plans.

The India-Serbia Business Forum (ISBF) has identified duty differential for Indian imports and complex registration procedures for Indian pharmaceutical products as some of the hurdles. We are trying to enhance business opportunities. A systematic outreach of Indian businesses to the various sectors in Serbia is another priority for expanding economic ties. All these initiatives would provide significant new impetus to our vibrant economic cooperation.

• Serbia has got a new government that is headed by a woman. Given that you had opportunity to meet Ana Brnabić during her time as a minister who was also in charge of the IT sector, where there has been much talk about the possibilities of cooperation with India, what do you expect from her as Prime Minister?

-I had a very productive meeting with the new Prime Minister of Serbia, Hon'ble Ms Ana Brnabić. I look forward to working closely with her government to add substance to the “new partnership” with India. Bilateral relations are expectedtogrowdeeperandcloser,especially after the successful visit of H.E. Aleksandar Vučić to India in January 2017. ■

COOPERATION

Visit of H.E. Aleksandar Vučić to India

President Aleksandar Vučić, Former Serbian PM, and Narendra Modi, Indian PM

President Aleksandar Vučić, Former Serbian Prime Minister, visited India from 9th-12th January 2017 to participate in the “Vibrant Gujarat Global Economic Summit 2017” and hold bilateral meetings with Indian leadership and business community

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his was the first high level bilateral state visit since 1986. Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić discussed a wide range of issues with Indian Prime Minister Modi including bilateral relation which have always remained close and friendly.The two prime ministers agreed on the need to promote economic cooperation, including in the fields of food

production, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence industry, health, tourism and IT. Prime Minister Vučić later addressed the plenary of the “Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit” and invited Indian investors to come to Serbia and promised to provide the best possible conditions for doing business for Indian companies. He expressed hope that Serbian companies will

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also find a fertile ground for investment in India and stressed that Serbia will always be a reliable partner of India.

In his meeting with Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Vucic stressed the importance of economic cooperation between Serbia and Gujarat, especially in agriculture, food industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and the Information Technology sector. Chief Minister Rupani has suggested establishment of a mechanism to take forward the agreed agenda.

Prime Minister Vučić also met Pankaj Patel, President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to discuss the possibilities of expanding bilateral cooperation especially in the field of tourism and films.

On 11th January, Prime Minister met with Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai to discuss possibilities of enhancing bilateral trade and investment between Serbia and the state of Maharashtra in the field of agriculture, processing of seeds, technologies for food processing, IT etc. Prime Minister Vucic urged more Indian investment in Serbia and mutual promotion of Serbia and India as tourist destinations. The two leaders discussed formation of joint teams to explore possibilities for cooperation between Serbia and Maharashtra.

In Mumbai, the Confederation of Indian

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Industry (CII) hosted an exclusive interaction with Aleksandar Vučić, where he reached out to Indian CEOs and discussed on enhancing the economic engagements with a focus on exploring business oppor-

The two Prime Ministers agreed on the need to promote economic cooperation including in the fields of food production, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, defence industry, health, tourism and IT tunities in manufacturing, IT, MSMEs and hospitality & Tourism.

On 12th January the Prime Minister took part in the opening ceremony of the

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

During his visit to Mumbai, Prime Minister Vučić also met with Mr Anand Mahindra, President of the Mahindra Group and discussed possibilities of electric scooter production, increased production of tractors and automobiles, agri-machinery, agro processing and development of IT sector in Serbia. Export of raspberries and other food products from Serbia to India were also discussed.

Prime Minister Vučić’s meetings in India will lead to expanding two-way trade & investment to boost economic growth, sustainable development, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, and build networks of cooperation for mutual growth and progress. ■

COOPERATION

Joint Economic Committee and India-Serbia Business Forum The Embassy of India, Belgrade organized the second meeting of the India-Serbia Business Forum on 27th February 2017 in the backdrop of visit by Hon’ble Aleksandar Vucic to India in January 2017.

TOURISM

Incredible India at 39th International Tourism Fair

The Embassy of India in Belgrade participated in the 39th International Tourism Fair held from 23rd-26th February 2017 at Sajam Fair, Belgrade.

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his was the fourth time in a row that the Embassy participated at the International Tourism Fair of Belgrade to promote India as a year-round tourism destination, including medical tourism, adventure tourism, desert tourism, beach tourism, Himalayan tourism, spiritual tourism, touring forts and palaces etc. The number of Serbian tourists have grown by 26% and e- Visa facility is gaining popularity. Likewise tourism to Serbia is being promoted through tie-ups between tourism authorities and tour operators. ■

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he Embassy of India, Belgrade organized the second meeting of the India-Serbia Business Forum on 27th February 2017 in the backdrop of visit by Hon’ble Aleksandar Vučić to India in January 2017.

Mrs Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India and Mr Nemanja Stevanović, State Secretary, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-Chaired the forum.

State Secretary Stevanović acknowledged India as world’s economic superpower and underlined that India could assist Serbia’s development in many areas including ICT sector. The Forum was attended by more than 60 Serbian businesspersons.

This was followed by third meeting of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) under the Trade Agreement on 10th March 2017.

The Forum was informative and participants discussed opportunities that would enhance bilateral trade and investment. Concerns were raised on difficulty in registering Indian pharma products in Serbia which is hampering direct investment by Indian companies and resulting in loss of revenues to Serbia. Several other Serbian companies presented their experiences in doing business with India, such as TAL Aviation- representative of Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Schneider Electric DMS, Glotec, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, PharMillennium Consulting doo, Glob Metropoliten Tours, Slovo doo, Serbian Chamber of Commerce & Industry etc. ■ STRENGTH OF HUMAN VALUES AND DIVERSITY

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INDIA-SERBIA COOPERATION IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Tradition Leads To World’s Top Scientific Powers India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions worldwide. The history of Indian science and technology is very rich and very old, dating back to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation.

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odernIndiahasfocusedstrongly on science and technology, having realised that it is a key element of economic growth. Day by day opportunities are growing, touching new horizons and bringing new laurels to India.The exponential growth of technology in India has played a significant role in the general development and growth of the country’s economy.

India is among the world’s top 10 nations in terms of the number of scientific

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publications. Position-wise, it is ranked 17th in the number of citations received and 34th in the number of citations per paper across the field of science and technology (among nations publishing 50,000 or more papers). The country is ranked ninth globally in terms of the number of scientific publications and 12th in the number of patents filed. India's analytics industry is expected to reach 16 billion dollars by 2025, from the current level of $2 billion, according to

the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom).

India has a strong network of science & technology institutions and trained manpower. It has the third-largest scientific and technical manpower in the world, with 162 universities awarding over 4,000 doctorate degrees and 35,000 post-graduate degrees annually. India‘s R&D globalisation and services market is expected to reach a value of $38 billion by 2020. More than a third of the top

1,000 global R&D spenders have centres in India. India is working aggressively towards establishing itself as a leader in industrialisation and technological development. The Government of India aspires to position the country among the world’s top five scientific powers.

Science and Technology is one of the growing sectors of cooperation between India and Serbia. An intergovernmental agreement on S&T cooperation between India and Serbia was signed in October 2004. This agreement envisages work on joint scientific research projects; exchange of researchers, university professors and experts; exchanges of scientific and technological information and documents; temporary use or exchanges of equipment and materials that are necessary for such cooperation, and the granting of adequate equipment within technical assistance programmes; organisation of joint scientific conferences, symposiums, seminars, exhibitions etc.; setting up of joint scientific research centres; and other forms of scientific and technological cooperation on the basis of mutual agreements reached by research organisations, enterprises and other entities.

