CorD magazine 70 by CorD Magazine

CorD, APRIL 2010

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED

BI-RELIGIOUS EASTERN ORTHODOXY

BUSINESS NEWS FROM SERBIA

Dr. Vladimir Gligorov, economist

Montenegro

HUNGER FOR FASTER DEVELOPMENT

APPLYING FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

The 2010 Kopaonik Business Forum

SEVENTH SEAL

Dragoljub Žarković, Editor-inChief Vreme Weekly

REGIONAL LEADER

Dario Scannapieco, Vice-President of European Investment Bank

DIPLOMATCY

H.E. Armando Varricchio, Italian Ambassador to Serbia

STABLE BANKING SECTOR

LEADERS

Olivera Gordic, The author is Managing Director of ‘Apoteke Beograd’. (Belgrade Pharmacies)

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tatjana Ostojic, t.ostojic@cma.rs ACTING EDITOR: Sasa Maric ASSISTENT EDITOR Veljko Jovanovic, v.jovanovic@aim.rs ART DIRECTOR Tamara Ivljanin, t.ivljanin@cma.rs DESIGNER Miloš Aleksić, m.aleksic@aim.rs EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Jelena Mickic, Jelena Jovanovic, Sonja Ciric, Ilija Despotovic, Petar Djoric, Dejan Jeremic

4 CorD 70 / April 2010

CorD B2B

CHARITY MASTERS 2010

MAN OF DIGNITY

Macedonia

PARTIES STRUGGLE TO RESOLVE CRISIS Albania

Croatia

REGION AL SHOWOWCASE

Goran Vasić, Managing Director of the Novi Sad Fair

39 FACES & PLACES 42 Konsing

PHOTO Slobodan Jotić, Darko Cvetanović TRANSLATION Snezana Bjelotomic LECTOR Pat Andjelkovic EDITORIAL MANAGER Tanja Banković, t.bankovic@cma.rs PROJECT MANAGER: Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs; Marija Savić, m.savic@ aim.rs; Marija Petrović, m.petrovic@aim.rs; Snežana Terzić, s.terzic@aim.rs FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Ana Besedic, a.besedic@cma.rs

The 23rd Belgrade Marathon

Borislav Stanković

A BOLD DANCE EVENT

ONE CALL FOR SUCCCCESSFUL BUSINESS

ETHICS VS. PROFIT

50 52

RAILWAYS FIRE 1,000 PEOPLE

SERBIA’S FIRST ADVOCATE

WORLD BUSINESS NEWS

ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION BLOCKED

WITH OR WITHOUT?

Bosnia & Herzegovina

CorD B2B

Aja Jung: 7th Belgrade Dance Festival

CULTURE CALENDAR

62 DRESSED IN WHITE 66 WALKING, HIKING & 68 MOUNTAINERING THE BLACK CABS

LIFESTYLE & LEISURE

A WELL-PACKED TRADITION

GENERAL MANAGER Ivan Novcic, i.novcic@cma.rs PRINTING Rotografika d.o.o., Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance intrenational media Kneginje Zorke 11b, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 308 99 77, 308 99 88

Branko Nešić

This issue is audited by

ABC Serbia

6 CorD 70 / April 2010

comment FOLLOWING RESIGNATION OF THE GOVERNOR

It should have been expected With hindsight, this comes as no surprise. Understanding why that is so may shed some light on the way policy is made in Serbia and on the enduring characteristics of the preferred policy mix quence of the policy mix that is believed to be natural in Serbia: fiscal policy, which should be understood as politics pure and simple, is dominant over monetary policy. The governor has to think about politics only when he has to be reappointed, while the parties in the governing coalition need to think about their political standing all the time. They need money to buy votes and support. An independent monetary institution, however, constrains the political rationing of money, subsidies or prices, because that is reflected in the exchange rate if the Central Bank does not want to spend its foreign currency reserves. Thus, in retrospect, the Governor had to go Looking deeper, the monetary policy was By Dr. Vladimir because he started showing signs of indepenclearly creating problems to the preferred relationship between businessmen and the govGligorov, economist dence. This should not be simplified. The Governor had little choice other than to try to take ernment. The expressed preference for fixed a stand because otherwise he risked complete loss of credexchange rates with strong Central Bank interventions indiibility. The reason for that is important because it highlights cates that both the government and leading businessmen the state of the Serbian economy. The depreciation of the curbelieve that the exchange rate risk should be nationalized, rency is the consequence of a decreasing supply of foreign that it should be borne by the taxpayer in two ways: through currency: money is leaving Serbia. Thus, the Governor could accelerated inflation and through an increase in public debt. have spent foreign Inflation is needed The uneasy relationship between the government currency reserves because current tax and lead the country revenues are insuffiand the central bank is the consequence of the policy mix into a much deeper cient, in fact are disthat is believed to be natural in Serbia: ďŹ scal policy, which crisis. This would not appointingly low at should be understood as politics pure and simple, have looked good on the beginning of this his CV. So he chose to year. In addition, the is dominant over monetary policy bow out. government is exOf course, all the problems and the policy set-up will be pected to borrow and then subsidize the corporate sector in there when the new Governor takes over. Chances are, he one way or the other. In current deflationary circumstances, or she will initially be supportive of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polidepreciation does not push prices higher all that much, but cies. Then, there are, on the strength of historical evidence, it makes debt more expensive. So, there is less scope for taxtwo options: to govern over the complete loss of the Central payer support of the failing corporate sector. Thus, the cozy Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credibility or to resign more or less voluntarily. The relationship between business and politics is in trouble. current Governor has chosen the second option like a numAt the deepest level however, the uneasy relationship ber of others before him. between the government and the central bank is the conse tarting from the most visible signs, the Governor has been under constant and rather elevated attack since the most recent depreciation of the currency. Both the government and the representatives of the corporative sector were angry that the Central Bank has not kept the dinar stable with more forceful interventions on the foreign exchange market. Even relatively moderate depreciation of about 6 or 7% has proved damaging to the liquidity of the bigger companies in the corporate sector. That, in turn, reveals the main problem in the economy: weak corporate balance sheets. They have liquidity and possibly also solvency problems.

CorD 70 / April 2010 7

ECONOMY |

THE 2010 KOPAONIK BUSINESS FORUM

Hunger for faste The traditional spring gathering of business people, economy experts, bankers, and the highest economic authorities in Serbia at the Kopaonik ski centre held from March 8th to 11th was ambitiously announced this year under the title “How to Position Oneself in Global Economy Following the Crisis.”

Left to right: H.E. Alexander Konuzin, H.E. Mary Warlick, H.E. Wolfram Mass, Dusan Vojinovic, H.E. Armando Varricchio, H.E. Dimosthenis Stoidis and H.E. Clemens Koja By Dimitrije BOAROV Photo: SES one of the participants of the popularly-called ‘Serbian Davos’ dared to explicitly say that the crisis had subsided, although, many used phrases like “negative tendencies have been stopped,” or “We can see changes in trends,” and “Parameters show slight recovery.” Hence, the focus was more on figuring out how to get Serbia through the crisis this year and effects of the global downturn, which are, in certain areas, only now becoming visible, rather than an economic development model that would give Serbia an annu-

8 CorD 70 / April 2010

al GDP growth rate of around 1.5% in 2010, which is what the agreement with the IMF stipulates. In his speech, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said that if Serbia failed to achieve a 5% to 6% annual economic growth, there would be no long-term macro-economic stability and social safety for its citizens. Based on Serbia’s 2009 economic results, which were said to be less bad than that in other regional countries, we can conclude just how heavy the burden we need to carry this year actually is. For instance, Prime Minister Cvetković cited the following data: in 2009, Serbian GDP fell by 8.2%, a realistic increase in salaries stood at 0.2%, pensions went up by 3.3%, foreign trade deficit was reduced from 8 to 5 billion euros (i.e. by 35%), while the foreign payment deficit share in the national GDP fell from 18.2% (in 2008) to 6.2% (in 2009). When you compare these results to this year’s Serbian economic policy goals (as agreed with

r development the IMF), i.e. for the GDP to go up by 1.5%, for the salaries in public sector and pensions to remain the same, for the share of public spending in GDP to continue to decline and for the inflation rate to stay at one digit, and when you add to that the fact that Serbia should not count on extensive help from abroad, and that FDIs will not go up, then there isn’t much room for optimism. We should bear in mind that Serbian government, as Prime Minister Cvetković said, is often forced to strive toward rather contradictory goals.

Cvetković: “government has to maintain macro-economic stability, to encourage demand within the conﬁnes of the anti-recession policy, to continue cutting back on public spending, while at the same time encouraging its investment activities” Regardless of the customary courtesy, the foreign ambassadors, with the newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador Mary Warlick and Russian Ambassador Alexander Konuzin at their helm, came in droves to the Forum, had nothing particularly jolly to say. Truth be told, German Ambassador Wolfram Mass, Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio, and their Greek counterpart Dimosthenis Stoidis mentioned that there were several companies from their respective countries willing to invest in Serbia, but, as we found out, at the lunch with Serbian business people just prior to the Forum and at the dinner with the Serbian government, they were visibly reserved. Head of the World Bank’s office in Belgrade Simon Grey is not hopeful at all when it comes to foreign financial assistance in

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković Serbia, and he quite bluntly said that “The time when borrowing money led to higher public spending in Serbia is long gone,” since the country “will have to start saving much more in order to hike exports and attract more greenfield investments.” (He is referring to data for the period between 2001 and 2009, according to which a total of $82.5 billion of foreign money was invested in Serbia, of which almost $51.8 billion went towards paying the country’s foreign trade deficit.) Grey also said that “Serbia would have to continue advancing its business environment in order to attract foreign investments, as well as continue with reforming the public sector, especially when it comes to education “in order for the country to become internationally competitive.” Grey even said that he noticed “differences in state strategies, a multitude of contradictory goals, and deficient capacities for implementation of certain projects.” He added that Serbia simply had to choose one strategy and invest all efforts into that strategy’s being realized. The phenomenon of “difference in state strategies and a multitude of contradictory goals,” is not that naive, as the well-mean-

VLADIMIR ČUPIĆ, HYPO ALPE ADRIA BANK SERBIA

DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ, THE WORLD BANK’S ECONOMIST

BORIS TADIĆ, PRESIDENT OF SERBIA

“We came here to work and we have very little spare time. I have been here for three days, and, honestly, only now am I able to ski a little. After all, this is a working meeting.”

“What happened at the Kopaonik Mountain was simply a pre-election campaign. Everybody was talking about things from the past, and when it comes to strategy for future, nothing was said. ”

“I’ve heard that some people commented that we came here to ski. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to ski in the last 30 years. I would have loved to be able to ski here.” CorD 70 / April 2010 9

ECONOMY |

MILADIN KOVAČEVIĆ, ECONOMIST

he Kopaonik Forum is a traditional gathering organized by the Serbian Economists Association, which is one of the two such associations in Serbia (there is also the Serbian Society of Economists). Aside from the Forum being attended by economy and other experts, there were also members of international associations and embassy representatives. This year, the Kopaonik Forum was no different than the ones in the past. It was useful, since it emphasized that the state needed to work on an anticrisis strategy. Also, reforms need to continue, as do structural changes and export-orientated economy and industry. Have all of these issues been dealt with in detail at the Kopaonik Forum? Or course not. A scientific forum is not supposed to do that, since it requires a great number of people to elaborate on those issues and a scientific forum never elaborates.

I do hope that we have ﬁnally managed to make a transition from a political to a scientiﬁc realm, since that is the only way to have a sustainable economy and to prevent further decline Traditionally, the Kopaonik Forum has always been a scientific gathering with a wider application. After all, key economic policy figures usually come from the science world. The main problems have already been outlined in the IMF’s December and February memoranda, and this was the main topic of discussion both at the Kopaonik Forum and the ones that followed. I do hope that we have finally managed to make a transition from a political to a scientific realm, since that is the only way to have a sustainable economy and to prevent further decline. We have already set up two pillars. One is an arrangement with the IMF, and the other is credit support, as stipulated in government programmes. What the Kopaonik Forum brought to the table when it comes to the anti-crisis strategy was to define key issues. What needs to be done now is to create a coherent link between policy, implementation, and reforms. We were under the impression that there were several options for resolving various issues and that is quite normal. These options pertained to questions like reducing income tax rate or increasing VAT, but we should not discuss these issues outside a comprehensive strategic vision. The Kopaonik Forum is a type of assembly where everybody can freely express their opinions, so remarks that government members were not together when it comes to certain issues are somewhat old, since it is not the purpose of scientific meetings for the government or political parties to demonstrate unity.

10 CorD 70 / April 2010

Diplomats at Kopanik Forum ing representative of the World Bank pointed out. This year’s Kopaonik Business Forum has put more emphasis on the basic discrepancies which stem not only from different interests, but also from different estimates on what social might in Serbia can withstand and what it can’t.

Minister Božidar Đelić and (at that time) Governor Radovan Jelašić voiced their opinion against Dinkić’s proposal, saying that there was no room to increase salaries and pensions Even Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković remarked that the government had to maintain macro-economic stability not to the detriment of social policy, to encourage demand within the confines of the anti-recession policy, to continue cutting back on public spending (which is the main generator of demand), to continue reforming and restructuring the public sector, while at the same time encouraging its investment activities. Prime Minister Cvetković also outlined that the government “will focus on inflation and the dinar exchange rate” which, thinking of the economic disputes in Serbia in the past, means that he wants to avoid a situation where the depreciation of the dinar will be used for upping export activities. In other words, this means adding more burden to already over-indebted businesses, with riskier servicing of foreign currency loans (since the consequences of the current depreciation, due to ‘frozen’ salaries and pensions, cannot be borne by the general public via higher inflation rate.) Economy Minister Mlađan Dinkić was even more specific by saying that he favours “stimulating internal demand.” According to Dinkić, without raising public sector salaries and public spending, dangerous recession trends will not be stopped. In that respect, he presented a rather populist idea of the government providing subsidies for small

consumer loans (ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 euro), with a one-year-grace period and effective interest rate between 7% and 8%. (These kinds of stories often divert public attention from serious problems and social conflicts.) These preferences, latent in the case of Cvetković and open in the case of Dinkić, for conjuncture in Serbia to be stimulated not only through infrastructure investments and currency rate stimulations for export companies, but also through increasing current spending (which both domestic and foreign capital prefer, as well as trade unions and pensioners), was met with disapproval by economy experts, certain government ministers, and the National

According to Dinkić, without raising public sector salaries and public spending, dangerous recession trends will not be stopped. In that respect, he presented a rather populist idea of the government providing subsidies for small consumer loans (ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 euro), with a one-year-grace period and effective interest rate between 7% and 8%. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović quite openly opposed a salary increase and making cheap loans more available and her address attracted a lot of attention. She said that she would like for public sector salaries to remain the same this year too, with the possibility of their increase in 2011 Bank of Serbia’s Governor, Radovan Jelašić, to a certain extent. Finance Minister Diana Dragutinović quite openly opposed a salary increase and making cheap loans more available and her address attracted a lot of attention. She said that she would like for public sector salaries to remain the same this year too, with the possibility of their increase in 2011. The finance minister also said that the state’s fiscal policy problems ought to be resolved by “increasing taxes on spending and reducing taxes on labour and capital.” When somebody remarked that increasing VAT would lead to a further decline in demand, she said that a higher CorD 70 / April 2010 11

ECONOMY |

JURIJ BAJEC, ADVISER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

his year’s meeting on Kopaonik was, in my opinion, among the better ones. Professional discussion was dominant, critical objections on the government’s measures were correct, there were plenty of propositions. The presence of Russian, American, and EU ambassadors who were talking about economic issues, above all perspectives of future investments in Serbia and still numerous bureaucratic and other obstacles to bigger foreign capital income, made a significant contribution to the convention. The general consensus was achieved that Serbia has to change its existing development model and to turn more to investments and export-oriented activities, because it is the only way to achieve dynamic economic growth and development. More differences came out on how to lead the short-term economic policy in 2010. According to some opinions, an export-oriented economic growth strategy can be achieved in the mid-term period, and in the short-term we shouldn’t overlook a stimulus to domestic demand and spending which, among other things means the thawing of salary and pensions and a stimulus of domestic production through subsidized consumer credits. Some warned that such a policy can have an inflationary effect and whether we like it or not, imports will increase and the trade balance will sink further into a minus position. Another group of suggestions was directed to stimulate production for exports, rapidly attract foreign investments, and change the tax system in order to cut gross work expenses, increase economy’s competitiveness, and facilitate employment. Of course, the “price” of such a policy would have to be paid by higher taxation on spending in order to assure budget stability. Anyway, these suggestions should be re-evaluated based on income results in the first six months, and talks with the IMF mission.

employment rate and offer would lead to a higher long-term market demand. Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić and Governor Radovan Jelašić voiced their opinion against Dinkić’s proposal, saying that there was no room to increase salaries and pensions. Minister Dragutinović also opposed, albeit indirectly, the pressure that the government had been exerting on the National Bank pertaining to the bank’s interventions on the foreign currency

market in order to stop the dinar from depreciating, which has depleted the country’s foreign currency reserves. She made several proposals for reducing the so-called ‘euroization’ in the Serbian monetary venue. She said that a high exposure to foreign currency risk due to Serbia’s being so dependent on the euro was a threat to future economic stability, which is why the government, the National Bank of Serbia, and commercial banks have been investing in joint efforts in order to reduce this ‘euroization.’ The Minister added that it would be wise to embark on a campaign promoting national currency, which would entail subsidies for on-

During the period between 2001 and 2009, according to which a total of $82.5 billion of foreign money was invested in Serbia, of which almost $51.8 billion went towards paying the country’s foreign trade deﬁcit ly dinar loans, more favourable taxes on such loans, and other similar measures. Dragutinović also wants to see prices in newspaper ads expressed only in dinars (like in real estate and car sale ads.) Essentially, the fight against euroization is motivated by a desire to have an independent monetary policy that would be less strict towards fiscal policy mishaps, and the stand that the Central Bank needs to continue playing the role of ultimate creditor. In the worst case scenario, this would be a sort of guarantee that Serbia would not collapse economically and socially (a thesis that is riddled with holes.) One of the leading Serbian economy experts, Pavle Petrović, talked about the current development model in Serbia based on foreign capital influx and a fixed dinar exchange rate, which is conducive to higher loan activity, retail, real estate, and import investments, as well as public spending (import taxes and VAT are the biggest fiscal resources). Petrović discussed the ever-growing public debt in Serbia, which, in only two years, will reach a 36% share in the national GDP, 10% higher than before the crisis erupted. All of this will lead to Serbia’s credit rating declining. He reiterated the familiar and widely-accepted opinion of pensions and salaries having too high a share in the GDP (13% and 10% respectively). Increasing both of them would be very dangerous to macro-economic stability. Just like many other economy experts, Petrović warned that the upcoming elections and the fact that the arrangement with the IMF expires at the end of 2011, can lead to increased spending. He added that conjuncture could be stim-

BORROWING

INVESTMENTS

STRATEGY

“The time when borrowing money led to higher public spending in Serbia is long gone”

Serbia would have to continue advancing its business environment in order to attract foreign investments

Serbia simply had to choose one strategy and invest all efforts into that strategy’s being realized

12 CorD 70 / April 2010

ulated only via higher capital investments. Head of the Serbian Association of Economists Dragan Đuričin wants to see the state be more courageous in stimulating investments made by public enterprises, since when the crisis struck, Serbian economy was not ‘overheated’ but rather ‘undercooked,’ bearing in mind that today the country’s GDP is 1/3 lower than in 1989. Although the Kopaonik Business Forum was devised as a gathering place for leading Serbian businessmen where they could analyze work done by state authorities and provide suggestions how

nomic policy should entail, but also due to all evidence pointing towards the fact that Serbia’s recovery is not going to be easy by any means, regardless of the country’s having withstood the first wave of the global recession that started last year.

Although the 2010 Kopaonik Business Forum was promoted as a vehicle for ﬁnding ‘a new development model’ for the post-crisis period, optimists were disappointed economic policy should be implemented in the future, this year’s Forum has shown that although they are entrepreneurs with only practical interests in mind and most spoke of problems they have with the state, they still agree in principle with the measures that the government had devised in order to help them. Most of them said, “Yes, the measures are welcome, but they are not sufficient.” This is the gist of what Serbian businessmen like Zoran Drakulić, Miodrag Kostić, Dragoljub Vukadinović, Rade Pribićević, Aleksandar Vlahović, Nenad Popović, and others advocated. They are mainly disgruntled with bankers because of their strict criteria in granting new loans, despite the fact that companies need help now more than ever due to the crisis. Although the 2010 Kopaonik Business Forum was promoted as a vehicle for finding ‘a new development model’ for the post-crisis period, optimists were disappointed following the Forum not only because of the differences in opinion as to what this new ecoCorD 70 / April 2010 13

comment |

JUBILEES AND EVENTS

Seventh Seal A new time has come for print media and a new opportunity is being created. The moment has come when slowness is viewed as a virtue

J CorD archive

By Dragoljub Žarković, Editor-in-Chief Vreme Weekly

14 CorD 70 / April 2010

ubilees are a great opportunity to think about the future. So is the 1000th issue of the Belgrade weekly, Vreme (Time). We are twenty years old, and I say ‘good riddance’ to some of those years. Being a journalist and even an editor is quite a dynamic profession (or at least it should be). We never ask what happened, but what is going to happen. It is very easy to nod our heads in approval when people say that journalism is in a crisis. It is becoming sluggish like dinosaurs that became extinct when their size outgrew their survival skills. I believe that readers are well aware of how much modern technologies have expedited information-forwarding channels. There isn’t a print medium that can compete with the Internet. Well, TV is not faster than the web, and nobody is predicting its rapid demise. The press, it seems, is easy prey for ’the dragon’ of multi-platform journalism, which will swallow it for breakfast. Can print media defend themselves and maintain their ‘original packaging’ and standard format, or will they also pass from paper to mobile phone text messages? In my opinion, following decades of journalistic experience, a new time has come for print media and a new opportunity is being created. The moment has come when slowness is viewed as a virtue. The Internet has increased the number of communication channels and information relayed via these channels to absurd levels. People have difficulty finding their way around in this abundance of information and discerning what exactly is going

on around them. Of course, the print media that are not using or applying new technologies are already dead or are barely keeping alive through sheer lethargy. The real chance for these media to survive in their ‘original packaging’ should be looked for in the classic premises of our own journalistic profession. This means that they have to re-think the definition of their craft. There are five basic questions that a journalist always needs to answer: Who?, What?, When?, Where?, and How?. Journalists like to think that they are the creators of this recipe for the swift and clear presentation of facts. Well, they are not, since it was taken from the walls of police stations where it hung as an instruction as to how to write a police report. Journalists have added the sixth question to this unwritten fivequestion-rule: “Why did that happen?” A good journalist will always try to find an answer to that question, too. And that is the line that separates a good newspaper from a superficial one, an influential medium from one that is not. The good thing for the media is that there advertisers who advertise goods that cost more than couple of euros, and who, despite the global economic crisis, are still placing advertisements in the papers, albeit to a lesser extent. This is the sound foundation of the way the media function today. But soon, much sooner than many expect, a seventh question will require a reply, and the reply is going to be somewhat of a stamp that will confirm or deny the relevancy of each individual medium. The question is: “In whose interest is it?” Global statistical data already shows that close to 60% of news comes from PR agencies and Serbia is no different. These are actually interest groups, and in the case of Serbia, often pressure

Can print media defend themselves and maintain their ‘original packaging’ and standard format, or will they also pass from paper to mobile phone text messages? groups. The news they forward are in their clients’ best interests and are mostly irrelevant to a wider public. Let’s add to that a perfected skill of spin and we will come to see that the main role that the media play is trying to discern and interpret PR and spin activities by detecting a wider social benefit and / or damage arising from certain actions, procedures, legal solutions, etc. I would not like to dwell on general matters, but I have to say that this will be the foundation of democracy in a post-modern society where the speed slows down intelligence. The main flaw of this endeavour, especially in Serbia, is that it is too expensive. In order for a medium to give a proper answer to the seventh question, it has to have educated and specialized journalists who are encouraged to expand their knowledge on a daily basis. In an attempt to augment our role, and by that, our own importance, we, as in Vreme’s editorial staff, jokingly say that each journalist who works for a weekly could easily work as a minister, but no minister could ever be a journalist in Vreme. But, these ill-fated jokes often bear the seed of the future success. CorD 70 / April 2010 15

INTERVIEW |

DARIO SCANNAPIECO, VICEPRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN INVESTMENT BANK

REGIONAL LEADER The European Investment Bank sees Serbia as the leader in the Balkans, proven by the amount of loans (a record 898 million euros last year) and the opening of the regional representation ofﬁce in Belgrade which will also cover Albania, BIH, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia.Today the EIB is co-ﬁnancing Serbia on its way to implementing some of the most important EU standards. Mr. Dario Scannapieco, Vice-President of the EIB says that he is happy with the way money is allocated in Serbia By Veljko JOVANOVIC PHOTO Slobodan JOTIĆ e met him just before his meetings with Serbian officials concerning new agreements aimed at enforcing Serbia’s road towards the EU.

Serbian media have been covering the European Investment Bank (EIB) quite 16 CorD 70 / April 2010

a lot recently regarding the loan that the EIB has granted to several banks aimed at financing small and medium-sized enterprises. However, the EIB has been investing in Serbia for many years. What is the total amount granted? The amount of the lending that we signed in 2009 is a significant record in the EIB history. It amounts to almost 900 million euros, which I think is a remarkable result. Just to give you an idea, it is almost nearly five times the amount of loans signed in 2008. The total amount of financing activities since 2005 is 1.7 billion euros. What is the EIB’s view of the investment climate in Serbia and is it possible that we will see more dynamic development in investment activities here? The room for investment in Serbia is very good, and it is very important to underline its evolvement over time. Up to now there have been two phases. The first was the urgent intervention to restore the main facilities that were destroyed after the end of the war, between end of the nineties and first years of this century. In the second phase, there has been a shifting of focus of investment, which has led us to build key infrastructures and support local SMEs. It is important to say that out of a figure of 900 millions for last year almost 400 million euros were devoted to SMEs, which are the key element in Serbia’s economy. The situation seems to have improved since we

Figures say that more than half of our activities in the region this year have been done with Serbia. We are very happy with our relationship and we are ready to develop it further started with emergency interventions and now there are interventions aimed at forcing competitiveness in the region. In order to reach this goal, it is necessary to develop physical and also what I would call nonmaterial infrastructure, the latter gaining an increasing importance for the competitive-

GAZELA BRIDGE

“W

e are well aware of the problems caused by the Gazela Bridge current situation to the traffic in Belgrade and also of the efforts undertaken by the Serbian Authorities to solve the problems with the Roma Community that used to live under that Bridge. The EIB will immediately provide a first disbursement of EUR 10 m for the required urgent repair. As far as the subsequent disbursements the Board of Directors of the Bank has decided to link them to the implementation of the actions and timetable forseen in the resettlement plan that the City of Belgrade, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure have committed to . In other terms, the EIB is asking just for the timely implementation of the plan proposed by the serbian Authorities.“

ness of the country. I am talking about what is known in the EU as knowledge economy to increase capacity in order to produce research or development. That creates a basis for sustainable and long-term development of the country. Are you happy with the way money from the loans is being spent in Serbia? Up to now I would say yes. First of all there is a normal discrepancy between the amount signed and the amount disbursed because when we finance an infrastructure money is allocated under certain conditions and according to the development of the project itself. When we decide to finance a project, we make very thorough analyses including all the technical and economical

aspects. The environmental and social impacts are very important as well. But there were criticism, like ones from the World Bank that Serbia is not applying for already available loans. Has the country use the entire amount allocated to it in the right way? The country is very committed. We have a good relationship with the Serbian government and the relevant amount of this year’s projects in this country proves it. I would just like to remind you that the Serbian Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Đelić and Minister Dragutinovic visited the EIB recently. As regards the allocation process there are some delays, especially due to the Parliament ratification schedule. CorD 70 / April 2010 17

INTERVIEW |

This is a common situation for the Bank when it operates outside the EU. We would like this element to be improved.

that Serbia, as well as other countries of the region, is ready to be treated like those countries that are already members of the EU.

