D&C 8

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October 2016 | ISSUE No. 8 | Price 350 RSD

STAY ON THE REFORM PATH FOR GOOD

9772466380002 PAGE 19

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H.E. AXEL DITTMANN

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia

THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE RIGHT TIME

GERMANY CELEBRATED ITS UNIFICATION DAY

3rd October

We Will Build Even More

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SINIŠA MALI

Mayor of Belgrade

Good Content to Be Recognised

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MILOŠ ĐURKOVIĆ

Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IT IS ALL ABOUT SOUL PAGE 22

DOMINIC LYLE

Director General, EACA

SALIM MUKADDAM

General Manager and Vice President of BBC in the CEE region PAGE 21

The

SECRET FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION Special

SUPPLEMENT

THE CRADLE OF EUROPE, THE MARITIME SUPERPOWER

GEORGIOS PAPANASTASIOU

President of the Hellenic Business Association

EDITORI AL

C O N T EN T S

The Power of Wishful Thinking Dear readers, One of the worst possible sins in evaluation is wishful thinking – to predict the outcome based by your own wishes, to think that something is going to happen just because you want it to happen. You could say that it happens only to infatuated teenage boys and girls, but it happens to serious politicians, too. Napoleon made a misjudgement, thinking that the serfs would rise against the semi-feudal Czar and join his Grande Armée. He ended up in St Helena. Hitler thought that the Slavs are the inferior race, but in few months he was be in Vladivostok. He ended up in his bunker in destroyed Berlin. Japanese military commanders thought that the US was a self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking country full of pacifists, and that their mission would be a piece of cake. They ended up being blown up by two atomic bombs. Wishful thinking is deadly. I am afraid that now lots of politicians in the West are thinking wishfully.

Indolence while the clouds are piling up on the horizon. “No, it can’t happen!” policy is not much of a plan, right? Not doing anything until the worst happens. EU might be the greatest idea of all, but has to have a Plan B and a Plan C, especially if we take into account the Eastern social conservatism, migrant crisis, austerity measures, Brexit, and its own enlargement. In 1975, the Vietnam War ended and hippie-like “Peace, brother!” seemed to have won. But in 1976, punk was born, and the streets were full of angry young man kicking and shouting aggressive paroles. In 1975, it looked like the harmony had won. In 1980, there were no hippies, no welfare state, Maggie Thatcher and Ron Reagan made the new, neoconservative world. The world we know may be in ruins in few years, if we don’t prevent it. As Lermontov said in “Hero of Our Times”: “I hoped? It is not much of an argument. If you said: I did all my best and I failed, it could be OK. But, I… hoped?” Let us hope less and do more.

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H.E. AXEL DITTMANN

Digital 2016 - Conference that gave answers to the burning questions of digital age

STAY ON THE REFORM PATH FOR GOOD

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia emphasises the need to keep on the right track

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WE WILL BUILD EVEN MORE

Editor-in-Chief

Mayor of Belgrade is proud of the number of active construction sites in our capital city

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THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE RIGHT TIME MILOŠ ĐURKOVIĆ

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Diplomacy&Commerce www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ

zikica.milosevic@color.rs

jovana.markovic@color.rs

TANJA BANKOVIĆ

Advertising manager

Editor in Chief

Editorial manager

tanja.bankovic@color.rs ILIJA PETROVIĆ Graphic designer

Advertising manager

NATAŠA NEŠIĆ

Director

robert.coban@color.rs Photos

natasa.nesic@color.rs

GORAN ZLATKOVIĆ, GETTY IMAGES

DRAGANA RADOVIĆ

Translation and lecturer

Advertising manager

ilija.petrovic @color.rs

dragana.radovic@color.rs

VANJA KOVAČEV

RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ

vanja.kovacev@color.rs

ruza.ristanovic@color.rs

Advertising manager

ROBERT ČOBAN

Magazine director

MRP EDITORIAL

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POSITIVE ENERGY IN THE CITY CENTRE SRBOLJUB ALEKSIĆ

Director of the Belgrade Zoo

SINIŠA MALI

Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL WORLD

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WORLD CUP BECKONS FOR SERBIA

Rugby is growing in popularity in Serbia

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TRADITION AND ORIGINALITY IN A GLASS OF WINE Kovačević winery

GOOD CONTENT TO BE RECOGNISED SALIM MUKADDAM

General Manager and Vice President of BBC in the CEE region explains the latest trends in the industry

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ART ON A PLATE

Enso restaurant

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KEEPING UP WITH STYLE

50th BITEF – A prolongued success

THE ATLANTIC IS DEAD, WHAT ABOUT THE PACIFIC?

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TPP at a crossroads - will the TransPacific Agreement survive?

Discovering the magic of Erdinger beer

BEER IS BEAUTIFUL

Translation SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ

”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21000 Novi Sad, Temerinska 102 TIN 107871532 • Matriculation number 20887303 · Phone: +381 21 4897 100 • Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Bulevar Arsenija Čarnojevića 54A, III/ 7, Belgrade • 011 4044 960 CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

ISSN 2466-3808 = Diplomacy & Commerce COBISS.SR-ID 303269895

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Stay on the Reform Path for Good H.E. AXEL DITTMANN

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia

Serbia has to continue with the reform process, particularly in the fields of justice and social protection, but also with regard to freedom of expression and the media, as well as the fight against corruption. These reforms are primarily for the benefit of Serbia’s citizens, not for the sake of Brussels or Berlin Germany has proved to be an important supporter of Serbia in its reforms and EU accession process, as well as being a serious trade and investment partner.

Furthermore, cultural ties between the two countries are getting stronger and deeper, thereby providing a solid basis for the true friendship between Germany and Serbia, says H.E. Axel Dittmann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Serbia.

How would you assess the reform agenda of the new Serbian government?

— The Serbian government has initiated serious and challenging, but necessary, reforms, and Germany strongly supports this process. A crucial step was the opening of the negotiating chapters with the EU on rule of law in July. However, it is important to stress that these political, economic and social reforms are primarily for the benefit of Serbia’s citizens, not for the sake of Brussels or Berlin. I know that many of these reforms are not easy; some of them bring along hardships, but in the long run they will improve working and living conditions in Serbia. It is now important to continue the reform process, particularly in the fields of justice and social protection, but also with regard to freedom of expression and the media, as well as the fight against corruption.

In which areas should Serbia exert more effort towards building a functional market economy, and what are the experiences of German investors in Serbia like

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regarding this issue?

— Trade and investment are important pillars of our bilateral relations.

Germany has been one of Serbia’s key trading partners for years. More than 350 German businesses operate in Serbia. These companies range from relatively small SMEs to large production sites. German companies have invested more than 1.8 billion euros in Serbia. According to a survey conducted by the German Chamber of Commerce in 2016, 90% of German firms would choose to invest in Serbia again. However, in order to achieve even faster expansion of investment and a more efficient market economy, the prerequisite is

showed both the progress made so far and the challenges that lie ahead. It happened at a time when Serbia and Kosovo once again took some important decisions on how to normalise each other’s relations and to improve living conditions – namely in the fields of energy, telecommunications, the creation of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo and freedom of movement. However, some of those agreements still have to be implemented. We hope that both sides can make progress here soon, and that they can also identify the next areas of normalisation that will make people’s lives

CHAPTERS 23 AND 24 ARE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMING SERBIA. GERMANY, AS A RELIABLE AND HONEST PARTNER, WILL OFFER CONTINUING SUPPORT IN THE REFORM PROCESS an improvement of the legal framework, including investment security, which means continuing the reform process and implementing the action plans for important accession negotiation chapters 23 and 24.

easier. For the EU, it is very important that EU accession and the normalisation of relations with Kosovo progress in parallel – this is what we agreed at the beginning of 2014 in the Joint Negotiating Framework.

What do you think of Serbia's progress so far in negotiations regarding chapter 35, and what is the expected dynamic regarding the continuation of talks between Serbia and Kosovo?

Considering the substantial German assistance in improving our judiciary, are you satisfied with the current progress relative to chapters 23 and 24?

— We strongly support the normalisation process that is mediated by the EU’s external action service. The opening of chapter 35 at the end of last year was an important step that

Diplomacy&Commerce

— Chapters 23 and 24 are particularly important for Serbia’s transformation process. Serbia has developed the necessary action plans and these now need to be implemented.

The new Minister of Justice, Ms

Kuburović, has expressed her determination to continue the reforms, and Germany, as a reliable and honest partner, will offer continuing support in the reform process.

With the action plans, there is now a good blueprint for reform and we hope progress can be achieved according to the agreed timelines.

What do you think about the cooperation between Germany and Serbia in resolving the migrant crisis and dealing with asylum seekers from Serbia?

— The refugee crisis and the issue of asylum seekers from Serbia are two different challenges. However, I can happily say that we cooperate successfully with the Serbian government on both issues. Germany greatly appreciates the constructive role that the Serbian state and its civil society have taken on the refugee crisis. Serbia has been treating refugees in a humane way; it proved its willingness to be part of a joint European solution and is thus acting in a truly European spirit. The refugee crisis made our two countries work even closer together. Germany has supported Serbia during the crisis with more than four million Euros. German organisations, like GIZ, KfW, HELP and ASB, collaborate closely with Serbian institutions and Serbian civil society in alleviating the crisis in Serbia.

On the other hand, citizens of Western Balkan States who seek asylum in Germany do not fall under the category of refugees. Serbia has been declared a safe country of origin. Hence, asylum seekers from Serbia, a European country that is

preparing to join the EU, cannot in principle obtain asylum in Germany. As such, more than 99.9% of these applications are rejected.

These people simply have to return to Serbia. They will also be banned from re-entering the entire Schengen area. Requesting asylum in Germany is not a route to pursue if you want to live and work in Germany.