A joint video conferencing session was held on 6th December 2016, during which it was agreed to do joint projects in (i) New materials and Nanotechnology: this is one possible means of bridging the gap between India’s abundant, varied natural resources and its requirements, like clean water, food and rapid, low cost diagnostic machinery. Since nanotechnology is an emerging technology and India has an abundant skilled workforce, India aims to become a global leader in nanotechnology. (ii) Energy and Energy efficiency: The Government of India has kick-started a revolution in energy efficiency by introducing scalable and

replicable demand side management initiatives. The Government of India plans to pursue a green path to growth by doubling investment in clean energy research to $145 million in the next five years, from the current investment level

Based on an inter-governmental agreement on S&T cooperation, signed in October 2004, science and technology is one of the growing sectors of cooperation between India and Serbia of $72 million. (iii) Information and Communication Technologies: India is the world's largest sourcing destination for the information technology (IT) industry, accounting for approximately 67 per cent of a market worth $124-130 billion. Having proven its capabilities in delivering both on-shore and off-shore services to global clients, emerging technologies now offer an entirely new gamut of opportunities for top IT firms in India. Indian IT's core competencies and strengths have attracted significant investments from major countries. The computer software and hardware sector in India attracted cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows worth $22.83

billion between April 2000 and December 2016. India’s IT industry accounts for 12.3 per cent of the global market, largely due to exports. (iv) Health: The overall Indian healthcare market is worth around $100 billion and is expected to grow to $280 billion by 2020. There is significant scope for enhancing healthcare services, considering that healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP is rising. India is a land that is full of opportunities for players in the medical devices industry. The country has also become one of the leading destinations for highend diagnostic services, with tremendous capital investment for advanced diagnostic facilities. India also offers vast opportunities in R&D, as well as medical tourism.

To sum up, there are vast opportunities for investment in healthcare infrastructure in India; and (v) Biotechnology aimed at meeting the needs of food security: India’s biotechnology sector is highly innovative and on a strong growth trajectory. This sector, with its immense growth potential, will continue to play a significant role as an innovative manufacturing hub. This sector is also one of the most significant sectors in enhancing India's global profile, as well as contributing to the growth of the economy. India is among the top 12 biotech destinations in the world and ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region.

The high demand for different biotech products has also created scope for foreign companies to establish bases in India. India has emerged as a leading destination for clinical trials, contract research and manufacturing activities, thanks to the growth of the bio-services sector. With the country offering numerous comparative advantages in terms of R&D facilities, knowledge, skills and cost effectiveness, the biotech industry in India has immense potential to emerge as a global key player. ■ STRENGTH OF HUMAN VALUES AND DIVERSITY

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WORLD FOOD INDIA 2017

Transforming the Food Economy Expect to grow with India's flourishing economy, large workforce, strategic location and ease of doing business.

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griculture, agri-machinery and food processing are high on the India-Serbia bilateral commercial agenda and were discussed during the visit of President Aleskandar Vučić (then Prime Minister) to India in January 2017. During the first meeting of the India-Serbia Joint Committee on Agriculture (Nov 2016), India expressed interest in importing pulses, soybean and oilseed, and exporting tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, banana, papaya etc. The Serbian side

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emphasised the export of fresh, frozen and processed fruits and vegetables

During the first meeting of the IndiaSerbia Joint Committee on Agriculture (Nov 2016), India expressed interest in importing pulses, soybean and oilseed, as well as exporting tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, banana, papaya etc. to India, and imports of agriculture machinery like trucks, tractors and

combined harvesters. In his meeting with then Prime Minister Vučić, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Serbia to participate in the major trade fair World Food India 2017.

The food processing market in India has matured exponentially and today become a high profit sector. Lifestyle changes, together with a rich agricultural base, have crated demand for the processed food industry in India.

The Indian food processing industry has grown by 11 per cent in the last

decade and is expected to reach a value of $480 billion by 2020. The industry contributes to 14 per cent of the country’s manufacturing GDP, 13 per cent of exports and six per cent of total industrial investment.

World Food India-2017 (WFI), to be held in New Delhi from 3rd to 5th November this year, is a global event to facilitate partnerships between Indian and international businesses and investors. It represents a gateway to the Indian food economy and an opportunity to showcase, connect and collaborate. Organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries of India, WFI will be the largest gathering of investors, manufacturers, producers, food processors, policymakers and organisations from the global food ecosystem. It aims to provide opportunities for both investment and trade in the food processing sector for leading Indian and international companies. It is a promising platform to showcase offerings and services along the food value chain — production, processing, packaging, technology, equipment, storage, logistics or retail. Network and build partnerships with Indian and international businesses, investors and governments — to leverage India's massive food market and economic opportunities to grow businesses.

With a massive, fast-expanding food market, exciting growth in the retail sector, and attractive economic policies and fiscal incentives, India's food ecosystem is the place to be. Those attending the WFI can join in transforming the food economy by leveraging opportunities along the food value chain.

The advantage of India's food sector • Sixth largest food and grocery market in the world.

• Annual food processing sector growth rate exceeding seven per cent.

• Online food delivery industry growth of 150 per cent in 2016.

• Food retail representing a 70 per cent share of the total retail market.

• O ffer of the largest diversified production base.

•G rowing infrastructure support: 42 Mega Food Parks are being set up to promote food processing clusters T he government has recently sanctioned 101 new integrated cold chain projects • Advancing technology & equipment:

• 100% FDI in retail marketing of food products that are produced and / or manufactured in India, including through e-commerce.

• Proactive policy support.

• Single-window clearance.

• A dedicated investors portal has been set up aimed at easing the process for investors: http://mofpi. nic.in/

Hailed as the largest gathering of investors, manufacturers, producers, food processors, policymakers and organisations around the food ecosystem globally, WFI 2017 is a one-of-a-kind event that provides opportunities for both investment and trade in the food processing sector N ew and emerging technology in fruit & vegetable processing, cold storage, reefer containers, IQF processing, pack houses and packaging F ood testing labs A favourable economic and business environment • Large skilled workforce.

• 100% FDI through automatic route in food processing.

• The Government of India has set up Invest India as its official Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency: http://www.investindia.gov.in/ Ranked second in total food production globally, India is the largest producer of several agricultural commodities. The annual growth rate of the food processing sector is more than seven per cent and the online food delivery industry grew by 150 per cent in 2016. With the world’s largest diversified production base, India offers numerous opportunities that can be capitalised upon along the food value chain. Hailed as the largest gathering of investors, manufacturers, producers, food processors, policymakers and organisations around the food ecosystem globally, WFI 2017 is a one-of-a-kind event that provides opportunities for both investment and trade in the food processing sector. ■

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AGRICULTURE

Continuous Progress in India-Serbia Relations

Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy and is the principal source of income for more than 58 per cent of the country’s population. India's arable land area of 157.35 million hectares (over 60% of total territory) is the second largest in the world, after the U.S.

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ndia is the largest producer of spices, pulses, milk, tea, cashew nuts and jute, cotton; and the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruit and vegetables, sugarcane and oilseeds. Furthermore, India is ranked second globally in the production of fruit and vegetables, and is the world’s largest producer of mango and banana. It also has the highest productivity of grapes in the world.

India-Serbia bilateral relations in the agricultural and food processing industries are mainly in the field of import of agricultural products from India, such as coffee, sesame seeds, dehydrated onion etc. India also exports tractors (Mahindra,TAFE and Sonalika) to Serbia. Mahindra and Sonalika tractors are being assembled in Serbia through their Serbian partners. Serbian exports of agricultural

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products to India are mostly in the form of tobacco and cigarettes.

The first meeting of the India-Serbia Joint Committee on Agriculture was held through video conferencing in November

India-Serbia bilateral relations in the agricultural and food processing industries are mainly in the field of import of agricultural products from India, such as coffee, sesame seeds, dehydrated onion etc. India also exports tractors (Mahindra, TAFE and Sonalika) to Serbia 2016, with both sides reviewing bilateral ties and exchanging potential areas of cooperation identified in the bilateral MoU

on Agriculture and Allied Sectors, which was signed in March 2009. The Serbian side emphasised its interest in increasing exports of fresh, frozen and processed fruit and vegetables to India, while the Indian side expressed interest in exporting tropical fruits, tea and coffee to Serbia, as well as importing pulses, sunflower and soya from Serbia. The Serbian side expressed an interest in importing agriculture machinery like trucks, tractors and combined harvesters.

The Indian side expressed willingness to promote joint ventures under 100% FDI. H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Indian Ambassador to Serbia, emphasised the need for regular meetings and a time-bound action plan to boost R&D, trade and investment in agriculture. India was offered Partner Country status in the International Agricultural Fair, Novi Sad. As in the past, Indian agri-machinery companies, namely Indian tractor manufacturersTAFE (represented by Amalgamations Group), Mahindra & Mahindra (represented

by Agropanonka) and Sonalika (represented

by FPM Agromehanika), participated in the 84th International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad in May 2017.