EIB’s loans are supposed to reduce the negative effects of the global economic downturn in Serbia since small and medium-sized enterprises will now have access to long-term funding under quite good conditions. When can we expect to see the first such results of loan implementation in Serbia? One important element is the support we gave to small and medium-sized enterprises last year. If we consider that due to the crisis there has been a restriction of credit, especially towards small companies, it is clear the importance of providing banking and financial institutions with the liquidity aiming at financing this very important part of the Serbian economy. For example, last year we signed a 250 million-euro loan that is going to be used through the National Bank of Serbia. We were also able to grant loans through private banks in Serbia, together with the loan mentioned before, for a total worth 400 millions. In order to guarantee the loan allocation, EIB has also hired a person especially committed to it. Up to now there has been a good rhythm of utilization of the lent money.

In October, Serbia also received another 384 million-euro loan to finance construction of Corridor 10. Serbia also needs close to 4.6 billion euros for reconstruction and modernization of 770 km of the railway along the European Corridor 10. Will the EIB be involved in this investment too? Thank you for mentioning this loan because that is the one signed on the occasion of Cvetkovic’s visit to Luxemburg. That was a very important moment for us. For us, railways are a priority. This is a very eco-friendly way of transportation. We are trying to finance as many railways as possible, as long as they meet certain criteria, e.g. economic and social return, environmental standards, and so on. Railways are, I will say once again, a priority, especially if they are part of pan-European corridors.

How do you determine the criteria for loans? In order to get a loan, projects have to be economically valuable, meet certain criteria, such EU standards for procurement, respect of the environment, etc. There is no fixed limit in the amount to be used for each country, and as long as there are good projects in Serbia as in other countries, we will be ready to support them. When transferring the money from the first loan installment in the amount of 70 million euros for building a bridge across

RECORD The amount of Υ900 million, we signed in 2009 is a signiﬁcant record in the EIB history.

18 CorD 70 / April 2010

Total EIB investments in the Western Balkans reached a record level of 1.7 billion euros in 2009. This is an increase of 126 percent in comparison to the volume of activities in 2008. the Sava River, you said that it was the first time that the EIB had ever granted funds to a government in a Western Balkan city. What was your line of thinking when making such an important decision? This was a natural development of the relationship between EIB and Serbia. What is happening is common to other parts of the EU. We have a direct relationship with a municipality or with regions and local authorities. To me this is a very positive signal

RAILWAYS We are trying to ﬁnance as many railways as possible, as long as they meet certain criteria.

Bearing in mind the number of loans granted by the EIB and other financial institutions, would you say that Serbia is an over-indebted country? When you compare yourselves to other countries in the region, you need to compare the economy size and why a country has decided to incur in some debt. Of course debt incurred to finance ongoing public spending is not “good” debt. But if a certain debt is needed in order to finance key infrastructure, then, it is a completely different issue. This is the moment for Serbia to invest if it wants to foster its competitiveness. We are very happy to see what is going on. The investments to be considered very good are those in the infrastructure sector, such as roads and railways. We are also working to finance health and education, the non-material infrastructure and culture, which gives basis to the brains of the country.

RESTRICTION Last year there has been a restriction of credit, especially towards small companies.

DIPLOMACY |

WITH OR WITHOUT? In the past few weeks there have been a lot of official statements and claims that are supposed to strengthen the Serbian position towards entry to the EU. The common line of most of these was that we are going to the EU with, without, or together with Kosovo. (Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic’s statement was that if Serbia is forced to choose between the EU and Kosovo, Kosovo would came first.) In order to check opinions on this issue from the highest representatives of EU countries in Serbia, CorD conducted a small survey of European ambassadors to find out if the mentioned choice is supposed to be on the Serbian agenda. The question for this issue of CorD is the following:

How important and beneﬁcial for Serbian citizens is it to put the issues of the future status of Kosovo and Serbia’s accession into the European Union in the same context? H.E. MR ION MACOVEI Ambassador of Romania Romania, together with other four EU members have not recognized Kosovo. Consequently, I think that any connection between these two processes, i.e., the Kosovo status and EU integration, is wrong, both in political terms and with regard to people’s perception of the EU ac-

20 CorD 70 / April 2010

cession path. These are two completely different and separate processes. Nevertheless, Romania, as much as other EU member states that have recognised Kosovo’s independence, supports the economic and social development of Kosovo under the Resolution 1244/99 of the Security Council of United Nations Organization. Our major contribution to the EULEX mission is a relevant example in this regard. Currently, the issue related to the legality of Kosovo’s independence lies with the International Court of Justice, an opinion being awaited upon during this year. As you already know, we defended our stance during the hearings in Hague. The core of our arguments relies upon the principles of the international law. Furthermore, I sincerely hope that, once the ICJ opinion is released, opportunities will be widely opened for the two parts to identify a long-lasting and mutually acceptable solution. As far as Serbia’s European integration process is concerned, this depends on fulfilling certain criteria, targeting economic and social reforms, at the level of mentalities and, last but not least, keeping the present level of cooperation with ICTY. In fulfilling these criteria, Serbia demonstrat-

ed it could efficiently engage in implementing the necessary steps. The most concrete example stems from the success brought by 2009. The progress made also generated a considerable advance in Serbia’s relationship with the EU: visa liberalization, unfreezing the Interim Agreement, submission of EU membership candidacy. Commissioner Ashton declared, on the occasion of her recent visit in the Western Balkans, that 2009 was a good year for the whole region getting closer to the EU. It is also true that the path is quite long and to be followed requires sustainable efforts of a consensual, coherent and committed political class ready to adopt the necessary measures. But I am convinced that Serbia will have both the capacity and the willingness to follow this path successfully and Romania is faithfully advocating in this direction. Going back to your question, to put in the same context Kosovo and EU sends a confusing message with reference to the system of values based on which Europe has been built. To talk about the European perspective of the entire region of the Western Balkans is quite another thing and this is beneficial for most of the countries in the

H.E. MRS METTE KJUEL NIELSEN Ambassador of Kingdom of Denmark

H.E. JADRANKA ŠTURM KOCJAN Ambassador of Slovenia It is important to emphasize that connecting those two questions has never been an issue of debate or precondition for Serbia’s European integration. Serbia’s path towards the EU is a continuing process, and Slovenia highly supports it. Issue of further differing of the status of Kosovo has not been opened or initiated by any international fora yet. We believe that it is of utmost importance and in benefit of the citizens of Serbia that the reform process in most critical sectors continues and that new laws are adequately implemented. It is important, though, that prior to EU accession Serbia achieves good and active neighbourly relations, which is a prerequisite for effective problem solving in the region, such as the border questions, refugees, property etc. Regardless of the status of Kosovo, we believe that regional cooperation, open dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo and people-to-people contacts are in true interest of all citizens of Serbia, leaving in Serbia or in Kosovo.

No formal link is established between Serbia’s EU integration and accession and the Kosovo question. And Serbia has not been asked to choose between EU and Kosovo. I agree with those who find this a speculative and simplistic allegation. But it is definitely to the benefit of the Serbian citizens that ways are found to discuss and solve a number of practical and joint problems between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia can communicate with and corporate with Kosovo without this meaning recognition of Kosovo’s independence. There are a number of similar examples in recent history. Like in any other modern, democratic society, Serbian citizens can rightfully expect its politicians to provide practical solutions to practical problems. Also there are good examples of caring for and securing the rights of national minorities in border regions. The agreement between Denmark and Germany (the Bonn-Copenhagen Agreement of 1955) is one such really good example which can lend inspiration. The agreement covers support for schools, language, culture, political parties, special rules for local and national representation, etc. And the agreement is well functioning up to this day.”

H.E. MR KARI VEIJALAINEN Ambassador of Finland I think that the context is not that important. And, indeed, recognition of Kosovo´s independence has not been presented by the EU as a pre-condition to Serbia´s EU-membership. However, it has been underlined that it is essential to find pragmatic and functioning ways to solve cross border issues. EULEX in Kosovo serves the needs of the whole population, no matter their ethnic origin. Regional and bilateral issues should be solved before Serbia or any other country can become EUmember. It is important for Serbia as well as any other country to face the past and the realities of today and draw the right conclusions, which benefit the citizens. Serbian government has placed the EU-membership as its strategic priority. The momentum of the process should be kept and the remaining issues should be adressed adequately and timely. I think this would benefit all Serbian citizens and the region as a whole.

H.E. MRS HANA HUBAČKOVA Ambassador of Chech Republic It is important to point out that the entire Western Balkan region needs to share the

same perspective of joining the EU once conditions are met. To keep this principle very clear on the EU side is crucial for the credibility of the enlargement process per se, and it is what the Czech Republic has always stood for. Achieving EU membership is a long-term engagement requiring a lot of determination and effort on the part of both political leadership as well as state administration. Regional cooperation is part of this engagement. It is a

fact that there are differing views on the status of Kosovo, but it should not prevent efforts of exploiting possibilities to solve practical problems of persons living in Kosovo. Kosovo’s status and Serbia´s membership in the EU are two different categories. It does not mean, however, that both Belgrade and Priština will not be encouraged to seek ways to build a path to better understanding and reconciliation, and therefore also to the prosperity of all citizens. CorD 70 / April 2010 21

INTERVIEW |

H.E. ARMANDO VARRICCHIO, ITALIAN AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA

Serbi Large Italian companies in Serbia are proof that Italy is one of Serbia’s most important economic partners. Italy also sees Serbia becoming a full-ﬂedged member of the EU, but also points out that it is up to Serbia to ﬁnish the job By Veljko JOVANOVIC PHOTO Darko CVETANOVIĆ ooperation in the fields of transport and energy infrastructure is the key area where Italy and Serbia are working hand-hand. The Bar-Belgrade route is one of the crucial axes of regional transportation. The Italian government is contributing to updating the whole regional transportation network, which involves all major international players and will reflect Serbia’s central position and role in the region.

What is your view of the current state of cooperation between Italy and Serbia and what are the key areas of this cooperation? Italo-Serbian relations are excellent. We are active in almost every field of institutional, economic, and cultural cooperation. I would say that currently we have a particular focus on all developments related to the Serbian European integration. They affect in particular the modernization and internationalization of the Serbian economy, and are based on expressing the full potential of Serbia’s regional role. Close to 200 Italian companies having 22 CorD 70 / April 2010

various organizational and ownership structures are operational in Serbia. In your opinion, what is the overall image of the Italian business sector in Serbia? The main image of Italian business in Serbia is related to large groups: FIAT, banks like Banca Intesa Bank and Unicredit Bank, and insurance operators like Delta

Today FIAT is quickly deploying an investment of over 700 million euros, upgrading the former Zastava factory, hiring and training staff, increasing production, and drastically improving the infrastructures in and around Kragujevac Generali and DDOR-SAI. These largescale, very solid operations have a positive impact on all of Serbia’s economy. The important contribution of our operators to growth and prosperity is widely recognized in Serbia, and we are proud of this.

However, small and medium-size enterprises represent the backbone of Italian economy just as well. A lot of our smaller companies are expanding their operations to Serbia, and they often find an excellent connection with their Serbian counterparts. That is because Italian and Serbian small entrepreneurs come from the same background: Mediterranean and Adriatic culture, family values, a tradition of hard work. This mutual understanding is the key to effective business cooperation. During the Serbian state delegation’s official visit to Italy, Prime Minister Berlusconi said that he “was confident that Serbia and the West Balkan countries could become full-fledged EU members by 2014.” Is Italy still sticking to this date when it comes to the EU integration scenario? We are definitely confident that great progress can be achieved over the next few years. Italy is Serbia’s first advocate in Brussels, pushing for assigning a clear political priority to enlargement within the EU agenda. But progress in that regard is based on Serbian readiness to adapt its legislation and administrative capacity to EU standards (the so-called “acquis”). I can assure you that Italy will continue playing its role and

a’s First Advocate will stick to its serious commitment towards Serbian integration into the EU. At the same time, it is up to Serbia to continue working hard for this historical goal.

proving the infrastructures in and around Kragujevac. Due to the complex nature of the automotive industry and the myriad of side- businesses that are connected to

In general, to what extent are Italian companies satisfied with the efficiency of their investments, cooperation, Serbian laws, etc.? I think that our companies fully appreciate that there is a clear and established trend towards modernization of this economy and growing opportunities for all, although a lot remains to be done. More streamlined, quicker procedures for economic stakeholders are needed. As a consequence, regulatory reform and simplification of administrative procedures will bring many more investors to this country. With that in mind, Serbia is duly undergoing administrative and legislative reform, as requested by the EU preaccession process, and in conformity with International Financial Institutions requirements. Obviously this process will be long-lasting and not entirely painless, but the EU and the IFIs are providing effective tools and incentives. Italy is playing an important role accompanying Serbia in this direction, strongly supporting your European perspective.

The backbone of Italian economy in Serbia is medium-size enterprises. A lot of our smaller companies are expanding their operations to Serbia, and they often find an excellent connection with their Serbian counterparts

After Banca Intesa’s investment, the one that everybody is talking about now is FIAT’s. The media have been interpreting this investment in many different ways. Could you tell us what FIAT’s current position is in Serbia and what are the company’s plans for 2010 and subsequently for 2015? There is not much left to “interpret;” the reality is quite simple. Today FIAT is quickly deploying an investment of over 700 million euros, upgrading the former Zastava factory, hiring and training staff, increasing production, and drastically im-

it, this will be a springboard for industrial development on a large scale. I suggest a visit to Kragujevac to anyone who wants to witness this rapid evolution. On the other hand, I do not want to comment on FIAT’s marketing plans. You know that the car industry is extremely competitive and it is understandable that new products are being protected, and that in turn they become the subject of great curiosity by the public.

working hand-in-hand. The Bar-Belgrade route is one of the crucial axes of regional transportation. The Italian government and our companies are contributing to updating

the whole regional transportation network, which involves all major international players and will reflect Serbia’s central position and role in the region. A similar scenario applies to energy. Energy strategies need to be updated as re-

Is there any news regarding cooperation on construction of the corridor leading to the Port of Bar and a joint investment in energy resources? Cooperation in the fields of transport and energy infrastructure is among the key areas where our two governments are CorD 70 / April 2010 23

INTERVIEW |

gards consumption and production, and in general, supply, to find the right balances that lead to sustainable development. I am proud to say that Italy is addressing this matter also through intense cooperation with Serbia. Increased collaboration will lead to mutual benefits, as our two countries have largely complementary needs and resources. Almost all European countries, including Italy, are going through nearly insurmountable economic difficulties, which could lead to social unrest and the population’s feeling rather precarious in all of the EU countries. Could you tell us, in short, what is Italy doing to rectify this situation, and what is the current situation like in your country? I would not say that the current difficulties are insurmountable, nor that extreme social fallout is near. Rather, Italy has suffered serious outcomes from the crisis, but it has been able to avoid extreme consequences by capitalizing on a sound credit sector and on relative fiscal restraint. The Italian economy has started growing once again, albeit slowly, during the summer of 2009. Confidence is coming back, little by little, to the operators, and our credit system has remained overall healthy, in particular due to low levels of private debt when compared to other mature economies. Our exports are progressively accelerating, guiding our growth. Prices are under control, growing only by about 1% in 2009. Another important factor was the relatively healthy status of Italian public finance. The yearly deficit for 2009 is significantly lower in Italy than in the rest of the Eurozone. Public spending aimed at containing the social cost of the crisis and supporting internal demand was financed with pre-existing reserves and one-time fiscal measures. No additional public debt was created. In 2010 the Government’s current ex-

ADVOCATE Italy is Serbia’s ﬁrst advocate in Brussels, pushing for assigning a clear political priority to enlargement within the EU agenda. 24 CorD 70 / April 2010

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called it? We appreciate the fact that Serbia has decided to achieve a result with legal means regarding its disapproval of Kosovo’s independence. At the same time, as you know, Italy has recognized Kosovo’s independence. We remain convinced that dialogue is necessary to promote social and economic development in Kosovo and to ensure that the religious and cultural heritage of the Serbian community in Kosovo is fully preserved and protected.

We remain convinced that dialogue is necessary to promote social and economic development in Kosovo and to ensure that the religious and cultural heritage of the Serbian community in Kosovo is fully preserved and protected penses will grow more in order to sustain demand, but they will still be based on existing reserves and on isolated fiscal measures, not on new public debt. How would you explain Italy’s “balanced approach” to the Kosovo issue, as

CRISIS Italy has suffered serious outcomes from the crisis, but it has been able to avoid extreme consequences.

Culture is certainly one of the most important cooperation areas. In which way has the opening of the Italian Culture Centre in Belgrade contributed to cultural relations between Serbia and Italy? Palazzo Italia, where the Cultural Centre is located (Kneza Milosa 56), has become a renowned location for cultural events in Belgrade, always presenting something new and entertaining on the agenda. It is the perfect venue to promote Italian language and culture, and the Serbian public is attending in large numbers. In cooperation with Serbian authorities, we are showing the best in Italian culture, both traditional and contemporary. We are very happy about the interest shown by the Serbian public for our proposals, and I take this occasion to encourage everyone to log onto our website to check for new happenings: www.iicbelgrado.esteri.it. In conclusion, I would like to stress that 2010 is a key year for Serbia. It is a year for decisively emerging from the economic crisis, and the year to move forward with EU integration, building on last year’s basis. Serbia will have to continue to be fully committed to these goals, and work to the best of its potential. For its part, Italy is ready to continue playing its role. We are ready to walk together towards Serbia’s future.

DEFICIT The yearly deﬁcit for 2009 is signiﬁcantly lower in Italy than in the rest of the Eurozone.

QUOTATIONS The biggest wave of the global crisis is over, and the telecommunications sector was not hit as hard as others. It even recorded growth and we expect it to recover completely, so if we take that into consideration, it wouldn’t be that bad to sell Telekom Serbia this year. This is a company that has constantly contributed financially to the state budget, so it is not a must to sell it, but it is rather a strategic decision that the state needs to make.” Jasna Matić, Telecommunications and Information Society Minister

ly haven’t got a clue where that money went. In nine years, we did not build a single new bridge, finish the Corridor 10, or made any significant investments.” Mlađen Kovačević, economy expert, Večernje Novosti

The state is supposed to remain the majority owner of the Serbian energy sector. This is the biggest worth that the country has at its disposal. The Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) alone is worth as much as almost all companies that have been privatized so far.” Petar Škundrić, Energy Minister

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) needs to decide – either we go our separate ways, remain open without any backstabbing taking place, or they will continue to decline. Free shooters have never managed to survive long.”

If collective guilt is eliminated, this means that now we have to collectively condemn the crime. We all need to condemn war crimes committed in Srebrenica, and I do believe that every single Serbian MP will do just that.”

Tomislav Nikolić, President of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Politika

Boris Tadić , Serbian President

Since January 1, 2001 until today, the state received $70 billion on the account of loans and privatization revenue. I real-

There is no sense in adopting the declaration if the declaration doesn’t contain the term ‘genocide.’ We ought to respect the decision made by the International Court of Justice

and adhere to their opinion that we were inactive towards the Srebrenica issue.” Bruno Vekarić , Serbian prosecutor’s spokesman

I urge Stanko Subotic and all those who aadvertise in the media in connection with a criminal offense to come into the courtroom and to say what they have to say.” Miljko Radisavljevic, Special Prosecutor

Nikolić was in touch with the former Chief Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal, Carla del Ponte, at the time when he was a member of Vojislav Šešelj’s legal team.” Zoran Krasić, Serbian Radical Party

Šešelj is simply a liar. We used to know that man.” Aleksandar Vučić, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS)

“(Serbian power company) EPS will remain majority stateowned. As far as Telekom Srbija is concerned, after liberalization of not only mobile but also landline telephony, it is ready for a strategic partner to have a ma-

jority private ownership.” Božidar Đelić, Deputy Prime Minister

With the recovery of the world economy the process of privatization of public companies in Serbia should be resumed. Privatization process should be launched via corporatization of the companies and then implementation of restructuring and sale. Perfect market conditions should not be waited for. Public companies could enlarge export by better business results after the privatization, while the introduction of competition would result in lower prices and reduction of salaries in the companies to a moderate level.” Bogdan Lissovolik IMF’s Resident representative in Serbia

Serbia will not accept Kosovo’s independence, BosniaHerzegovina’s centralization and its own NATO membership.” Vuk Jeremić, Serbia’s Foreign Minister

If the EU has said that Kosovo has European perspective then Serbia cannot make a problem by pointing out the problem of the status of a part of the territory. That is our clear stance.” Michael Giffoni, The EU envoy to the north of Kosovo , Blic

MIRKO CVETKOVIĆ, SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER

Currently, we have open tenders for Kolubara B and TENT, with investments estimated to be in the region of 2 billion euros. The majority owners of these two capacities will be foreign strategic partners, who will have a 20% share in production. This concludes the first stage in the privatisation of EPS, which will result in our having a more competitive market.”

I am more in favour of selling a stake in Telekom, while the state should remain a partial owner. All arguments that I’ve heard so far have been in favour of selling Telekom now, but I think that we should keep part of the company, just to be safe. I think it would be a wise decision to sell Telekom this year.”

CorD 70 / April 2010 25

LEADERS

Stable Bank Not only the crisis but the years of misled investments and lack of production led to a deep and insecure situation on the Serbian market. Foreign creditors have helped us see how indebted our companies are and how this can affect the stability of the dinar. When the time for payback comes, domestic companies show their weakness and also the weakness of the Serbian economy in general. This is why banks are becoming more suspicious when a domestic company asks for a loan. CorD has conducted a small survey among bank leaders in order to find out the answer to the following question: Are Serbian companies over-indebted and would state guarantees help stimulate both the credit activity and economy? DRAGINJA ĐURIĆ, CHAIRWOMAN OF BANCA INTESA’S EXECUTIVE BOARD PRODUCTION UNSATISFACTORY

In the period that preceeded economic crisis many local companies had been experiencing development expansion. In an effort to utilize the potentials of local and international markets, they embarked on significant investment endeavours which had been fully or partially implemented thanks to the financial support they got from commercial banks. In a relatively short time, the global economic downturn has suspended all projected expectations and development plans, leaving local companies in a very complicated position. By doing business in changed market environment, many companies were forced to change their business goals since the effects of their investment projects were lesser than those planned. A drop in domestic and international demand, and subsequently a drop in production and trade, as well as a sluggish payment of claims led to an overall solvency crisis, with the volume of investments made in Serbia declining by close to 20% compared to 2008. These negative tendencies resulted, last year, in bank clients applying for loans for the sole purpose of resolving their solvency problems, and not for facilitating investments. Although, at the beginning of 2010, we saw the first signs of recovery, the fact remains that Serbia has entered the second year of economic crisis with the economy where export is insufficient and production unsatisfactory. Overcoming the crisis is of key importance for launch26 CorD 70 / April 2010

ing a new investment cycle. The situation on the international economic scene is still very complex, and our economy is facing challenges while, at the same time, having rather vague and often conflicting shor-term goals. Therefore, it is very important for all market players to focus on generating economic growth and advancing the economy’s competitiveness. As one of the biggest banks in Serbia, Banca Intesa strives towards supporting initiatives and efforts that will result in our economy’s recovery. Also, we are ready to make adequate proposals and participate in solutions that are innovative or have already yielded positive results in other economic systems. The role that the state plays in overcoming the current problems and stimulating credit activity could be based on the Private Public Partnership model, which proved to be an excellent solution in many countries. These are extensive capital projects that result from a joint initiative of the state, on one hand, and private sector, on the other. Aside from meeting its financial obligations towards companies, the state can reduce the solvency problems and, by that, make the market more stable.

Overcoming the crisis is of key importance for launching a new investment cycle SLAVKO CARIĆ - CEO ERSTE BANK SRBIJA INTRODUCING NEW PRODUCTS By facilitating subsidized loans, the Serbian government was of great help to the national economy during last year’s crisis by alleviating the insolvency problem in the country. Erste Bank was one of the most active banks in initiating and rendering support to the aforementioned programme, and during the year we never stopped providing both corporate and retail loans, which went

ing Sector according to the projected plan. We granted a total of €46 million in subsidized corporate anti-insolvency loans and increased our credit exposure to small and medium-sized enterprises as compared to 2008. In addition, we have been continuously introducing new products in line with market developments and new demands. However, despite this significant progress, the fact remains that the Serbian economy still needs additional funds. The Serbian banking sector is stable and has enough money at its disposal, but there is a risk associated with granting corporate loans. In response to those who oppose the conservative credit policy as implemented by Erste Bank, I would like to outline that such a policy is primarily in the clients’ best interests. We do try to meet every single one of their demands and set up a partnership based on mutual trust. We do think that it is exceptionally important for our client to warn us as far ahead as possible if he is not able to fulfill his financial obligations towards the bank on time so that we can find a solution that is acceptable to both sides. In the end, it is also in the bank’s best interest for the client to continue settling his obligations on time as opposed to the bank activating the collateral.