We are in intense cooperation with the Serbian government in mitigating the tough living conditions for people whose application for asylum in Germany has not been granted, e.g. water-infrastructure has been improved in some Roma settlements and, in partnership with German agency GIZ, we offer workshops for specific types of careers and professions.

How much have German practices regarding the functioning of chambers of commerce and dual education taken hold in Serbia?

— We work very closely with our Serbian partners in supporting them in the reform of their chamber system and in introducing vocational training in schools. Both of these concepts are showing their first positive results.

An efficient chamber system has always played a key role in

the German economy. Today, the network of German Chambers of Commerce abroad encompasses 130 institutions located in 90 countries all over the world. We are happy to share our experiences with our Serbian friends and help them to reform their chamber system. I appreciate that Serbia, with the formal establishment of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce in April this year, has finally become an

support of Serbia’s reform path to strengthen the vocational system.

This is an important concept where students get the opportunity to do practical work in a company and in parallel receive aligned education in specialised vocational training schools. This can improve the capacity of companies in Serbia to produce complex products by having a better-trained workforce and will also help to reduce youth unemploy-

WE COOPERATE SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT BOTH ON THE ISSUE OF THE REFUGEE CRISIS AND THAT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS FROM SERBIA official part of the German chamber network. This Chamber is the first point of contact for German companies wishing to invest in or trade with Serbia. It also provides information about Germany, thus offering valuable information to Serbian enterprises and potential trade partners. The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce is a signal that Serbia is an interesting and reliable place for investment and trade.

In the context of the German-Serbian Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment, one of the most important activities is the

ment. Germany actively supports the development of vocational training in Serbia: the German Development Cooperation (GDC), for example, supports the modernisation of vocational education in the commercial sector, and to date more than 1,000 teachers have passed comprehensive teacher training. Moreover, many German companies in Serbia – like Bosch, Falke, Siemens or Conti – participate in establishing vocational training here.

GIZ supports Serbia’s efforts to achieve convergence with the

EU, while the Goethe Institute contributes to creating a better understanding of the German culture and tradition. What is their overall importance in promoting the German spirit in Serbia?

— The Goethe institute is of immense importance to our partnership with Serbia. Our cultural activities, as well as those of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German school and partner schools, show that relations between our two countries go much further than just the areas of politics and business. We enjoy a broad cultural exchange.

Let’s take as an example the ongoing Bitef Festival, where two German companies are participating; a German conductor will be leading the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra this season; we will have three German film festivals in October; the so-called October Salon has been opened by a German-Turkish artist; and the fact that German has become the second most studied foreign language in Serbia exemplifies the strong links between Serbia and Germany.

You see, our cultural ties are strong and they provide a solid basis for true friendship between Germany and Serbia.

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FR A N C E’S I DEN T I T Y P O L I T I C S

Ill-Suited

As its presidential race kicks off, France argues over burkinis

This week France came back from the beach for la rentrée, the return to school and work after the August holiday. The summer had been far from restful. It began with two terrorist attacks in Nice and Normandy, followed by a weekslong political fixation with the “burkini”, a cross between a burqa and a swimsuit, which dozens of mayors of seaside resorts tried to ban from their beaches. The resurgence of identity politics in France, at a time of heightened tension over Islam and security, now looks likely to frame next year’s presidential election.

The row over the burkini will probably abate as the beaches empty. On August 26th France’s highest administrative court suspended a ban imposed in the Mediterranean resort of Villeneuve-Loubet after it was challenged by human-rights groups. The court ruled that the mayor had not proved any risk to public order, and that the ban constituted a “manifestly illegal” infringement of “fundamental liberties”.

Had France not been under a state of emergency, the matter might not have flared up as it did. But the French are hyper-sensitive to signs of overt Muslim religiosity. Politicians, roused from their holiday hide-outs, seized on the burkini row—and not just on the right.

Manuel Valls, the Socialist prime minister, called the burkini an “enslavement” of women, and claimed it was part of a political project to impose Islamist rules on France. He noted that Marianne, a female figure symbolising the French nation, is classically depicted bare-breasted. The implication seemed to be that women in burkinis are un-French, while true French women go topless.

France has a long history of trying to keep religion out of public life. A law of 1905 entrenched the principle of laïcité, or strict sec-

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Diplomacy&Commerce

ularism, after a struggle against authoritarian Catholicism. The country banned the headscarf and other “conspicuous” religious symbols from state schools in 2004, and the face-covering burqa from public places in 2010. Indeed, such laws enjoy broad cross-party support. Yet secular zeal at times overrides common sense, or sensitivity to France’s Muslim minority, estimated to form about 10% of the population.

Unlike the burqa, which is banned from the beach, the burkini does not even cover the face.

As Olivier Roy, a French scholar of Islam, points out, it also offers a certain modern liberty to Muslim women who otherwise might not swim.

IT ALSO SEEMS TO CUT AGAINST THE NATIONAL MOOD. AFTER 18 MONTHS OF BARBARIC TERRORIST ATTACKS, FRANCE IS LEANING TOWARDS TIGHTENING RESTRICTIONS ON LIBERTY, NOT LOOSENING THEM Hardline Islamists, he says, would not allow women to bathe in the first place.

The burkini frenzy sets the tone for an election season of culture wars over French identity.

Nicolas Sarkozy, a former president vying for the nomination of the conservative Republican party, says he wants to ban the burkini altogether. So does Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, who claims that the “soul of France” is at stake. Yet amid this feverish identity politics, some voices are trying to appeal for calm. One is Alain Juppé, a centre-right former prime minister and presidential hopeful. He backed the local burkini bans, but says national legislation would be provocative. Another, on

the left, is Emmanuel Macron, who resigned on August 30th as economy minister.

Mr Macron’s departure had been widely expected. In April he launched a new political movement, En Marche! (“On the Move!”). Although he stopped short of declaring this week that he would run for president, that may be a matter of time. A former adviser to President François Hollande, Mr Macron is now an unambiguous rival to his Socialist former mentor, whose own chances of running for re-election dwindle by the day. The ex-minister is trying to build a platform of economic reform to resist populist nationalism.

POST-SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL

On leaving his ministry, Mr Macron said that his government experience had taught him the limits of the current political system. He now hopes to redraw the partisan map, pulling in support from both left and right for a pro-European, centrist movement that embraces globally-minded progressive politics. This is a daunting challenge, not least because Mr Macron has never stood for election for any office before, is short of money and has little parliamentary support.

It also seems to cut against the national mood. After 18 months of barbaric terrorist attacks, France is leaning towards tightening restrictions on liberty, not loosening them. Freed from the constraints of the economics portfolio, Mr Macron will now be able to speak out on matters such as terrorism and religion. With the country so on edge, France could do with a dose of measured reflection.

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

LEONI

FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS DRIVE NEW INVESTMENTS

Due to exceptional preconditions, Serbia became a strategic country for LEONI when it comes to Wire Harness production. By the end of 2017 we will finish our third factory

LEONI was established in Serbia in the year 2009, and so far invested almost 50 million euros in buildings, infrastructure and production equipment. LEONI is a strong supporter of its community, local activities, events and donations.

Currently, LEONI employs more than 5500 people. Due to exceptional (favourable) preconditions Serbia became a strategic country for LEONI when it comes to Wire Harness production.

Based on that LEONI board of directors decided to build a third factory in the city of Nis. The construction will start by the end of 2016 and will be finished by the end of 2017. The planned investment is more than 20 Million euros in total. The expected head count for LEONI Serbia

will be raised to approx. 9000 employees.

From the LEONI point of view the Serbian business environment is quite good if we speak about the cooperation, efforts and commitment the Government and decision makers use to support foreign investors. Their administrative support is prompt and organ-

THE NEXT STEPS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA SHOULD BE TO DEVELOP SUPPLIER COMPANIES WHICH WILL DELIVER PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT TO LEONI

ized proactively in all aspects of the business.

The same support is always provided by the Municipalities on locations where LEONI is situated. We would also like to highlight the support of the National Employment Services who strongly support new employees of our plants during the training phase.

A huge advantage is the labor market, with an unemployment rate of 46% in Prokuplje and 36% in Nis, which is able to support our growing activities. As a point or suggestions, the next steps of the Government of Serbia should be to develop supplier companies which will deliver production equipment to LEONI with the aim to increase the local content and avoid import tax and long lead time.

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We Will Build Even More

Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali is proud of the number of active construction sites in our capital city and the investment boom that Belgrade is experiencing, which is not to the detriment of the rest of Serbia. Indeed, on the contrary, projects like the Belgrade Waterfront are a driving force behind the growth of the country

SINIŠA MALI

Mayor of Belgrade

Although the implementation of the new Law on Financing Local Self-Governments will mean that our capital city will have its funds slashed, Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali is confident that the city will be able to implement all large-scale projects that have been carefully developed. Although foreign media often compare Belgrade to Berlin, and Mayor Mali agrees that these two cities have similar creativity and urban spirit, Belgrade is still a special city that has been changing constantly, with each new construction site and investment boom.

What is the city's financial situation like? How much will amendments to the Law on Financing Local Self-Governments affect the city’s finances?

— The situation is much better than the one we found when we took over managing the city administration. If the City of Belgrade had continued to function in the old way, it would have gone bankrupt for sure, as clearly indicated by the relevant

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reports and data. We were met with debts of 1.1 billion euros and a budget deficit exceeding 20%. We have managed to settle 250 million euros worth of the debt and reduce the budget deficit almost fourfold.

In order to achieve this, we had to consolidate public enterprises, implement certain austerity measures and practically bring order to the city’s affairs without borrowing a single Dinar. I am satisfied with the results and I think we are moving in the right direction. As far as the

Could we say that largescale projects in Belgrade are making the rest of Serbia less relevant, or are they the driving force in the country?