Agriculture and food processing, as well as agricultural machinery, are high on the India-Serbia bilateral commercial agenda and were discussed by the respective prime ministers on the side-lines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2017, as well as during the 3rd meeting of the Joint Economic Committee (10th March 2017). These crucial industry segments in India-Serbia trade relations have good potential for trade and investment growth. Indian agri-machinery companies enjoy a fine reputation in Serbia and the Balkans. The agriculture sector in India is expected to generate better momentum in the next few years, due to increased investments in agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigation facilities, warehousing and cold storage. ■

CULTURE

70th Independence Day of India 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations

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eeta Chandran is synonymous with the Indian classical dance – Bharatanatyam and is a universally celebrated artist, a celebrity and a star-performer. In her mission to “en-dance the universe”, Geeta has constantly striven to create new spaces for the classical dancer of today. She has continuously attempted to push the frontiers of the classical art and to reach out to new, and especially young, audiences. Geeta will be in Serbia performing with her dance troupe in Belgrade on 22nd August at the Madlenianum Opera & Theatre (Zemun). Do not miss this enthralling performance if you are a classical dance enthusiast. ■

''Where the Shadow Ends'' B Y K RYAT I V E T H E AT R E F R O M B A N G A L O R E

The Kriyative Theatre, an established theatre company based in Bengaluru, led by Ms. Laxmi Chandrashekar participated in the 44th International Festival of Alternative and New Theatre (INFANT), Novi Sad where they staged their play, “Where The Shadow Ends”.

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onceived and staged in Bengaluru in 2016, ‘Where the Shadow Ends’ is a contemporary interpretation of an epic story which blends contemporary dance movement with text to explore how myths have turned into history and shaped the moral fabric of societies across the world. It moves seamlessly between the personal and the political, whilst questioning notions of duty, belief, loyalty, patriotism and patriarchy. The play has been produced in collaboration with Serbian performer, Kristian Al Droubi

and explores the similarities between Indian and Serbian myths. The 80 minute play is in English and has won critical acclaim from viewers everywhere.

The only Indian theatre group to be invited to the fest this year got a fantastic reception.

Besides INFANT, ‘Where the Shadow Ends’ was also part of the Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF). The group also staged the play in Zrenjanin, Nis and Leskovac The visit of theatre groups and cultural troupes will immensly contribute to the understanding of the two cultures.

The Kriyative Theatre is known for its creative experiments in theatre and are engaged in producing plays which are purposeful and artistic. The group has participated in a number of national and international theatre festivals and performed over 600 shows of 19 plays. ■ STRENGTH OF HUMAN VALUES AND DIVERSITY

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3RD INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA IN SERBIA

Historic Yoga Gathering The 3rd International Day of Yoga in Serbia was organised on Saturday, the 17th June at the historic Kalemegdan Fortress by the Victor Statue overlooking the confluence of River Danube and Sava

Yoga at Kalemegdan Fortress on 17th June

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H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India, with yoga enthusiasts

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he 3rd International Day of Yoga in Serbia was organised on Saturday 17th June at the historic Kalemegdan Fortress by the Victor Statue overlooking the confluence of River Danube and Sava. Yoga on Danube was organised on the evening of 21st June.

In addition to yoga demonstration on 17th June and Yoga on Danue on 21st June, workshops on Yoga, Ayurveda and Homeopathy were held in the City Hall of Belgrade on 17th June. The Embassy organised a quiz and Article writing contest on Yoga and its benefits. Apart from Belgrade, IDY was held in other cities of Serbia, including Novi Sad, Sabac, Nis, Krusevac, Indjija, Jagodina, Zrenjanin, Apatin, Subotica, Knjazevac, Sremska Mitrovica, Kula, Aleksinac etc. 3rd IDY in Serbia was quite popular with good participation and enthusiasm shown by Serbian participants. The event helped in expanding Yoga outreach and spreading awareness about importance and health benefits of yoga.

Yoga is a system of holistic living, having the roots in Indian tradition and culture. Yoga has attracted global attention in recent years.

The Indian Government has taken steps to spread this Indian cultural and spiritual heritage worldwide, which is a credible system and shall provide India the leadership in assuring the quality teaching and training across the globe.

India has the potential to become a leading ‘Wellness’ destination for the global travelers. To promote India as an “Incredible tourist destination”, Government of India has opened doors for FDI in healthcare and well-being sector. The training courses for Yoga Teachers under Government of India’s ITEC Scheme has been very popular in Serbia.

E-Visa has been classified into e-Tourist Visa, e-Business Visa and e-Medical Visa with the aim to promote investment friendly environment and to popularise Indian System of Medicine for International tourists. This is good time for Serbian travel agencies, yoga centres, tourism training institutes to utilise India’s strengths and expertise in wellness, ancient yogic practices etc. and explore the areas for mutual collaboration. ■

Yoga on the Danube (21st June)

Yoga brings harmony in all walks of life and thus, is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle related disorders SOME OF THE PROMINENT INDIAN YOGA INSTITUTES • Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi - http://www.yogamdniy.nic.in • Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. - http://www.parmarth.org/ • The Yoga Institute, Mumbai - http://theyogainstitute.org/ • Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune - http://bksiyengar.com/ • S-Vyasa, Bengaluru – http://svyasa.edu.in/ • Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai – www.kym.org • Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – www.sivananda.org • Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar – www.biharyoga.net • Brahma Kumar Center, Abu Road, Rajasthan - http://www.brahmakumaris.com/

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B y R A DM I L A STA N KOV I C

MY LIFE

I’m Interested In The Evil In Me

AND IN THE NATION LORDAN ZAFRANOVIĆ FILM DIRECTOR

I belong to the Mediterranean culture. I was born on the island of Šolta and was 17 when I made my first film in Split. Film was my life commitment and I showed everything that I wanted to show on film. Behind me are 73 years of life, two marriages, three children and around 80 films. Behind me is a country that was called Yugoslavia, in which I made my best films, but which no longer exists.

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ordan Zafranović claims that these few sentences above are sufficient to present him. And he is one of the most important film artists of Yugoslavia. His most successful feature film was Occupation in 26 paintings, then The Fall of Italy, Evening Bells etc., while his anthologies include his documentary films Jasenovac: The Cruellest Death Camp of All and The Decline of the Century: Testament L.Z.

He completed his studies at Prague’s famous FAMA film academy, in the class of Oscar-winner Elmar Klos, where he learned how to make films for viewers: “It was necessary to make a film for a viewer who bought a ticket, came to the cinema and after two hours left the theatre saying they’d got more than they paid for. They taught me that film is art, entertainment and a product.

Today it’s as though nobody learns that. Today it’s like films are made for relatives and friends.

AUGUST

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the wars began, we were mutually killing each other. I thought that with the film Occupation in 26 pictures we could at least have a little impact on people to remember and not start wars, but that obviously did not have any effect, as the wars of the ‘90s were equally bloody. I was interested in evil in people, primarily the evil in me, in my family, and then the evil in the nation.”

Zafranović says that he has spent the last few years preparing a new film, one that he says could be the film of his life. He says for CorD that everything he’s done was actually preparing him to make a film that he really cares about, which will be called Karuzo. Karuzo was a fictional character who was called that way because he sang like a famous Italian singer, and at the centre of the story is his fate, but alongside him is also the gallery of characters of Dalmatia, which no longer exists, but which is authentic and was something special with its colouring.

He is still seeking the money to film it, but when he was last rejected at a competition in Croatia they told me they did not have the money for his wide frames! And since Lordan is also a Czech citizen, he also applied in the Czech Republic and received the money for preparations.

This director is a great fighter who has got used to the misfortunes he has faced. The toughest for him to take is that his films were erased from Croatia and that his name became synonymous with something that inflicts evil on its own people, because he highlighted things that should not be pointed out: “My name became synonymous with someEarly age thing that needs to be troversial director.