We definitely need higher security in granting loans We definitely need higher security in granting loans, which is why we would wholeheartedly support the establishment of a state body that would provide additional guarantees for such loans, which in turn would increase the security level. Still, a lot of work needs to be done on improving the overall economy during the EU pre-accession process, which entails cutting back on business risks, abolishing obsolete regulation, fighting corruption, and making more investments in infrastructure. If we want to see economic growth

and if we want to overcome the crisis this year, then this has to originate from infrastructure since infrastructure is one of pillars of our economy’s competitiveness. VLADIMIR ČUPIĆ – HYPO ALPE ADRIA BANKA NEW BALANCE ESTABLISHED Speaking as a banker, every time the state decides to step in with guarantees certainly adds security and reduces risks when it comes to financial transactions between companies and financial institutions, and we welcome that. On the other hand, the state institutions need to exercise caution in devising subsidies for the country’s economy, mainly with respect to maturity, since such activities should not be anything but a short-term intervention and should not become a widely accepted model of doing business on the market. Last year’s measures, devised by Serbian government, did have a positive effect on overcoming problems with companies’ insolvency and, to a large extent, did alleviate the effects of uncertainty brought on by the economic downturn. I do believe that a new balance has been established on the market and I think that the time has become to devise the ways for stimulating economic activity long-term.

The state institutions need to exercise caution in devising subsidies for the country’s economy, mainly with respect to maturity

CorD 70 / April 2010 27

comment

Ethics vs.

A request to launch an investigation into an alleged link between pharmaceutical companies and World Health Organization ofﬁcials casts a shadow on something that should be ﬁrmly established on ethical principles – systematic health care

By Olivera Gordic, The author is Managing Director of ‘Apoteke Beograd’. (Belgrade Pharmacies)

If we take a closer look at our contemporary world and mankind, it is really not difficult to see that man has put more effort into developing the world that surrounds him than himself. New technologies made our lives much faster, to the point where we often don’t have a moment to pause and wonder what we need to do for our fellow humans and for nature that has been sending us severe warning signals. Maybe the 21st century is the right time to stop briefly, to slow down and dedicate some time to our development and care for others. The last quarter of 2008 was marked by the beginning of a new global economic crisis, which opened up a series of questions and discussions. One of

The information about the inexplicable and dangerous evolution of H1N1 and the forecasts about how fast it was spreading, resulted in huge amounts of money being set aside for vaccines, antiviral medication and respirators

n his book ‘Man for Himself,’ Erich Fromm said, “Modern society, in spite of all the emphasis it puts upon happiness, individuality, and self-interest, has taught man to feel that happiness is not the aim in life (or if we were to use a theological term, his salvation), but rather the fulfillment of his duty to work, or his success. Money, prestige, and power have become his incentives and ends.” 28 CorD 69 / March 2010

the conclusions that we made was that the main reason for the crisis erupting was world leaders behaving in an irresponsible manner and having lack of morals. As a manager of a large pharmacy chain in the Balkans, I am utterly convinced that this was the key reason. Being a pharmacist, I have to look back at 2009 which was marked by the H1N1 flu “pandemic.” The information about the inexplicable and dangerous evolution of this disease and the forecasts about

EACH MONTH,, CORD KEEPS YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES AT THE TOP OF BUSINESS,, POLITICS AND office@cma.rs DIPLOMACY IN SERBIA. ff @

The founders of Dnevnik Vojvodina Press, the German media group WAC (majority owner), and Dnevnik Holding reached a unanimous decision on the appointment of new management at their March assembly. WAC’s candidate, Dusan Vlaović, was elected General Manager and the deputy is “Dnevnik Holding’s candidate, Smilja Maksimovic. PIRAEUS BANK A.D. BEOGRAD

how fast it was spreading resulted in huge amounts of money being set aside for vaccines, antiviral medication, and respirators. A request to launch an investigation into an alleged link between pharmaceutical companies and the World Trade Organization officials casts a shadow on something that should be firmly established on ethical principles – systematic health care. It is quite interesting to see the data about the enormous and continuous growth of pharmaceutical production over the last few years. Huge profit has been also generated from many mergers between pharmaceutical companies. In addition to this, it is quite plain to see that investments in development of new drugs have grown. Over the last 25 years, these investments went from $54 million to $802 million, a fifteen-fold increase. On one hand, the result of this was that many illnesses have been eradicated or have become easily treatable and the human longevity has been extended. On the other hand, excessive use of antibiotics has led to bacteria becoming very resistant, thus making it impossible to treat them with current medication, which in turn led to the emergence of severe hospital infections. It is with every right that we ask whether we should use medication to treat various symptoms and conditions when we know that by living a healthy lifestyle we can prevent and cure them. This is where individual responsibility for one’s own health comes into question, and not just the responsibility of a health system or medical professional. Problems can be resolved quite fast if we simplify things and put an emphasis on the most important aspects. Good decisions yield good results. If we have capable decision makers and ethical leaders, the profit generated by their organizations cannot be bad in itself, especially if it is subsequently invested in research and development. The Ethics vs. Profit dilemma will not even exist if we put people’s health first. In this case, business results and responsible management will lead to profitability.

Neoclis Neocleous, new Chairman of the Executive Board of Piraeus Bank A.D. Beograd, Konstantinos Vagiotis, Member of Executive Board of Piraeus Bank A.D. Beograd and Mr Dimitris Frangetis (left to right) Piraeus Bank Group has appointed Mr. Neoclis Neocleous as the new Chairman of the Executive Board of Piraeus Bank A.D. Beograd. Mr Neocleous will assume his duties immediately upon obtaining the official authorisation from the National Bank of Serbia. Mr. Neocleous assumes this position following a long career in holding different high level managerial positions in the field of banking and factoring. Before Piraeus Bank Group, Mr. Neocleous worked for 18 years in Bank of Cyprus, where he has assumed various positions ranging in the areas of Corporate Banking, Restructuring, Credit, Factoring and Branch Network, in both Cyprus and Greece. Mr. Neocleous is working in Piraeus Bank Group since October 2007 when he joined Piraeus Bank Cyprus, as Head of Corporate and Commercial Banking. Before NBS formally authorises Mr. Neocleous as the new Piraeus Bank Chairman, this function will be administered by Mr. Konstantinos Vagiotis, who is a Member of Piraeus Bank Executive Board since 2006. The previous Executive Board Chairman Mr. Dimitris Frangetis will continue his career taking a position with a major Banking Group in his home country. Eurofast is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Panayiotis Diallinas to our Board of Directors as from January 1st, 2010. Mr. Diallinas was born in Thessaloniki in 1970 and is a holder of a bachelor degree from the Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki in Accounting as well as a Diploma from Technological Educational Institute of Kavala in Information Technology. He is also Certified Training Professional of E.C.D.L. Hellas. AMBASSADORS APPOINTED JOVAN MIRILOVIC was appointed to the post of Ser-bian Ambassador Extraor-dinary and Plenipotentiary to Bangladesh, on a non-residential basis, with the seat in New Delhi. GORAN VUJICIC was appointed to the duty of Serbian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Malawi, with the seat in Pretoria. GORAN MESIC was revoked from the position of Serbian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Ecuador, on a nonresidential basis, with a seat in Lima.Ljubomir Milic was appointed to the post of Serbian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Ecuador, with a seat in Brasilia. CorD 69 / March 2010 29

APPOITMENTS

Proﬁt

DUSAN VLAOVIĆ, General Manager of Dnevnik Vojvodina Press; Deputy SMILJA MAKSIMOVIC

CHILL OUT MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ:

‘I HAVE TO BE LIKE A MOUNTAIN’ Last month, the 63-year-old queen of performance art Marina Abramović, dressed in a flowing dark-blue dress, and looking extremely pale, sat down at a small table in the towering atrium of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She will be there, motionless and silent, every day during museum opening hours for the next three months. This is the duration of her retrospective, The Artist is Present – the first career survey Moma has ever given to a performance artist – which is taking place concurrently up on the sixth floor. In the atrium, Abramović is making the title of her exhibition literal. And members of the public can share in her presence by sitting in the empty chair opposite her and engaging in silent eye contact for as long as they want, or as long as they can.

SHINAWATRA IS MONTENEGRIN The Montenegrin Police Department confirmed that former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra, for whom an international arrest warrant was issued, is in fact a Montenegrin citizen. “Mr. Shinawatra is a Montenegrin citizen and is currently in Montenegro. The Police Department has no basis for taking measures against Mr. Shinawatra,” said Tamara Ralevic, a spokesman for the Police Department, in March. Thaksin Shinawatra has a Montenegrin passport, but the government of Thailand announced a warrant claiming that the country had sentenced him in absentia to two years in prison for corruption. The Thai government also took from his bank account the amount of 1.4 billion dollars. Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted from power in 2006 after a military coup on charges of corruption and abuse of power. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that Thaksin Shinawatra is using a false name Taki Shinegra in his passports issued in Montenegro, Nicaragua, and Uganda. ALLIGATOR WRESTLING Paul Bedard pulls a gator from the water in the first Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Championships, hosted by the Seminole tribe. As the first Native American tribe to venture into the gambling business and the first to buy a major international corporation, purchasing the Hard Rock chain of cafes and hotels for $965 million three years ago, the formerly swamp-dwelling Seminoles think big.

THE NEW MCLAREN MP4-12C Ron Dennis, the boss of McLaren, insisted today he had “moved on” from Formula One as he launched the company’s new super car. Production of the road car, the MP4-12C, which will cost about £150,000, will start next year at a new £40m facility at the company’s futuristic headquarters in Woking, creating 300 jobs. McLaren Automotive, which is planning more new models, is hoping to eventually sell 4,000 cars worldwide each year. The company has made limited numbers of more expensive super cars in the past, but never this many.

30 CorD 70 / April 2010

CHILL OUT SLEEP DAY A girl holds her pet toy while practicing sleeping during a special “sleep class” ahead of the World Sleep Day at a primary school in Nanyang city, Henan province. Students were taught different ways to improve their sleep. Started by the International Foundation for Mental Health and Neuro-Science in 2001 to raise awareness of sleeping disorders, the World Sleep Day falls on March 21 every year. [Photo/CFP]

Obama and Joe Biden after the Democrats’ healthcare Bill passed in the House of Representatives CONGRATULATION FROM BARACK OBAMA Barack Obama has hailed the passing of his healthcare plan as a victory for the American people that answered the call of history. He called the vote “another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American dream” and said it would not only help people who lack insurance for coverage, but also protect those who have insurance.

HUGE ITALIAN TRUFFLE – $216,000 The world’s most expensive truffle ever as was purchased by an anonymous buyer from Hong Kong for $210,000. But it seems that there is its competitor that can beat it if got sold for $216,000. A 1.5-kg white truffle originated from Italian geography is expected to be sold for will be sold for 150,000 euros ($216,000) at a charity auction scheduled in Macau.

HIDDEN GLACIERS ON MARS Extensive radar mapping of the middle-latitude region of northern Mars shows that thick masses of buried ice are quite common beneath protective coverings of rubble. The ability of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to continue charting the locations of these hidden glaciers and ice-filled valleys - first confirmed by radar two years ago - adds clues about how these deposits may have been left as remnants when regional ice sheets retreated. The subsurface ice deposits extend for hundreds of kilometers, or miles, in the rugged region called Deuteronilus Mensae, about halfway from the equator to the Martian north pole. Jeffrey Plaut of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and colleagues prepared a map of the region’s confirmed ice for presentation at this week’s 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference near Houston. Photograph: Nasa

ISLAMIC FASHION Fatima Mohammad Al Hajan, Fashion Designer, with her work at Preston University Ajman. Increased global interest in Islamic fashion offers a growing market worth more than $96 billion say heads of UAE-based fashion universities. Tamara Hostal, Director of French Fashion University ESMOD Dubai (ESMOD), said this figure comprises 50 per cent of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, each spending at least $120 (Dh438) a year on modest clothing. “Fashion today is moving and passing between different continents as more people travel the world and bring traditional influences back to their own countries,” she said. “People are increasingly showing they want to wear clothes influenced by Islamic culture as countries that are not yet very Islamic are starting to be,” she added. Image Credit: Atiq-ur-Rehman, Gulf News

CorD 70 / April 2010 31

REGION |

Montenegro

BI-RELIGIOUS EASTERN ORTHODOXY President Vujanović and Metropolitan Amfilohije

Montenegro might be the only country in the world whose territorial size is absolutely disproportional to the internal contrasts and unusual phenomena that can be seen in the country’s history and contemporary political reality

By Ilija DESPOTOVIĆ irst of all, this is a country with two names and a series of institutional doppelgangers. Aside from two academies of science and arts and two novelist and journalist associations, there are also two Eastern Orthodox churches in Montenegro, a country with close to 700,000 inhabitants. The first is the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), i.e. its Crnogorsko-Primorska Diocese, and the second is the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC). Relations between these two churches came to the centre of attention when, Irenej, the new Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, was elected and commented on Montenegro’s national identity and the character of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. Irinej’s statements about ‘Montenegrins and Serbs being one nation’ and that ‘CPC is a frivolous community’ caused a storm among Montenegrin intellectuals, who even held several protests. The Patriarch’s statements were perceived as a new attempt in denying the Montenegrin nation and its church, CPC. POLITICS AND CANONIC LAW Following Irinej’s statements, even the president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović, voiced his opinion that he, as chief of state, is obligated to adhere to canonic principles, i.e. to support the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and not the CPC, which in turn caused an outrage among Montenegrins, with some of them even demanding that the president step down. Vujanović said that he talked to 14 bishops from the national Orthodox churches and that all of them told him that they recognize SPC in Montenegro and not CPC, adding that he had no choice but to respect that. On several earlier occasions, Vujanović

32 CorD 70 / April 2010

said that he viewed the Crnogorsko-Primorska Diocese, i.e. an SPC eparchy in Montenegro, as nothing more than a ‘Montenegrin church.’ However, CPC supporters say that the chief of state is biased and favors the ‘foreign’ Orthodox Church in Montenegro. They point out that the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, as it is called, was legalized by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Montenegro, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the church had an autocephalous status. Some historians say that even the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church recognized this status. Also, they say that the Crnogorsko-Primorska Diocese has always been independent, i.e. autocephalous, especially since the Pećka Patriarchate was abolished during the Ottoman Empire.

The Montenegrin Orthodox Church was legalized by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Montenegro, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, Vujanović also stood in defense of the statements made by the Metropolitan Amfilohije by saying that he (Amfilohije), although a Serb and representing the SPC in Montenegro, was not denying national status to the Montenegrins. The participants of the aforementioned protests reminded Vujanović of Amfilohije’s statements he gave before the referendum that Montenegrins (as a nation) are ‘a figment of communist imagination.’ COMPROMISE Although the SPC, i.e. its Crnogorsko-

Primorska Diocese, still does not accept the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, the existence of this church and the tenacity with which the church is trying to assert itself even made the SPC’s attitude towards it somewhat softer. The Crnogorsko-Primorska Diocese is sending clear signals that the name of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro should be changed to The Orthodox Church in Montenegro. Despite the Diocese’s statement that this would not essentially change anything, objectively speaking, this could be viewed as the church’s trying to reach a compromise with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. There was a hint that the compromise could be achieved when Metropolitan Amfilohije called Montenegro ‘our country’ for the first time ever at the prayer during the Orthodox New Year’s Eve. The question is how to go about this and how to eliminate the absurd situation of different religions in Montenegro not getting along both in the past and today, something that the Orthodoxy in general needs. While Christians and Muslims, including Christian Orthodox and Catholics, have been trying to treat each other with mutual respect without political regimes encouraging them to do so, Eastern Orthodox believers in Montenegro have been battling each other for years. To a certain extent, Montenegrins and Serbs, who belong to two orthodox churches, are less tolerant towards each other than towards Catholics and Muslims together. The two orthodox churches are also at odds because of a little metal church built by the Crnogorsko-Primorska Diocese atop Rumija Mountain above the town of Bar, with the help of a helicopter from the former Yugoslav Army.

The speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament, Ranko Krivokapić, has brought to the forefront recently the question of removing the church on Rumija Mountain, whose summit is considered sacred by Orthodox, Catholics and Muslims. For centuries, on the Holy Trinity Day, all believers carry the Cross of Vladimir Krajinski, Duke of Duklja (the state that preceded Montenegro), who was executed by the Macedonian Emperor, Samuilo, to the mountaintop. Since the Serbian Orthodox Church decided to set up the metal church by itself, this damaged what used to be harmonious relations between believers from the Bar area, and so the decision was made for the church to be torn down. Krivokapić called upon the Montenegrin minister for spatial planning “either to tear the church down, or to resign.” TWO ALTARS Even tolerance between different nationalities in Montenegro was more pronounced in the past. The town of Bar and surrounding areas are

perfect examples of peaceful co-existence between various religions. There are four churches with two altars – one for Orthodox believers and one for Catholics. The abovementioned St. Vladimir’s Cross is being traditionally looked after by a Muslim family. There are two-altar churches in Italy and in Dalmatia too. The biconfessional churches in Bar were built by the believers themselves, without the church and politics actually meddling much. Montenegro is one of the few places in the world where everybody is trying not to infringe on religious rights and beliefs. Even King Nikola Petrović, while his army was liberating the towns of Nikšić, Bar, Ulcinj, and Podgorica from Turkish enemies, was concerned about his Islamic citizens and urged them not to fear the new state of Montenegro. The most popular illustration of this was when the King, after his army had entered Nikšić, pleaded with the Muslim population not to leave the town. When many de-

cided against staying, the King allowed them to take their weapons and all the possessions they could carry. He even ordered his army to protect them until they left Montenegro. Writer Marko Miljanov wrote the most beautiful stories about the Albanian population in Montenegro, with the underlying message being that Albanians should be respected since Montenegrins and Albanians depend on each other. Essentially, religious and ethnic harmony is one of the central political and civilization goals of Montenegro today. This is written in the country’s constitution and its laws. However, it seems that the state never had enough money for ethnic minorities. The Albanians, for instance, want their own municipality in Tuzi, their own schools in Podgorica, and for public signs to be written in Albanian. Religious and ethnic relations are quite easy to spoil. What we need is the right balance in relations between ‘the majority’ and ‘the minority.’

Bosnia & Herzegovina

APPLYING FOR EU MEMBERSHIP By Vojislava VIGNJEVIĆ lkalaj added that Bosnia and Herzegovina should not delay its progress towards the EU any further. “We would like to apply for candidacy by the end of this year because that would help us with continuing reforms in the country. We simply cannot afford to lose any more time,” Alkalaj outlined. Fule pointed out that the EU would like Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a stable country with a clear European future, but he also mentioned several obstacles. He invited Bosnian politicians to reach a consensus and emphasized the need for the

A Sven Alkalaj, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister

country’s constitution to be amended. The ‘Butmir Process,’ which is the renewed constitutional reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, failed to give desired results last autumn, following three months of intense negotiations. The changes to the constitution, as required by the international community with the aim of making the state more functional and thus more efficient on its road to the EU, were flatly rejected by the Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The international community, however, is persistent in its requests for constitutional reforms in Bosnia to pick up pace. In order to carry on with the process, the country needs to meet the require-

CorD 70 / April 2010 33

REGION | ments set before any applicant for EU membership, which were defined in Copenhagen in 1993 and in Madrid in 1995. The Copenhagen accession criteria demand from each country aspiring to become an EU member to implement the rule of law and make state institutions as functional as possible, and to advance competitiveness and increase the country’s ability to deal with competition on the common EU market. The Madrid criteria require candidate countries to set up functional institutions and to efficiently apply EU regulation. This shows just how comprehensive the work is that Bosnia and Herzegovina still needs to do, but also how difficult the negotiations between the two entities (Bosnian and Serbian), and political parties representing three different nationalities (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats) are going to be. Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union on June 16th, 2008, which was subsequently ratified by the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Following this act, the country embarked on a new stage in relations with the European Union and has pledged to carry out international obligations that it took upon itself. By joining this process, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the EU is no longer based on voluntary ad-hoc activities, but the country is now faced with a string of strict demands that are clearly defined and have firm deadlines. These demands are a form of a relation of obligations between the two sides. By agreeing to implement the SAA, Bosnia and Herzegovina undertook an international commitment, which in turn brought to the forefront a certain stipulation in the country’s constitution that states “Each entity is required to provide support to the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order for the country to fulfill its international obligations.”

The most important thing is that 70% of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are in favor of the country joining the EU As in previous years, the political parties cannot see eye-to-eye about most aspects of the country’s future, including meeting the obligations stated in the SAA. Certain state officials interpret the constitution and this agreement as the beginning of the state’s unification (Serbian side). Others say that this will lead to even bigger decentralization (Bosnian side), while the third side will ask for the relations within the state to be reset since none of the existing ones are in their best interest (Croatian side). Bosnian politicians are still quite 34 CorD 70 / April 2010

Macedonia

ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION BLOCKED

Mirjana Dimovska The controversy surrounding the election of a new head of Macedonia’s State Anti-Corruption Commission is reaching boiling point and jeopardizing the integrity of the institution, observers say. flippant about the fact that EU membership, which they wholeheartedly support on paper, means not only relinquishing some sovereignty, but also accepting the rules that would reduce conflicts between the different nationalities in the country’s entities. Furthermore, many current issues that are too complicated and have become an unavoidable part of the Bosnian state agenda will be taken off the programmed, so to speak, since these issues will be regulated in line with current EU laws. The most important thing is that 70% of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are in favor of the country joining the EU. In order to accomplish this goal, Bosnian authorities should be more efficient and more coordinated on every single level, which is actually the bottom line for constitutional reforms. For instance, one of the more prominent issues is harmonizing the Election Law with the European Convention on Human Rights. The process of appointing the three members of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidency is still contrary to the most important segment of the Convention, since it still doesn’t allow members of other nationalities, other than the aforementioned three, to compete for these seats, due to the fact that each candidate has to come from one of the three nations that make each entity. Bosnia and Herzegovina has made certain progress in selected areas like justice, liberty, and safety, especially when it comes to fulfilling

Since her third consecutive term ended last month, the current head, Mirjana Dimovska, has repeatedly failed to set up a session for the election of a new leader of the commission, thus effectively blocking its work. Slagjana Taseva, head of the NGO Transparency- Zero Corruption, argues that Dimovska’s conduct is intolerable. She suggests that Dimovska should tender her resignation as a first step in getting out of the current gridlock. “The other members of the commission are also to blame because they have reacted pâssively towards her authoritarian manner. This has stained the credibility of the institution as a whole,” Taseva told Balkan Insight. EU requests pertaining to visa liberalization. This means that the country could find its place on the so-called White Schengen List in the first half of the year. The EU has allocated a total of €74.8 million to Bosnia and Herzegovina in pre-accession aid. The money should go towards strengthening the rule of the law and public administration structures, economic and social development, and democratic stabilization and civil society support. All in all, Bosnia and Herzegovina still has a lot to do in order to become an EU member. The international community wants to see the country succeed on this road, and is providing the support, while at the same time it is pointing out that constitutional and legal reforms ought to be implemented. The faster the entities and political parties get a grasp of that, the better. The most important thing now is to reach a wide consensus about the need for the constitution to be amended in order for the country to expedite its way towards the EU. It is also important to finally come to the point where the obligations stemming from the Stabilization and Association Agreement are met, and this is something that ordinary citizens will benefit the most from. There is still a long way to go, since the federation and entities’ institutions are slow in fulfilling these obligations. The situation in justice, safety, education, and health sectors needs to be improved, and a balanced economic development of entire Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved.

Albania

PARTIES STRUGGLE TO RESOLVE CRISIS A new proposition set forth by Prime Minister Sali Berisha over the ongoing dispute over the parliamentary elections has been ﬂatly rejected by the opposition Party led majority, however it does not have the power to reopen the ballot boxes and has been boycotted by Socialist MPs. Although the commission had been in the works for weeks, the parties failed to agree on whether it will be granted permission to recount the election ballots and used a marathon hearing on Thursday and Friday to exchange jibes with each other. Reacting to the creation of the new commission, the OSCE head in Tirana, Robert Bosch, warned on Monday that such partisan commissions would not help find a solution to the crisis. “The commission should have been voted by both sides, if it is partisan it holds little or no value,” Bosch told local media. The Socialist led opposition seeks the The Socialist Party rejected a proposal recount, arguing that complete transparenfrom Berisha that a group of 100 prosecu- cy of the electoral process is necessary in tors be formed to carry out the investiga- order to avert fraud in the future – a contion of the June 28 parliamentary elections, stant problem over the last two decades as which have been harshly contested by the Albania emerged from the Stalinist regime Socialist opposition as marred by fraud. of former dictator Enver Hoxha. Although Berisha’s proposal was never Meanwhile, the majority refuses the respelled out in detail, Socialist MP Ditmir count, contending that the courts have alBushati, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, ready denied the Socialists such a petition rejected the proposand that parliament The Socialist led opposition seeks would be overstepal, asking the government to allow a its power and the recount, arguing that complete ping parliamentary investaking on the role tigative commission of the judiciary if transparency of the electoral to carry a ballot reit moved to recount process is necessary in order to count as originally ballot boxes. proposed by the opThe Socialists, avert fraud in the future position. who have boycott“We don’t need 100 prosecutors but on- ed parliament for more than six months ly a majority that respects the constitution and returned only to discuss the investigaand allows for transparency,” Bushati told tive parliamentary commission, warned that reporters. they would restart their boycott and threatLate on Friday an investigative commis- ened to depose the government by protest. sion was approved by parliament with only with 71 votes in favor from the Democratic BalkanInsight.com

Croatia

RAILWAYS FIRE 1,000 PEOPLE By Jelena KOPANJA Croatian Railways (HZ) will fire 1,000 people, Croatia’s Minister of Transportation Bozidar Kalmeta said at the meeting of the Social and Economic Council held end of March. “Croatian Railways is an old system in which there has been no significant investment in a very long time. It is natural that there will be a decrease in the workforce” as the system becomes more modernized, he said. More modern systems required fewer workers, Kalmeta explained. The meeting was focused on the railways, and members of the Council called for lower state subsidies for HZ. Kalmeta said that the government budget would not be used to finance the system and that HZ would seek EU funding. He admitted, however, that there had not been many projects in the past that would have qualified for EU funding but added that preparations for future projects were underway. Ivica Mudrinic from the Council called for a reorganization of train schedules to eliminate unprofitable lines. New schedules would be ready by the beginning of the new school year in September, Kalmeta said. Croatian Railways employs 12, 900 people, plus an additional 5,550 who work in related businesses. Since 2003, the number of HZ workers has declined by 3,300, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List has reported. Croatian Times CorD 70 / April 2010 35

INTERVIEW |

Goran Vasić, Managing Director of the Novi Sad Fair

REGIONAL SHOWCASE “Novi Sad has always been an excellent venue where producers can meet and discuss their future cooperation,” says Goran Vasić, Managing Director of the Novi Sad Fair. He points outs that the border between money and economy is becoming more and more indistinct.When it comes to ownership structure, the state of Serbia has a 42% stake in the Fair and 11% is in the hands of small shareholders, which, according to Vasić, is the best ownership structure that the companies like the Fair can have. At the upcoming 77th International Agriculture Fair, visitors will be able to see a cattle exhibition, since the Novi Sad Fair is one of the ﬁve fairs in Europe that have been fostering this tradition 36 CorD 70 / April 2010

By Zorica MIRKOVIC erbia has also been ‘infected’ with ‘virus’ of the economic crisis, and, just like any other ‘pandemic,’ this one also led to certain companies succumbing to ‘the disease,’ while those that decided to change their bad habits ‘got well’ and ‘fully recovered.’ The Novi Sad Fair belongs to the latter group. This is the oldest fair in Serbia and it has embarked on an internal transformation. One of the most beautiful buildings in Novi Sad is certainly the Fair’s Master Centre, which puts Novi Sad in the same category with other European cities. In an interview for CorD magazine, Managing Director of the Novi Sad Fair Goran Vasić talks about the Fair’s current position, the company’s efforts in shaking off old socialist business models, and implementation of new tendencies in order to draw in new business partners.