— Not a single project that we have been implementing is to Serbia's detriment, on the contrary... It is a well-known fact that capital cities are the driving force behind a country's development and that they push a country forward. This is our goal, i.e., for our successfully implemented projects to foster

WE EXPECT THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SAVA CENTRE TO START IN 2017, THANKS TO THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL MANAGERS, WHICH, IN TURN, WILL IMPACT POSITIVELY ON THE ENTIRE CONFERENCE INDUSTRY draft Law on Financing of Local Self-Governments is concerned, the City will support it and we are willing to make some cutbacks. We have stable revenue; we settle our financial obligations on time and are stable enough to carry this burden.

We have been a good partner to the government since the very beginning and we are in this together.

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the growth of the entire country.

Belgrade's share in Serbia's GDP is 40%, and this is the real indicator of how important it is for the city to develop. Take the Belgrade Waterfront project, for instance.

This project is boosting the country's entire construction industry, engaging hundreds of workers and improving Serbia's image in the world. Belgrade and Serbia have

become recognisable elsewhere in the world because of this project, and whenever we have an investor, a journalist or even a tourist coming to this country, they are always interested in hearing about the Belgrade Waterfront.

When it comes to the Belgrade Waterfront, how much infrastructure does the City have to provide and how does this affect the infrastructure in other parts of Belgrade?

— The Belgrade Waterfront is significant for several reasons.

Apart from completely changing the city's future and turning its ugliest part into the most attractive one, the project also motivates us to complete other projects that have remained dormant for decades.

Project investors are in charge of the project’s infrastructure, while the Serbian Government has to provide infrastructure to the border of the Belgrade Waterfront. As a result, we are going to get a gas pipeline from Bežanijska Kosa to Padinska Skela and a rainwater collection system.

One should bear in mind that the problem of waste water and rainwater drainage has been going on for thirty years now. Also, thanks to the Belgrade Waterfront, we have com-

pleted the first stage in construction of the Prokop railway station and we are currently working on access roads. We are also relocating the bus station to Block 42 and, as a result, this bus station will finally have a contemporary appearance of which we will all be proud.

Why is PKB still not privatised, despite Chinese investors having expressed their strong interest in the company’s privatisation?

What is the logic behind transferring the ownership of PKB to the Serbian Government?

— So far, there has been no serious interest shown in the privatisation of PKB, which is the reason why it is still not privatised. However, we met with top officials from Beijing in Belgrade recently, who reiterated their interest in PKB. They also mentioned that, back in the 1970s, when China started to develop rapidly, they used to come to PKB to copy our experiences. In terms of transferring the ownership of PKB to the state government, the logic behind this move is found in the Privatisation Law, which stipulates that only the state government, and not local self-governments, can conclude strategic partnership agreements.

The law stipulates strategic partnership as a privatisation format that is applicable only to state-owned companies. This suits our requirements when it comes to PKB. The law also stipulates so-called relief measures or additional options for settling the company’s debt. All of this gives us more options that were not previously legally available to the City of Belgrade.

Could you tell us something about the latest developments regarding other investments – Mei Ta, IKEA, Lidl and others?

— We experienced a real investment boom last spring, when several large and important facilities started being built in the city. Apart from the investments you've mentioned, there is the construction of the Hilton Hotel, which I visited recently, and several facilities for the Belgrade Waterfront project, where hundreds of workers are engaged around the clock. In April alone, ongoing projects were worth 400 million euros. All of these projects are developing according to plan and the envisaged dynamics.

Indeed, Belgrade has become a city of lifts and cranes, just as we promised. I am proud of the numerous construction sites in the city and the fact that there is more to come.

Do you see Belgrade as the 'new Berlin'? How similar or different are these two cities? Why is Belgrade still not considered “the city of museums” and why was the initiative to open a jazz museum rejected?

— Belgrade should not become the new Berlin. Belgrade is a city unto itself, with very unique virtues and flaws. There are many reasons why tourists come to Belgrade and maybe, in that respect, it is similar to Berlin, which is good because we are moving forward, developing and have a lot to offer young people.

In the context of a contemporary creative city, Belgrade does resemble Berlin, and we should definitely look up to European cities. We did

government, as well as by analysing the financial impact on the City budget. The City uses a special analytical tool developed by the World Bank which facilitates long-term financial forecasting. Not a single project is implemented without us first analysing how much it is going to cost, for both the budget and the taxpayers. The projects that are under development are financially sustainable, have not significantly affected utility prices and will be implemented with saved budget funds, i.e. some of the costs will be covered by private partners through public-private partnerships. Some projects will even generate additional public revenue, through concession fees and similar charges.

THE CITY USES A SPECIAL ANALYTICAL TOOL DEVELOPED BY THE WORLD BANK, WHICH FACILITATES LONG-TERM FINANCIAL FORECASTING AND NOT A SINGLE PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT US FIRST ANALYSING HOW MUCH IT IS GOING TO COST, FOR BOTH THE BUDGET AND THE TAXPAYERS not reject the idea of opening the Jazz Museum. This music legacy is supposed to be implemented as a joint project of Heritage House and Belgrade’s Dom Omladine Youth Centre. The project is currently being developed and the next stage is to secure funding and implement it.

How much does the city's current financial situation determine its main development priorities and the financing of large projects, like a metro?

— When planning investment projects that will be developed in the city in the coming period, we start with the priorities set out in the strategic documents devised both by the City and the state

Which projects will be implemented through public-private partnerships and are they really that necessary? For instance, do you think the project of installing LED lighting will have the same destiny as the rubbish containers that proved to be a bad investment?

— Apart from public-private partnerships (PPP) in projects relating to city and intercity transport and the landfill in Vinča, which was approved by the State Committee for Public-Private Partnerships, we have three other large-scale projects that will be funded through PPP, namely street furniture, underground parking garages and replacing street lighting in suburban areas of Bel-

grade in line with the ESCO model, where the money for the project has been generated from lower electricity bills. Once these projects are implemented, Belgrade will become a local self-governing unit with the highest number of PPP projects in Serbia. This is all in the hands of a dedicated team of people in my cabinet that was formed following the adoption of the Investment Law. All of our projects are carefully and meticulously developed in order to be successfully implemented in the best interests of our citizens and in a way that ensures my successors can be proud of them.

Who is in charge of solving the problem with the Sava Centre – the state or the City? What else is Belgrade doing to become a regional conference hub?

— The problem with the Sava Centre is being handled together by the state and the City government, all with a view to turning Belgrade into the regional conference capital, bearing in mind that the city has the biggest conference centre in the Balkans. The idea is to involve the private sector in finishing reconstruction of the Sava Centre, increase its energy efficiency and reduce its heating and electricity bills, as well as to appoint professional managers who will make it more contemporary and bring as many international conferences here as possible.

This will have significant external effects on the entire conference industry, including airline companies, hospitality and the catering industry. We do hope that all of this will have been finished by year’s end, in order for the reconstruction to start in 2017.

Apart from being a centre of culture and nightlife, Berlin is also one of the most interesting IT hubs in Europe. How can we emulate this?

— We can definitely emulate that, considering how big the potential of our IT sector is. Together with the Serbian government, we are going to devise support measures and incentives for this industry, which generates huge foreign currency revenue and showcases Serbian intelligence to the world in the best possible way. I agree that, apart from its hospitality, exciting nightlife and tasty food, Belgrade also has a lot of young, capable and creative people who closely follow global trends. As a City government, we are ready to support them in every way possible, and I am confident that we will be successful in that.

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NATIONAL DAYS

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES H.E TOMASZ NIEGODZISZ

New Ambassador of Poland to Serbia

in October

Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Serbia, H. E. Tomasz Niegodzisz, was born in 1957 in Suwalki, Poland. In 1980 Ambassador Niegodzisz started studies at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin where he graduated in legal studies in 1985. In 1986 he proceeded with a doctorate program and remained professionally linked to the Catholic University of Lublin until 2001. From 1982 he cooperated with Polish underground publishing houses.

Ambassador Niegodzisz started his diplomatic career at the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs in 1993. He served as the Director of the Polish Institute in Minsk, and was Ambassador in Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. Between 2005 and 2007 he led the Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy and then served as Ambassador in Lebanon nad he came back to the Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy. In his diplomatic activities he pays extraordinary attention to the promotion of Polish culture around the world and rising international awareness of the history of Poland.

1st October

CHINA

National Day

1 October st

CYPRUS

Independence Day

1 October st

NIGERIA

National Day

2 October nd

GUINEA

National Day

2 October nd

H. E. DR. OANA-CRISTINA POPA

INDIA

DEJAN PEŠIĆ

New Romanian Ambassador

New CEO of MediGroup system

H. E. Dr. Oana-Cristina Popa presented the accreditation letters to the President of the Republic of Serbia on 8th September. Prior to this position she was engaged in Croatia and North America.

In addition to the diplomatic career, Dr. Popa has a rich activity in the academic and non-governmental fields. She has published a significant number of research papers and articles, as well as delivered lectures at numerous conferences in Romania and abroad on the topic of Euro-Atlantic integration, regional cooperation in Southeast Europe and international security. Dr. Popa holds a Ph.D in History and International Relations (2001) and a BA in Psychology and Education (1994), both from the “Babes-Bolyai” University of Cluj, as well as an MA in International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, US (1996). She has been involved in a number of civil rights campaigns, dedicated to the fight against domestic violence, both in Romania and abroad. Dr. Popa is born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, is married and has a son.

MediGroup, a leading private health care system, which, at 10 locations, carries out more than half a million procedures a year got a new CEO, Dejan Pešić.