When we were doing Occupation in 26 paintings, removed. When I emiHis most successgrated and no longer we wanted to highlight the possible evil that had any contact with ful film, Occupation permanently threatens these areas; to make it Zagreb, my films were in 26 Paintings, won simply prevented the 1978 award as clear to us what happens between neighbours appearing at the best film at the and friends when evil times come. We lived in the from any festival, at any then Yugoslav Film land of Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, while Moscow, film event anywhere Festival in Pula. It was outside Croatia, while screened in 30 counRome and Mecca were far away naturally they couldn’t tries around the world be shown anywhere in Croatia either. Thus for fifteen years in the and was the most watched film in the then Czechoslovakia. The world I was a man without films, without my own biography, and action takes place in Dubrovnik at the beginning of World War II I had around eighty films, both feature-length and short works. and involves three young men – a Croat, an Italian and a Jew. The When I started returning to Croatia after 2000, I sought from war challenges their friendship and breaks it, while the director Jadran Film, in whose production I had done all my films, to reveals and condemns all the horrors of fascism: make me VHS tapes on which my films would be recorded. They “When we were doing Occupation in 26 paintings, we wanted promised me that I would get it and when it arrived, everything to highlight the possible evil that permanently threatens these they recorded for me was underexposed; all the films were dark areas; to make it clear to us what happens between neighbours and unusable. That was done by a producer who made money and friends when evil times come. We lived in the land of Orthoon my films. When I went Jadran Film and made a fuss about dox, Catholic, Muslim, while Moscow, Rome and Mecca were far such a procedure, the man who transferred my films to VHS away. We were directed towards one another, yet again, when

“When I made films that the public liked, I was celebrated and raised to the heavens. When I made films that certain politicians didn’t like, I was also unsuitable, and the people who admired me until yesterday pretended not to see me on the street.”

It was often said of him, and is still said today, that he is constantly jumping out of the line, to which he replies that for the powerless called critics, in the absence of true observations and knowledge of what he is doing, it was helpful to say that Zafranović is a con-

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and as a filmmaker, it was as a Croat to cleanse myself from that cassette told me that he was told to do that by the director of shadow of evil. When I edited the Testament in a studio in Paris, Jadran Film. I took him by the arm and led him to the director, during the day I would watch that horrible archival footage from who denied it. The employee plucked up his courage in response the time of the NDH and World War II, while in the evenings I would to this, he must have been close to retirement, and said: “You’re come home to my apartment and watch the news from my former lying, director, you ordered me to do it like that!”

Yugoslavia. I watched Croatian, Serbian and all other television There was no need for any kind of ban from above; there were channels, but the hardest thing was when I watched Croatian enough censorship in the heads of those little people who did television. Those reports from the battlefield and everything what they thought they had to, even though it was often the case that no one asked them to do so.”

When war criminal Andrija Artuković, an Ustasha politician and minister in the WWII fascist government of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), was deported to Croatia in 1986, Zafranović started filming the documentary Testament. Work on this film was accompanied by numerous problems, but Lordan did not give up. For instance, on the family estate in Maslinica on Šolta, Lordan and his brother, the excellent editor Andrija Zafranović (68), wanted to build two prefabricated houses and were given permission to build. When they had already laid the foundations, they were forbidden from continuing to work and dynamite was set that destroyed not only their foundations, but also the ruins of other houses around them: “A month later they gave me permission to build, but since then I never went back to my hometown, until a few years ago. I was always followed by a lot of negative consequences due to what I did, and often also physical attacks.

My parents were scandalised in Split, with neighbours throwing stones, smashed glass; Lordan Zafranović And Dušan Makavejev my son was unable to enrol in the academy My name became synonymous with something that that was said, that set design, black shirts, or in university, so I needs to be removed. When I emigrated and no that NDH language, dragged him to Prague.

That was a dangerous longer had any contact with Zagreb, my films were that same hatred, that was all starkly similar time for me. I secretly simply prevented from appearing at any festival, the pictures from came to Croatia for the at any film event anywhere outside Croatia, while to 1941. I wondered if it funeral of my father, naturally they couldn’t be shown anywhere in was possible for 1941 and had to come to and 1991 to be so Croatia in secret to Croatia either similar. I was watchvisit my mother.”

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Croatian politician Franjo Tuđman ing 1941 in the archives and watching 1991 in Bosnia live. And attacked Zafranović due to his previous documentary about the I couldn’t believe it. After five decades, images were repeated Ustasha death camp of Jasenovac, without even having seen the like something already seen. I didn’t know what I was looking film. The then Croatian president accused the director of stating at in the morning in the archives, and what I was watching live in his film about Jasenovac that a million people were killed in in the evening. this camp, but the truth is that Zafranović never mentioned the At the time I was close to leaving behind everything I’d done number of victims anywhere in the film. Tuđman then devoted until then and devoting myself to painting, which I studied before around a dozen pages in his book to writing about Zafranović the academy. But I was unable to master the technique anymore; as a prominent enemy of the Croatian people. The artist has I no longer had the skills to do that.” repeatedly recounted this episode, but for CorD he says: Then Lordan met writer Vidosav Stevanović in Paris, who gave “His claim is senseless. If I did anything all my life, as a man him his book ‘The Island of the Balkans’ to read. Lordan did not AUGUST

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Yugoslavia today, Zafranović does not fail to note that the role of the playwright has disappeared from film, that the screenwriters who existed in Yugoslav film have disappeared: “I was fortunate to have worked with the best script writers, such as Mirko Kovač, Danilo Kiš, Bora Pekić, Ranko Munitić, and like Filip David still is. All of them were exceptional personalities, great creators who contributed to raising my ideas and giving them serious artistic dimensions.

“I was always aware of which films would cause me problems, but I did it because prior to that I made films that gave me the right to do what I want and slap in the eye. I did not do that as a beginner, but as an established author on the market. That means I had the right to do that. And I used that right. Of course, it would be crazy if I thought I didn’t know what the consequences would be.

The consequences were sometimes smaller, and sometimes unpredictably large. I had to emigrate and my loved ones suffered, and I couldn’t have foreseen that. But, on the other hand, having fled Croatia, I had support among my cinematic colleagues everywhere.

In Paris I was assisted by Culture Minister Jacques Lang, while all my colleagues helped me in Prague, just as they did in Slovenia, in Vienna ... because we are one large family that understands each other well.

“Unfortunately, even today in Croatia when they want to humiliate me they call me Yugonostalgic, because, for God’s sake, that’s the biggest insult. I can respond to that by noting that in that former Yugoslavia we had an audience of 23-24 “There was no longWhen I edited the Testament in a studio in Paris, million people, and our films had er an opportunity to during the day I would watch that horrible archival that an enormous nummake that film, which footage from the time of the NDH and World War ber of viewers. Films I’m very sorry about, because that was the II, while in the evenings I would come home to my were made as cobest story about the productions between apartment and watch the news from my former last war. That film is the republics, while Yugoslavia simply lacking for me, there were numerous as a hole in my antistudios and common war opus. War is a terrible phenomenon that creates animals distribution channels. In that country I had an audience, then and beasts from humans, but also noble and great heroes.” someone with some decree and war cancelled my audience. My When he emigrated from Croatia, an article was published on generation was ready for big films, but it was unnaturally cut, two pages in Croatian magazine Globus, with one page showing the war cut us off. The regular cinematic pattern that we worked the angels of war and the other showing the devils of the war, in accordance with disappeared, while some small film scenes with large photographs. Zafranović was the devil of war, while the were created that mostly rely on the director and perhaps his angel of war was Slobodan Praljak, who graduated in electrical wife, who appears as a producer. Films are created in a kind of engineering and worked as a director, and who during the war home workshop which cannot produce a major film. was a general major who eventually ended up as a prisoner in “Today it is also still unclear to me why people from my branch The Hague sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for war crimes behave as they do, saying that there is no trace of the empathy and crimes against humanity. that once existed. For example, if an artist in that Socialist YugoWhen talking about cinema on the territory of the former slavia had problems in their republic, they would go to another put down the book day and night until he had read it, and then he decided that it would be his next film. The book depicted the war in Bosnia, with a strong anti-war message. They made a feature film script from the book, applied for and received money in the Czech Republic, where Lordan was the only foreigner to receive money from the state budget, went to Bitola, which was supposed to be Sarajevo and Banja Luka in the film, then The French producer made losses on the stock exchange and everything stopped:

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than the Balkan ones don’t open dirty things. As such, I deserved republic and work there. And vice versa. Remember that Žika what I got from Croatia because I delivered a painful blow in the Pavlović recorded her best films in Slovenia; that philosophical eye. The reactions grew stronger when the war started. There dissidents from Croatia and Bosnia found shelter in Belgrade ... were considerations of who was who and which side they were Today that solidarity no longer exists. But the language is the on. I hope that some generation will realise that we did a noble same, the problem is the same and the public is the same.” job in which only love for a certain territory and people can After many years living and working in the Czech Republic, bring forth criticism, and that is criticism of the total evil within Zafranović also gained Czech citizenship, but also retained his one’s own being. Only one who loves can criticise everything that Croatian identit rmer Yugoslavia. And that is still the same today.