Mr. Vasić, what is the current position of the Novi Sad Fair compared to other fairs, particularly the one in Belgrade? We don’t mind the proximity and we even view it as an advantage. The cooperation between the two fairs is excellent and there is no reason to be any different in the future. We try, as much as possible, to avoid overlapping with respect to dates, i.e. we try to have a healthy competition. On the other hand, we also endeavor to position ourselves to fully meet the demands of fair visitors. Both fairs are currently undergoing a transformation process, just like society overall. Since fairs are a good reflection of the situation in the country and its economy, as well as a venue for promotion of business and other accomplishments, it is quite important that whatever we do, we do it in line with current tendencies. Our task is to adequately respond to increasing market demands, and personally, I favour a healthy

market competition that leads to changes and improvement. Bearing in mind that these two fairs are located in a relatively small area, are they in competition with each other? Having two fairs in Serbia is certainly not cumbersome since we know that many large cities like St. Petersburg, London, and Paris have several quite successful fairs. The Belgrade Fair is very successful in organizing several specialized fairs, like the Technology Fair, the Car Show, and the Book Fair, and, of course, there is the attraction of the fair being a located in Belgrade, a city with two million inhabitants. On the other hand, there is the Novi Sad Fair with its International Agriculture Fair that has been taking place since 1931 and that is the backbone of our institution and our calling card abroad. Both fairs have their own advantages, and it is a simply a matter of choice which fair you would like to see. Some companies enjoy the hustle and bustle of Belgrade more, while some prefer the Austro-Hungarian dazzle of Novi Sad and come to our fair. Despite economic difficulties, the oldest fair in Serbia is continuing to bring us new exhibitions. This year, our project teams have prepared a total of 23 events at the Fair, with the biggest and most important of them being the 77th International Agriculture Fair that will take place from May 15th to 22nd. As we said earlier, numerous businessmen, experts, and farmers from all over the world will visit the Fair, with most of them from Hungary, since we have signed a cooperation protocol with the country about showcasing both Serbian and Hungarian accomplishments in economy and culture. Could you tell us something about new exhibitions?

One of these new exhibitions has already been held - the International Video and Photographic Equipment Fair that took place between March 4th and 9th, at the same time as the Book Fair. Then there is the art exhibition called Art Expo and the furniture fair called Ambijenta. The second premiere will come in autumn, October to be precise, when we will hold the first ever Horse Breeding Fair, which is the first exhibition of its kind in the region. This exhibition will also expand our tourist offer and revive our appreciation of equestrian sports, bearing in mind that we have hippodromes and stables in Zobnatica, Fantast, and Karađorđevo, which are in close proximity to Novi Sad.

Both Belgrade and Novi Sad fairs are currently undergoing a transformation process, just like society overall The Novi Sad Fair is not only the place for exhibitions. You organize many other events. Is this decision made with the view of the Fair catching up to its foreign counterparts? Bearing in mind scientific and technological advances, we now need more knowledge and skill in organizing these events. Clients are no longer looking only for the end product, but also expect of you to offer them software solutions for problems they need to solve. We thought that the Internet would ‘kill off’ fairs as such, but that didn’t happen. The Novi Sad Fair, just like any other fair in the word, is aware of the fact that joint utilization of telecom-

munication technologies is our future. We also try to be the epicenter of certain cultural events and appeal to people to come to Novi Sad to see the Fair in that light too. The Fair’s grounds cover an area of 30 hectares, in the very heart of Novi Sad, and we want to make these grounds appealing to families, so they can come here whenever they want and not only when there is an exhibition around. This is something like city centres that many European towns have. What is your view of this business year? Is it going to be more successful than the last one? This year is going to be difficult, maybe as difficult as the last one, as well as slightly better. We are fully aware that these are challenging times for people with fresh ideas, who are also assertive and creative. This is also a challenge for our company in terms of establishing new partnerships and organizing events. Neighbouring countries have already expressed interest in joining forces in order to overcome the crisis together. It is quite natural to join forces with the people that are close to you, that you know and with whom no language barriers exist. We are given an opportunity to reinstate old trade relations since the food processing sector has always been a safe haven for investments, and Vojvodina and Serbia have a long tradition in agriculture. Thanks to the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, we are going to organize a cattle exhibition at this year’s International Agriculture Fair. We are quite proud of that since the Novi Sad is one of the five European fairs that organize such exhibitions.

DATA

ach year, close to 30 events and exhibitions are held on fifteen different dates. The Fair has over a million visitors with close to 2,000 domestic and foreign journalists reporting from it. At the same time, specialized conferences are organized at the Fair, and various marketing services are rendered. There are warehouses and catering facilities. The Food and Drink Fair and the Hunting, Fishing, and Sports Fair – LORIST are both members of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). Following the latest global tendencies, we hold so-called fourth generation fairs, i.e. media, finance, investment, and medical fairs, as well as a dentristy exhibition. Aside from the International Agriculture Fair, the Novi Sad Fair is known for its Car Show, as well as construction and furniture fairs.

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www.triumph011.com ofﬁce@triumph011.com CorD 70 / April 2010 37

INTERVIEW |

AUSTRIA AS A PARTNER

We try to be the epicenter of certain cultural events and appeal to people to come to Novi Sad to see the Fair in that light too Just like German fairs, the state is now the majority owner of the Novi Sad Fair. Is this new ownership structure going to increase profit? Following a government decision, the province of Vojvodina and the City of Novi Sad will now have a majority share and also manage the Fair. Just like in the case of German and Austrian fairs, the state is the biggest shareholder, in addition to owning 22% of the capital that used to belong to the City of Novi Sad. Also, various companies own a total of 24% of the Fair, while 11% belongs to small shareholders. By having such an ownership structure, we have achieved a balance between public and private ownership, which has proved to be quite successful. Such structure also implies the state, region, and city’s assistance, and it puts positive pressure on the Fair to operate and generate profit in line with the relevant law. You say that it’s time for changes. In what respect? That’s right. We need to restructure the Fair, which is something you won’t see from the outside. It is natural for fairs to change. However, it is impossible, both economically and organizationally, for the Fair to know how to organize every single event, so the number of existing fairs is probably going to be reduced. In the following period, the Novi Sad Fair will concentrate more on exhibitions for ‘wider audiences’ and those directed towards professionals and experts – like seminars, specialized gatherings, conferences, and various presentations that will promote new services and our products. It is our goal to search and create reasons for people to want to come to Novi Sad, and the Fair is just 38 CorD 70 / April 2010

one of the suitable places for that. Also, we need to eliminate certain irrationalities and use the Fair’s venue as much as possible. This is also in line with the development plan for Novi Sad. Has the Fair become an economic ambassador in the region? Serious producers, who want to market their goods successfully, know that the Novi Sad is their ticket to European market. Manufacturers from the Republic of Srpska and many former Yugoslav republics are keen to use that opportunity through establishing regional and international contacts. The Novi Sad Fair has lived up to the role of an economic ambassador that brings people together. In that respect, we are helping companies to properly prepare themselves for fairs. We have extensive experience in organizing events, and we can teach them how to prepare their appearance at the fair in order to be as successful as possible. We can tell them what to focus on and whom to contact. This is our way of connecting people. You advocate that marketing skills should not be limited only to production. What exactly do you mean by that? We demonstrated this orientation through

n cooperation with the Novi Sad Fair, the Austrian Development Agency will implement a project of the Austrian Development Cooperation that was established within the framework of the strategic partnership in line with Integrated Regional Development Plan of Vojvodina. Yes, we did sign a contract with Austrian government and already held the first session where their experts came to Novi Sad in order to get acquainted with the company. The programme is directed towards raising the capacity of the Novi Sad Fair and training our staff in areas like the IT, sales, and marketing. We are getting ready to go to Austria in order to see Austrian fairs. The end product of this project will be organizing joint fairs.

our Investment Fair by offering the visitors the possibility to get information about 50 municipalities in one place. We understand that in order to get prepared for a sale and attract potential investors and buyers, we need to offer all kinds of products. After all, that is our role, since we need to serve as a shop window, so to speak, for our economy, society, and the state on a whole. Despite introducing many novelties, I still believe that our capacities are underutilized, and it seems to me that we are still wandering around, trying of find things to do in order to operate even better and grab a chance to export. I think that if we merge our capacities and possibilities with those of our partners, we will have a winning combination. What do you consider the biggest problem for the Fair at the moment? We are our biggest problem. We need to conquer ourselves and eliminate old habits by finally leaving socialist self-governing behind. The time has come for us to understand that that is all in the past and that we are a part of a very tough market where we have to fight for each client. Of course, we need to work hard too, and that is formula for success – to work, work, and just work.

Our task is to adequately respond to increasing market demands, and personally, I favour a healthy market competition that leads to changes and improvement.

CORPORATE

ONE CALL FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS onsing.NET was established as Konsing Group branch in order to provide complete ICT services. Our primary goal is to offload our client resources and provide services on a PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) basis. We use our knowledge of local environments to supply our customers with the most effective hardware and software implementations, services, maintenance, and additional support.

Konsing.NET’s motto is “One Call for Successful Business.” The benefit of this policy is complete, cost-saving, outsourced ICT maintenance and services. Konsing.NET offers services needed to deploy IT projects to customers successfully. This includes all the steps of a project deployment’s lifecycle, such as site assessment, site surveys, hardware distribution, staging, delivery, and maintenance. These services are delivered with time-saving and resource-planning optimization. Konsing.NET will basically manage all services in every possible location, within a specified agreement. Every Konsing.NET partner has access to a personalized web-based application – a Konsing.NET Workplace. This loyalty application enables clients to order services, track down current projects, check out upcoming events, and inspect a job’s history. We offer 24/7 care for your ICT infrastructure with our team of experienced support technicians and dispatchers. Engineer job allocation, parts and logistics operations, and field management are all looked after from here using our ISO-certified management systems. Our “One Call for Successful Business” motto also covers such basic fields as: t /FUXPSL JOGSBTUSVDUVSF BOE EBUB DFOUFST t *OUFSOFU DPOOFDUJWJUZ XJUI 71/ BOE TFDVSF DPNNVOJDBUJPOT t )BSEXBSF TPGUXBSF FOHJOFFSJOH BOE NBJOUFOBODF t *OUFHSBUFE DPNNVOJDBUJPO TZTUFNT XJUI 7P*1 DBQBCJMJUJFT t 7JEFP TVSWFJMMBODF XJUI GFBUVSFT MJLF QFPQMF DPVOUJOH PCKFDU SFDPHOJtion, etc. We also handle specific requests, because at Konsing.NET we don’t pro-

vide a “one size fits all” service. You tailor your ICT to suite your needs. Konsing.NET’s staff is comprised of reliable field engineers for basic ICT deployments and qualified ICT experts who together create a highly-skilled technical team. Our account and project managers are experienced people with long-term practice in the world of ICT. We cover all ICT services, which makes for a very comfortable and cost-effective one point-of-contact for our customers. The team of our employees, approved contractors, and certified partner companies achieves business goals cost-effectively at the highest level of quality. Konsing.NET’s engineers work with all standard hardware and software products, including Cisco, Linksys, 3Com, etc. Konsing.NET’s ICT specialists also hold a number of prestigious technical certifications (Cisco, Microsoft, AXIS etc.). Tailoring the ICT of your company is a complex procedure, and Konsing.NET provides logistics, staging, and hardware delivery services to customer sites. We do not rely on any particular vendor or distributor. Because we have a chain of dozens of vendors, resellers, certified partner companies, and contractors, we can deliver equipment on site and back for the best prices and in shortest lead times. Our solutions are always customized to deliver equipment in a way that will best suit our customer’s needs. Whether you need equipment in urban or suburban regions, we will always provide the optimal solution. Our vision is to offer IT services in a world where the importance of data networks and global accessibility is more essential than ever. We deliver complex services required for the successful implementation of physical and logical connectivity, provisioning of everyday network operations, and remedial services in case of network failure. We strive to be flexible, react quickly, and offer new services needed by our clients. Our mission is to identify, together with our partners, new ways of delivering services to their end-customers, cutting down expenses, and improving their own services..

The beneﬁt of this policy is complete, cost-saving, outsourced ICT maintenance and services. Konsing. NET offers services needed to deploy IT projects to customers successfully

CorD 70 / April 2010 39

FROM THE WORLD PRESS ISRAEL: BRINGING BACK EXPAT SCIENTISTS

LONDON TO BEIJING BY TRAIN! The Telegraph 1BTTFOHFST XJMM CF BCMF UP USBWFM CZ USBJO GSPN ,JOH T $SPTT UP #FJKJOH JO KVTU two days on trains that travel almost as fast as aeroplanes under ambitious new plans from the Chinese. China is in negotiations to build a high-speed rail network to India and Europe with trains that capable of running at over 330kmh within the next ten years. The network would eventually carry passengers from London to #FJKJOH BOE UIFO UP 4JOHBQPSF *U XPVME BMTP SVO UP *OEJB BOE 1BLJTUBO BDDPSE ing to Wang Mengshu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a senior consultant on Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s domestic high-speed rail project. 1BTTFOHFST DPVME CPBSE B USBJO JO -POEPO BOE TUFQ PGG JO #FJKJOH kilometers away as the crow flies, in just two days. They could go on to Singapore, 11000 kilometers away, within three days. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are aiming for the trains to run almost as fast as aeroplanes,â&#x20AC;? said Mr Wang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best case scenario is that the three networks will be completed in a decade,â&#x20AC;? he added. Mr. Wang said that China was already in negotiations with 17 countries over the rail lines, which will draw together and open up the whole of Central, East and South East Asia. Mr. Wang said the network would also allow China to transport valuable cargoes of raw materials more efficiently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was not China that pushed the idea to start with,â&#x20AC;? said Mr. Wang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the other countries that came to us, especially India.â&#x20AC;? China is in the middle of a â&#x201A;Ź540 billion domestic railway expansion project that aims to build nearly 19,000 miles of new railways in the next five years, connecting up all of its major cities with high-speed lines. Currently, the only rail line that links China to South East Asia is an antiquated track built CZ UIF 'SFODI JO 7JFUOBN B DFOUVSZ BHP 5IF "TJBO %FWFMPQNFOU #BOL IBT

Currently, the only rail line that links China to South East Asia is an antiquated track built by the French in Vietnam a century ago recently agreed a second â&#x201A;Ź30 million loan as part of the â&#x201A;Ź105 reconstruction of Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network, which should finish by 2013. The cost of the MJOFT GSPN $BNCPEJB UP 4JOHBQPSF BOE UIFO GSPN 7JFUOBN UP $IJOB DPVME be roughly â&#x201A;Ź450 million. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From our point of view, the biggest issue is money,â&#x20AC;? said Mr Wang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will use government money and bank loans, but the railways may also raise financing from the private sector and also from the host countries.â&#x20AC;? As for passengers, Mr Wang predicted that in a decadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time, visa restrictions on travel through Asia â&#x20AC;&#x153;will be further liftedâ&#x20AC;?. 40 CorD 70 / April 2010

Haaretz The Israeli government has adopted a $350 million plan to lure back its scientists working abroad, Israeli media reported yesterday. According to Haaretz, the scheme will create 30 academic excellence centers to attract leading scientists currently working abroad. The government will provide one third of the money; the remainder has to come from academic institutions and philanthropies. Universities will compete to host the centers. A pilot program of five excellence centers will begin during the upcoming academic year. Sources close to the Council for Higher Education said the first centers to open would focus on economics and computer science, two areas in which Israeli scientists have made particularly important contributions to international research. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly a step in the right direction,â&#x20AC;? Eytan Abraham, an Israeli research fellow at the Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Biomedical Engineering Center, tells ScienceInsider. Abraham is MITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representative of BioAbroad, a group that tries to facilitate the return of biomedical scientists, entrepreneurs, and physicians to Israel, for instance, by bringing them into contact with companies there and funding travel for job interviews. Many Israeli expat scientist want to go back, Abraham says; to wit, more

The small number of scientific positions available in Israeli academia is a major obstacle

than 100 showed up in Boston for a 2 January meeting about the topic with Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. The small number of scientific positions available in Israeli academia is a major obstacle, Abraham says. But he cautions that it remains to be seen whether academic institutions and private donors will come through with their share of the money. He also notes that the program is for academic posts only; a similar initiative should aim to open up jobs in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry, says Abraham.

EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 10 RICHEST Forbes Europe now over 200 billionaires with a total wealth of over 730 billions. More than one-third of that wealth is held by the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 25 richest. Among them are the people behind some of our favorite brands and TUPSFT MJLF -PVJT 7VJUUPO *LFB ) . /VUFMMB BOE 5SBEFS +PF T 3VTTJB UBLFT the lead with nine of the top 25, followed by Germany and Sweden with four apiece. Here are the list of 10 the richest Europeans. 1. BERNARD ARNAULT â&#x201A;Ź20 billion; France; Source: LVMH Bling is back, helping fashion icon grab title of richest European for first time as shares of his luxury goods outfit -7.) NBLFS PG -PVJT 7VJUUPO .PFU $IBOEPO TVSHF 3FOBJTTBODF NBO PXOT 'SFODI UPVS PQFSBUPS (P 7PZBHFT ZBDIU CVJMEFS

3PZBM 7BO -FOU IBT B TUBLF JO 'SFODI SFUBJMFS $BSSFGPVS 2. AMANCIO ORTEGA â&#x201A;Ź 18.2 billion; Spain; Source: Zara Style maven lords over Inditex. Fashion firm, which operates under several brand names, including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, has 4,500 stores in 73 countries, including new spots in Mexico and Syria. Set up joint venture with Tata Group subsidiary to enter India in 2010. 3.KARL ALBRECHT â&#x201A;Ź17.1 billion; Germany; Souce: Aldi Owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud, one of Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (and Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) dominant grocers. Has 1,000 stores in U.S. across 29 states. Estimated sales: â&#x201A;Ź27 billion. 1MBOT UP PQFO /FX :PSL TUPSF UIJT ZFBS 8JUI ZPVOHFS CSPUIFS 5IFP USBOTformed motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corner grocery store into Aldi after World War II. 4. INGVAR KAMPRAD & FAMILY â&#x201A;Ź16.8 billion; Sweden; Source: Ikea Ikeaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation under fire. In Russia company fired two top managers for allowing bribes to a power supplier. In France firm is facing an extended workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strike. A former managing director has published a book exposing questionable ethics. 5. STEFAN PERSSON â&#x201A;Ź16,3 billion; Sweden. Source: Hennes & Mauritz i$IFBQ DIJDw NPHVM JT DIBJSNBO PG )FOOFT .BVSJU[ ) . QSPNPUFE TPO ,BSM +PIBO UP DIJFG FYFDVUJWF JO July. Retailer is known for bringing on big names, like Karl Lagerfeld, 6. LILIANE BETTENCOURT â&#x201A;Ź14.5 billion; France .Source: Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Oreal Makeup heiressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fortune rebounding with Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Oreal shares. Company, founded by her father, celebrated its 100th birthday in 2009. Last year only daughter and heir, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, petitioned courts to investigate reported â&#x201A;Ź1.0 billion worth of cash and gifts her mother allegedly gave to Francois-Marie Banier, 61, a well-known photographer, writer and painter she befriended. Daughter claims Banier took advantage of her mother, who became a widow in 2007. Liliane denies it. 7. MICHAEL OTTO & FAMILY â&#x201A;Ź13.6 billion; Germany. Source: Retail Father Werner Otto, who turned 100 last August, started out with a 14-page shoe catalog in 1949. Michael joined in 1971, expanded operations overseas and moved company into Internet sales; now worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second biggest Internet retailer after Amazon. 8. MICHELE FERRERO & FAMILY â&#x201A;Ź 12.4 billion; Italy. Source: Chocolates Secretive chocolate chief mulled bidding for British rival Cadbury; backed off this January. Richest man in Italy owns privately held Ferrero, chocolatier that makes such brands BT 'FSSFSP 3PDIFS /VUFMMB 5JD 5BD BOE ,JOEFS &HHT 4BMFT Ăť CJMMJPO 9. THEO ALBRECHT â&#x201A;Ź12.2 billion; Germany, Source: Aldi, Trader Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Owns discount supermarket group Aldi Nord. With estimated sales of Ăť CJMMJPO TUJMM B TFDUPS MFBEFS CVU MPTU HSPVOE UIJT ZFBS BT GMBU TBMFT and strong rivals in some of its European markets pushed down profits. Has been more successful with his U.S. holding: discount food chain

Trader Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 340 stores have attracted cost-conscious customers during the recession. 10. VLADIMIR LISIN â&#x201A;Ź11.5 billion; Russia, Source: Steel Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s richest is a proletarian success story. First job was as a mechanic in a coal mine. After college in Siberia got job as steelworker. In 1991, when his boss was appointed minister of metallurgy, Lisin came with him to Moscow.

MJ ESTATE SIGNS SWEEPING CONTRACT New York Times Nine months after Michael Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, his estate has signed one of the biggest recording contracts in history, giving Sony the rights to sell his back catalog and draw on a large vault of unheard recordings. The deal, for about 10 recordings through 2017, will guarantee the Jackson estate up to $250 million in advances and other payments and offer an especially high royalty rate for sales both inside and outside the United States, according to people with knowledge of the contract who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly. It also allows Sony and the estate to collaborate on a wide range of lucrative licensing arrangements, like the use of Jackson music for films, television and stage shows and lines of memorabilia that will be limited only by the imagination of the estate and the demand of a hungry worldwide market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think that recordings will always be an important part of the estate,â&#x20AC;? said John Branca, an entertainment lawyer who is one of the estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s executors. The first recording covered by the new contract is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Is Itâ&#x20AC;? soundtrack, released last year, and Sony plans a new album of unreleased recordings for November. Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contract is a bet on the continued appeal of Mr. Jackson, whose

The deal, for about 10 recordings through 2017, will guarantee the Jackson estate up to $250 million in advances

sales spiked after his death in June at the age of 50. With overall record sales on a decade-long plunge, mega-deals like this one have become rare, and Mr. Branca said the deal â&#x20AC;&#x153;exceeds all previous industry benchmarks.â&#x20AC;? Five years ago Bruce Springsteen signed a deal with Sony worth B SFQPSUFE NJMMJPO BOE JO -JWF /BUJPO BOE +BZ ; TUSVDL B million deal for recordings, concert tours and other rights. Demand for Jackson music has leveled off after the initial rush â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the weeks after his death Sony scrambled to replenish retailersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stock of any and all Jackson titles â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but remains high. Last year Mr. Jackson was the CJHHFTU TFMMJOH BSUJTU JO UIF 6OJUFE 4UBUFT CZ B XJEF NBSHJO XJUI NJMlion combined album sales and 12.4 million downloads of single tracks. Since his death Mr. Jackson has sold more than 31 million albums, about two-thirds of them outside the US. CorD 70 / April 2010 41

FACES & PLACES |

H.E. Mr. Samuel Valis-Akyianu with members od diplomatic core on The National Day of Ghana wich was celebrated in Belgrade on March 6th. This is the date when Ghana gained independence from British rule.

Several hundred schoolchildren from cities and towns across Serbia submitted their ideas for the alternative and green Olympic logo or mascot. A drawing competition â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;On the Road to London 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122; was jointly organized by the British Embassy Belgrade and Danas daily newspaper. Vlade Divac, President of Serbian Olympic Committe (left) talking to Mrs. Wordsworth and H.E. Sephen Wordsworth. Mark Harrison, the Principal of Harrisons Solicitors talking to Srdja Popovic

42 CorD 70 / April 2010

The Republic of Bulgaria celebrated “liberation day.” H.E. Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia, at the reception in Bulgarian embassy in Belgrade, welcomes H.E. Alexander Konuzin (left) and H.E. Mary Warlick.

Presenting touristic potentials of Egypt at the Hyatt Regency Belgrade. A delegation from Egypt met Serbian ofﬁcials, and talks were held between Mr. Slobodan Milosavljevic, Minister of Trade and Services and his Egyptian colleague, Rasheed Mohamed Rasheed.

Austrian artist Gina Rosch with HE Armando Varrrichio and guests on occasion of opening of her exhibition in Italian cultural centre “Palazzo Italia” in Belgrade

CorD 70 / April 2010 43

FACES & PLACES |

Mr. Nebojsa Bradic, Serbian Minister of Culture, opened an exhibition “Tunisia – streets and views from afar,” by Jelena Arandjelovic and Nebojsa Popovic. H.E. Houria Ferchichi, Ambassador of Tunisia, attended the event.

HE Mrs Houria Ferchichi, ambassador of Tunisia talking to HE Stephen Wordsworth ambassador of Grate Britain

Dancing performance “Fragrances of Cinnamon” celebrated 21st birthday of BITEF Theatre in Belgrade. Guy Visemann, an Israeli artist made a choreography which was performed by “Bitef Dance Company”

The British Serbian Chamber of Commerce celebrated its second year in Serbia at a reception held in the KPMG revision house. H.E. Stephen Wordsworth, British Ambassador in Serbia, State Secretary Nebojsa Ciric, and James Torly, partner at KPMG addressed the guests.

44 CorD 70 / April 2010

NEW TALENTS

Party Time

Best seven students were elected new Coca Cola Talents. The awarded students will get chance to pass the trainings to become future business leaders and to work with company’s managers and gain practical skills which they can’t find during studies. Apart from that, they will get 2000 Euros each in the next two years. Sotiris Yanopoulos, CEO of Coca Cola Hellenic Serbia was very pleased to be in company with talented future managers. One ow the awarded, Ana Dragutinovic, sees the award as a great chance for professional development and inside view into huge international company.

ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOLS FOR MENTALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN The charity Easter Bazaar, dedicated to the schools for mentally challenged children, took place in the Savograd branch of Credit Agricole Serbia. The proceeds will be given to the schools for the mentally disabled children which are going to buy materials needed for the children to engage in creative work.

Jasna Dimitrijevic MD of Belgrade Tourist Organization TRAVEL & MEETINGS On occasion of publishing the first regional specialized magazine in the area of business travel and congressional tourism in the region of Southeast Europe, “SEE Business Travel & Meetings Magazine” as well as the successful presentation on the Tourism Fair, a party was held in “Ušće” Business Center. Lots of distinguished guests both from country and abroad attended.