With about 400 thousand patients annually and 40 million euros invested in equipment, training staff and top-level service for patients so far, MediGroup aspires to become a leading national provider of health care services, announced a new director. O " ur plan is to expand the network in Serbia and to become the leading private national provider. I" n order to improve the nation's health, harmonisation with European legislation and systems to achieve efficiency in the treatment, it is necessary to deepen partnerships and seeking synergy between public and private health sector." - said Pešić emphasising that he sees MediGroup in the future as synonymous with quality and the first choice of the citizens in terms of prevention, treatment, care, but also as a reliable partner of state and city structures.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday

3 October rd

GERMANY

German Unity Day

3rd October

IRAQ

Independence Day

3rdst October

SOUTH KOREA

Gaecheonjeol, ancient Korea founded in 2333 BC

9th October

UGANDA

Independence Day

10th October

NORTH KOREA

Party Foundation Day

11 October th

SPAIN

Fiesta Nacional de España, Columbus discovery of America in 1492

23th October

HUNGARY

1956 Revolution memorial day

NALED HAS CHOSEN A NEW PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), held at the premises of Coca-Cola HBC Serbia a new president and members of the Board of Directors got elected, and they which will until a new NALED Assembly session lead the organisation and initiatives to improve the business environment Serbia. The new President of the Board of Directors, instead of the Minister Ana Brnabić, is Goran Kovačević, CEO of Gomex. New members are Dušanka Golubović, Mayor

of Sombor, Nebojša Zelenovic, mayor of Sabac and Dragana Cukić, Board member of ACES. Members who preserved their positions in the Board are Stanka Pejanović, General Manager of Gorenje, Aleksandar Ružević, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC, Ernst Bode, General Manager of Messer Tehnogas, Vojislav Genić, director of SAP for Public Sector Central and Eastern Europe and Vladan Vasić, mayor of Pirot. The new president of NALED, Goran Kovačević, announced the start of work on a new edition of the Grey Book of Regulations.

24th October

UN

UN Day

26th October

AUSTRIA

The Neutrality Constitution of 1955

28th October

CZECHIA

Independence from Austria-Hungary

29th October

TURKEY

Republic Day

I NTERVI EW

The Right Information at the Right Time For 15 years, Hewlett Packard Enterprise has been successfully supporting not only the biggest users in Serbia, but also smaller companies who want to be leaders

MILOŠ ĐURKOVIĆ

Managing Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

The company's managing director in Serbia, Miloš Đurković, says that Hewlett Packard’s mission is to aid the information and further development of the Serbian society.

In which way has the 'Idea Economy', in which we are living today, changed the way in which governments and companies work?

— When we look back at all industrial revolutions that have happened over the course of global development, we can see that technological development has always led to faster development and changes in the business environment.

I would like to quote ‘the bible’ of the globalised world, Thomas L. Friedman's ‘The World is Flat’: “Things are changing so fast today that only those who are most able to quickly adapt to changes, those who can find the right information and use this information quickly, are able to survive.”

The Idea Economy is the best explanation of our time, although you have to fight off a lot of competition out there if you want to succeed with your idea. Only those who have good ideas, and are capable of implementing them, have an advantage over others and a chance of becoming market leaders at a certain point and building large companies.

Many big companies are a result of big ideas and the ability for these ideas to be implemented. Most of them are continuing to be successful even today because they are still innovative. This is even more pronounced in this day and age. A good idea and the speed of its implementation on the market are crucial.

Today, you have a company that doesn't possess a single vehicle, but is the biggest taxi company in the world (Uber), and you have companies that do not own any real estate, yet they are the biggest rental companies in the world (AirbNb, Booking.

com). This is the best illustration of what the Idea Economy is – good ideas that are implemented in the right way. It is all about innovation and the ability to make it happen.

How does this influence the balance of power between traditional multinational corporations and fast growing start-ups, and the way they run their businesses?

for a long time. So far, large companies have been able to afford an advanced infrastructure and software tools that help them become faster, more efficient and more innovative.

However, IT is taking a different direction that is hybrid infrastructure, namely Cloud and EaaS (Everything as a Service), which enable smaller companies and start-ups to access the latest tools and the most sophisticated technologies, while remaining competitive when developing their new ideas.

How do products come about in this Idea Economy and how have companies changed their approach to running business and understanding IT’s role?

ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE GOOD IDEAS, AND ARE CAPABLE OF IMPLEMENTING THEM, HAVE AN ADVANTAGE OVER OTHERS AND A CHANCE OF BECOMING MARKET LEADERS AT A CERTAIN POINT AND BUILDING LARGE COMPANIES — Companies that have some kind of legacy need to change in order to survive, while new companies that have sprung up from certain ideas are novel and bring change to business. They have to learn how to adapt when the time of exploiting a certain idea is over. They need to learn how to last and continue being successful

— The most important resource in today's information world is having the right information at the right time. In a sea of different information that we call structured and unstructured data, the most important thing for us is to extract the right information and use it at the right time. A good IT system with good analytics plays the crucial role in this.

What solutions does Hewlett Packard Enterprise offer its clients who want to be ready for the changes brought about by the Idea Economy?

— Hewlett Packard is one of the leading companies in assisting clients in becoming more innovative and more efficient. Our approach is comprised of four transformational areas: he first area is the transformation ∙T of our users’ infrastructure into hybrid infrastructure. ∙ The second area is protecting infrastructure and the security of data. he third area is helping all employ∙T ees become productive through software and hardware tools. ∙ The fourth area is empowering them with the right information, with the help of good analytics.

FOUR AREAS

CAN THOSE FOUR AREAS OF CHANGE BE CONSIDERED AS EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION FOR EXISTING BUSINESSES? — I would say it is an evolution that leads to revolution.

Through transformation into hybrid infrastructure, we help our users generate more value from the existing infrastructure through the optimisation of performances and costs. Hybrid infrastructure balances out the user’s needs with traditional infrastructure in their company and the need for new, Cloudbased services. We optimise their applications (traditional, mobile, Cloud) in the data centre. Data protection has never been as important as it is today, because potential risks have never been higher.

And I don't mean safety risks, but rather the backup and recovery of data. Empowering an organisation to be data driven will facilitate better and more successful decision making. In the future, digital jobs will be available everywhere. Making it possible for users to have a great experience in their work place, regardless of where that is and which device they use, is the last and most important step in transformation.

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I NTERVI EW Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Good Content to Be Recognised SALIM MUKADDAM

General Manager and Vice President of BBC in the CEE region

In the modern era of globalisation and digitalisation, it seems that content is easily available. There are many obstacles the content-makers have to overcome, but the question is how to monetise it? We interviewed Salim Mukaddam, General Manager and Vice President of BBC in the CEE region, and asked him about the possible challenges

Salim Mukaddam participated at this year's #Digital2016 Conference in Belgrade and gave us some interesting insights into content production, proliferation of platforms, maintaining quality and using new technologies. BBC is well-known for its quality and an avant-garde character, and the UK experiences were shared with the Belgrade audience.

I often like to say that a person from BCC who hired John Peel or aired Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Mighty Boosh is an absolute legend. Not many TV directors would let those „crazy“ characters do those „preposterous“ things. TO what extent does a good director shape music and TV shows?

— It is absolutely right. The people behind the curtain are absolutely crucial for the great content. It is not just about acting talents, and the writers, it is about the people who are ready to take the risk to air it.

And I think that's why BBC has such a great heritage. It is the place where those kind of people feel safe. And we can take this risk because we are a national organisation, BBC does not rely on advertising. They create great programmes that the others would not be able to do. It's simply because BBC has a public service payments from the citizens, and we see the value in the educative form of entertainment. And if you are a good commissioner, you can commission what you think it's good.

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You are in that position for a reason.

And it's because you have that kind of judgement. And the thing was the same in the 21st century with The Mighty Boosh, as you said.

Nowadays, many people proudly declare “I don't own a TV set”.

What is, in your opinion, the role of television in general?

— It is the same content after all.

Well, there has been a proliferation of platforms. It is not about consuming content only through linear TV, it is about consuming it somewhere else. The fact that Netf-

that the model that made BBC so special, could be feasible in the long run?

— It is about creating content that people want to watch. Only then will it drive the audience to watch the premieres and the international distributers to buy it. They will pay a commercial price for it. And, basically, it is always cheaper to buy content than to produce it. Natural science programme, Peaky Blinders, Top Gear, War and Peace. The quality will prevail. The value is huge. We even localised Top Gear incredibly well in the USA, and the three

IN THIS PROLIFERATION OF PLATFORMS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE GOOD STUFF AND TO KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT. IT BECAME A HEADACHE AND THE BBC IS LIKE A TRADEMARK OF QUALITY – YOU KNOW YOU WILL GET GOOD CONTENT HERE lix commissioned content for them, it does not change the content itself, it is not linear television, but the content is the same. It is still televison but is not called television.

It doesn't change. The point is, in this proliferation of platforms, it's important to choose the good stuff and to know where to find it. It became a headache and the BBC is like a trademark of quality – you know you will get good content here.

BBC is frequently referred to as “a raw model of the public RTV service”. And yet, it managed to be both commercially successful and avant-garde. Do you think

Diplomacy&Commerce

famous characters are replaced and Matt Le Blanc became phenomenal!

Examples of great great form are Holy Grail, Dancing with Stars, the baking programmes – it all went down extremely well in many countries around the world.

You were a public TV station, and yet you had John Peel. Do you think it is true that, after the demise of John Peel and the shutdown of The Top of The Pops, we lost music researchers and a centralised programme which suggests what kind of music people should listen?