As a Czech director, he is entitled to apply for their state funds. He speaks about today’s image of Croatia, where he now comes more often, without bitterness, but with sorrow: “The spiritual misery that gave birth to enmity and hatred during those twenty years is transmitted from generation to generation.

It’s sad to see young people who aren’t even 20 years old shouting at a stadium “For home ready” and raising their hand in a sign of political salute. That’s simply incomprehensible.

However, it is understandable when one sees how much propaganda there has been in the past twenty years of hatred, so that is a consequence of an entire set of policies that were implemented right after and even during the latest war in the Balkans.

“I’m not convinced in any great betterment, because that economic situation has impoverished the entire region of the former Yugoslavia; it has reached rock bottom, if not below the bottom. Something could be done there in art, because we speak the same language.

And links should start in sport. However, if that doesn’t happen and hatred continues to spread, I don’t see a generation that will I was fortunate to have worked with the best script was negative, not only historically, but to this not suffer from that writers, such as Mirko Kovač, Danilo Kiš, Bora day.” sickness. And sickness Pekić, Ranko Munitić, and like Filip David still is.

An unshakeable anis difficult to cure, especially the sickness tifascist, from 2006 All of them were exceptional personalities, great of a nation. to 2012 Zafranović creators who contributed to raising my ideas and worked on a huge “However, I have giving them serious artistic dimensions to be an optimist be13-episode series about Tito. That was cause I am a creator, an extensive research project and a lot of hard work, but the because I have to create tomorrow. Through the art I deal with, I author is very happy to have made it: think everything is possible. You have to have one true road and “That’s not just a series about Tito, but rather a story about choose a topic that is part of you and the truth about you. Try the life I went through. Whilst analysing Tito, I also analysed not to speak nonsense, but to say something that should remain everything related to the country in which I lived and worked, after you for the generations, thinking of people who knew to so that job was very important for me, because I wanted to leave transmit all these traumas we passed through. World War II, behind a thought and a trace for the generations that will come.” although we did not experience it, lives in us and is a part that This author does not cease to come up with ideas. Apart from goes dearly with us. When someone says, “We’re leaving behind the film Karuzo, which has been preparing for a long time, he the Ustashas and Chetniks, and dealing with the economy,” that would also like to make a documentary series of four episodes is almost impossible. Simply, that is part of us and we must face about Yugoslavia, in order to reveal how different ideologies and it, but we can only face it with the truth, and not with lies. historical falsehoods were mixed up. ■ “If you slap someone in the eye, it hurts. And bigger civilisations AUGUST

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CHILL OUT FRANCE

THE MÉDIÉVALES EUROPÉENNES FESTIVAL ▶ Every year (from 28 to 30 july) since 2010, the character town of Bitche, France has lived up to its reputation as the medieval crossroads of Europe. The Médiévales Européennes festival has a range of banners, pennons and other decorations created especially for the occasion, in order to recreate the festive and lively atmosphere of the knightly times of old. For a weekend, the medieval encampments, minstrels, troubadours, jugglers and other artists display their talent to create an old-time atmosphere for visitors to enjoy at Bitche citadel. Medieval life thus makes a proud return to the lands of Bitche, which were occupied by over 300 artists from all over Europe, further emphasising the international spirit of this festival. Visitors strolled among the stalls of the big medieval market to learn about the trades of yesteryear, travelling traders and products from bygone days.

USA

WHITE HOUSE’S HIDDEN SWIMMING POOL

BANGLADESH

THE “FOREST MAN OF BANGLADESH” ▶ Abdul Samad Sheikh, a 60-year-old rickshaw driver from Bangladesh has planted at least one tree every day since he was 12-years-old, which means that he has so far planted a small forest of over 17,500 trees.

Abdul, fondly known as “Tree Samad” in his native town of

Faridpur, central Bangadesh, has worked as a rickshaw driver for most of his life. The modest job earns him about 100 taka ($1.25) per day, which is barely enough to put food on the table for his family, but he somehow manages to also buy at least one tree from the Faridpur Horticulture Centre, every day. He considers it his duty to the world, and claims he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he didn’t plant a tree that day.

▶ There’s an old indoor swimming pool hidden directly underneath the White House Press Briefing Room.

The White House Press Briefing Room, where the U.S. press secretary stands behind a podium and fields questions from a pack of reporters, is an iconic place.

What most people probably don’t

know, however, is that everyone in that room is standing on top of a boarded-up old swimming pool.

The 16 meters long pool underneath the briefing room was built in the 1930s for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the wheelchair-bound president who liked to swim for exercise. According to WhiteHouseMuseum.org, “the president’s pool was a modern-day showcase of technology, featuring underwater lighting, sterilisers and the latest gadgets.” Roosevelt swam in it almost daily, as did President Truman and President Kennedy.

ENGLAND

CERNE ABBAS GIVEN TENNIS RACKET ▶ The iconic Cerne Abbas Giant is a hill figure near the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. which is recognised as a symbol of fertility, has been given a tennis racket to honour of Andy Murray who is expecting his second child.

Bookmakers Paddy Power put up the tribute to the world number one overnight with a team of six taking three hours to doctor the Dorset sculpture.

The giant is now holding a tennis racket and throwing a tennis ball, rather than holding his usual giant club.

A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “What better way to mark the start of Wimbledon than to give him a racket and ball?”

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AUSTRIA

20th AUSTRIAN WORLD BODYPAINTING FESTIVAL ▶ Whatever else the modern world may be, this is certainly an interesting place for the artist who no longer has to limit their creativity to the canvas but can take their brush to the human body, painting images that both accentuate and disguise the natural.

The festival has a very long tradition. Artists from more than 50 different nations gave their best to stun and entertain visitors at the 20th anniversary of the Austrian World Bodypainting Festival (28th - 30th July) , the world championships for Bodypainters. The whole festival week started on July 28th offered a cumulative programme with workshops, art exhibition, the zombie walk and the surreal ball Body Circus. The festival came to its peak with the huge spectacle of the World Championships as well as more than 60 bands and DJs.

MEXICO

MEXICAN FAN WENT OUT TO BUY CIGARETTES, ENDED UP IN RUSSIA ▶ Remember the long-time cliché “He went out to get cigarettes six years ago but never came back”?

Arturo Garcia, a die-hard football fan from Puebla, Mexico, told his wife that he was stepping out to buy a pack of cigarettes, but

ended up boarding a plane to Germany, and then driving to Russia, to see his national football team play in the Confederations Cup.

RUSSIA

Arturo had reportedly told his wife that he was going out to buy a pack of cigarettes, but he actually travelled to Monterey, where he got on a plane to Wolfsburg, Germany, where some of his relatives live, and from there he drove to Kazan, Russia, where he joined hundreds of other Mexican fans in supporting the national football team.

“The cost did not matter to me,” Arturo said. “The only important thing is to be close to the team.”

K E N YA

KENYAN LAWYER WANTS TO SUE ISREAL AND ITALY FOR KILLING JESUS CHRIST ▶ Kenyan lawyer Dola Indidis filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in The Hague against the countries of Israel and

USA

WORLD'S LONGEST CONTINUOUS HOCKEY GAME

TOP DESIGNS OF NEW MOSCOW METRO STATIONS ▶ A major renovation is in full swing both above and below the surface of Russia’s capital.

Three new stations have already opened in the Moscow metro since January, and 14 more are due to open by the end of this year.

The new Ochakovo station will be a continuation of the existing yellow Kalinisko-Solntsevskaya line. It will be located in the south-west of Moscow near Ochakovo ponds, which inspired the future design of the station. Architects plan to decorate it with a water-lily theme.

▶ The record for the world’s longest continuous hockey game was shattered in Buffalo, N.Y., and helped raise more than $1 million for cancer research.

Mike Lesakowski, the event’s founder, said the idea for the marathon came after his wife died of cancer at the age of 35.