PERWOLL WHITE MAGIC A new Perwoll White Magic detergent was promoted along with new collection „Galactic“ by Ana Ljubinkovic who was inspired by this very brand. CEO of Henkel Serbia Nenad Vuković says „Galactic“ reflects Perwoll White Magic’s identity. Ana Ljubinkovic’s cheerful collections seem to be ideal choice for the next season.

FRITZ HENKEL INOVATION AWARD This is the most significant prize Henkel gives to members of all three business sectors of the company: Cosmetics, Detergents and house chemistry and Adhesive technologies. Award is bearing the name of company’s founder who was a founder of many revolutionary technologies himself. His first self-activating detergent made a revolution in the beginning of the XX century in laundry business.

| B2B |

PIRAEUS BANK GROUP FULLYEAR 2009 RESULTS

t the end of February 2010, Piraeus Bank Group officially announced its business results for 2009. On this occasion, considering the recession and difficult global economic conjuncture, key directions for the Group’s actions were defined: liquidity, capital adequacy, asset quality, and cost containment remain priorities for 2010 as well. “Greek economy is up against important fiscal and structural challenges, which require bold measures in order to put the economy back on its growth course. The Stability and Growth Pact 2010-2013, as it is being formulated in collaboration with the European Union, is in the right direction. Upon its implementation, Greece will have the opportunity to restore its public finances and promote structural reforms which will lead the country to a safer economic environment. During this critical period, the private sector’s contribution is of equal importance with initiatives and actions that will improve competitiveness and lead to economic recovery,” stated Mr. Michalis Sallas, Chairman of Piraeus Bank Group. Piraeus Group pre-provision profit amounted to €780 million in 2009 compared to €774 million in 2008. Net revenues and operating expenses also remained at 2008 levels, while provision expense increased to €491million versus €388 million due to unfavourable economic conditions. Net profit in 2009 reached €235 million, adjusting for the oneoff tax, net profit amounted to €202 million.

LAND FOR FREE

At the end of 2009, the Group had a network of 872 branches (359 in Greece and 513 abroad) and its equity capital amounted to €3,616 million. Client deposits, repos and retail bonds issued amounted to €30,755 million, net loans reached €37,688 million, and total assets were €54,280 million. Commenting on the Group’s financial results for 2009 and further plans, Mr. Michalis Sallas pointed out that next steps for business growth are being prepared, both in Southeastern European countries, which are gradually entering a recovery phase, as well as in Greece.

he Act on Sale and Lease of Building Plots, at prices lower than current market ones or free of charge, came into force on March 20th. According to the act, local authorities are allowed to sell or lease out publicly-owned building plots at prices lower than the market ones or even free of charge provided that the local authority in question has obtained government permission to do so in line with the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction, the Official Gazette of Serbia writes. The building plot sold or leased in line with the new act can be used only for the construction of facilities of special importance, provided that the result of such construction activity will be a 1% increase in the number of employees in the relevant municipality. The companies that will be stimulated are the ones that plan to build socially beneficial residential housing, i.e. housing for civil servants, as well as those that plan to build housing in line with the act on supporting the construction industry via subsidized interest rates. Construction investors have expressed their dissatisfaction with this government act, since it would entail re-issuing of relevant permits. Local authorities share the same view saying that this will further complicate administration procedures which precede construction.

task force in charge of implementing the cooperation. The Ministry of Infrastructure proposes cooperation in the purchase of freight wagons, electric and diesel passenger trains, modernization of capacities for vehicle maintenance, purchase of mechanization and equipment for infrastructure maintenance, and acquisition of

mobile manipulators for loading and unloading of goods. Serbia is also interested in cooperation in the construction of container terminals on Corridor 10, the purchase of new information technologies and cooperation in the digitalization of the telecommunication network with optical infrastructure.

SWEDEN ON SERBIAN RAILROADS

inister of Infrastructure, Milutin Mrkonjic and Swedish Ambassador in Belgrade H.E. Krister Bringéus signed a Memorandum of Cooperation covering railway transport on behalf of the governments of the two countries. According to Mrkonjic, the Memorandum stipulates financial assistance to Serbian Railways that will be used in acquiring new technologies, participation of Swedish experts in projects in Serbia, and forming a mixed Serbian-Swedish

46 CorD 70 / April 2010

GIVING BARRACKS FOR BUILDINGS

erbian Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac says that allowing residential housing to be built in the location of the Stepa Stepanović military barracks in Belgrade is a great idea towards helping existing and former army officers resolve their housing problems. The Ministry of Defence handed over the barracks to the Ministry for Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning, which is the project leader. “The idea is for the Ministry of Defence, in agreement with the Building Directorate of Serbia, to be allocated a certain number of flats not only in the Belgrade location, but also in several other towns in Serbia,” Šutanovac said. Recalling the residential housing programme and providing interest-free mortgage loans to army pensioners, the Minister outlined that this year would be one of the most successful when it comes to tackling housing problems of former and current army officers. “For the third consecutive year, we have more available flats compared to the number of new recruits, so we are dedicated to resolving inherited problems,” the Minister added. He also pointed out problems with overhead because the ministry is dispersed over several locations. The Defence Minister also said that he would like the Ministry itself to be allocated its own building that would also house the Army Headquarters as its integral part. Šutanovac thinks that the building should be constructed on a piece of land owned by the Army, like Banjica, near the Military Medical Academy (VMA), in order to avoid additional costs. “On the account of the destroyed Army Headquarters building on Knez Miloša Street, and following the estimate done by the tax administration, we would be given a new building to suit the Ministry’s needs,” the Defence Minister explained.

DESIGN:

THE STUFF OF WHICH CONVERTIBLE DREAMS ARE MADE

rom the very first drawings, Mercedes designers were sure of one thing: only a classic fabric soft top can convey the stylistically pure convertible feeling. Consequently, the new E-Class Cabriolet, which combines an elegant appearance with a high awareness of tradition, had to have a soft top. Viewed from the side, the two-door model offers an enticing mix of clear proportions and a flawless convertible silhouette, including a long bonnet, wide doors, a high beltline with elongated side windows, a lowered soft top contour, and a short rear overhang. This look is complemented by the powerfully muscular section in the side wall at the rear axle and a slender C-pillar. As well as sharing family traits with the other E-Class models, the new Cabriolet has its own, distinct identity characterised by a greater sense of passion. The arrow shape of the entire front section from front bumper to radiator grille to bonnet, the more extreme interpretation of the twin headlamp face and its more sinewy build give it a racier and more dynamic presence than the Saloon. At the same time, the close family ties with the E-Class Coupé are clearly apparent.

NEW TRADE LAW

SHOPPING IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

ue to lower prices of food, fuel, and textiles, citizens of Loznica, Šabac, and Belgrade have started to engage in a bit of crossborder shopping in Bosnia where, for example, fuel is 20% cheaper. Shopping across the Drina River is appealing due to VAT return, so for every 100 convertible marks a person spends, up to 23 marks are given back. Also, meat and meat products are cheaper in Bosnia (by 10%), while Bosnian shop owners say that Serbian shoppers mostly buy food and household cleaning products. All three currencies are accepted – euros, dinars, and the convertible mark. Also, there is a heightened interest for shopping tours in Hungary (the town of Szeged, to be more precise). In Hungary, a Serbian shopper can save up to 25% on the VAT return. In some cases, food in Hungary is cheaper by 50% compared to that sold in Serbian shops.

erbian Trade and Services Minister Slobodan Milosavljevic has announced the adoption of a Law on Trade, which is in its final stage, and a Law on Consumer Protection. The Minister pointed out that the draft law on trade will include suggestions from businessmen, and explained that the law stipulates freedom of trade, equality, and a ban on trade restrictions. Milosavljevic added that the new law on trade will be based on the principles of free trade, equal status of all merchants, and the common market of Serbia. The Minister also announced that the law will enter the parliamentary procedure in June. Under the new law, all traders will be required to have a fair relationship with consumers and users of their services, ensuring quality and a continuous supply of basic market products and services and registered agricultural products. The new law will regulate trade in green markets for the first time, the Minister said, noting that there are over 400,000 registered agricultural households in Serbia. For the first time ever, the law will contain stipulations about freelance professions, like artists. CorD 70 / April 2010 47

B2B |

NEW BANKING VISION 5  TRADITION THAT BRINGS EXCELLENCE

he New Banking Vision Conference is about bringing together members of SEE governments, governors of central banks, high-level executives from leading banks and financial institutions, and ICT professionals in order to debate FSI market challenges and the latest technologies and know-how. The Conference will provide guidelines for the demands of modern banking and emerging regional economies. For the fifth year in a row, New Banking Vision is based on a proven concept and history followed by supreme organization. The previous four New Banking Vision Conferences were held at Ohrid (Macedonia) and proved to be highly successful, with active participation and attendance of more than 1000 top managers from banks, financial organizations, as well as the highest level of government officials. This year, NBV 5 will take place from May 25th-28th in Hotel “Sol Coral,” Umag, on the gorgeous Istrian peninsula in Croatia. It is organized by Asseco Southeastern Group, one of the strongest IT solution providers for FSI in the region.

REASONS TO JOIN US At the New Banking Vision Conference you will find out how innovations can help improve your business and you can build a valuable executives network. Participation at the NBV is a chance to become acquainted with the latest trends, get an insight into the FSI market environment, exchange experiences, and make business arrangements. 48 CorD 70 / April 2010

STOP TO PRIVATIZATION OF PKB

elgrade authorities are not giving up on their plan of acquiring PKB (The Belgrade Agricultural Combine), which used to be one of the biggest agricultural estates in the country. Today, the company is mostly engaged in producing dairy products and seed exports. City authorities say that they want to put PKB under local control in order to prevent wrongdoings when the time comes for the company to be privatized. Most of the land owned by PKB is located in the same place as the bridge that will connect Borča to Zemun, which could lead to the price of land plots there going up several times, so city politicians fear that the future owner of PKB might change the original purpose of this agricultural land and thus raise its price. Close to 2,000 families in Borča, Pančevo, and Zrenjanin have one or several family members working in PKB. Business journalist Mijat Lakićević says that the main reason behind the city authorities’

wanting to take over PKB stems from the latest tendencies of the state’s re-gaining control over certain companies. “This is in accordance with a certain policy that they started to implement last year, according to which the state is taking over selected companies. This is not only the case with agricultural companies. It seems to me that by doing this, current Belgrade and state authorities are trying to gain a political advantage rather than an economic one, because in the case of PKB, the state’s taking over the company would only cause additional costs to Serbian tax payers. PKB has been generating losses and will do so in the future, since the company will not be able to operate in a profitable way,” says Lakićević. PKB disposes of 22,000 hectares of land, and has been posting losses for number of years, despite state subsidies.

OPERATOR FOR SALE

elekom Serbia is most likely going to be sold in the latter half of the year, says the Serbian government, with Deutsche Telekom being the most probable choice for the acquisition. The German company, via its Greek partner, already owns a 20% stake in the Serbian ground and mobile telephony operator. So far, only Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković and Telecommunications Minister Jasna Matić have publicly advocated Telekom’s sale. Prime Minister Cvetković said that it “would be smart” to sell Telekom, adding that the abolishment of the monopoly on ground telephony services this year would create a real opportunity and a need to privatize Telekom. Although the sales model, which will be applied in Telekom’s case, still hasn’t been ascertained, Prime Minister Cvetković says that the company will be sold via tender. The former Privatization Minister, Aleksandar Vlahović, says that now is the right time to sell Telekom since the company is in a good financial shape, warning that before the sale takes place, it is vital to ascertain who actually owns the company. The Post Offices of Serbia (PTT Serbia) has a 20% stake in the company, so it is still not clear whether PTT will sell the stake or the state. Anyhow, Vlahović estimates Telekom’s worth at over a billion euros. For the past thirteen years, no one has ever mentioned selling Telekom and this is the only large privatisation talked about in Serbia at the moment, since the state is adamant in not selling Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) for now. There are vast differences in opinion whether EPS should be sold, but everybody agrees that the privatization of this company should not be carried out any time soon.

NO MORE.YU

ESKILLS IN SERBIA

In Central and Eastern Europe, companies and organizations employ a total of 392,000 IT professionals who are actively working with Microsoft’s technologies

-skills cannot be viewed any longer by state institutions or the private sector as only an added advantage, it was said at the round table discussion held under the auspices of the European Union, the European Commission, the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and Microsoft Serbia. “The European Union has recognized the importance of e-skills when it comes to increasing the economy’s competitiveness, and we should follow suit,” Telecommunications and Information Society Minister Jasna Matić said at the opening. “The results of the last IDC study demonstrate an absolute need for development of e-skills in Europe where, in the next five years, over 90% of job openings will require knowledge of IT skills, regardless of the business sector or the company’s size,” said Director General of Microsoft Serbia Vladan Živanović. “In Serbia, just like in Europe, Microsoft is dedicated to enabling citizens to develop and learn e-skills. We are cooperating with the Serbian government, NGOs, academic institutions, and businesses on various programmes in order to support and encourage e-skills training and education for as many people as possible,” Živanović add-

ed. In Central and Eastern Europe, companies and organizations employ a total of 392,000 IT professionals who are actively working with Microsoft’s technologies and this number will grow significantly in the following period. Serbia is by no means an exception to this rule. The need for IT specialists is growing, as evident in Microsoft’s Development Centre in Belgrade announcing twelve new job openings for computer programmers. “In the last ten years, by investing in the ICT sector, 15 EU countries have increased their work productivity by 50%. The problem with our economy is a generation gap and this is where e-skills are needed the most.” says Jelena Jovanović, Secretary General of the IT Association in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. E-skills are needed for people to achieve both personal and professional growth, which in turn contributes to economic development. The round table discussion was an excellent meeting place for all key participants, and an opportunity to present results achieved so far and further development directions of e-skills. State authorities, the National Employment Service, IAN Telecentre Europe, Smart, and CET all presented their experiences with IT education and further plans in this area.

s of March 30th, all URL addresses ending with .yu will be cancelled and replaced with .rs. The National Register of Internet Domain Names (RNIDS) has already extended the deadline, since there are still 4,000 web users that haven’t changed their e-addresses. According to the RNIDS, many users are not ready for the domain to be cancelled, since quite a few e-mail addresses, contained in various databases and Internet search engines still have the .yu domain. The RNIDS says that there was a total of 40,000 e-mail addresses ending with .yu, with 36,000 of them cancelled due to users’ failing to renew them within the required deadlines. The registration of the .rs domain began on March 10th, 2008, with a total of 50,000 addresses registered to date. Jasna Matic, Serbian Minister of the Telecommunications and Information Society, said that Serbia will get a Cyrillic internet domain by the end of this year. Speaking at a celebration of the two-year anniversary of the Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names, Matic said that the Cyrillic internet domain will make the internet “fully accessible to everyone.” According to the Minister, the Cyrillic internet domain name will enable

better communication between the state and citizens, facilitate the use of e-government and e-commerce, and increase the competitiveness of Serbia. “Public debate on the introduction of internet domain names in Cyrillic should lead us to a solution on how Serbia should be represented in its official script,” Matic said. Citing “.srb” as a possible domain solution, the minister explained that the acronym has to contain at least one character that is different than any other in the Latin script, or be specific to the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet. Internet domain names in non-Latin scripts have already been given to Russia and three Arab countries, while they are being prepared for Bulgaria, China, and Japan. CorD 70 / April 2010 49

B2B |

RUSSIA

GERMANY

The agreement applies to any company in all business sectors in the two countries. Academic institutions can serve as subcontractors

Pentagon “would consider a reasonable extension to the RFP (Request for Proposals) deadline” for a $35 billion supertanker contract, currently set for May 10. He added that such an extension was “not unusual.”

ISRAEL AND RUSSIA SIGN R&D COOPERATION AGREEMENT

inister of Industry, Trade and Labor Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and Minister of Industry and Energy Victor Khristenko last month signed an Research & Development cooperation agreement in Moscow. The agreement applies to any company in all business sectors in the two countries. Academic institutions can serve as subcontractors. Ben-Eliezer began his visit to Moscow with a speech to the Israel-Russia Business Forum. “20% of Israel’s population speaks Russian. This fact creates a special link between the two nations and business communities of both countries. We want to strengthen and leverage the ties between our countries in media, technology, agriculture, and other fields.” Article continues after advertisements Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov told the forum that the economic relations between two countries have a won-

Victor Khristenko

THE WORST IS OVER!

After suffering an extremely difficult year, watch and jewellery makers have gathered in Switzerland for Baselworld, the industry’s biggest trade show hey say they are hopeful that the worst is over as sales figures show demand is still fragile but improving. In January, exports of watches from Switzerland rose after falling for the previous 14 months. The US, Europe and Japan are still difficult markets, but in parts of Asia, particularly China, people are buying again. Jean-Daniel Pasche, President of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, said: “2009 was a difficult year for many brands and many suppliers. But at the end of last 50 CorD 70 / April 2010

ut it’s unclear whether EADS will indeed submit a proposal to build the 179 new refueling aircraft. “It’s clear that in the 60-day timeframe, that it’s impossible for anybody, even Lockheed Martin, to build a solution,” EADS chief Louis Gallois said.

derful joint future. He added that he hopes that new agreements would be signed as a result of the meeting. “Israel’s experience, know-how, and achievements are important and essential to Russia. The geographical proximity and the number of Russian-speakers in Israel will greatly help increase trade,” he said.

SWITZERLAND

DEADLINE EXTENSION

year we did already see a slight improvement in export figures.” There are more than 2,000 exhibitors at this year’s show and 100,000 visitors are expected to check out the new trends. The manufacturers said that one trend is that, throughout the economic crisis, sales of lower and medium priced watches have not suffered as badly as the high end models. In the long term that could be problem for the watch makers with a shift in demand away from the priciest watches hitting their profit margins.

Rooting for the home team? EADS, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space company, had announced the day before that it was seeking a “mediumsized” acquisition of a US firm in the hopes it would give it a leg up in future bids for American military contracts. EADS’ partnership with American firm Northrop Grumman collapsed earlier last month, along with their previous attempt to bid for the tanker contract. Both parties, along with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, had complained that the bid rules unfairly favored US competitor Boeing. The EADS-Northrop team had won the original contract in February 2008, but that was cancelled after Boeing successfuly appealed to Congress. The new tankers would replace the Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, which have been in use since the 1950s. In the last bidding round, Boeing had offered a variation of its 767 aircraft, while EADS and Northrop offered a modifed Airbus 330.

ROMENIA

COUNTRYSIDE TRANSFORMED Only two weeks after the death of Ceausescu and his wife Elena, I was travelling through eastern Europe and found myself crossing the Romanian border, where I expected to find a wasteland of bulldozed settlements. By William Blacker, DW nstead I found villages more intact and more beautiful than any I had seen in all of eastern Europe. It was then I discovered that Ceausescu’s plans to “systematize” the villages had never been carried out. Not only were the villages beautiful but they were also full of people, all of whom had jobs. The land around the villages was neatly cultivated, there were thriving forests, and nowhere was there any sign of advertising or neon lights. Today the communist cooperative farms have closed down, and to find work villagers are forced to travel abroad, often lured by false promises and ending up begging and working in prostitution. The forests are being chopped down at a rate faster than at any time since World War II - there is now 20 percent less forestland in Romania than in 1989 - and the once pris-

tine countryside is now littered not only with plastic, but also with advertising billboards and neon lights promoting the same Western products which create that litter. The modern world has blundered in with barely a thought for the consequences. Those villagers who didn’t go abroad to work have until now, with their few animals, managed to survive. But this year the pace of change accelerated. In August I watched as monstrous, EU financed machines rumbled though my village and headed for the hay meadows. There they roared up and down spewing forth huge, cylindrical hay-bales. One man operated each machine, and the jobs of 20 people, mostly Sinti and Roma, were gone in a moment. The benign, smallscale agriculture upon which the villagers relied was brought ever nearer its end. You might think the EU agricultural subsidies

given directly to farmers are helping - and in a way they are - but they are given only to those who already have more than a certain amount of land or number of animals. The smallest subsistence farmers receive nothing, and so, as ever, the rich get richer and the poor are squeezed out. But there is a greater irony. Those lucky enough to receive EU subsidies, often pocketing large sums of money, are using them to modernize their 18th and 19th century village houses beyond all recognition, turning them into garish villas which bear no resemblance to the historic architecture around them. For a tiny proportion of the money spent on subsidizing agriculture, the EU could have ensured that Romania’s historic architecture was properly legally protected. It did not.

SWEDEN

VATTENFALL SELLS GERMAN POWER GRID

Swedish energy firm Vattenfall has sold its German power grid to Belgian and Australian firms. The move appears to be part of a continuing trend of energy groups shedding highly-regulated power grids in favor of more profitable markets

tate-owned Swedish energy group Vattenfall announced that it would sell its high-voltage power grid to Belgian firm Elia and Australia’s Industry Funds Management. The sale was priced at 810 million euros, with 60 percent going to Elia, a power network management company, and the rest going to infrastructure specialist IFM. “The sale reinforces our position in the perspective of participating in the constitution of a true European energy market,” Elia chief Daniel Dobbeni said. Vattenfall’s head of European activities,

Tuomo Hatakka, said at a news conference that the grid was strategic because “it links vast offshore wind farms in the Baltic and North Seas with consumer industries in northern Germany.” He added that Vattenfall was “not obliged” to sell the grid, and that the decision has been part of a longer-term plan since mid 2008. Vattenfall’s German grid has a regulated val-

ue of 1.2 billion euros - nearly 50 percent more than the value of the sale. Heavy regulation in the energy market often translates to market values of grids being much lower than regulated values. The grid serves about 18 million people in eastern and northern Germany and covers 9,700 kilometers of high-voltage lines. The sale increases Elia’s holdings to 143,000 square kilometers serving 29 million customers. Utilities across Europe have sold off lucrative but state-regulated power grids in favor of more profitable energy markets, where limited competition often leads to a market oligopoly. In February, German’s largest power company E.ON sold its grid to Dutch group TenneT for 1.1 billion euros. The European Commission has put pressure on major power companies in Germany to break up production and distribution responsibilities to increase competition and lower prices. CorD 70 / April 2010 51

SPORT

2010

23RD BELGRADE MARATHON

CHARITY MASTERS 2010

The 23rd Belgrade Marathon and CorD CHARITY MASTERS will be held on Sunday, April 18, 2010.

he Belgrade Marathon is Serbia’s biggest traditional sports event that attracts the most turnout, and as such has been declared an event of special importance for Belgrade by the Belgrade City Council. Belgrade Marathon Ltd. is the authorised organiser of the Belgrade Marathon. The Belgrade Marathon comprises the 5km Fun Run, a halfmarathon, and a marathon. It is considered the major sports

52 CorD 70 / April 2010

and promotional event traditionally held in the country. The Children’s Marathon and the Belgrade Marathon draw significant attention from national media every spring. Each year, video clips are broadcast worldwide by major satellite channels and TV networks in over 160 countries. The world’s leading running magazines and the most significant daily newspapers, as well as renowned internet web sites, dedicate significant space to the event.

CHILDREN’S MARATHON 2010 The Children’s Marathon is a unique event, which sprang into being over a decade ago The Children’s Marathon will be held at the Belgrade Zoo on April 10, 2010, one week before the “big” marathon. It represents the final competition for the winners of qualification races held in 150 of Belgrade’s kindergartens. Selected among 18,000 boys and girls, the 150 fastest will compete in 12 qualification and one final race on the now-famous 230m long circuit around the elephant’s cage.

The Children’s Marathon is a unique event, which sprang into being over a decade ago, with the aim to incite timely physical preparation and selection of the fastest pre-school children, not only as potential track and field athletes, but for other sports as well. The European Athletics (EA) included the Children’s Marathon in its support plan for events of special importance for the development of athletics in Europe.

CHARITY MASTERS – FAQS How can I apply to compete in the CorD Charity Masters race? Send an email or fax with a completed registration form to e-mail - charitymasters@cordmagazine.com; fax (+381 11) 3089988. The closing date for registration in the CorD Charity Masters is Monday 12th April. Who will check how many kilometres have been completed by the runners? This is charity race and each runner is expected to calculate the length of their own race. In addition, special referees will be tasked with assisting for half and full marathon runners. How does one either become a sponsor or obtain a sponsor? Sponsors can be any individual, company, organisation, association or mission which accepts to pay the runner. Sponsors could also include work colleagues willing to collect funds for your charity of choice. You can obtain sponsorship within your company or from family members, friends... whoever wants to join this charity race. How many participants will be accepted for the CorD Charity Masters? In agreement with the organisers of the 23rd Belgrade Marathon, all participants who apply for the CorD Charity

Masters will be accepted. Is there a minimum sponsorship level per kilometre? The amount of money individuals give for sponsoring charity efforts is not always the most important factor. Accordingly, there is no set minimum. What percentage of the money raised will go to charity? 100% of the money raised is to go to charity. Will CorD Charity Masters run alongside all other participants of the Belgrade Marathon? Yes. Members of the CorD Charity Masters team will start the race at the same time as all other runners competing in the 23nd Belgrade Marathon. CorD 70 / April 2010 53

SPORT |

MAN OF DIGNITY For decades, Borislav Stanković has been one of the most noted people in Serbian and global sports. He’s been present in basketball for almost 60 years, and he spent a total of 26 years as the Secretary General of the World Basketball Federation – FIBA. Then president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, invited Stanković to join the Committee in 1988, not actually being aware that was providing Stanković with an opportunity to defend the interests of his country and sports during a time when civil war ravaged the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. This was more signiﬁcant than activities of professional diplomats at the time. A hundred years after Pierre de Kuberten came up with the idea to revive the Olympic Games, Stanković has witnessed a total of 13 opening ceremonies

54 CorD 70 / April 2010

By Veljko JOVANOVIC; PHOTO: Slobodan JOTIĆ In one way or the other you have been a spectator or participant in a total of thirteen Olympic Games. What has remained of de Kuberten’s original idea? ty De Kuberten’s idea to put together an Olympic competition came following his journey to the U.S.A. After receiving information from the French government that the physical state of French youth was borderline catastrophic, he immediately decided to bring the idea to life. This was the very beginning. After that, sports became more commercialized, just like in ancient Greece, when athletes were awarded for their efforts. Athletes like having an audience and somebody to cheer for them, and wherever there are spectators, there is also marketing. This gives us reason to believe that sports are focused on consumers, so it is actually TV viewers who determine what sport events look like. Yes, that is true. The current situation is our reality. When I went to America for the first time ever, I was quite surprised to see that NBA games were played at noon on Sundays, and I found that difficult to grasp. This time slot was assigned to the NBA since there were no other available time slots. Also, there were TV ads broadcast at the same time, and you are quite right to say that top (or professional) sports that generate money increasingly focus on consumers and TV. You have created and implemented the idea of professional sports being part of the Olympics. When you look back at the Olympic Games in Barcelona and NBA players playing for their Olympic national team, do you still think that that was a good call to make? Yes, I do. We should not forget that before the FIBA made a decision for professional athletes to be able to compete in the Olympics, we had a rather distorted image of amateur sports. At the time when the only athletes in the U.S. and some western countries were students, they were actually only students on paper. They studied at universities only because there were granted sports scholarships. On the other hand, there was the Eastern Bloc, where top athletes came from the ranks of the police, army, firemen, or similar. Don’t forget that this was the time of the Cold War. The whole situation was pretty hypocritical and it should have been stopped. So, we came up with an idea. If sportsmen are paid, then they should reveal who pays them and how much.