— It is all about guiding people. As

for Top of the Pops, it is a pity. It lost its audience and we cancelled it. It is a shame about John, he was great. Maybe there is a radio DJ, or a channel or a brand somewhere that you as a consumer will for your allegiance to. They will be your trusted guides. And the BBC still plays a massive role in helping people decide what is good. Time is precious, you want to spend little time finding content so you can enjoy it longer. We are all time-sensitive, and BBC helps people in that.

BBC keeps making phenomenal TV programmes even now in the times of streaming, torrents and other alternative and sometimes illegal ways to access content, like the Peaky Blinders, for instance. How hard is it to get the money to keep a great content-making machine afloat, and not let it sink into the sludge of reality shows like Geordie Shore and other worthless stuff?

— First of all, I am surprised that you know about Gerodie Shore! Of course they have their viewers. I think there is a wide spectrum of viewers. Some people will want to see reality programmes, and the other people would want to see other types of programmes. And we are in the position where we are going to deliver quality content, and the content the people would want to watch. I haven't thought think for a minute that we were going to slide down. We are doing great adaptations, like the adaptation for Tolstoy's War and Peace.

There is a great demand for a great quality programme. Just because the market is going in one direction, it doesn't mean we will do the same. It is great to hear that there are people who are interested in Peaky Blinders, it means the people are hungry for good content. There is peer pressure through social networks, people push each other towards good content.

There is a whole new generation of people who really don't have a clue that they have to pay for the content. A friend of mine wrote on her Facebook wall: “Torrentz. eu is down, where can I get films now?” I replied with a smile on my face: “In a video-club.” She didn't find it funny. How do you think the problem can be solved?

— Well there is a certain change in mindset. But the people can choose what to see and listen now. There is a big library of content, especially if you localised that content in some territory. People just want to know where to access the content.

I don't think that the people will deliberately go to the illegal places to access the content. I think the people appreciate good content and they are willing to pay for it.

If they don't know where to get it they will go to illegal places. It is an education process, maybe we should explain people where they should go to get it. It the USA they are really far ahead, in the UK we are slightly behind, but we have to go through this process now. In the UK, I don't know anyone who is getting content illegaly now.

Services like ITV Player are public services. And there are Amazon Video and Netflix services. There is no need to go to illegal services. If you want to buy content you can go to iTunes. There's no excuse now and I think nobody needs an excuse now. It is affordable, the prices are

good, there is subscription. And the quality is better, also if you want to come back to the previosly watched content, it is suitable. Whenever these services go to some territory, we have to go through the education process.

As La Roux and Megan Trainor made very clear, streaming doesn't provide much money to music artists. Do you think it will be able to supply artists with enough financial gratification to continue their creative work?

What are new paths according to you?

— I think it is a very, very complicated discussion. There are so many parties. This in not one-on-one relationship between the artist and the writer and the audience, there are many people in between. And I don't know how much transparency there is. It is crazy for me to

songs and where they can see the band live. Time's changed and the recorded music is not that valuable anymore. Times are cyclical and now we're back in the times where recorded music is almost promotional for the live act. Now the bands can go to the places where they are known without publishing there. We are now at the point of proper and total globalisation. It irritates me to a ceratin extent when the people talk about the „demise of the music industry“, since Drake and Beyoncé are not poor. They are making money somehow. They create the content the people want to hear. Look at Ed Sheeran. The guy was playing 300 gigs a year before he got famous. Be committed to it, work hard and go for it.

The modern music market is rapidly changing. Ten years ago, Arctic Monkeys pushed their

IN THE UK I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO IS GETTING CONTENT ILLEGALY NOW. THE SERVICES ARE AFFORDABLE. WHENEVER THESE SERVICES COME TO SOME TERRITORY, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE EDUCATION PROCESS AND THERE WILL BE NO ILLEGAL CONTENT USE have millions of views and not to get some kind of satisfactory fee.

That can't be right. There are many platforms now, with publishers and labels. And it is a long discussion ahead, a long conversation with publishers, artists, labels. It won't be sorted out quickly. But the music industry was a sort of a cutting edge of the content industry and it is a painful process now, but we have to start resolving it. Once we create a good business model everyone's going to be happy. There is money in selling records, but we can also go to the past where you release a record just to inform people of the

career through MySpace and Radiohead pushed their album online with “pay-as-much-asyou-want” approach. It all seems like a distant past. What are your predictions about the future?

— The platforms are different now. Then it was MySpace, now SoundCloud can do exactly the same thing. It is about the different roads to listeners. It is about how you propagate your music. In the times before the globalisation of music there was no SoundCloud nor YouTube but you had to find an indie label to aggregate your music and make it available for the wider

audience. But there is a way. Look at Macklemore. It is totally democratic, it is different now. Radiohead mad their album available for almost free, but they are still a very big name. Pay as much as you want if you like it. But take U2, they gave their album for free, but it was different. It was automatically uploaded to your iTunes, like it or not. Nobody complained about U2 album being free. But somebody paid for it, Apple paid for it. And then forced people to listen to it. That was the backlash, people didn't like that move. It was like giving away CD for free wrapped in the newspaper.

How hard is it to do your job in CEE? How different is it?

— I don't know yet, I've been doing the job for the last 4 weeks only.

But what I must notice is that all the markets have similarities, yet they are very different. My territory stretches from Kazakhstan to the Czech Republic, from Baltic states to the Balkans and all the way to Vladivostok. There is a huge amount of opportunities. But I see that all the markets are basically relationship-based markets. I met some great people here. But it is like coming back to earlier times: it is great, less emailing and more coming out and talking. It is brilliant. Like in India. You have to believe in each other, it is a trusted partnership. I can completely parallel CEE to Latin American societies, or Asian or African, there are strong family ties and the trust, handshake, face-to-face, building bonds.

My Indian-African heritage helped me in that. And it made my life easier here since I am a representative of a company with a great heritage.

In my presentation, I mentioned „Planet Earth“. It is a beautiful content, people want to see it. There is a demand for it.

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS 24 HOURS OF ELEGANCE BY CHIVAS 6th September

The most important event of the world motor sport in our region, ZENITH Concours d'Élégance as a part of the 24 Hours of Elegance by Chivas, ended in Belgrade with a spectacular exhibition of the most beautiful old-timers which were shining from Kalemegdan to Grand Casino Belgrade. This year's winner of the trophy Chivas Best of Show Award for the most beautiful car of the exhibition, was given to ALFA ROMEO 2000 Touring Praho from 1960, the property of the world's most important collector Corrado Lopresto, who won in Belgrade for the third time.

Winner - collector Corrado Lopresto

Gala opening

ALEKS SUSAK’S FASHION SHOW

9th September

Embassy of Canada organised a fashion show of a Canadian designer of Serbian origin Aleks Susak (www.alekssusak.com), when she showed her latest collection “Colour”, at a traditional event in the framework of the agency Fabrika, Belgrade Fashion Nights, which is responsible for the implementation of this fashion event. Fashion Show of Aleks Susak was held on 9th September in 7:30 PM, in the garden of the Residence of the Canadian Ambassador, in Belgrade.

Milan Petrović, President of the Association

Ambassador of Canada to Serbia, H.E. Philip Herbert Pinnington with his wife and Ambassador of Turkey H.E. Mr. Mehmet Kemal Bozay with his wife

SAM AFTER HOLIDAY COCKTAIL

12th September

Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) began its autumn activities with the traditional Holiday cocktail, organised in the garden of the Hotel Crowne Plaza. On this occasion, participants were welcomed by President of the Association g. Milan Petrović, as well as the Executive Director Jelena Bulatović. Friends and members of the Association had the opportunity to get acquainted with the project of building an Fruška Gora eco village "Ruža vetrova". Deurić Winery provided gifts for everyone.

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TELENOR MARKED 10 YEARS OF OPERATIONS IN SERBIA

14th September

Telenor has marked the first decade of its operations in Serbia and representatives of the state institutions, economic sector, as well as many celebrities attended the celebration on this occasion. ”When we first came to Serbia, our goal was to put a mobile phone in the hand of every customer. Ten years later, our vision is full digitalisation of the society. In parallel with 4G rollout, we just tested 5G technology”, said Ingeborg Øfsthus, CEO of Telenor Serbia. In 2007, the company started Telenor Foundation and has implemented many projects with over 350 partners. Some of them are Telecentre, the first online and video service for interpretation into the sign language and “Enable”, where 140,000 Roma got the official documents for the first time and 30,000 children were vaccinated.

Ingeborg Øfsthus, CEO of Telenor and Rasim Ljajić,Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications

Rodoljub Šabić, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

Ingeborg Ofsthus

Milan Ćulibrk, Editor in Chief (NIN) and Goran Pitić, Chairman of the Board of Societe Generale Bank Serbia

MEXICO CELEBRATED ITS INDEPENDENCE DAY

15th September

H. E. Marco Antonio García Blanco with his wife and the British Ambassador H. E. Denis Keefe with his wife

Mexico Independence Day was officially celebrated in the Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade. H. E. Marco Antonio García Blanco, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, hosted a reception for invited guests from the political, public, cultural and religious life of the country. Among the invitees were numerous personalities from political and public life of Serbia. Mexican Independence Day is celebrated as a sign of remembrance of the ecstatic cry of Miguel Hidalgo and a call to revolt against colonial Spain in Dolores on the 16th September 1810.

Italian Ambassador H. E. Giuseppe Manzo and the Ambassador of Norway H. E. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad

Diplomat Goran Aleksić, Zoran Đorđević, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and H. E. Marco Antonio García Blanco

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS 20 YEARS OF BLIC 15th September

Daily newspaper "Blic" marked 20 years since the first issue of the celebration and with a glamorous party, which was held on 15th of September at the Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel. The celebration was joined by a number of celebrities from the world of entertainment and show business. Blic daily started in 1996 as an opposition newspaper with a clear aim to inform people of what they could not hear at the time. Blic established itself as an independent voice for Serbia and the region, which was recognised by numerous readers and confirmed by many guests and a splendid evening and the celebration.