The game lasted 11 days and the final score was 1,4921,477. The event raised $1.2 million for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The game will still have to be verified by the Guinness Book of World Records before getting official recognition as the longest non-stop hockey game “People ask if we’re tired,” said participant Chris Evanco.

“How can you get tired of doing something you love?”

Italy, as well as historical figures that have been dead for over 2,000 years, for the unlawful trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

He first tried to sue Israel and Italy over Jesus’ death in 2007. His petition to a Nairobi court was dismissed, but the persistent man didn’t give up. In 2013, he turned to the International Court of Justice for the first time, but his case was thrown out. In March of this year, Indidis once again appealed to the ICJ, hoping to finally make it to an actual trial.

In his petition, the lawyer, who was once a spokesman for Kenya’s Judiciary, claims that the mode of questioning used during Jesus’s trial, as well as his prosecution, hearing and sentencing were unlawful.

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CULTURE CALENDAR

Nišville 10-13 – Niš Fortress – 20.00 The International Nišville jazz festival is the largest and best-attended jazz festival in Southeast Europe. The festival is an official cultural event of the City of Niš (since 2005) and also a “festival of national value”, according to the list compiled by the Serbian Ministry of Culture in 2010. The importance of this festival has also been recognised by the Serbian Ministry

of Trade and Services and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, with the Nišville festival winning the “Best of Serbia” Award in 2011. The Tourist Organisation of Serbia includes Nišville as its official offer in tourist fairs throughout Europe.

In the European Union magazine “New Europe”, published in Brussels, the festival has been reviewed as the “European face of Serbia”.

Since the first edition of the festival in 1995, Nišville has promoted multiculturalism as an inevitable characteristic of contemporary jazz.

The festival’s concept is based on presenting ‘traditional’ jazz forms together with their fusion with world music tradition, with the emphasis on music from the Balkans. One of the most famous jazz magazines, America’s ‘Downbeat’, considers Nišville the important musical event, as a promotion of both the traditional Balkan music and American jazz heritage. According to

the magazine, Nišville’s speciality is popularising the blend of the two.

For programme details visit www.nisville.com

Interpol 13 – Kalemegdan Fortress – 21.00 Interpol, an American rock band from New York City, was formed in 1997. The band’s original line-up consisted of Paul Banks (vocals, rhythm guitar), Daniel Kessler (lead guitar, vocals), Carlos Dengler (bass guitar, keyboards) and Greg Drudy (drums, percussion). Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino. In 2010, shortly after they finished recording their fourth album, Dengler left to pursue personal projects.

This is a year full of anniversaries for Interpol.

The 20th anniversary of the band’s formation, 2017 also marks the 15th anniversary of Interpol’s debut album, Turn On The Bright Lights.

Now a trio—Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler, and

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Once again this year, the Cervantes Institute, in cooperation with Culture Centre GRAD, is organising the film screening cycle “Under the Stars”, which offers a panoramic overview of the most important achievements of the past year when it comes to cinema.

The films to be screened all seek to present different views of our society while reflecting our present day reality.

Four creations will comprise a special programme devised in cooperation with Culture Centre GRAD, which is this year presenting free openair films with subtitles in Serbian for the fourth consecutive year.

Outings Project Sam Fogarino will visit Belgrade on 13th August, as part of a European tour that will also include Paris, Vienna, Zurich, London and many other cities.

With experience and ability on their side, Interpol has quite simply never been a better band than it is today.

The band is working on new material in its

18 - Goethe Institute - 20.00

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home state of New York. Its sixth album will be released by Matador Records in 2018, four years after the release of their last album, ‘El Pintor’.

Art Coffee With Valerie Quade

Valerie Quade’s audio documentary about the designed world of sounds that surrounds us 68 min. Stereo, in German and English Everything that surrounds us is designed, even sounds. Human’s acoustic surroundings have been formed over thousands of years. What comprises that environment? Where do the sounds emerge? Where does noise emerge? What is noise? Where is the future of sounds leading? Answers to these questions are provided by sound designers, acoustics specialists, product designers, sound

Film Cycle: “Cinema Under The Stars: Contemporary Film”

researchers, sound engineers and a sound archivist. Ah yes - and a priest, because even faith is born of listening.

Valerie Quade is a sound designer from Essen, a city in the German province of North Rhine-Westphalia. Within her basic studies of film sound design at the University of Dortmund, she dealt intensively with the impact of sounds on people. She is currently taking a break from her master’s studies of sound design at the University of Graz in order to volunteer at the Goethe Institute in Belgrade.

14-18 - Matica Srpska Gallery, Novi Sad Julien de Casabianca tours the world’s museums in search of the most beautiful characters living in the arts. An unexpected encounter with centuries-old picture depicted in a contemporary urban context leads to consideration and a call to visit museums.

The story of the Outings Project begins in 2014, when Julien de Casabianca first came across the portrait of Mademoiselle Rivière on an Ingres painting set in a corner of Paris’s Louvre. “She was beautiful. She seemed lost and unhappy surrounded by other large pictures. A princely urge awakened in me: I wanted to wake her up and free her of her frame and the museum.” Since that first collage, Julien has continued his mission and freed hundreds of paintings around the world.

He firmly believes in participation in the creative process, which is why he organises workshops in many cities to encourage citizens to get to know

more about the collections of their museums.

Twenty participants of different ages will visit the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad with this artist, with whom he will pick the selection of works intended to decorate the walls of their city.

The works will be photographed and then printed according to a special procedure. They will then be placed on the streets of Belgrade, on 12th and

13th July, and Novi Sad, from 14th to 18th August.

Belgrade Beer Fest 16-20 – Ušće – 21.00 This year marks the jubilee 15th edition of the Belgrade Beer Fest. Belgrade’s Ušću will host the festival from 16th-20th August.

Belgrade Beer Fest is one of the biggest beer festival in Southeastern Europe. Within 5 days, over 500.000 people visit the festival. The large number of visitors is mostly due to basic festival principles: free entrance, an exceptional music programme, and a wide range of foreign and domestic beer brands.

Belgrade Beer Fest was founded in year 2003.

In fourteen years of its existence over 7.6 million visitors could have seen more than 600 music performances, tasted more than 330 beer brands and participated in numerous social campaigns.

Belgrade Beer Fest established itself as one of the most important segments of the tourist offer of Serbia, as well as a brand that promotes our country and strengthens its image. The award “Best of Serbia” that the Festival got for 2014 edition is the best proof of that. Action “Best of Serbia” has been oganised, since 2004, by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and daily economic newspaper “Privredni pregled”, with the goal to promote the most successful brands on the Serbian market.

This year’s BBF programme: belgradebeerfest.com

COCKTAILS

COCKTAILS FOR HOT SUMMER

The temperature is going up a notch and there’s no better way to welcome the party season with a refreshing cocktail in hand.

It’s time to play the bartender and learn a few party-worthy cocktail drink recipes that you can whip up for yourself on a hot Sunday evening or for your guests when you are planning to host a guests.

Here are a few must-try summer cocktail recipes that will get you in the mood for the warmer weather ahead.

COCONUT WATER AND MUDDLED STRAWBERRIES COCKTAIL Serve this cocktail at a backyard bash in a pitcher or break out those fancy martini glasses to make this the evening party drink. But before that, take heart the recipe:

Ingredients: ½ deciliter of vodka; 1 mini bottle of your favorite sparkling wine; 12 strawberries; 4 teaspoons of Agave; 4 cups of coconut water; 8 chopped basil leaves; 8 chopped mint leaves; 2 limes- 1 juiced and 1 for garnish Directions: Muddle the strawberries in a bowl and add agave, basil, and mint. Add these into a small pitcher and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Serve the drink in martini glasses garnished with sliced lime. The recipe makes four cocktails.

HONEYED CHERRY DAIQUIRI Now here’s a sweet cocktail for the hotter days! Take note of this easy summer cocktail recipe and try at home.

Ingredients: few drops of light rum; 8 sweet cherries; Honey 1 small spoon, Dash of bitters; a drop of maraschino liqueur; a few drops of fresh lime juice

Ingredients: ½ deciliter of vodka; 0.3 deciliter of fresh cucumber puree; 1 lemon balm leaf; Lemon juice; Drop of sesame syrup

Directions: Crush lemon balm so that it releases the essence. Take a cocktail shaker and then add cucumber puree, lemon, sesame syrup, and Vodka. Shake well and serve chilled.