Allowing professionals to make it to national teams was quite a shock for teams that were basketball leaders up until that point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Yugoslavia, Russia, Lithuania... You said at that time that the moment would come when the rest of the world would catch up with the NBA. If you are playing against someone who is better than you, you can also be better, and this is what has happened. The very first games between the NBA teams at FIBA competitions ended with over 40 points in favor of the Americans. Our players took cameras with them to take pictures with their NBA counterparts, rather than photograph the game. Things changed in 2004 when Argentina won Olympic gold medals. This gap was bridged much faster than I thought and now the game is on equal footing. For instance, the final game at the Beijing Olympics between Spain and the U.S.A. was one of the best games I have ever seen in my life, since the Spaniards were opponents worthy of the Americans. Regardless of the fact that they had lost the game by a couple of points, this was a topquality game and a peak of a situation where our best teams, and when I say â&#x20AC;&#x153;ourâ&#x20AC;? I mean the FIBA, could hold their own against the NBA team. I cannot even imagine the memories of the Olympics that you must have, but could you tell us what are the moments that stand out in the history of the Olympics, in your opinion? I have attended every single Olympic game since 1960. I think it was a contemporary philosopher who described sports as a 20th century phenomenon. I completely agree with him. Sports are a phenomenon indeed, since they have transformed themselves from a form of entertainment and a need for man to engage in physical activity into a huge opportunity for players and organizers to earn big amounts of money while unbelievable sports facilities are being raised all around the world. This is really important. We, in Serbia, are still in the rather absurd situation of having world swimming champions but no pools, and our top athletes having no proper tracks to practice on.

Sports are a phenomenon, since they have transformed themselves from a form of entertainment and a need for man to engage in physical activity into a huge opportunity for players and organizers to earn big amounts of money. Sometimes, sports are the place where the dirtiest political fights take place. One of the most atrocious examples of this is certainly the Munich Olympics and the murder of Israeli athletes. In which way have politics influenced sports? Sports have progressed at a tremendous speed in every aspect, whether we are talking about organization, infrastructure, or popularity. There is this huge propaganda surrounding sports, which has translated into progress. Propaganda is usually accompanied by politics, so you cannot really blame sports for the Munich murders. Sports were the victim since their popularity was abused for political purposes, i.e. to draw the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention. Many generations that lived in the former Yugoslavia and now Serbia remember the Olympic Games by the joy that our basketball players brought home I like what you are saying, but there were other sports that brought us joy, like water polo and football, at the very beginning. Basketball players won their first Olympic medal in Mexico in 1968 by beating the former Soviet Union in the semi-finals. The Soviets wanted badly to win a medal in basketball for many decades, since their perception of basketball was that it was predominantly an American sport, which added political weight to the whole situation. Ĺ˝eravica majestically led our team to the finals. At a certain point, our basketball capabilities declined. Some said that this was due to changing generations, while some said that the problem was in organization. Generation change is certainly not the reason. There have been generation changes before that were made without many difficulties and which resulted in quite a few medals won. The reason is actually very simple â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have a new state, a new social system, and fewer choices when it comes to players, and also what hurts the most, inept basketball officials who

ACHIEVEMENT t (SBEVBUFE GSPN UIF 'BDVMUZ PG 7FUFSJOBSZ .FEJDJOF BU UIF 6OJWFSTJUZ PG #FMHSBEF 7FUFSJOBSZ JOTQFDUPS GPS meat control in Belgrade for ten years t "T B QMBZFS UJNFT $IBNQJPO PG UIF :VHPTMBWJBO League (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;46 and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;47) with Red Star Belgrade and 36 appearances from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;40 to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;53 with the Yugoslavian National Team, participating in the 1st World Championship in Buenos Aires â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50 t "T B DPBDI PCUBJOT DPBDI MJDFOTF JO A JO #FMHSBEF 0,, #FMHSBEF GSPN A UP A BOE JO A UJNFT $IBNQJPO PG UIF :VHPTMBWJBO -FBHVF A A A BOE A BOE 0SBOTPEB $BOUĂĄ GSPN A UP A A Italian League Champion) t .FNCFS PG UIF $FOUSBM #PBSE PG UIF :VHPTMBWJBO #BTLFUCBMM 'FEFSBUJPO A t 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM PG UIF :VHPTMBWJBO #BTLFUCBMM 'FEFSBUJPO A t &MFDUFE .FNCFS PG UIF &VSPQFBO $VQ $PNNJTTJPO PG '*#" A t 7JDF 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM PG '*#" A t %FQVUZ 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM PG '*#" A t 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM PG '*#" A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T $PNNJTTJPO GPS UIF 0MZNQJD .PWFNFOU A t 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM PG UIF "TTPDJBUJPO PG 4VNNFS 0MZNQJD *OUFSOBUJPOBM 'FEFSBUJPOT "40*' A t .FNCFS PG UIF :VHPTMBWJBO 0MZNQJD $PNNJUUFF since â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;88 t .FNCFS PG UIF *OUFSOBUJPOBM 0MZNQJD $PNNJUUFF *0$ GSPN A UP t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T $PPSEJOBUJPO $PNNJTTJPO GPS UIF (BNFT PG UIF 997 0MZNQJBE #BSDFMPOB A A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T 0MZNQJD 1SPHSBNNF $PNNJTTJPO A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T &ORVJSZ $PNNJTTJPO GPS UIF (BNFT PG UIF 997** 0MZNQJBE 4ZEOFZ A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T $PPSEJOBUJPO $PNNJTTJPO GPS UIF (BNFT PG UIF 997* 0MZNQJBE "UMBOUB A A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T 8PNFO BOE 4QPSU 8PSLJOH (SPVQ A t .FNCFS PG UIF *0$ T $PPSEJOBUJPO $PNNJTTJPO GPS UIF (BNFT PG UIF 997** 0MZNQJBE "UIFOT 2000-2004 4FDSFUBSZ (FOFSBM &NFSJUVT PG '*#" TJODF "VHVTU DISTINCTIONS/RECOGNITIONS: t 8PSME 4QPSU -FBEFS "XBSE CZ UIF 6OJUFE 4UBUFT 4QPSUT "DBEFNZ A t 0SEFS PG .FSJU PG UIF 7FOF[VFMBO #BTLFUCBMM 'FEFSBUJPO A t 0MZNQJD 0SEFS BXBSEFE CZ 4 & .S + " 4BNBSBODI 1SFTJEFOU PG UIF *0$ A t 0SESF /BUJPOBM EV -JPO 4Ă?OĂ?HBM A t $IFWBMJFS EF M 0SESF EF MB -Ă?HJPO E )POOFVS 'SBODF t .FSJU GPS :VHPTMBWJB 'JSTU %FHSFF "XBSE PG UIF /BUJPOBM 0MZNQJD $PNNJUUFF PG 4FSCJB .POUFOFHSP CorD 70 / April 2010 55

SPORT | failed when we needed them the most. In Turkey in 2001, we won gold medal as Serbia and Montenegro. The following year, we won gold at the World Championship, which put us through to the next world and European championship. However, the team reached its peak and it was time to change it. Then, in an attempt to show that the new state is as strong as the old one, which is actually quite absurd, we sent the same team to Sweden, a disastrous move, since we took only sixth place. The then Serbian Basketball Federation made a huge mistake, which was an onset for the crisis. Organizational problems ensued, as did problems with coaches, etc. The current situation is somewhat better. People have come to their senses and realized what our real potential is. We should not dream about Olympic gold medals every time. We should work diligently, get ready, create a team, build up players, and I do think that we are on a good path. Unfortunately, there are still internal tiffs and misunderstandings about how to organize a top sport. If problems with organization or strategy come up, we in Serbia have somebody to ask for advice. Going through the list of functions you held on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in FIBA, and others, it is very difficult to find a person such as you with so much experience in global sports (i.e. IOC and FIBA). I was FIBA’s Secretary General for 26 years. Before that, I had worked for FIBA five or six years as its assistant Secretary General. In 2002, we held a conference in Indianapolis and I decided not to run for this position any longer and to move to Belgrade where I spend most of my time. Before that, I had lived abroad for nearly thirty years and came to Belgrade only on vacation or to see my family and friends. I think that was a mistake. I came to Belgrade with the desire to help and give back to Serbian basketball what it had given me. However, I was too optimistic and I was too late to understand that we don’t speak the same language any longer. This is not because I lived abroad for so many years, but because new generations have come, bringing a new value system to sports and to life. After horrible bloodshed, a new generation has emerged that is very difficult to communicate with. I wasn’t able to find myself in this new situation. I thought I could help. Actually, I was constantly faced with this or the other obstacle, and in the end, it all boiled down to my accepting the position of honourary president of the Serbian Basketball Federation. I don’t think that is any kind of recognition. I have very good rapport with Kapičić and all Federation officials. I am more of a consultant. When I came back, I pictured myself taking on a responsible position for a period of six months or a year, being able to pick my own associates, and forming a brand new structure in the Basketball Federation. Earlier, I had cooperated a lot with Nebojša Popović, who was the Federation’s President, as well as Raša Šaper, until his demise. I was acquainted with the problems that our basketball was going through, but it turns out I didn’t know the people that well. While you were in the IOC and FIBA, some people objected that you have been helping our sports too much. My appointment in the IOC did not go down without petty skirmishes and conflicts. In 1988, I got a call from Samaranch, whom I had known earlier through the Spanish sports scene and basketball, and he told me that he would nominate me as the second IOC member coming from the former Yugoslavia. The rules were such that one country could have only one representative, but an exception was made this time around since we had organized the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo. Samaranch said to our officials, “You can have a second member of IOC, provided that that second member is Borislav Stanković. If you do not agree with this, you will not have a second 56 CorD 70 / April 2010

Mr. Stankovic talking to our editor member, since I will not accept him.” This caused a reaction among our officials, but our committee went along with this idea, and so I became a member of the IOC. I held three functions there. One was FIBA Secretary General, which meant that I had to nurture the status of world basketball in the IOC. The second function was as secretary of the Association of All International Federations (ASOIF), and this is where I witnessed a great battle for money between the world federations and the Olympic Committee. At that time, participating countries paid for their own accommodation and other costs, since we had no TV revenue back then and had to fight for every dollar. The third function was in Yugoslav sports, where I was lucky enough to meet Filipović who did a tremendous job. Unfortunately, he passed away. You should know that only Executive Committee members can

Nađa Higl is a real miracle in the way she emerged and by the results she has been achieving. She is simply unbelievable exert direct influence on decisions made by the Olympic Committee. I have never been a member of the Executive Committee, even when I ran for that position, since I had too much to do in basketball and was also an FIBA official. Let me reply to your question by saying that my influence could have helped in 1992 when our country was going through tough times. I acted through Samaranch and other officials I knew. This was not an institutional influence, but rather a personal one. With regards to ASOIF, I had certain influence as Secretary General of the association that presented all international federations. This non-institutional influence of yours, so to speak, often seemed to bear more weight than the one exerted by state officials who were career diplomats at that time. The Olympic Games in Barcelona took place in 1992. If it hadn’t been for Samaranch and my insistence on his help, we wouldn’t have been allowed to participate in these Olympics. If you remember, the UN forbade us to participate in sports events and that applied to all sports, both individual and team. Samaranch managed to convince the Spanish government to allow Yugoslav athletes to compete in the Olympics. He also managed to persuade the UN to make a compromise – we could compete only if we were labeled IOC athletes and wore white jerseys without the name ‘Yugoslavia’ and the state’s coat of arms. Also, we were allowed to compete only in individual sports,

kid is a real miracle in the way she emerged and by the results she has been achieving. She is simply unbelievable. Could you give us your view on the growing violence among sport fans and the system’s not being able to tackle this violence? I find it very odd that these fan groups are an intricate part of a club’s organization. But since they already exist, the same clubs should discipline them. Fan groups should adhere to the club’s policy, overall sports policy, and state policy in preventing violence. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the situation has been escalating. The last incident that I saw was in Niš during the Korać Cup finals, where the president of FMP, Nebojša Čović, was treated really badly. It is up to the club’s management to create a structure that would prevent such incidents from occurring. Also, police forces need to get more involved in punishing these people.

since if we took part in team sports, we were not considered IOC athletes any longer. Our Olympic Committee was supposed to go along with that, which they did, and so we competed in Barcelona. This was primarily thanks to Samaranch and our team athletes, who actually disqualified themselves so that their friends, the individual athletes, could compete. Once the crisis and wars subsided, our swimmers continued to train in cold swimming pools, while a rower from Serbia accepted an invitation from a neighbouring country to compete for its national team since there was no money to buy her a rowing boat here. What is your take on this? You know the post-second-world-war motto: “Get by any way you know how!” This motto is alive and kicking to this day, especially in sports, where athletes are trying to get by any way they know how. We have made so many mistakes when it comes to organizing sports. I didn’t participate in that, nor was I asked to. We are a small and poor country, and sports reflect the situation that we, as a society, find ourselves in, as well as our economic potential. I think that we are wrong in trying to develop all sports in the same way. As soon as a new sport emerges, we are the first to promote it. We don’t have enough money to do that. When it comes to so-called big sports, there is a tendency for some of them to get more money and some less. Then there is the perennial question of whether we should we help the athletes that didn’t achieve much success, i.e. the ones that are developing, or should we award only the successful ones. In our country, we have no such dilemma. We give only to successful athletes, and the rest are left to their own devices. Let’s take swimming, for example. Back when we lived in ‘big’ Yugoslavia, swimming was virtually non-existent. Then Čavić came from America, and congratulations to the person who discovered him. With Čavić, the interest for this sport increased. Then there was Nađa Higl who became a world champion. This is, by no means, the result of politics and the state’s efforts, but rather a result of a family working together, talent, and circumstances. And this

What aspects of your career make you proud? First of all, I am proud of basketball in general, the way it has been developing, and the place that basketball takes in today’s sports hierarchy, especially in the IOC. This used to be a relatively obscure sport that didn’t have much of a reputation in the IOC. Over the last three decades, basketball has succeeded in becoming one of the top sports at the Olympic Games. Second, I am proud of the time when I was the Secretary General of the Yugoslav Basketball Federation, when we began to achieve excellent results globally. We should not forget that in 1949 we took almost last place in the European championship with only Albania behind us. I am proud that FIBA has good organizational structure and certain diplomatic successes. I think that the biggest success was our participation in the European championship in Greece in 1995, immediately after the UN lifted the sanctions. The qualifications were almost over, but I managed to persuade the FIBA Europe’s

New generations have come, bringing a new value system to sports and to life. After horrible bloodshed, a new generation has emerged that is very difficult to communicate with. I wasn’t able to find myself in this new situation Executive Committee to up the number of participating teams from 12 to 14. I also convinced the president of the Greek federation, whom I had known since I had resided there, that Greece, as the championship organizer, should agree to 14 teams. Finally, we made it to the championship, which as you remember, resulted in our winning the number one place and the Croatians’ refusal to congratulate us. This was a real diplomatic success. This was just the beginning of a series of good results. In that period, we won two world and three European championships, as well as silver at the Olympics. This was fantastic and we would not have made it if it hadn’t been for our team’s participation in the 1995 European championship.

BELGRADE

MISTAKES

BASKETBALL

I came to Belgrade with the desire to help and give back to Serbian basketball what it had given me.

We have made so many mistakes when it comes to organizing sports events.

I am proud of basketball in general, the way it has been developing, and the place it takes in today’s sports hierarchy. CorD 70 / April 2010 57

CULTURE

Emio Greco

AJA JUNG: 7TH BELGRADE DANCE FESTIVAL

A BOLD DANCE EVENT

The seventh Belgrade Dance Festival will take place in Belgrade from April 9th to the 23rd. Aja Jung, a Belgrade ballerina, choreographer, President of the Dance Council of Serbia and, as of 2009, Deputy President of European branch of the World Dance Alliance, is the Festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director. Over the past years, the Festival has become one of the most important dance events in the region. Today, this is a prestigious, highly anticipated, and popular event that takes place in Belgrade every spring at several locations and gives us an insight into what is happening on the contemporary global dance scene 58 CorD 70 / April 2010

#Z +FMFOB JOVANOVIĆ he concept of the Festival is very clear and exceptionally demanding, selection-wise. In only two weeks in April, we have to present to the Belgrade audience the best cross-section of annual dance events in Europe and the world,” says Aja Jung says in an exclusive interview for CorD, who is supporting Festival from the very beginning.

What are we going to see on this year Festival. What would be your recommendation for our readership? The seventh year brings a bolder and bigger dance event, although it is taking place at an inopportune time. The main festival destination is still the Sava Centre, where you will be able to see Italian Aterballetto by Mauro Bigoncetti. Then there is the Israel Kibbutz Dance Company with a dance spectacle called ‘Upon Reaching the Sun,’ as well as the dance troop of the amazing Jasmin Vardimon from London’s Sadler’s Wells with a performance called ‘Justitia.’ This is a crime-scene dance story of unbelievable dynamics and humour. Then we have the Geneva Ballet Company, which, although having a long tradition, is presenting a rather modern and unexpected programme. The Bahok story awaits us in the Madlenianum. This is a story about modern-day nomads and is the result of collaboration with the Bejing National Ballet. The author of the piece is Akram Khan, a choreographer known for being hugely successful, with tickets to his shows being sold out far in advance. Khan is also known for working with ballerina Sylvie Guillem and actress Juliette Binoche. On the same stage, we are going to have ‘Le Jardin des Délices’ (The Garden of Delights), a dance piece put together by ballerina, actress, and director Blanca Lee, a woman who never leaves the audience or critics cold. A strong provocative piece by Emio Greco called ‘Hell’ comes to the Yugoslav Drama Theatre from Amsterdam. From Belgium, we have the Peeping Tom Group with a brand-new title that they are going to perform in the Belgrade Drama Theatre called ‘32, rue Vanderbranden.’ Aterballetto is coming to Novi Sad with a rock ballet ‘Sleepless Nights’ (Certe Notti), while Kibbutz will perform in Sombor with ‘Kef Kafim,’ which actually means ‘having a good time.’ Seven years ago you and current Minister of Culture, Nebojša Bradić, come up with the idea of organizing a festival of contemporary dance? Did you ever think that the Festival will not come about, survive, or draw in audiences? Some eight years ago, we invited our friends to come to Belgrade to dance for us. This was a rather small gathering of people who wanted to help organize the first-ever dance festival in Serbia. We didn’t know whether we would be given financial backing, media coverage or even an audience, for that matter. We simply took chances, pulled strings, and invested a lot of effort, which was the only safe thing on a rather unsafe dance journey. Many doors were slammed in our faces, many people tried to belittle and humiliate us, but the first

Aja Jung

Our ﬁrst steps were rather a small gathering of people who wanted to help organize the ﬁrst-ever dance festival in Serbia dance festival saw the light of the day, which is something that nobody could contest. The Festival had its following and that is something that nobody could steal away from us. We could not go back and we had to move forward to create an even better programme. There have been many great dance troops and productions performed at the Festival in the past years. You were also recognized by UNESCO as being the leading dance project in Southeast Europe. Which dance troop or guest make you especially proud? When a director says that every single guest performance made her proud, that sounds trite. However, I am not just a director, but also the Festival’s producer, and I do know how important is to carefully select the plays so that production

The Festival The Festival had its following and that is something that nobody could steal away from us CorD 70 / April 2010 59

CULTURE

If I look back at how much effort we had to invest into bringing certain troops here for the ﬁrst time ever, I would say that I spent most of my energy on trying to bring La Scala Ballet from Milan, Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Netherlands Dance Theatre, The Cullberg Ballet Company, The Madrid National Dance Company, the Geneva Ballet, Aterballeto, and Akram Khan

Jasmin Vardimon is not in vain. If I look back at how much effort we had to invest into bringing certain troops here for the first time ever, I would say that I spent most of my energy on trying to bring La Scala Ballet from Milan, Mikhail Baryshnikov, The Netherlands Dance Theatre, The Cullberg Ballet Company, The Madrid National Dance Company, the Geneva Ballet, Aterballeto, and Akram Khan. We fought long and hard for certain shows and choreographers to come, but lately there have been quite a few of them who really want to perform at our festival. Still, people are weird in that way – they appreciate more the hard work they put in or the high price they have to pay rather than things that come relatively effortlessly. Is it much easier to put the Festival together now, to arrange for all performances, and to secure funding? Regardless of the Festival’s having become a world-wide brand with it owns following, this doesn’t mean that we can now relax. On the contrary. There is always some kind of danger hanging over our heads, a wrong moment, but we do have our priorities, so each time is like the first to us and everything is on the verge of collapsing, like it had never existed. 60 CorD 70 / April 2010

This road that we are travelling is quite cruel and certainly not the best surface for ballet shoes. The uncertainty and lack of system wear you down, just like the state which provides virtually no benefits for those who invest in its culture. Lack of culture and kitsch are eagerly financed and usually find their way to the audience, but opera, ballet, classical music, and children’s plays are a whole different story. Years of neglect yielded negative results and generation upon generation was weaned on bad spiritual sustenance, which is clearly visible today. The Festival is glad to have been supported by the Belgrade City Assembly and Ministry of Culture, as well as the Executive Council of Vojvodina. We were successful in building up a partnership and friendly relations with our sponsors, so we are happy to see companies like Vip Mobile (the general sponsor), Bambi Banat, US Steel Srbija, Doncafe, Delta Generali, Lancia (Fiat Group), Grand Casino Beograd, and Nestea supporting us. Without them, there would be no festival. The only satisfaction that the sponsors have is that they are participating in creating a better future, in helping a professional and high quality festival, in hearing the audience applauding, and in having journalists writing good things about it. Would you agree that Serbian audiences have always been yearning for this kind of festival, and that a new generation of followers has emerged? Although, we still don’t have an office, our team is made of three passionate runners, who are working with completely uncertain financial backing. Still, we managed to have a programme and bring in an audience. This is a new audience that has been growing together with the festival, so we need to be even more successful year after year, since their expec-

Akram Khan Company tations are constantly growing. It is really a great encouragement to us when we see ordinary people inquiring about the programme, eagerly waiting for April to come, commenting on production and choreographies. This is a sign that it hasn’t all been in vain, that it was a good thing that we opened the door, so to speak, and brought quality dance to Serbia. This is also a sign that Serbia hasn’t succumbed to kitsch, reality shows, and cheap entertainment. There are still mothers who take their daughters to the ballet, and a new generation of young people who grew up with the Internet, but who immediately started to love this new, dynamic, well-packaged, technically, and esthetically superior modern dance. Some people complained that there weren’t many domestic performances at the Festival. When it comes to the audience, I think they are very knowledgeable about foreign brands, whether we are talking about an audience on Knez Mihajlova Street or one in Sava Centre. The lack of domestic products is the result of non-existing domestic production. When you don’t have a shoe factory, you have to import shoes. And when you get used to comfortable designer shoes from Italy, it is very difficult to switch to something else. Many festivals in the world are devised in a way to show something that audiences cannot see locally. And this is why people complain. In our case, we are open to anything new and waiting for serious authors to contact us. So far the Festival was awarded by the European Initiative and the Jelena Šantić Foundation back in 2006, as well as UNESCO’s award. How relevant is the Festival today in Belgrade, Serbia, and the region? This year is the 10th anniversary of the demise of the renowned Serbian ballerina, Jelena Šantić. The festival is the first recipient of the award from the Jelena Šantić Foundation and the one given by the European Initiative. That makes us feel even more responsible, especially in my case, since I knew Jelena and had worked with her on several occasions. Today, the Festival is the regional leader and is relevant in Europe, and recognized in the rest of the world. The Festival’s best ambassadors are dance companies that per-

Although, we still don’t have an ofﬁce, our team is made of three passionate runners, who are working with completely uncertain ﬁnancial backing. Still, we managed to have a programme and bring in an audience formed or will perform in the future. Just like true stars, the choreographers and troop directors are spreading the good word through the media and promoting the event. We have become an important part of many dancer biographies, who until yesterday, could not have been swayed towards Serbia and Belgrade. What is your view of the Festival’s future? Our priority is to aim even higher. I believe that the influence that the Festival is exerting is already visible and that this influence will grow in different directions and give birth to many new projects. Sometimes, I think everything lies in the hands of just one woman, and she has every right to feel tired and get angry, or to move the Festival to some other location. There are these fragile people and events in our society whose value we truly see only when they break. Ballet in it itself is a fragile art. I believe that we will manage to preserve the Festi val, since aside from good dancing, it promotes this city.