Ambassador of the Netherlands, H. E. Hendrik van den Dool and Ana Brnabić, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government

Jelena Drakulić-Petrović, Predrag Mihailović, Branislav Mićunović,Ambassador of Monte negro to Serbia, Veselin Simonović, Marko Stjepanović

DUTCH MURAL UNVEILED AT KC GRAD

15th September

After the meeting with the Dutch business community there was a mural of the author named TKV inaugurated on the west facade of the Cultural Centre Grad. The mural was created out of a desire that, after The Week of Netherlands in Belgrade (Orange Week) marking the end of the presidency of the European Union, something remains as a visible mark and as a symbol of good cooperation between Serbia and the Netherlands. Mural is a tribute of the Royal Netherlands Embassy to Belgrade, and a sign of friendship and cooperation.

"THE PLEASURE OF LOVE" AT THE AUSTRALIAN RESIDENCE 21th September

At the Residence of the Australian Embassy in Belgrade, the exhibition "The Pleasure of Love" was opened in honour of the renowned Australian artist Janet Laurence featuring at the 56th October Salon, followed by a Jazz Cocktail. The exhibition was curated by David Eliott. The same exhibition was featured

Ambassador of Brazil H.E. Mrs. Isabel Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert and H. E. Marco Antonio García Blanco, Ambassador of Mexico with their spouses

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in the Belgrade City Museum, followed by a party in Club Elektropionir within the framework of the 56th October Salon. The exhibition and the following party in the Residence of H. E. Julia Feeney was attended by many members of diplomatic core and the persons from the culture and social life of Serbia.

Ambassador of Israel, H. E. Alona Fisher Kamm, British Ambassador H. E. Denis Keefe with his wife and the Australian ambassador H.E. Julia Feeney with her son

THE ASHES CRICKET TROPHY MATCH IN BELGRADE

25th September

The team of British Embassy, led by H. E. Denis Keefe, Ambassador of Great Britain to Serbia, was better than the team of Australian Embassy for one wicket in an exhibition cricket match of The Ashes Cricket Trophy, which was played on the Lisičji Jarak cricket field. The final score of 110:109 was set after three hours of play and the best player of the match was Andrew Richardson from the winning team. Among the many guests were H. E. Julia Feeney, the Australian ambassador in Belgrade and Uroš Pribićević on behalf of Palilula Community.

Australian ambassador H.E. Julia Feeney and British Ambassador H. E. Denis Keefe

H.E. Julia Feeney, Mark Harrison and Uroš Pribićević on behalf of Palilula Community

ALONA FISHER KAMM WELCOME PARTY

28th September

The Jewish Community in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Israeli Embassy, organised the welcome party in honour of the newly appointed Ambassador of State of Israel to Serbia, H. E. Alona Fisher Kamm. She replaced the former ambassador Yossef Levy after his successful stay in Serbia. Numerous guests from cultural, diplomatic and public life of Serbia enjoyed the nice atmosphere and wonderful musical programme and wished her a successful term.

Hugo van Veghel, President of the Belgian-Serbian Business Association (BSBA), Minister Brnabić and the Ambassador of Belgium, H. E. Leo Vincent M. D'Aes

Ambassador of State of Israel to Serbia, H. E. Alona Fisher Kamm

THE BELGIAN SERBIAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BSBA HELD ITS MEMBERS’ EVENING

29th September

Members’ Evening held at the IN Hotel, and old and new members were welcomed by dr. Hugo van Veghel, Chairman of the BSBA. H.E. Leo D’aes, Ambassador of Belgium, greeted Minister of State Administration and Local Government Ms. Ana Brnabić attended the event. This small but active business club enjoys the support of the Belgian Embassy and the Office of the Trade Commissioner. BSBA members meet at bi-monthly happy hours alternating with formal seminars where prominent Serbian guest speakers enhance upon themes as economic forecasts, SME programs or EU-Serbian relations.

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS JPM JANKOVIĆ POPOVIĆ MITIĆ MARKS ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

30th September

Under the slogan ‘Our First 25 Years’, JPM Janković Popović Mitić law office has celebrated on September 30 its 25th anniversary at Promenada Event Centre in Belgrade Numerous clients, lawyers and business professionals from Serbia and abroad attended the event, which featured a lively Belgrade band playing music from the 80s and the 90s.

Since its establishment in 1991, JPM has been positioned and recognised as a premium business law firm in Serbia, delivering top-tier legal service to its international and local clientele.

Ana Trbović,dean of FEFA and Dragana Rajačić consultant

Nenad Popović, senior partner of the law office JPM Janković Popović Mitić

INDONESIA CELEBRATED ITS INDEPENDENCE DAY

5th October

In commemorating of the 71st Anniversary of both Independence of the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian Armed Forces, the Embassy Indonesia in Belgrade held a Diplomatic Reception at hotel Metropol in Belgrade. The reception was attended by the Speaker of National Assembly of the Serbia, Mrs. Maja Gojković, and the Adviser to the Serbian PM, Mr. Vladimir Božović. On this occasion, Ambassador of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Harry Richard James Kandou, has delivered the donation to the President of Red Cross Serbia, Prof. Dr Dragan Radovanović, that was collected by the Indonesian Embassy as contribution from Indonesia to humanity.

Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, Director, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Belgrade

WHAT DEFINES US, WHAT UNITES US?

6th October

One the 6th of October in the Novi Sad City Hall, an interesting forum was held, entitled “What defines us, what unites us?”, organised by Konrad Adenauer Foundation, European Movement in Serbia and Diplomacy&Commerce magazine. It was dedicated to European intergrations of the Western Balkans and the challenges in fron tof the EU: Brexit, migrants, the East, US Presidential elections.

Many illustrious guests took part, like H. E. Christine Moro, the French Ambassador, or Goran Svilanović, ex-Foreign Minister of FRY. The closing remarks were given by Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, Director, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Belgrade, Aleksandar Simurdić, Secretary General, European Movement – Novi Sad and Žikica Milošević, Editor-in-Chief of Diplomacy&Commerce.

Ambassador of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Harry Richard James Kandou and Maja Gojković, President of the National Assembly of Serbia

Aleksandar Simurdić, Secretary General, European Movement – Novi Sad

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H. E. Christine Moro, the French Ambassador

GERMANY CELEBRATED ITS UNIFICATION DAY

3rd October

26 anniversary of the reunification of Germany was marked at the residence of the German ambassador in Belgrade. H. E. Axel Dittmann welcomed the guests and reminded them of the 3rd of October 1990, when the two Germanies reunited and when Democratic Republic of Germany acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany. “I'm glad you all came here together to celebrate the day of the German unity, but also to celebrate the GermanSerbian partnership, especially when we have a common strategic goal of Serbia's EU accession.” said Mr Dittmann.

Ambassador greeting guests

Ambassador of Macedonia, H. E. Vera Jovanovska and former Ambassador of Germany, Wolfram Maas

H. E. Axel Dittmann, the Ambassador of Germany and his wife with H. E. Alexander Chepurin, the Russian Ambassador

H. E. Axel Dittmann, the Ambassador of Germany and his wife and daughter, Zorana Mihajlović and Maja Gojković

Ambassador of France to Serbia, H. E. Christine Moro with her husband

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THE FUTUR E O F T HE EU

Now what?

Europe vows progress after Brexit, but is unsure which way to go

August usually finds Europe’s politicians bronzing on the beach or lacing up their walking boots. But for the past few weeks they have been huddling, scheming and debating how to give their floundering European Union a fresh lease of life. “Citizens will only accept the EU if it makes it possible for them to prosper,” said Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, during a visit to Warsaw last week.

If there is a fresh urgency to the EU’s latest bout of navel-gazing, blame Brexit. Britain’s vote to leave on June 23rd was a grievous blow to a club that has only ever known expansion.

At a summit six days after the vote, the leaders of the 27 remaining countries vowed reform and arranged to meet again in Bratislava on September 16th. Much of the recent shuttle diplomacy has been aimed at finding common ground for that meeting. As ever, Mrs Merkel has taken the lead. On August 22nd she and her French and Italian counterparts laid on the symbolism by holding a mini-summit on Ventotene, an Italian island where Altiero Spinelli, an early Euro-federalist, had been imprisoned during the war.

There is no shortage of ideas. This week five senior European analysts and officials issued a paper calling for a “continental partnership”, including new decision-making structures for the single market, which could include Britain as well as other countries on Europe’s periphery, such as Turkey or Ukraine. Diehards are dusting off plans for grands projets like a standing EU army or a Europe-wide intelligence agency.

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But in a curious echo of the British government’s struggle to move ahead with Brexit, Europe’s leaders have not progressed much beyond slogans. This summer’s terror attacks brought calls for intelligence agencies to share more information, and for boosting the powers of Europol, the EU’s police co-ordination body.

But such suggestions are nothing new. At Ventotene the leaders urged more defence co-operation. But there is little will to create anything that could rival NATO. On refugees, agreement seems limited to a beefed-up EU border force that officials hope to conclude on later this year. Eastern European governments remain implacably opposed to the EU’s plans to distribute hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers across Europe. Viktor Orban, Hungary’s combative prime minister, will stage a referendum against the relocation plan on

closer to fruition. Leaders have spoken of a scheme to tackle youth unemployment, but most of the tools for that lie in the hands of national governments, which may lack the will to act (a mild labour reform in France triggered weeks of protests this summer). Coming elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany limit leaders’ room for compromise.