Directions: Muddle the cherries until mashed and then add rum, bitters, maraschino liqueur, honey and lime juice in a cocktail shaker.

Fill with ice and shake for at least 2030 seconds. Serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with lime. Simple right?

CRUCOMBER The freshness of cucumber and flavors of lime gives this drink a therapeutic feel, especially during the hot summer days. Save the cocktail recipe for a quick try.

Ingredients: Half deciliter of Van Gogh Raspberry Vodka (you can choose any other as per your preference); 0.4 deciliter of sweet iced tea; Drop of fresh lemon juice Directions: Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Shake vigorously and serve. Garnish with floating raspberries.

BOURBON COLADA This not-so-light summer cocktail is extremely easy to mix up and serve for a last-minute hosting.

Ingredients: Half deciliter of bourbon; few drops of pineapple juice; few drops of coconut liqueur; few drops of heavy whipped cream

RASPBERRY ICE PICK Reveal this delicious refresher after the sun goes down and music turns up! Here’s a quick and easy cocktail recipe that will take no more than a 5 minutes of your precious time.

Directions: Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. Serve over crushed ice.

Try these refreshing cocktail recipes at home and let us know all about your experience in the comment section below.

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FASHION

SUMMER STYLE&TIPS WOMEN Tom Ford Oud Wood

One of the most rare, precious, and expensive ingredients in a perfumer's arsenal, oud wood is often burned in the incense-filled temples of bhutan.

Price: €200 - €530

Loro Piana Cashmere And Silk-Blend Jacquard Scarf

FOR MEN

Richard James Mohair-Blend Suit Trousers Woven with sky-blue and white threads, Richard James' trousers are a refreshing alternative to traditional black or grey suiting, particularly in the summer months.

Price: €340

Italian luxury label Loro Piana is world-renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship and beautiful fabrics, made from a soft and lightweight blend of cashmere and silk with claret stitching at the edges Price: €760

Ralph Lauren Pocket Polo T-Shirt Tom Ford Three Piece Suit One of the most sought after with respect to both men's and women's wear, from decadent evening gowns through to the sharpest tailored pants.

Price: €5,575

This Ralph Lauren icon achieves the woven look of oxford cloth with yarn-dyed, mercerized piqué.

Price: €262

Tom Ford Neville Woven Loafer Crafted using an artisanal technique, whereby the shoe is formed and then 'hole cut' for strips of leather to be woven through.

Price: €1,295

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Ralph Lauren Jersey Wrap Dress

Saint Laurent Earrings In Gold And Red

Simple yet sexy, this body-skimming wrap dress combines the ease of jersey with a waist-defining silhouette.

Price: €220

Saint Laurent tassel earrings with interlocking ysl signature along knotted ball.

Price: €530

Ralph Lauren Brennan Goatskin Jacket This jacket’s netlike look is woven by hand using strips of goatskin.

Price: €4,460

Ralph Lauren Macrame Dress

Gucci Leathere Knot Sandals A high heel sandal with a thin heel. The numerous thin straps come together to form a front knot and then up around the back heel.

Price: €710

Frederic Malle Haitian Vetiver

A hand knotted macrame front accenuates the textural allure of this body-skimming dress.

Price: €1,775

Magnolia' was created after a conversation between Frédéric Malle and Carlos Benaïm, in which they discussed that Magnolia Grandiflora is closer to an Eau de Cologne than it is to a classic flower.

Price: €100

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26 JUN

Most Beautiful Serbian Rugs From Stara Planina

Traditional rug-making was the topic of the weaving colony (from 24th to 27th June), which brought together foreign diplomats and mayors at the former Dojkinca bor-

27 JUN

der post on Stara Planina, to provide support for unemployed women from rural areas.

The colony was jointly organised by the towns of Pirot and Sombor, together with the Etno Network and the Damsko srce (Lady’s heart) cooperative for making rugs and souvenirs from Pirot, with the support of NALED and the embassies of Australia and the U.S. Throughout the course of the colony, weavers from all over Serbia made motifs with Pirot rugs and participated in lectures in order to enrich their knowledge.

The colony was visited by Pirot Mayor Vladan Vasić, Sombor representative Nemanja Sarač, Etno Network president Violeta Jovanovic, Australian Ambassador H.E. Julia Feeney, Indian Ambassador H.E. Narinder Chauhan, UN Resident Representative for Serbia Karla Hershey, U.S. Embassy Culture Attaché Erika Kuenn and other local and foreign officials.

Launch Of The Archaeological Project “Glac”

H.E. Julia Feeney and Goran Vesić

In lieu of the Australian National Day, H.E. Mrs Julia Feeney, the Australian Ambassador, and Vesić, Belgrade City Manager Goran were hosts of the Launch of the Archaeological Project “Glac” on Tuesday, at Belgrade City Hall.

Ambassador Feeney held welcoming speech, followed by “Glac” project presentation, cocktail reception and music performance by Jovan Maljoković Balkan Salsa Band.

The archaeological project Glac is a multi-year Serbian-Australian undertaking that will engage a team from the Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade and the University of Sydney. The team will undertake a five-year programme commencing end of June 2017, of archaeological excavations, research, publication and conservation on the Roman site Glac near Sremska Mitrovica.

08 JUL

20th Afro Festival Held

The jubilee 20th Afro Festival has been held at the Museum of African Art in Belgrade’s Senjak neighbourhood.

“The Museum of African Art is a unique institution in Belgrade, Serbia and the Balkans, which has, for a full 40 years, with its diverse programmes, contributed to the establishment and enhancement of cultural links between our capital, but also our entire country, and the friendly people of Africa,” said Ivona Jevtić, acting Secretary of Culture of the City of Belgrade.

Numerous guests were also addressed in the Museum’s garden by H.E. Tajouri Sh. Tajouri, Libyan Ambassador in Belgrade and doyen of the Group of African Ambassadors in Serbia, and Maria Aleksić, Director of the Museum.

Prizes for the winners of the fourth Art Competition were presented by representatives of daily newspaper “Politika” and company “Amfora”, while the programme culminated with the concert of Afro-Cuban band ‘Salsa and Punto’.

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03 JUL

NALED - Dialogue On New Government's Programme

Violeta Jovanović, NALED Executive Director, and Aleksandar Ružević

The board of directors of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) organised a meeting in the restaurant of the Writers’ Club (Klub književnika) with senior representatives of the media.

The meeting provided the occasion to discuss the programme of new Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and the reform goals highlighted in her inaugural address, as well as the priorities for the first 100 days of the new

04 JUL

government. The meeting was jointly hosted by Aleksandar Ružević, new chair of the NALED board, Goran Kovačević, deputy chair of the NALED board, Goran Pitić, president of the Fair Competition Alliance, Stanka Pejanović, member of the NALED board, the mayors of the cities of Pirot, Sombor, Leskovac and Šabac, as well as other members of management bodies and NALED experts who work with the alliance on the cre-

Empathy And Mutual Understanding A Precondition For Success

08 JUL

ation of reforms aimed at improving Serbia’s business environment.

Speaking on this occasion, NALED Chairman Ružević said: “Over the course of a year and a half, 72,000 requests have been submitted through the NALED system, 91% of which have been resolved within deadlines, of which 83% were positive, which shows that the procedure functions extremely well,” said Ružević.

Tatjana Vujović, The Winner Of The CCIFS Student Prize

Sanja Ivanić

Tamara Vučković Manojlović, Director of the Yugoslav Drama Theater, Zoran Petrović, President of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and General Manager of Raiffeisen Bank, and Boris Vujičić, Member of the AmCham Board of Directors and Chairman of the Managing Board of Trizma talked about “The importance of empathy in business“ at the Startit Center. The “SMART Trio” discussion was organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia and the University of Sheffield. The moderator of this conversation was dr Nikolaos Dimitriadis from the University of Sheffield.

In an informal atmosphere many associates and media representatives could hear what empathy is from the perspective of art and business community and how important it is in everyday work, communication and cooperation with colleagues, associates and clients. The participants explained how important it is for personal and professional development to foster interpersonal relationships and to see the world through someone else‘s eyes.