Authors In our case, we are open to anything new and waiting for serious authors to contact us CorD 70 / April 2010 61

CULTURE CALENDAR

-F +BSEJO EFT %Ă?MJDFT ] #MBODB -J 19 April, 20:00 | Sava Center +BTNJO 7BSEJNPO $PNQBOZ -POEPO 6, +VTUJUJB ] +BTNJO 7BSEJNPO 21 April, 20:00 | Yugoslav Drama Theatre &NJP (SFDP ] 1$ "NTUFSEBN /FUIFSMBOET )FMM ] &NJP (SFDP 23 April, 20:00 | Sava Center #BMMFU EV (SBOE 5IĂ?Ă&#x2030;USF EF (FOĂ&#x2019;WF 4XJU[FSMBOE 1BSB %JDF]4BCVSP 5FTIJHBXBSB 4FMPO %Ă?TJS ]"OEPOJT 'POJBEBLJT Loin |Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

CLASSICAL MUSIC DANCE

MISIA RUAS tour 2010 / Kolarac, Great Hall / 14 April, 20:00

BELGRADE DANCE FESTIVAL 2010 9 April- 23 April / 7th Belgrade Dance Festival / Belgrade, Novi Sad, NiĹĄ, and Sombor

USB & (SJFH 4ZNQIPOZ JO $ NJOPS 23. 04. 2010. Blue Cycle $POEVDUPS )PXBSE (SJGGJUIT 4PMPJTU .FMJOEB 'FMMFUBS IBSQ 1SPHSBN ( #J[FU 4ZNQIPOZ /P & WPO %POIBOZJ Concertino for harp and orchestra 3 4IDIFESJO $BSNFO 4VJUF FYDFSQUT 30. 04. 2010. White Cycle $POEVDUPS 4JS /FWJMMF .BSSJOFS 4PMPJTUT )BHBJ 4IBIBN *UUBJ 4IBQJSB 4UFGBO Milenkovic, and Robert Bokor, violins

CONCERTS ORGANIZED BY JUGOKONCERT Wednesday, April 7, 20:00 / City Hall %FKBO (BWSJÇ&#x17D; 'MVUF .BKB 3BKLPWJÇ&#x17D; 1JBOP Beethoven â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Serenade op. 8, Tafanel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (SBOE 'BOUBTZ .JHOPO ,BSH &MFSU o 4POBUB op. 121, Denisov â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sonata, Schulhoff â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sonata

BELGRADE STRING ORCHESTRA -DUĹ AN SKOVRAN Saturday, April 10, 20:00, Kolarac Hall $POEVDUPS '3"/, '0/$06#&35 4PMPJTU PO IBSQ %FCVTTZ o %BOTFT TBDSĂ?FT et profanes, for strings and solo harp, Bartok â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Music for strings, percussions and celesta

PROGRAM: 09 April, 20:00| Sava Centar "UFSCBMMFUUP 3FHHJP &NJMJB *UBMZ Come un Respiro |Mauro Bigonzetti Terra| Mauro Bigonzetti 10 April, 20:00 |SNT, Novi Sad "UFSCBMMFUUP 3FHHJP &NJMJB *UBMZ Certe Notti |Mauro Bigonzetti 11 April, 20:00| Opera Madlenianum "LSBN ,IBO $PNQBOZ BOE UIF /BUJPOBM #BMMFU PG $IJOB -POEPO 6, ] #FJKJOH $IJOB #BIPL]"LSBN ,IBO 12 April, 20:00 | National Theatre, NiĹĄ $PNQBOZ 1BVMP 3JCFJSP -JTCPO 1PSUVHBM .BJPSDB ] 1BVMP 3JCFJSP 13 April, 20:00| Belgrade Drama Theatre 1FFQJOH 5PN #SVTTFMT #FMHJVN SVF 7BOEFOCSBOEFO ] ( $BSSJ[P ' $IBSUJFS 15 April, 20:00| Sava Center ,JCCVU[ %BODF $PNQBOZ 5FM "WJW *TSBFM 6QPO 3FBDIJOH UIF 4VO ] 3BNJ #F FS 16 April, 20:00| National Theatre, Sombor ,JCCVU[ %BODF $PNQBOZ 5FM "WJW *TSBFM ,FG ,BGJN]3BNJ #F FS 17 April, 20:00 | Opera Madlenianum $PNQBHOJF #MBODB -J 1BSJT 'SBODF 62 CorD 70 / April 2010

.Ă&#x201C;TJB JT B 1PSUVHVFTF GBEP TJOHFS CPSO JO JO 1PSUP 1PSUVHBM

COMPOSER DUĹ AN RADIÄ&#x2020; - 80TH ANNIVERSARY Tuesday, April 13, 20:00, City Hall

TRIO ANDANTE Art Centre GVARNERIUS / 21 April, 20:00

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."3* -**4 1",, WJPMJO &TUPOJB +"40/ $"--08": WJPMPODFMMP 64" :00/ $)6/( QJBOP ,PSFB 1SPHSBN .P[BSU Schumann, Brahms

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IN APRIL All concerts are in Kolarac Hall at 20:00 09. 04. 2010 White Cycle $POEVDUPS Uros Lajovic 4PMPJTU "OESFJ (BWSJMPW QJBOP 1SPHSBN / 3JNTLZ ,PSTBLPW 4BELP PSDIFTUSBM GBOUBTZ . 3BWFM $PODFSUP GPS UIF MFGU IBOE 4 1SPLPGJFW 1JBOP DPODFSUP OP + 4JCFMJVT Symphony No. 1 16. 04. 2010. Red Cycle $POEVDUPS (VEOJ " &NJMTTPO 4PMPJTU 4FSHFJ /BLBSJBLPW USVNQFU 1SPHSBN + -FJGT (FZTJS 1 * 5DIBJLPWTLZ 7BSJBUJPOT PO B Rococo theme (arr. for trumpet and orches-

MONTENEGRIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Saturday, April 24, 20 00, Kolarac Hall $POEVDUPS "-&9&* 4)"54,: *O DPPQFSBUJPO with the Music Center of Montenegro and +FVOFTTFT .VTJDBMFT /PWJ 4BE

ETHNO NATIONAL ENSEMBLE OF FOLK DANCES â&#x20AC;&#x201C; KOLO Sava Center, Great Hall / 06 April, 20:00 The Serbian national folk dance FOTFNCMF ,0-0 is the most prestigious treasure of traditional culture in the field of performing arts and its most reputed ambassador worldwide.

POP, ROCK

OGRAD, KNEZ MIHAILOVA 5

50 CENT Belgrade Arena, 01 April, 20:00 \

&YIJCJUJPO QSFTFOUT HSBQIJDT TIPSU EPDVNFOUBSZ BCPVU (MBTFS EJSFDUFE CZ )JMNBO ,VSUJT

AUTOPSIA: THE MIRROR OF DESTRUCTION Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Belgrade, Pariska 11 Through April 11th

50 Cent burst onto the rap music scene in 2001 with his debut single Wanksta. By all appearances, 50 Cent is on top of the world.

CRVENA JABUKA Sava Center, Great Hall / 16 April, 20:30 $SWFOB +BCVLB JT B Sarajevo-based pop band that originated in 1985, and since then has remained very popular.

SVEN VATH Expo Center / 10 April, 22:00 4WFO 7Ă&#x160;UI (FFSNBO %+ XIP IBT QSPEVDFE an extensive range of work since his career began in 1982.

Selected works from "VUPQTJB T WJTVBM PQVT from 1980 until today

THEATRE HYSTERIA - PREMIERE IN APRIL YUGOSLAV DRAMA THEATRE

+BQBOFTF 5BJLP ESVNmers â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yamatoâ&#x20AC;? In the village of Asuka with more than a thousand years of history, Yamato seeks new expression with Wadaiko +BQBOFTF ESVNT BT JUT backbone.

FAITHLESS 24 April, 21:00 / Expo Center 'BJUIMFTT JT B #SJUJTI FMFDUSPOJD CBOE DPOTJTJOH PG .BYJ +B[[ 4JTUFS #MJTT BOE 3PMMP

ART RANKO RADOVIÄ&#x2020;, HOMAGE AND RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION Gallery Chaos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Belgrade / Through April 10th The exhibition will present drawings of Ranko Radovic (1935- 2005), Serbian architect and professor of architecture, .JOJTUFS GPS &OWJSPONFOUBM 1SPUFDUJPO BOE Improvement of Space in the government of Montenegro.

MILTON GLASER - DRAWING IS THINKING Through April 10th / ROBNA KUÄ&#x2020;A BE-

$BTU $PMJO 'BSSFMM #SBOLP ĂĽVSJÇ&#x17D; ĂĽVSP 1B[ 7FHB $ISJTUPQIFS -FF ,FMMZ 3FJMMZ +VMJFU 4UFWFOTPO (FOSF %SBNB

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Begins April 15th / Directed by Chris SandFST %FBO %F#MPJT $BTU +BZ #BSVDIFM (FSBSE #VUMFS "NFSJDB 'FSSFSB +POBI )JMM $ISJTUPQIFS .JOU[ 1MBTTF $SBJH 'FSHVTPO ,SJTUFO 8JJH 5+ .JMMFS (FOSF "EWFOUVSF $PNFEZ

IRON MAN 2 Begins April 29th / %JSFDUFE CZ +PO 'BWSFBV $BTU 3PCFSU %PXOFZ +S (XZOFUI 1BMUSPX %PO $IFBEMF 4DBSMFUU +PIBOTTPO 4BN Rockwell, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L. +BDLTPO

THE ROAD %JSFDUFE CZ +PIO )JMMDPBU $BTU 7JHHP .PSUFOTFO Charlize Theron, Robert %VWBMM (VZ 1FBSDF (FOSF 4' "EWFOUVSF Drama

The Belgrade stage premiere at Studio YDT XJMM CF QFSGPSNFE CZ .MBEFO "OESFKFWJÇ&#x17D; 4JHNVOE 'SFVE (PSBO +FWUJÇ&#x17D; 4BMWBEPS %BMJ 4V[BOB -VLJÇ&#x17D; +FTTJDB BOE /FCPKĂ?B -KVCJĂ?JÇ&#x17D; "CSBIBN :FIVEB 5IF QMBZ JT EJSFDUFE CZ *WBO 7VLPWJÇ&#x17D;

FILM YAMATO SHOW - MATSURI FIESTA Sava Center, Great Hall / 17 April, 20:30

TRIAGE Begins April 8th / %JSFDUFE CZ %BOJT 5BOPWJÇ&#x17D;

LEGION Begins April 1st / Directed by Scott Stuart. $BTU 1BVM #FUUBOZ %FOOJT 2VBJE 5ZSFTF (JCTPO (FOSF 4' 5ISJMMFS

CLASH OF THE TITANS Begins April 8th / Directed by Louis Leterrier. Cast- Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, 3BMQI 'JFOOFT %BOOZ )VTUPO (FOSF "Dtion, Adventure

BOUNTY HUNTER NM Begins April 22nd %JSFDUFE CZ "OEZ 5FOBOU $BTU +FOOJGFS "OJTUPO (FSBSE #VUMFS +BTPO 4VEFLJT %PSJBO .JTJL (FOSF 5ISJMMFS

AWAY WE GO Directed by Sam Mendes $BTU #VSU 'BSMBOEFS +FGG %BOJFMT "MMJTPO +BOOFZ +JN (BGGJHBO .BHHJF (ZMMFOIBBM (FOSF 3PNBODF %SBNB

THE LIMITS OF CONTROL %JSFDUFE CZ +JN +BSNVTDI $BTU *TBBDI %F #BOLPMĂ? "MFY %FTDBT +FBO 'SBOĂ&#x17D;PJT 4UĂ?WFOJO ÂťTDBS +BFOBEB 1B[ EF MB )VFSUB Tilda Swinton.

SPECIAL EVENTS WALKING WITH DINOSAURS 09.04.10 - 11.04.10. / Belgrade Arena

REMEMBER ME Begins April 29th %JSFDUFE CZ "MMFO $PVMUFS $BTU 3PCFSU 1BUUJOTPO &NJMJF EF 3BWJO $ISJT $PPQFS 1JFSDF #SPTOBO (FOSF 3PNBOUJD ESBNB

TOY STORY 2 Begins April 1st / 3D/ Synchronized / DiSFDUFE CZ +PIO -BTTFUFS (FOSF "OJNBUFE comedy, adventure

WHEN IN ROME Begins April 8th %JSFDUFE CZ .BSL 4UFWFO +PIOTPO $BTU ,JSTUFO #FMM +PTI %VIBNFM 8JMM "SOFUU "MFYJT %[JFOB +PO )FEFS XJUI %BOOZ %F7JUP BOE "OHFMJDB )PVTUPO (FOSF 3PNBOUJD ESBNB

The arena spectacular, based on the awardwinning BBC television series, will feature life-size dinosaurs come to life in what promises to be one of the most exciting and groundbreaking shows ever seen. CorD 70 / April 2010 63

CULTURE

NEWS

ANNIVERSARY OF ZORAN Ä?INÄ?IÄ&#x2020;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ASSASSINATION COMMEMORATED 0O .BSDI UIF /BUJPOBM -JCSBSZ PG 4FSCJB BOE UIF %S ;PSBO ĂĽJOĂŞJÇ&#x17D; 'PVOEBUJPO PSHBOJ[FE B HBUIFSJOH for the seventh anniversary of the assassination of former Serbian 1SJNF .JOJTUFS ;PSBO ĂĽJOĂŞJÇ&#x17D; 0O UIF occasion, a new edition of the book A:VHPTMBWJB BO 6OĂśOJTIFE 4UBUF was presented, along with a digital collection of books, scientific articles, and translations done by the late QSJNF NJOJTUFS 4FSCJBO 1SJNF .JOJTUFS .JSLP $WFULPWJÇ&#x17D; BOE UIF IFBE PG UIF /BUJPOBM -JCSBSZ 4SFUFO 6HSJÇ?JÇ&#x17D; addressed those present. Two years ago, the National Library of Serbia signed a contract with the Dr, Zoran ĂĽJOĂŞJÇ&#x17D; 'PVOEBUJPO BCPVU QSFTFSWJOH close to 2,000 books written in Serbian, &OHMJTI BOE (FSNBO UIBU UIF GPSNFS prime minister had in his personal MJCSBSZ 5IF #FMHSBEF 1IJMIBSNPOJD BMTP commemorated the anniversary of UIF QSJNF NJOJTUFS T BTTBTTJOBUJPO CZ holding a concert.

SERBIA AT THE LEIPZIG BOOK FAIR

Serbian literature was presented at UIF -FJQ[JH #PPL 'BJS GSPN .BSDI UI to 21st. The presentation â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Serbia on UIF )PSJ[PO A4FSCJFO JO 4JDIU XBT BO JOUSPEVDUJPO UP 4FSCJB T BQQFBSBODF BU UIF 'BJS XIFO UIF DPVOUSZ XJMM be an honorary guest. Traditionally, UIF -FJQ[JH 'BJS QBZT B HSFBU EFBM PG attention to literary works from Central, &BTUFSO BOE 4PVUIFBTUFSO &VSPQF while this year, over 2,100 publishers from 50 countries presented their work. 8SJUFS 7MBEJTMBW #BKBD XIP JT BMTP B NFNCFS PG UIF 1SPHSBNNF $PNNJUUFF XIJDI EFWJTFT BOE QSFQBSFT 4FSCJB T presentation for the 2011 Leipzig Book 'BJS TBZT UIF DPNNJUUFF IBT DPNF VQ with the first long-term plan for the presentation of the Serbian literary TDFOF PO UIF (FSNBO NBSLFU #BKBD adds that this is an important step towards translating Serbian literature into other world languages, and points out that in that respect, Serbia is lagging behind some 15 to 20 years as compared to other regional countries. 4FSCJBO XSJUFST #PSJTMBW 1FLJÇ&#x17D; *WP "OESJÇ&#x17D; .JMPĂ? $SOKBOTLJ "MFLTBOEBS 5JĂ?NB %SBHBO 7FMJLJÇ&#x17D; %BWJE "MCBIBSJ BOE #JMKBOB 4SCMKBOPWJÇ&#x17D; IBWF CFFO RVJUF QPQVMBS XJUI SFBEFST JO (FSNBOZ 5IF 1SPHSBNNF $PNNJUUFF JT TDIFEVMFE UP HJWF JUT SFDPNNFOEBUJPO UP (FSNBO readers which Serbian books to look for next year. DAYS OF SERBIAN CULTURE IN CHINA A%BZT PG 4FSCJBO $VMUVSF JO $IJOB took place from March 18th to 24th, following the cultural cooperation programme implemented by the two countries. The event was held in the

64 CorD 70 / April 2010

/BUJPOBM $FOUFS GPS 1FSGPSNJOH "SUT JO Beijing, with the message from Minister PG $VMUVSF /FCPKTB #SBEJÇ&#x17D; UIBU iFWFSZ encounter with friends is precious, especially when there is an opportunity UP QSFTFOU POF T PXO DVMUVSF w 5PHFUIFS with the host, Chinese Culture Minister $BJ 7V #SBEJÇ&#x17D; PQFOFE UIF FWFOU BOE UIF Chinese audience was able to see some Serbian folklore, namely a performance CZ UIF 4FSCJBO GPML EBODF USPPQ A,PMP in the town of Tienzin on March 21st. "MTP UIFSF XBT BO FYIJCJUJPO PG 1JSPU rugs and traditional Serbian weaving. During the event, several Serbian films TFMFDUFE CZ UIF 4FSCJBO 'JMN $FOUSF were shown, including masterpieces of Serbian cinematography that are widely popular in China. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SERBIA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THE HOLY GROUNDS OF SERBIAN CULTUREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; EXHIBITION IN FRANCE

5IF FYIJCJUJPO A4FSCJB o UIF )PMZ (SPVOET PG 4FSCJBO $VMUVSF XIJDI presents a section of Serbian heritage from the 16th to the 19th century, opened in La Chapelle-des-Marais, 'SBODF 5IF FYIJCJUJPO JT B SFTVMU PG B KPJOU FĂ˛PSU CZ UIF &UIOPHSBQIJD Museum and the National Museum JO #FMHSBEF UIF 4FSCJBO 0SUIPEPY $IVSDI .VTFVN BOE 7FOEĂ?F DPVOUZ 'SBODF *U XJMM CF PQFOFE PO .BZ SE 7JTJUPST XJMM CF BCMF UP TFF IPX

national religion and Christianity have intertwined through the centuries. In addition, another exhibition is taking place in Chapelle-des -Marais called A.BTLT BOE 3JUVBMT JO 4FSCJB MARINA ABRAMOVIÄ&#x2020; IN NEW YORK

FOUJUMFE 1BSBMMFM 8PSMET PQFOFE PO March 15th and will last until April 2nd. 5IF FYIJCJUJPO JT JO 3FNPOU (BMMFSZ JO #FMHSBEF BOE JU EJTQMBZT UIF BVUIPS T less famous work. In addition to comic books, Zograf is also exhibiting some of his other, non-comic-book-related work, like CD covers, book covers, front pages of magazines, and embroidery DSFBUFE CZ (PSEBOB #BTUB XIJDI XBT inspired by the comic book author.

holding a workshop for young film makers. The festival took place in the Museum of Yugoslav Cinematography, with several other festival projects taking place all over the city, like art projects, exhibitions, performances, and cocktail parties. EXHIBITION â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;4/24 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; BELGRADE VIA THE CITY OF BELGRADEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MUSEUMSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Ĺ˝ANKA STOKIÄ&#x2020; AWARD GIVEN

A retrospective exhibition of the globally renowned Serbian artist Marina "CSBNPWJÇ&#x17D; PQFOFE JO UIF .VTFVN PG .PEFSO "SU .0." JO /FX :PSL 5IF exhibition will take place from March 14th March to May 31st. The 62-yearPME BSUJTU T ĂśSTU SFUSPTQFDUJWF FYIJCJU BU B major museum includes a chronological exhibition of 50 works spanning over four decades and in all art mediums, â&#x20AC;&#x153;interpreterâ&#x20AC;? reenactments of five past performances, and the world premiere PG 5IF "SUJTU *T 1SFTFOU UIF longest solo performance of her career MBTUJOH PWFS IPVST )FS QSFNJFSF MJWF QFSGPSNBODF JO UIF .0." XJMM CF IFS IBSEFTU ZFU TJODF "CSBNPWJÇ&#x17D; XJMM TJU silent and still every day as long as the museum is open, i.e. for three months. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;PARALLEL WORLDSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BY ALEKSANDAR ZOGRAF

The exhibition by one of the most famous comic book authors in Serbia, "MFLTBOEBS ;PHSBG 4BĂ?B 3BLF[JÇ&#x17D;

Actress Dara %Ă¤PLJÇ&#x17D; JT UIJT ZFBS T SFDJQJFOU of the Ĺ˝anka 4UPLJÇ&#x17D; "XBSE 5IJT prestigious lifetime achievement award is granted by the Belgrade National Theatre, 7FÇ?FSOKF /PWPTUJ $PNQBOZ BOE UIF .VOJDJQBMJUZ PG 1PĂ¤BSFWBD 5IF KVSZ with actress Mira Stupica presiding, said that that they decided to give the BXBSE UP %BSB %Ă¤PLJÇ&#x17D; GPS IFS FMFHBOU and unassuming acting style through which she demonstrated that she is a master of her craft year after year, from role to role. The jury also said that %Ă¤PLJÇ&#x17D; XBT B TFSJPVT BOE EFEJDBUFE actress, and has always worked with the same zeal regardless of the role she QMBZFE %BSB %Ă¤PLJÇ&#x17D; IBT QMBZFE NBOZ memorable roles in theatres like Atelje ;WF[EBSB 5FBUBS /1 4VCPUJDB #FPHSBETLP %SBNTLP BOE 1P[PSJĂ?UF OB 5FSB[JKBNB 4IF JT BMTP B SFOPXOFE 57 and silver screen actress. STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL 5IF *OUFSOBUJPOBM 4UVEFOU 'JMN 'FTUJWBM '4' XBT GPSNBMMZ PQFOFE on March 18th with the premiere PG UIF 3VTTJBO ĂśMN A5IF 1SJTPOFS CZ "MFYFJ 6DIJUFM 5IF UJUMF PG UIJT ZFBS T GFTUJWBM XBT A3& 1SPEVDUJPO XJUI ĂśMNT made by students from Serbia, the $[FDI 3FQVCMJD (FSNBOZ 4XFEFO "SHFOUJOB BOE $BOBEB 'JMN EJSFDUPST 3BKLP (SMJÇ&#x17D; BOE 4UFGBO "STFOJKFWJÇ&#x17D; PQFOFE UIF GFTUJWBM XJUI (SMJÇ&#x17D; BMTP

The information centre of the Belgrade 5PVSJTU 0SHBOJ[BUJPO ,OF[ .JIBKMPWB Street) presented printouts of the most important buildings, documents, and art pieces stored in the museums that make up the Belgrade City Museum. The exhibition is a sort of virtual tour of Belgrade and shows landmarks like UIF %VDIFTT -KVCJDB T 1BMBDF UIF 1BKB +PWBOPWJÇ&#x17D; -FHBDZ UIF +PWBO $WJKJÇ&#x17D; )PVTF BOE UIF .FNPSJBM .VTFVN PG *WP "OESJÇ&#x17D; JO BEEJUJPO UP UIF 5PNB 3PTBOEJÇ&#x17D; -FHBDZ UIF #BOKJÇ?LJ Concentration Camp Museum, and UIF 4FLVMJÇ&#x17D; $PMMFDUJPO PG *DPOT 7JTJUPST will be able to see many aspects of Belgrade, its culture, history, art, science, as well as details from the lives of the most prominent citizens of Belgrade. INTERNATIONAL PHOTO EXHIBITION IN BOR 5IF SE *OUFSOBUJPOBM 1IPUP &YIJCJUJPO was held in the gallery of the Museum of Mining and Metallurgy in Bor, with over 780 authors form 62 states exhibiting close to 10,000 photographs. The best BVUIPST XFSF BXBSEFE CZ UIF '*"1 5IF *OUFSOBUJPOBM 'FEFSBUJPO PG 1IPUPHSBQIJD "SU 14" 1IPUPHSBQIJD 4PDJFUZ PG "NFSJDB *4' *NBHFT 4BOT 'SPOUJĂ&#x2019;SF '44 4FSCJBO 1IPUP "TTPDJBUJPO BOE 61* 6OJUFE 1IPUPHSBQIFST *OUFSOBUJPOBM 5IJT ZFBS T FYIJCJUJPO covered four topics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; women, nature, experimental photography, and a topic PG POF T DIPJDF CULTURE NEWS - By Jelena JovanoviÄ&#x2021; CorD 70 / April 2010 65

RESTAURANT

DRESSED IN WHITE THE LITTLE TASTE FACTORY

The menu boasts a long list of dishes, starting with breakfast items such as polenta, przenice (similar to French toast), and some meze-style food By Jelena MICKIĆ Photo Slobodan JOTIĆ

ala fabrika ukusa or The Little Taste Factory, about two months old and a newcomer on the Belgrade gastronomical map, instantly reminded me of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop when we discovered it earlier this month. The analogy with Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop minus the dimmed and somber Victorian atmosphere is only in the name. This purposely-built eatery is located on a green surrounded by family homes on hilly Nebojsina Street. The restaurant owners decided to go with the national cuisine concept, reflected in the restaurant’s interior, where a rustic nature is juxtaposed with softer aesthetic touches. After you pass through the small hallway lined with willow baskets stuffed with veggies, you enter the wood-floored, airy, and cozy dining room that beams with light, with about ten tables dotted here and there. The walls, covered floor to ceiling with shelves, display jars, kitchen utensils, and other domestic knick-knacks. The woodwork is creamy-white and

66 CorD 70 / April 2010

is in country style, almost Provencal, with simplified and cleaner furniture lines. I’ve already written on several occasions in CorD about restaurants that specialize in Serbian traditional food. There is a general and simplified division in Serbian cuisine, and that is a regional one. In northern Vojvodina, food is heavily influenced by its neighbours and their cultures, whereas the farther south one goes from Belgrade, especially towards the southeast, the more the cuisine takes on a distinctive Levantine taste, with grilled meat as the focus point. Belgrade has a satisfying offering of well-established small and large restaurants that prepare national cuisine the traditional way. With the global trend toward fusion cuisine, we’ve all had a go at treating our palates to exotic flavours and foreign foods, and though we often go back to the food we grew up on, our eating habits and expectations have changed. What we really want and need is a place that prepares old good Serbian food in a new way, i.e. without rich, heavy ingredients, and offers a reinterpretation of good, oldfashioned, timeless taste. The Little Taste Factory’s interior

and décor hinted a contemporary take on the old traditional tune and I was more than interested to find out if the menu offered novelties too. The menu boasts a long list of dishes, starting with breakfast items such as polenta, przenice (similar to French toast), and some meze-style food. The choice of starters is quite traditional: gibanica (phyllo pastry cheese pie), prebranac (baked beans), pihtije (pork parts in aspic), and roasted peppers, while the main dish section offers several choices of grilled meat. The chef’s specialties, we were told, are as follows: monastery chicken, bacon wrapped pork liver, bacon wrapped turkey parcels, and cooked pork shank with sauerkraut for two. As a side you could choose between French fries and a baker’s potato i.e. oven-baked slices of potato, onion, and bacon. You might have noticed that I hardly ever write or mention desserts. It’s not because I don’t have a sweet tooth, on the contrary; but I never get to the sweets because of the huge main servings that all restaurants serve. The Factory’s list of sweets includes some old-time favourites such as homemade apple and sour cherry pie, pancakes, floating islands, and tulumbe as well as some more cosmopolitan choices like chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and profiteroles. We asked for an apricot brandy as an aperitif, this time served chilled in an authentic little brandy bottle called a

The Factory’s list of sweets includes some old-time favourites such as homemade apple and sour cherry pie, pancakes, ﬂoating islands, and tulumbe as well as some more cosmopolitan choices like chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and proﬁteroles cokanjcic. The brandy was moderately aromatized and decently strong. While waiting for the main dish, we helped ourselves to some warm homemade lepinja (pita bread), unfortunately unsalted, corn flower muffins (projica), and a roasted pepper, garlic, and white hard cheese spread, which was tasty, and very rustic in texture. I’d have appreciated it more had it been thoroughly blended for the sake of a more homogenous and evenly-distributed fusion of flavors. For the main dish we opted for manastirka piletina and turkey parcels served with a dollop of kajmak. Our food came served on wooden trays. I admit I had high hopes for the turkey. The dollop of kajmak that came with the meat was unbelievably fresh. I personally dislike it when it’s old and turns golden and sour. The meat itself seemed to be overcooked, as it was chewy and on the hard side, and the kackavalj cheese inside was melted to a liquid, instead of having that wonderful chewy and elastic texture.