The crises that have buffeted Europe in the past few years continue to bubble away. The EU’s talks with Greece over its third bail-out are not going well. The Minsk peace process in Ukraine is stuck. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the EU’s mooted deal with America, has become a piñata for electioneering European politicians: this week ministers in Germany and France declared it dead. And while a deal with Turkey has cut refugee flows, smugglers are still getting through and Greek islands are dangerously overcrowded. Turkey has threatened to scupper the arrangement entirely if the EU does not grant visa-free access by October.

Brexit does little to fix any of these problems. (In some cases, such as TTIP, it makes them harder.) And managing the departure of a major country presents the EU with an entirely new sort of challenge. The will to keep the club together is strong, and predictions of further exits to follow Britain’s are overblown. But the

THIS WEEK FIVE SENIOR EUROPEAN ANALYSTS AND OFFICIALS ISSUED A PAPER CALLING FOR A “CONTINENTAL PARTNERSHIP”, INCLUDING NEW DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURES FOR THE SINGLE MARKET, WHICH COULD INCLUDE BRITAIN AS WELL AS OTHER COUNTRIES ON EUROPE’S PERIPHERY, SUCH AS TURKEY OR UKRAINE October 2nd. The easterners also fear a fresh wave of job-killing “social” initiatives from the European Commission.

Ideas for deepening integration in the euro zone, from common bank deposit-insurance schemes to a single finance minister, seem no

old adage that Europe is forged only in times of crisis is starting to look threadbare.

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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TPP AT A CROSSROADS

Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

The Atlantic Is Dead, What About the Pacific?

As the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership turned out to be a failure from the start, it gave way to another similar agreement that was almost secretly making progress.

But after the initial fuss, TPP (the Trans-Pacific Partnership) has become quite prominent in the world of trade. Will it be more successful than its predecessor?

WHAT IS TPP AFTER ALL?

Well, the Pacific Rim found itself in the public eye in the 11th hour of negotiations. However, there are still a lot of topics to be discussed.

And there are, of course, some strikingly opposing news. Officially, TTP is “a trade agreement among twelve Pacific Rim countries, excluding China”. The final proposal was signed on 4 February 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand, bringing seven years of negotiations to an end. It is currently awaiting ratification, so it to come into force. Thirty chapters of the agreement aim to "promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in the signatories' countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections." TPP “contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.”

Okay, sounds like a heaven on earth, just like all well-formulated trade agreements. But, certain issues were pointed out in the American presidential elections campaign. Donald Trump’s claim that NAFTA was the worst trade deal ever approved in the US shocked the nation. It even led Hillary to change her mind in the middle of campaign. The EU politicians condemned TTIP after general European public “raged against the machine”. And the Pacific “twin” of the aforementioned Atlantic stillborn does not seem too promising either.

It is not about it being badly conceived. It contains all the positive, wishful thinking how everything should flourish after it is signed.

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OBAMA’S BURDEN

Barack Obama believes that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will increase trade, provide better protection for Asian workers, and strengthen international relations.

He even used powerful rhetoric to defend it. Due to the negative experience with other free trade agreements, nobody seems to be very convinced this time. His opponents claimed that there were flaws in the agreement. First of all, it is mostly secretive. Secondly, China is out of the loop. Is that an attempt to isolate China? Is it about negotiating terms without China, so that if it wants to join one day, it must satisfy certain conditions? Finally, what about NAFTA? What about South Korea? Obama “has called union

sands of US manufacturing jobs.” – The Guardian informs. Obama admitted that NAFTA had led to an exodus of manufacturing jobs and “real displacement and real pain”.

But he sought to assure labour – and all Americans – that the Pacific deal would be better. It is pretty much like: “Trust me, this time it will be OK.” And the trade unions are not optimistic or trusting either. And, yes, what about Korea?

In 2012, Obama’s administration agreed to a trade deal with South Korea, insisting it would increase exports and US jobs by lowering Korean trade barriers. But since then, America’s merchandise trade deficit with Korea has soared 84%, which, according to Public Citizen, translates into a loss of 85,000 jobs.

OBAMA SOUGHT TO ASSURE LABOUR – AND ALL AMERICANS – THAT THE PACIFIC DEAL WOULD BE BETTER. IT IS PRETTY MUCH LIKE: “TRUST ME, THIS TIME IT WILL BE OK.” AND THE TRADE UNIONS ARE NOT OPTIMISTIC OR TRUSTING EITHER leaders and other critics of the deal “dishonest” for saying the Pacific pact was “secret”. He also suggested “union leaders were frozen in the past for likening the deal (TPP) to the two-decade-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which labour insists was a disaster, costing hundreds of thou-

Diplomacy&Commerce

It seems that things never get better for an ordinary man. Furthermore, it is argued that the Agreement will only help the big pharmaceutical companies, since it will impose, for instance, lengthened copyright protections and the monopoly period for newly developed drugs. This will lead to more corporate profit

of big businesses and more deaths of common people. So, how should we fight such a negative burden?

Not easily, obviously. Elizabeth Warren, left-leaning Democrat, is certainly not impressed with President’s fierce rhetoric and zealous pushing of the TTP. FURTHER BLOWS

The funny thing is that the deal can be enforced even if it not universally ratified. Namely, it will be done by either ratification by all signatories, or (2 years after signature) ratification by states corresponding to 85% of GDP of signatories! The Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman is not impressed.

"There isn't a compelling case for this deal, from either a global or a national point of view” – Krugman said. GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump has criticised the TPP agreement for being too long and complicated, saying, "it’s 5,600 pages long, so complex that nobody’s read it." Senator Bernie Sanders has said that "TPP is much more than a ‘free trade’ agreement.” The blows are coming from the left and the right. Elizabeth Warren said that in July 2016, 85% of seats on U.S. trade advisory committees were held by "senior corporation executives or industry lobbyists", and that the members of the committees "whisper in the ear" of negotiators. So it is once again the establishment’s goal?

And as Nigel Farrage wisely pointed out to Fareed Zakariyah, it is all about 20/30/40+ years of liberalist policies which brought a lot to big businesses, big politicians and Wall Street and The City, but little to a little man; Brexit, the refusal of TTIP and Trump are not voting for, but against the establishment. Therefore, TTP is a long way ahead.

CORPORATE T EHNOMANIJA AND GEBRÜDER WEISS

Together for Even Better Service The leading appliance retail chain in Serbia, Tehnomanija has signed a partnership agreement with the Gebrüder Weiss Company stipulating an even faster and timelier delivery of goods

Now, Tehnomanija has a new transport & logistics partner while the recognizable yellow delivery vehicles have been given a makeover.

Through this agreement, the two big companies have joined forces to create an even better service that will result in a higher customer satisfaction. The service includes storing and delivering goods to Tehnomanija’s shops, as well as delivery of goods purchased via www.tehnomanija.rs .

The door-to-door delivery is also available to those customers

ABOUT GEBRÜDER WEISS

who purchase products worth at least 2,000 Dinars in one of Tehnomanija's stores. In this way, both the customers who purchase on-

According to the representatives of Tehnomanija, the agreement with Gebrüder Weiss Serbia, which is a member of the leading Europe-

BOTH THE CUSTOMERS WHO PURCHASE ONLINE AND THOSE WHO BUY AT THE SHOPS CAN BE SAFE THAT THEY WOULD GET THEIR PURCHASE DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO THE ADDRESS OF THEIR CHOICE line and those who buy at the shops can be safe that they would get their purchase delivered directly to the address of their choice.

an transport & logistics group, was a logical and expected step with the end result of the favourite Serbian brand now having a safe and

With over 6,000 employees, 150 branch offices and an annual turnover net sales 2015: EUR 1.28 bn, Gebrüder Weiss is one of the leading transport & logistics companies in Europe. The headquarters of Gebrüder Weiss Holding AG is in Lauterach (Austria). Apart from its core activity which is road, air and maritime transport and logistics, the company offers highly-specialized solutions for certain business activities. It also has several subsidiaries including the logistics consultancy x|vise, tectraxx (solutions for high-tech companies), inet-logistics

experienced partner on wheels.

Tehnomanija opened its first shop in Serbia in 1999 and the chain now offers over 20,000 different products from 350 world-renowned brands. Today, Tehnomanija has 38 retail facilities all over Serbia and more than 500 employees.

With over 6,000 employees and 150 own branch offices, Gebrüder Weiss is one of the leading transport & logistics companies in Europe. The cooperation with Tehnomanija stipulates the use of 25 delivery vehicles that will transport over 500 packages to satisfied consumers.

(solutions for transport management system – TMS), dicall (communication solutions, market research, telemarketing), Rail Cargo (railway transport) and the Gebrüder Weiss package delivery service which is a co-owner of DPD from Austria. This group of services makes it possible for the concern to swiftly and flexbily react to client needs. Because of the many implemented environmental, economic and social measures, this 500-year-old family company is today considered the leader in sustainable business.

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DIGI TAL 2016 Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL WORLD This year's regional conference on trends in telecommunications and media, Digital 2016, lasted for two days, and over 60 regional and international experts spoke at the conference In a beautiful Geozavod building, the atmosphere was completely digital – over 200 listeners followed panel discussions on LED TV screens, there was drone filming activation in the garden, and for all those who were present, there

was a live stream transmission. In two days, ten panel discussions and six case studies analysed many important topics of our time. The speakers included some of the most recognised names in the field of media, social networks, telecommunications, economics, law, art and

H. E. KYLE RANDOLPH SCOTT

IGOR STOIMENOV

American Ambassador to Serbia explained the role of social networks in the American Presidential elections and the role of internet in today’s entrepreneurship

Many people are about to board a digital highspeed train, and if they don’t succeed, there is a risk that they might remain in the past. It is clear that the digital world shapes how we work, how we live, how we interact with friends, with family.

Robots replace workers, a virtual reality has overwhelmed our reality. But in politics, social networks have great influence in election campaigns.