Mihalj, Tatjana and Ana

Nikolaos Dimitriadis (left), Tamara Vučković Manojlović, Boris Vujičić and Zoran Petrović

Tatjana Vujović, third-year student of the Belgrade Faculty of Economics, is the winner of this year’s Student Award of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce in the amount of €1,000, sponsored by Schneider Electric. The second prize in the amount of €800, sponsored by Elektrovat, was awarded to Mihalj Bakator, Ph.D of the Technical Faculty “Mihailo Pupin” in Zrenjanin. The third prize of €600, sponsored by Enel PS, went to Ana Nikolić, third-year student of the Belgrade Faculty of Physics.

For the seventh year in a row the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce is organising the Student Award with the aim to encourage students and raise their awareness of the importance of sustainable development and trends in the corporate world.

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11 JUL

“Globe Scout Me” Wins “Start Tel Aviv”

11 JUL

Societe Generale Bank Hosts CCIFS Members

Ambassador Fisher-Kamm

Sanja Ivanić and Eric Grasser

The traditional monthly meeting of members of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce was held in the new business premises of Societe Generale Bank in New Belgrade, organised by the bank itself.

Thos in attendance toured the modern A class multiclass facility, which was designed in accordance with the latest trends of world architecture.

Members of the Chamber were addressed by Pierre Boscq, a member of the Societe Generale Executive Board, who presented the activities of one of the most important banks in Serbia, emphasising its two priorities in business: multiple and long-term cooperation with clients, and innovation.

On behalf of the Chamber, attendees were addressed by Eric Grasser, Vice-President of the FrenchSerbian Chamber of Commerce, who welcomed the Chamber’s latest member companies: Pixel Inc. and law firm Medić Law. Speaking about the Chamber’s upcoming activities, Grasser announced the staging of Frnech Week in November this year.

Pierre Boscq

Start-up “Globe Scout Me”

Start-up company “Globe Scout Me” has won the “Start Tel Aviv” competition, organised by the Embassy of Israel and ICT Hub – the Centre for the Development of Technological Entrepreneurship – and held on the premises of this centre.

The winning start-up, which is the work of young entrepreneur Ognjen Vlaškalin, is based on a unique internet platform that allows athletes to display their abilities worldwide free of charge.

Israeli Ambassador H.E. Alona Fisher-Kamm pointed out that the winners, together with representatives from 23 other major cities, will have the opportunity to participate in the DLD festival, the largest international festival of innovations, which is to be held in Tel Aviv in September.

“The Embassy of Israel seeks, through such events, to actively participate and support the development of the Serbian start-up ecosystem,” emphasised Ambassador Fisher-Kamm.

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12 JUL

World Premiere Of Japanese Director’s Film “Laika”

Akiyoshi Imazeki

The world premiere of Japanese director Akiyoshi Imazeki’s film “Laika” was held under the organisation of Japanese-Serbian Film Festival (JSFF) and Culture Centre Grad.

After the screening, visitors attended a panel with the director, who visited Belgrade on the occasion of the premiere.

This year’s Japanese-Serbian Film Festival was held for the fourth time in both Belgrade and Tokyo. Among the Belgrade audience were Noah Whiteroom, a member of the JSFF organisation in Tokyo and a vocalist and guitarist of Japanese band 101A, and Ryo Suzuki, Imazeki’s colleague, who used the opportunity of this visit to Serbia to shoot a film about Belgrade.

12 JUL

Somersby Moment

Vladimir Vava - Carlsberg Srbija CEO

13 JUL

In order to share moments to remember this summer, Somersby has brought friends and business associates together by the rivers to promote Instagram’s best photo competition for the “Somersby Moment” photo contest, which runs until 18th August. Participants have the opportunity to win a Somersby package each week, while the winner of the main prize will be chosen on 20th August and will win a trip for two to a destination of their choice, worth a total of 400,000 dinars. In order to participate in the competition, it is necessary to shoot your ‘Somersby moment’, upload it to Instagram with the tag #SomersbyMomenat, and tag the official Somersby Instagram site @somersbysrbija.

Somersby offers ideal refreshment for the high temperatures again this summer. A refreshing alcoholic drink, Somersby Cider contains 4.5% alcohol and offers a unique taste that is fully expressed when it is well chilled and served in a glass filled with ice. Launched on the local market in 2011, initially with apple flavour, followed by pear, consumers in Serbia can today also refresh themselves with the taste of blueberries.

15th July: Heroic Story Of A Nation

13 JUL

Lav Presents “Beer and Foam Maestro” Award

The final of Beer and Foam Maestro, a competition in pouring and serving a beer organised by Carlsberg Serbia and the Lav brand at the Sport Pub in Belgrade.

The winner was Nikola Šarić from the bar Puberaj in Novi Sad, who won a trip to one of the greatest beer festivals – the Oktoberfest! Fourteen finalists took part in the competition after winning their regional competitions in towns throughout Serbia: Šabac, Niš, Kragujevac, Smederevo, Novi Sad and Belgrade.

In the knowledge that only by proper pouring can beer display its quality and refined taste, Carlsberg Serbia launched the Draft Beer Academy, which provides education in the right way to pour and serve a beer. Seven Draft Beer Ambassadors who cover the entire territory of Serbia promote beer rituals and culture for proper pouring and serving, with a mission of bringing their knowledge to barmen in bars, hotels and restaurants throughout Serbia.

Maja Gojković and H.E. Tanju Bilgiç

The photo exhibition “15th July: Heroic Story of a Nation” has opened on Kalemegdan Fortress and features 45 photographs of state news agency Anadolu, with details of the last year’s attempted coup in Turkey.

H.E. Tanju Bilgiç, Turkish Ambassador to Serbia, said that the exhibition was arranged in remembrance of the 249 people killed on that occasion.

He said that, for Turkey, the support from Serbia at the time was significant, and that Turkey “will never forget its real friends”.

The ambassador presented to Serbian National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojković a plaque containing a piece of marble from the Turkish Parliament, which was bombed on 15th July last year.

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24 JUL

Meeting Of Krakow Students And Catholic Church Representatives In Serbia

The ambassadorial residence of H.E. Tomasz Niegodzisz, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Serbia, hosted a meeting of Krakow students and representatives of the Catholic Church in Serbia.

Laszlo Nemet, Bishop of the Zrenjanin Diocese, the Serbian Roman Catholic Bishop of Hungarian origin, presented the history of Christianity on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, with emphasis on the current situation in Serbia. The second part of the meeting saw students addressed by Stanislav Hočevar and Metropolitan Archbishop Stanislav Buđik from Lublin.

H.E. Tomasz Niegodzisz and Laszlo Nemet

25 JUL

H.E. Tomasz Niegodzisz and Stanislav Hočevar

Reception Held At Brazilian Residence

Nikola Nikodijević, H.E. Juichi Takahara, Dr Meho Mahmutović and Radisav Šćepanović Ph.D.

H.E. Ricardo Fernando Fernandez, Ambassador of Argentina, H.E. Isabel Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert, Ambassador of Brazil, H.E. Adela Mayra Ruiz Garcia, Ambassador of Cuba, Prof. Slobodan Pajović, of John Nezbit University and H.E. Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco, Ambassador of Mexico

H.E. Isabela Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert, Ambassador of Brazil to Serbia, organised a cocktail reception in her residence to mark the staging of the 18th congress of the International Federation for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean, which is organised in Belgrade by John Nezbit University.

The reception was attended by participants in the congress, high-ranking officials of the congress, members of the diplomatic corps and media representatives.

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27 MAY

Japanese Support For Seven Health Institutions In Serbia

A ceremony for the handover of Japan’s non-project donation for the procurement of industrial equipment was held at the “Dr Dragiša Mišović-Dedinje” Clinical and Hospital Centre in Belgrade.

The Government of Japan secured two FUJIFILM endoscopes, one TOSHIBA digital Xray machine and five HITACHI ultrasound devices, worth a total of a million Japanese yen (approximately a million Serbian dinars), as support to Serbia’s healthcare needs following the major floods that hit the country in 2014. The donated equipment was produced in areas hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2014 and distributed to seven health institutions in Serbia.

The ceremony was attended by H.E. Juichi Takahara, Ambassador of Japan to Serbia, Dr Meho Mahmutović, State Secretary at the Serbian Health Ministry, Nikola Nikodijević, President of the Belgrade City Assembly, and Radisav Šćepanović Ph.D., Director of the “Dr Dragiša Mišović-Dedinje” Clinical Centre.