While the turkey dish recipe was somewhat predictable, my chicken served with a dried fig sauce, was an unusual combination. The chicken breast, two thick slices battered in a mixture of finely-chopped walnuts and almonds, was juicy and soft in texture and just nutty enough in taste. The thick, spiced sauce made of dried figs, honey, brandy, and meat stock, was moderately sweet with a distinctive peppery tang. While I appreciated the chicken and the sauce separately, I’m not really sure if I liked them enough combined. Although their flavours didn’t clash, they did not exactly match either. As for the baker’s potato, this one earned an average mark. The sopska salad was nice, but a nicer and more refreshing choice was my salad, a mix of cooked beetroot and fresh lettuce, topped with hard white cheese. Excellent combination of ingredients. Our server was very helpful and genuinely polite. The background music combined traditional songs and an ethno remix of pop/rock tunes. The restaurant’s clientele was a mix of young people, professionals, families, couples and even Sex and the City girlfriends. We had our table booked for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and the restaurant was already full by the time we arrived, with new bookings coming. If you plan to visit this place, it is wise to reserve your spot well in advance. Prices are in the moderate range for Belgrade.

MONASTERY CHICKEN (MANASTIRSKA PILETINA)

onastery chicken served with a dried fig sauce, was an unusual combination. The chicken breast, two thick slices battered in a mixture of finely-chopped walnuts and almonds, was juicy and soft in texture and just nutty enough in taste. The thick, spiced sauce made of dried figs, honey, brandy, and meat stock, was moderately sweet with a distinctive peppery tang. CorD 70 / April 2010 67

WALKING SERBIA

WALKING, HIKING &

pring has arrived, so we would like to suggest that you leave behind your office, comfortable home, and even your car to take a little walk over the beautiful Serbian landscape. In this issue, we are offering a range of several mountain trails and strongly recommend the five-hour walk that starts from Kalenicki Prnjavor and ends in the village of Ratkovci.

DIVÄ&#x152;IBARE Divcibare highland on Maljen Mountain is a well-known mountain resort, recognized as true haven for its air quality. It has hour hiking routes, ranging from easy to medium.

There are a lot of easy hiking routes in Divcibare, at an altitude of 980 m. All routes are marked with hiking signs.

HOMOLJE Homolje Mountain Range is located in eastern Serbia, southwest of Majdanpek. Whole-day hiking and mountaineering tours, ranging from 3 to 30 km, are organized by Ace Adventure agency. 68 CorD 70 / April 2010

ometimes we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see what is right before our eyes. One of the most tempting sites on the Internet about Serbia and what it offers is walkingserbia.com. The strange thing is that none of the people behind the project is Serbian or was even born in this country. The Serbian Experience provides one-week guided walking holidays in the beautiful mountainous region of Sumadija in central Serbia. The Serbian Experience (SE) is run by

& MOUNTAINEERING Routes include visits to historical landmarks, medieval forts, monasteries,

observatory peaks, caves, lakes, and mountains.

GOLIJA HIKING Golija mountain hiking includes visiting famous medieval Orthodox monasteries and enjoying some famous Serbian monastery hospitality and rakija. Hiking trails are 3 -12 km long, and pass through the spectacularly beautiful UNESCO protected wildlife reserve.

Golija’s special attraction is hiking to Jankov Kamen, Novica Brdo, as well as a 3 kilometer-long “health route.”

FRUSKA GORA HIKING & BIKING Tish, who is Welsh, and Sasa, who is a dual national (Serbian/British), and their 2 children. After moving to Serbia from the UK four and a half years ago, they came up with the idea for The Serbian Experience. While exploring Sumadija, they discovered its natural beauty and recognized the potential for visitors who enjoy walking and who wish to experience and explore countryside with traditional villages and monasteries yet untouched by tourism.

So far the couple has had mainly British tourists who are looking for something different, those who have been searching for a holiday destination where they can walk without bumping into crowds of other walkers, explore real villages that have remained unchanged for generations, but who can at the same time have the guidance and support of a highly experienced mountain guide whose knowledge of the region and its history is unparalleled.

Routes vary in length from 3 to 80 km and lead through beautiful protected areas of Fruska Gora National Park.

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WALKING SERBIA All the routes are circular, and are all marked. A hiker can either go eastward or westward on each route (eastward is the basic direction on the route).

TARA HIKING & TREKKING

Tara national Park has 18 well-marked trails going through spectacular mountainous areas of this wild forest refuge. Trails are mostly of medium difficulty, ranging from 3 to 18 km.

STARA PLANINA Stara Planina is some 330 km from Belgrade, 70 km from Nis, and 50 km from Pirot and Knjazevac. Mizdor, its peak (2123m), is the highest peak in eastern Serbia. It is famous for its wildlife and spectacular observation points that offer unprecedented views of Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo. Hiking, mountaineering and mountain bike excursions are organized by a specialized tour operator, Ace Adventure.

Stara Planina Mountain has two marked hiking routes, good skiing slopes, a large artificial lake, the 16th century Temska Monastery, and Temska river with abundant fishing,medicinal herbs, and wild mushrooms, which are just a few of the tourist attractions. 70 CorD 70 / April 2010

Unlike most tours you can find in Serbia usually only through mountaineering organizations, this is a program that offers more according to the needs of traditionally demanding British tourists. The main holiday program offered by The Serbian Experience includes not only 7 nights’ accommodation in a 3 bed-room, self-contained house, but also airport transfers, lifts to and from walks

and an experienced guide who’ll know how to get any foreigner acquainted with Serbia. SE is flexible to visitors’ individual needs, because there are always those who would prefer bicycles or a car rather than just a walking tour. Kalenicki Prnjavor and Jasenova Glava The walk takes approximately 5hrs and starts in the village of Kalenicki Prnjavor.

KOPAONIK HIKING & MOUNTAINEERING Many well ordered trekking trails and mountaineering routes provide great opportunities to enjoy the nature and landscapes of Kopaonik National Park.

Kopaonik is the biggest mountain range in Serbia, spreads some 80km from the northwest to the southeast. With its 200 sunny days a year, Kopaonik was dubbed “Sunny Mountain.” The highest peak is Pancicev Vrh (2017m). Because of its stunning natural beauty, Kopaonik was declared a national park in 1981.

RUDNIK - HIKING & TREKKING The easy hiking routes of Rudnik mountain lead to beautiful observatory peaks, mountain lodges, and historical landmarks of the Sumadija region. All hiking-mountaineering routes on Rudnik Mountain are marked.

The walk to Jasenova Glava peak (906m) takes you through old forests of oak and silver birch. From Jasenova Glava, a pleasant walk leads to the 15th century monastery ‘Kalenic.’ The day will finish with a visit to Ratkovic, a typical Serbian village where you will be served complementary traditional Serbian refreshments.

Along the trail, don’t miss the local specialties in the ethno-village of Kostunici, which include wild fruit and rakijas.Rudnik Mountain, which dominates Sumadija, Serbia’s central, is located some 100 km south of Belgrade. The highest peak is Veliki Sturac (1132 m). Rudnik has a total of eight peaks over 1000 meters. CorD 70 / April 2010 71

LIFESTYLE & LEISURE

THE BLACK LONDON TAXI

London Taxi, also known as the London Black Cab, these vehicles, and their drivers, have earned the reputation for providing the best taxi service in the world. Every driver is required to undergo a rigorous test of his knowledge of London which can take up to four years to learn before the coveted badge is awarded. Each individual’s character is tested and checks are made regarding any criminal records

FX4 - Diecast Austi 72 CorD 70 / April 2010

TX4 - Silver he vehicles are easily recognisable, their 25ft turning circle means that they can still ‘turn on a sixpence’ (or a dime). There are currently three different shaped models working the London area. The Fairway has kept much of the shape of what everybody imagines a London taxi to be but they will be gradually replaced by the newest models, the TX1 and the TX2. These taxis have a more rounded shape and have taken on many improvements to passenger safety and driver comfort. So where did the name of Taxi come from. Well you have probable heard the name hackney which has its origins in France and called ‘Hacquenée’ meaning a horse for hire. Various forms of transport were dreamed up, but it was 1906 when the General Cab Company’s imported 500 Renault cabs into London. It was because of this sudden influx of cabs that the licensing authority decided that it would impose rules on their design. One of the conditions was the 25ft turning circle. The next change was in 1907 when the fitting of taximeters was made compulsory, it is from this that they became know as ‘taxicabs’,

K CABS

it was not long before the name cab was dropped and they were just called Taxi. The regulations were revised in 1928 to encourage more manufactures to start producing Taxi’s. The car dealer Mann and Overton Director Will Overton who had been selling cabs in London since 1906 approached Herbert Austin about modifying the 12/4 chassis so that it would

1925 Bean 13.9hp Long Tourer. Built in Tipton, West Midlands LONDON TAXI

DRIVING “RULES” Turn signals will give away your next move. A real London cabbie never uses them. Use of them north of Watford (North London) may be illegal. Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation. Crossing two or more lanes in a single lane-change is considered “going with the flow.”

Beardmore Paramount Mk VII

The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it’s a chance to stretch your legs. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as suggestions, and are apparently not enforceable during rush hour. It is assumed that police cars passing at high speed may be followed in the event you need to make up a few minutes on your way to work, or the beach. Heavy snow, ice, fog, and rain are no reasons to change any of the previously listed rules. These weather conditions are God’s way of ensuring a natural selection process for body shops, scrap yards, and new vehicle sales.

TX4 - Candyfloss pink comply with the London ‘Conditions of Fitness’. Because the overall height of the Taxi was higher than the competition, it received the nick name ‘High Lot’ but this design gave the Top Hat customers plenty of CorD 70 / April 2010 73

LIFESTYLE & LEISURE HACKNEY CABS

1958-FX3

room. It was soon outselling the Bearmore and MorrisCommercials versions. Building on its success a new model the ‘Low Loader’ was introduced in 1934. After the war Mann & Overton decided that it needed a more up to date design. So it was agreed that Austin would supply the engine/chassis with the body been supplied by Carbodies in Coventry, although the body was actually designed by Austin’s chief body designer Jim Stanfield. In 1948 a new Austin Taxi appeared on the streets called the FX3, it was soon the market leader. Although in 1952 a diesel engine from Ferguson was available as a conversion, it was 1954 that Austin were producing there own 2.2 litre diesel engine as a factory fit. Also produced was the FL1 this was the same model but had no luggage space by the driver instead it had a bench seat and the roof sign was deleted. The next chapter was the Austin FX4 version in 1958 this is the taxi that has become a London icon. The main reason for its longevity was that nether Austin or Mann

he Black Cabs’ history goes back to the time of horse-drawn cabs which were called Hackney Cabs. The term comes from the French word haquenee referring to the ambling horses used to pull the original Hackney Carriages. The Hackney Carriage originated in London, England in 1625. The cabs still come under some of the old rules from the horsedrawn days. The Black Cabs are the only taxis that are allowed to pick people up from the street. There are also mini cabs in London, however they can only collect someone if they have made a prior arrangement by phone. Before a taxi driver gets his Hackney Cab Licence he or she must pass a test called ‘The Knowledge’. This is a difficult test and requires the cabbie to know the streets of central London like the palm of their hand. Mini cab drivers do not need to pass this test.

& Overton were prepared to fund a replacement so it soldered on. In 1960 the chassis production was transferred to Morris Commercial Cars plant at Adderley Park Birmingham from Longbridge. Chassis production was again moved in 1971 to the Car Bodies plant at Coventry at least assemble was now under one roof. British Leyland decided in 1982 that they wished to withdraw from been involved with the FX4. This meant that a Land Rover diesel engine was used, this was a move that gave reliability problems. To address the problem in 1985 the Nissan 2.7litre diesel unit was fitted. The next milestone was in 1989 when the final version of the FX4 was announced which along with the Nissan engine could now accommodate wheelchairs and was called the ‘Fairway’. This continued in production to 1997, so from a 1958 design in had for been in production for 39 years. Although Carbodies looked at producing a replacement, in the end after a couple of prototypes they decided to buy the production rights from Austin.

NEW CAB FOR 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

he new hydrogen fuel cell taxis will be on London’s roads in time for the 2012 Olympic games. The fuel cell powered vehicles will include batteries to allow them to operate as hybrid vehicles for a day without refueling. Drivers of the iconic TX4 black cabs will be able to refuel in a few minutes using hydrogen depots situated around central London. Intelligent Energy, the leader of the consortium, says that the new cabs will be capable of achieving speeds of up to 120 km per hour and faster acceleration than standard taxis, despite being emission-free. Intelligent Energy plans to develop technology to power between 50 and 100 of London’s 21,000 black taxis. In December, South Korea’s capital Seoul announced that it would begin tests of LPG taxis in an attempt to ease pollution in the city, whilst an estimated 15 percent of New York’s 21,227-strong yellow cab fleet is made up of hybrid vehicles 74 CorD 70 / April 2010

JSP

SP is a creative team that consists of sisters Jelena and Svetlana Proković, who have worked together in the area of styling, costume design, and contemporary fashion since 1992. At present they work between Belgrade and Ljubljana. From their beginnings as fashion reporters, they traveled through the worlds of theatre and film. Musicians such as Zdravko Colic and Ana Stanic are among those who have worn JSP in their videos.

Lilu SHOES

Danijela Biškup is the creator of LILU shoes. Since 2001, she is the owner of IDENTITY studio, where JSP clothes have also found their place. Danijela Biškup has worked with Emir Kusturica and many other artists. After becoming friends, she and the JSP team started working together, both in Belgrade and Ljubljana, where IDENTITY was established. Anica Dobra, Biljana Vilimon, and Olja Bećković feel comfortable in LILU shoes

Price: € 90.00

Price: € 80.00

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Price: € 90.00

Price: € 100.00

Fashion &

Style

Price: € 90.00

Price: € 140.00

Price: € 120.00 Price: € 90.00 CorD 70 / April 2010 77

| TECHNO TALK |

APPLE IPAD

Launch price €445

he newly introduced iPad of Apple is impressive, wonderful and incredible computer system. It is super high quality, super responsive and super processor. Slide to unlock and the entire screen gets displayed where you get to see mail, contacts, iPod, iTunes, app store, Safari, video, settings, maps, calendar, photos, YouTube and last but not least notes. It is one of the great inventions that can revolutionize the entire education system for better.

LOGITECH DINOVO EDGE

Launch price €120

oulded from a single chunk of gloss black plastic and trimmed with aluminum, it’s only 11mm thick, the diNovo Edge looks like something robbed from the deck of the Enterprise. Keys are tactile and comfortable to use. It connects via Bluetooth using a dongle in the box. It’s rechargeable, so there are no wires to spoil the look, when not in use you just prop it up in the similarly minimalist silver desktop stand to top up the battery.

LG WATCHPHONE GD910

Launch price €500

he LG GD910 is a big watch but unlike most gadget watches, it’s stylish. It has scratchproof face and water resistant body. Thanks to an excellent gesture-sensitive touchscreen that makes it easy to do anything, from choosing your watch face to making a call. The built-in speaker is loud enough to work on the street, and the microphone does a surprisingly good job of picking up your voice amid the chaos.

APPLE TIME CAPSULE

Launch price €200 PHILIPS LIVINGCOLORS

Launch price €100

hilips is adding jazzy lighting to its popular Ambilight range, and now you can enjoy the glow without shelling out on a TV. LivingColour is an LED lamp and puts the Ambilight concept in a simple and attractive remote controllable design. Like a clear Perspex bowling ball the LivingColor lamp can bathe your room in any colour you like.

78 CorD 70 / April 2010

he Apple’s Next Big Thing is a network-attached backup device. Wi-Fi networks are great in theory, but brain-liquifying in practice. Similarly, backup is something that seems like a great idea, but usually only springs to mind 30 seconds after a calamitous hard-drive failure. By combining a wireless router with a 500GB or 1TB drive, and wrapping it up with its trademark easyto-use interface, Apple has solved two big problems.

SAMSUNG YP-S2

Launch price €30

amsung clearly think there’s plenty of life in the screenless MP3 players. Its new YP-S2, AKA ‘the pebble’. The Korean tech giant’s music player traditions of saving pennies on style and usability in favour of sound quality. Its has 1GB of storage, which is enough for about 250 songs. There’s no display, instead, you get a set of very basic play, pause and skip buttons. The YP-S2 powers through MP3, WMA or Ogg files with more finesse and a less compressed sound than its Apple rival.

NOKIA BOOKLET 3G

OREGON SCIENTIFIC ACTION CAM

Launch price €445

Launch price €100

ou might think MikroMikko is the name of some Asian fusion restaurant, but it was actually Nokia’s first computer line in 1987, the MikroMikko 3 was a state-of-the-art MS-DOS machine with 1MB of RAM and 20MB drive. The Booklet is a top-ofthe-line machine with an all-aluminum chassis, integrated connectivity and GPS, and low-power Atom processor and 4,200rpm hard drive.

regon Scientific’s Action Cam is a little camera that can be strapped to your bonce, leaving your hands free for balance and self-defence from trees. The Action Cam is a self-contained unit and all the footage is captured on an SDcard. Its straps are best used with a helmet attached directly to your head. The Action Cam is waterproof to 3meters, so even a heavy snowfall or kayaking won’t faze it.

DIY KYOTO THE WATTSON

Launch price €100

T MOIXA USBCELL

Launch price €13

he gadget world has always had a love-hate relationship with batteries. While they provide precious power to our tech, they ultimately die and become obsolete when we need them most. Moxia Energy wants to redress this situation so has come up with the next generation of the rechargeable battery: the USBCELL that it can be charged using any USB port. It’s as portable and comes in AA size, so can be used in most of our favourite gadgets.

his is the year of the green gadget, thats why Wattson make the design gorgeous enough that any self and planet respecting gadget-lover will include it in their home set-up. The concept is simple – the Wattson measures household energy consumption in real time and displays it via lovely LED display in either pounds sterling or wattage.

LOGITECH MX AIR

Launch price £75.00

he MX Air is designed for the high-tech living room, a black-and-silver teardrop obviously from the same family as our media keyboard of choice, the DiNovo Edge. On the desktop it’s a serviceable wireless mouse, marked out by its touchpad scroll rather than the spinning wheel. But it’s on the sofa that the hefty price tag is justified. Simply wield it like a TV remote and the mouse pointer follows suit, from up to 30ft away. You can adjust the volume by flicking from side to side, and tracks can be skipped by rotating. CorD 70 / April 2010 79

| TECHNO TALK |

WACOM CINTIQ 12WX

Price: €460

acom’s Cintiq 12WX is the newest, smallest, and cheapest Cintiq drawing tablet to date. As with previous models, you can draw directly on its built-in LCD screen with a digitizer pen. The company’s drawing pens are finely tuned to the features of major graphics programs. The tablet is roughly 5” thick and measures 21.1” x 16.5” inches. It weighs 22 pounds. A sturdy round tab protrudes from the middle of the back of the tablet and slides easily in and out of a corresponding socket on the stand.

LOGITECH HARMONY ONE

Price: €185

or the past year or so, Logitech has been treading a bit of water with its line of well-regarded Harmony remotes. Part of the reason behind the lack of advancement seems to have been that Logitech’s designers were focused on developing the Harmony One. It has RF option that allow you to command components behind walls or doors. The Harmony One is arguably the best consumer remote control currently available.

ASUS EEEBOX 1501

Launch price €340

s likeable as Asus’ previous versions of the EeeBox there’s never quite been a compelling case for inviting a ‘netbox’ into your home. With a dual-core CPU and Nvidia’s ION chipset for graphics, Asus’ latest EeeBox, the 1501, might just have become a lounge essential. It may not rival the Mac Mini in appearance, but the front mounted USB ports and card reader are exceptionally useful.

CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER WOW WIRELESS HEADSET ALIENWARE M15X

Price: €120

Launch price €1,200

ver the years, Alienware’s laptops have been many things, a lot of them completely contradictory. But the new m15x is just about the most unusual yet. With its industrial angles, sloped front and raked keyboard it bears more resemblance to KITT’s bonnet than it does to a traditional laptop. For a start, it’s one of the first laptops we’ve seen to feature Intel’s latest mobile processor, the quad-core i7 Q720. 80 CorD 70 / April 2010

t’s a little late to be jumping on the World of Warcraft bandwagon, but it’s safe to say that there are still quite a few addicted dedicated players out there in dire need of a headset. Creative Labs has just put its latest headset to market. According to the product listing, the latter relies on a 2.4GHz signal, and both of them utilize THX TruStudio PC technology in order to split your mind wide open with pure aural bliss.

NOKIA N900

Price: €420

HTC HERO

f you’re looking for the most advanced, feature rich smartphone that Nokia makes, you’ll be disappointed with the incomplete experience that the Nokia N900 offers, and the lack of available support and downloadable options available at launch. Most smartphone fans will be better served by one of Nokia’s Symbian OS devices like the N86, which offer more complete package for calling, navigation, messaging. But if you want a glimpse at the future of portable devices, youll find the Nokia N900 fascinating.

Price: €460

he HTC Hero has been an object of lust for gadget enthusiasts. Even from the earliest days smartphone fans seemed to agree that the company had finally achieved what has been missing in the world of Android. So, here we are with an actual, bona fide Hero in our midst. It is a beautiful device, both inside and out, but does being a beautiful device mean Android is about to move to a bigger stage?

QUE PROREADER WITH 4GB & WI-FI

Price: €590

he QUE proReader is an indispensable business tool that you’ll turn to again and again, whether you are in the office or on the road. It’s large 8-1/2” x 11” shatterproof display looks and reads like paper. QUE is optimized for ease of reading, even in direct sunlight. Plus QUE is only 1/3” thick and weighs just about a pound, so it fits comfortably in your hand, and can go with you anywhere and everywhere. QUE holds PDF files, Microsoft Office docs and more. With the QUE software on your PC, Mac or BlackBerry smartphone, it’s easy to convert and transfer your documents to your QUE.

ATI RADEON HD 5870 1GB

Price: €185

A SAMSUNG DIVA S7070

Price: €440

ti has beat Nvidia to the punch in releasing the first series of video cards with DirectX 11 support. The HD 5870 performance is relatively similar to that of the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and actually quite a lot better in certain games. At its time of release the Radeon HD 5870 is the fastest single GPU video card available, the only video card with DirectX 11 support.

oday’s modern women play many roles, from fashionista to heroine. The Samsung Diva Collection delivers mobile phones accentuating all aspects of the stylish, attention-getting woman to let the diva in everyone come to life. Women with impeccable taste will appreciate Samsung Diva’s impressive pearly-white embossed back cover, as well as the ergonomically designed diamondshaped crystal button.

GARMIN-ASUS NUVIFONE M10

Price: €325

he Nuvifone M10 will sport a 3.5” WVGA TFT touchscreen, 600MHz processor (manufacturer is still unknown), 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM, 4 GB internal storage, a 5 megapixel camera, 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and microSD card slot. It will come with the latest Windows Mobile 6.5.3. As its older siblings from the Nuvifone family G60 and M20, the M10 will come with full navigation services from Garmin, which will turn your phone into a complete SatNav solution. CorD 70 / April 2010 81

profile

A well-packed tradition Branko Nešić’s success story with “Rakia Bar” ﬁnds its beginnings in his genuine youthful ambition. From his grandfather’s cellar in an old part of Belgrade where he and his brother established the “Merry Valley” pub, he created the Rakia Bar chain, where traditional Serbian brandy holds a respectable position.

ranko Nešić is one of the few people who fought for the adoption of the law on rakia (Serb.’rakija’), a document that brought us closer to the EU in the area of alcohol production. Investing in rakia production in one of the poorest municipalities in Serbia, Surdulica, brought him to a confrontation with age-old bureaucracy and ways of thinking. Under the existing law, rakia manufacturers pay excise tax, but no one from the authorities could answer a simple question: who pays? The one who makes rakia or the one who fills the bottles? That is only one of many examples of the loopholes in the procedures that foils attempts to move rakia from ‘booze’ to a business enterprise. “I saw that people knew nothing about production but still produce, no one knew thing about quality and everyone said that his grandfather’s rakia is the best. When I had conversations with people from the ministry, I realized that apart from exemptions, no one knew a thing about the matter. Those who knew wouldn’t mess with it. That made me come into business.” Branko respects serious caterers, but he easily reached the point where he decided to take one step forward. People wanted to buy the rakia they drank in his Rakia Bar and he decided to turn an old shop in the town centre into the first Rakia bar Gift Shop. Then came an attempt to develop a franchise. His dream of expanding Rakia Bars all across Serbia under the protection of the ‘Rakija d.o.d’ trademark did not turn out the way Branko had hoped. People didn’t understand the principles of franchise business so well.

“I am shocked how uninformed people can be. It is not only about rakia… I assume that the situation is similar in other areas of economy as well, but I am pretty sure about rakia.” “We spread out too much all at once and then came to a conclusion all together – let’s go back to our roots. We started making rakia chocolates, liqueurs, selections from various cellars. We founded an association of rakia producers, held a festival, attended all possible fairs. Today we consult in different areas, from packaging to sales. We are preparing a book on rakia. We have realized that we are doing everything and it is time to get back to the basics, and that is Rakia Bar.” 82 CorD 70 / April 2010

This unusual decision at a time when everyone dreams about expanding business is not the consequence of fear, but bureaucracy. Even if the “regulatory guillotine” works, Branko is sure that much more time is necessary to change ways of thinking. “The transition to a liberal economy was applauded here, but no one really applied it in real life. A whole generation has to pass for people to understand that the production of a traditional product, no matter if it’s jam, ajvar, or slatko, is a serious business like any other and so it must have standards, administration, and all the other Branko Nešić necessary things that any serious company must have. I am shocked how uninformed people can be. It is not only about rakia. In this industry we have a basic product and that’s rakia. Then we get to matters of packaging, design, sales, and marketing and we understand that none of those things exist in Serbia and that is the reason why nothing functions here. I assume that the situation is similar in other areas of economy as well, but I am pretty sure about rakia.” The naive myth about rakia as the ultimate product that can conquer the world alcohol market is broken under the pressure of cheaper, better organized and higher – quality products that have already come to Europe’s supermarkets. Discord among domestic rakia manufacturers makes geographical categorization and standardization almost impossible. Besides, export to a huge EU market requires much larger quantities than individuals can produce. Because of this, and the fact that the state is powerless before these problems, rakia can’t compete on the world market. “Statistics show that we have a decrease in alcohol consumption, but on the other hand, the same statistics show that millions of litres of grappa, Calvados, and Williams are being sold. Serbia’s share in that is too small. We do not have a product that we can launch, and even if we do, there is no one who can do it. We need quality, continuity, and quantity if we want to be part of the game.