Candidates adapt their messages in accordance with the feedback they receive. In the business world, all that is needed for a new beginning as a computer, internet and ideas. Young entrepreneurs now have the advantage of using new technologies to reach investors.

LAZAR DŽAMIĆ

Many concrete pieces of advice were given from the expert who lived in London and worked for Google

Google is a lifestyle, it is not work. That work is what you live for 24 hours. When I was younger I wanted to learn, and there were many other circumstances. I believe that everyone should live at least a little abroad to learn and see the system.

Now is the time, let's try something else. The only thing you cannot buy is time, time is more expensive than heroin, and uranium; it is the most expensive thing in the UK.

sports. Participants were able to hear a lot of interesting facts, and prognoses, but also to get educated. The main discussions were about electronic banking, copyright, TV formats and advertising market in the future, the role of the media in the presidential elections in the United

States, national broadcasters, trends in social networking and many other topics. On the first day, the conference was opened by the British Ambassador to Belgrade, H. E. Denis Keefe; the second day, the American ambassador to Belgrade, H E Kyle Scott, spoke at the opening.

DRAGAN ĐURKOVIĆ

Film is heavily struck by piracy and there are many questions to be solved before we enter the completely legal way of doing business in cinematography The media guru tried to answer the question of reality shows and the expiry time of this relatively new but omnipresent phenomenon

It takes a little time to deal with the phenomenology of reality shows. We look at it as an enemy of the Serbian people. The first reality show was made in 1971 in America, for the state television. It was filmed within a single American family, and it started the whole process of bringing ordinary people on television. By the mid-90s, it has boomed. Reality television is a meta-genre. wIt is important to know what our relationship to reality show is. The audience does not change anything, we actually create it all.

Domestic film appears in cinemas, and local patriots and thieves responsibly let them be watched in the cinemas for a while. And then, when we download or stream the film from the repertoir the piracy starts. I'm a producer, and what we produce will cost a lot of money, effort, and preparation, and when someone takes it for nothing it becomes rude and nasty. We all live by the same money and all of these authors have to earn that money. Suppose that a film crew has between 100 and 1,500 members, all these people have to live and survive. But local pirates have little decency and eventually just they let us survive the sreening period.

DEJAN LJUŠTINA

Croatian expert told us something about the FinTech phenomenon and the feasibility of “banking Ubers” in the future

In England the research was done among Millennials, and a third of them said that they did not need a bank, 70% would rather go to the dentist than to the bank, and 73% would rather purchase financial services from Google and Amazon than from their bank branch. They want a service accessible from their home, without filling out papers and forms. I see a lot of trends. Most of the revenue from the financial sector will be FinTech-based by 2020. The largest investors now are the tech companies rather than banking institutions.

Pretplata doo Pretplata doo NewspapersNewspapers SubscriptionSubscription Service Service Bulevar dr Zorana 57, Đinđića 57, BulevarĐinđića dr Zorana lokal 19, 11070 Beograd lokalNovi 19, 11070 Novi Beograd +381 11 313 99 67 +381 11 313 99 67 +381 11 314 99 21 +381 11 314 99 21 office@pretplata.rs office@pretplata.rs pretplatadoo@gmail.com pretplatadoo@gmail.com www.pretplata.rs www.pretplata.rs

The partners of this year’s conference were: VISA, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Waterfront, ORION Telekom, Viasat World, FOX International Group, HBO GO, Scrippsnetworks, Ninamedia, N1 television, Carslberg Srbija, Voda Voda.

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49

B USINESS NEWS Roche

SUSTAINABILITY GROUP LEADER

For the eighth consecutive year, Roche has been named as Group Leader in sustainability within the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). This global ranking is published annually by the S&P Dow Jones Indices and RobecoSAM and measures the sustainability performance of the world’s largest companies. “We are very proud of this recognition,” says Severin. “Our selection once again as the world’s most sustainable healthcare company was only possible through the dedicated efforts of employees across the Group. Roche performed particularly well across a number of categories and DJSI noted “Roche has maintained its leadership in the pharmaceuticals sector through its excellent sustainability strategy, which is fully embedded in the company’s business and culture. By placing focus on access to healthcare, compliance and transparency, diverse work culture and collaborating with diverse partners, Roche is committed to creating value for all of its stakeholders.”.

Sberbank Serbia

INCREASING OF PROFIT

Sberbank Serbia has achieved an increase in profitability and recorded a growth in credit and deposit activities in the first half of the current year. Continuation the good trend recorded in the first quarter resulted in a profit of 473 million dinars in the first six months of 2016. ”The success is achieved in the field of personal loans largely thanks to the excellent performance of the Super payment cards, carefully thought out Super loan campaign and key initiatives launched in the micro segment. In the area of the economy, the total volume of foreign trade with Russia is increased in relation to the same period of last year which was accompanied by a significant participation of the bank in the export-import transactions, as evidenced by the strategic orientation of our bank when it comes to cooperation with companies aimed at the Russian market.” said Valeriy Ovsyannikov, Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Serbia.

Banca Intesa

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT FOR 2015

Banca Intesa presented the Sustainability Report for 2015 prepared in accordance with international methodology of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). A " s a leading bank in the domestic market, Banca Intesa fully recognises its responsibility to operate in a manner that takes into account not only the economic but also the social and environmental impacts arising from such positions," said Rajko Vulić Šinik, East Director of PR and Marketing Communications and Director of PR and social responsibility Banca Intesa. Within the presentation of the report, Banca Intesa has also organised a panel discussion on T " he impact of the financial sector to the sustainability of the company - financial inclusion and responsible finance" in which representatives of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, company Travel boutique, as well as the Forum for Responsible Business (FOD) took part.

Henkel Ceresit

THE NEW MANAGEMENT IN SERBIA

UniCredit Bank

LOWER INTEREST RATE FOR HOUSING LOANS

UniCredit Bank is to mark 15 years of operations in Serbia, offering special conditions for all customers who choose to provide home using housing loans of banks. Special conditions will be valid until the end of October 2016, by which time clients and can apply for a housing loan indexed in euros, with the loan to be realised by the end of January 2017. During this period, customers will be able to count on a much lower interest rate for the duration of 15 months. The loan is approved on a repayment period of 5 to 30 years.

Nikola Vuletić, Director of the Retail Division of UniCredit Bank Serbia stated: W " e hope that the extremely competitive rate of interest during the promotional period, and after that, will enable citizens to favourably solve their housing problems."

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Celebrating the forthcoming anniversary of the Henkel Ceresit factory in Inđija a new director of the Adhesive Technologies business sector Henkel Serbia, Mr. Predrag Armuš was presented. He came from the post of general director of Henkel BH. He emphasised the importance of the factory which annually produces more than 100,000 tons of adhesives for 6 markets in the region and more than 23 million residents. On this occasion, the two leading innovative product range of Ceresit - CM 11 Plus Power with special polymers for greater slip resistance and faster grouting on the wall, and CM 16 with silicate fibers for even greater power and strength of the bond were presented. The media representatives used an innovative applications ”Ceresit Facade Designer” to devise façades thanks to 3D visualisation of houses and the creator of the most creative solutions for the façade got Ceresit façade material in the amount of 1,500 euros enabled by Société Générale Bank.

NALED

NEW ECONOMIC CAUCUS CONSTITUTED IN THE ASSEMBLY

The second Economic Caucus of the new legislature of the National Assembly will consist of 13 delegates from 9 parties, which will, along with NALED, work on improving the legal framework for doing business in Serbia. For new members of the Economic Caucus elected Ostoja Mijailović (SNS), Đorđe Milićević (SPS), Goran Ćirić (DS), Miroslav Aleksić (NPS), Aleksandra Tomić (SNS), Ognjen Pantović (SNP) and Ivan Kostić (Dveri). Members who have maintained a position are Dr Vladimir Marinković (SDPS), Katarina Rakić (SNS), Milosav Milojević (SNS), Vojislav Vujić (JS), Zoltan Pek (SVM) and Žarko Mićin (SNS). For the second President of the Economic Caucus was re-elected Deputy Chairman Dr Vladimir Marinković, while the deputy is MP Katarina Rakić (SNS). Since its establishment in November 2014, the Caucus, in cooperation with NALED prepared 100 amendments to the laws governing the business environment, of which as many as 90 were adopted. Following the adoption of the Statute, the Economic Caucus immediately went to work, and the first topic of discussion was the Draft of the law on amendments to the Law on Local Government Finance..

Immofinanz

IMMOFINANZ OPENED ITS BELGRADE OFFICE

Lukoil Serbia

LUKOIL CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

”LUKOIL SERBIA” AD, a daughter-company of PAO ”LUKOIL”, with 113 active retail stores is ranked second in the number of gas stations in the market of the Republic of Serbia. The Serbian market is designated as one of the important ones for Lukoil. Throughout the period of stable development of the company full attention is paid to strengthening the company's reputation in the local market. In its anniversary year, the company started cooperation with a pair of actors Vojin Ćetković - Sloboda Mićalović, with who it shares common positive values. In addition to the new loyalty programme, new type of fuel ECTO Sport is on market since September. In 2013 ”LUKOIL SERBIA” introduced a new generation of fuel with improved performance characteristics that are produced by the most modern technologies under the brand ECTO ECTO Diesel Plus. From September 2016 company offers premium fuel of ECTO Sport class, Euro unleaded petrol with 98 octanes, for those who want a sporty driving style. The results were presented at the Hotel Metropol.

Carnex

3 GOLD MEDALS FOR SELECTION PATÉS At the international food industry fair ”World Food Moscow 2016”, the company Carnex won three gold medals - Selection of chicken pâté, BBQ beef pâté, and an award for product of the year. The main autumn event in Russia in the field of meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy products trade, was attended by more than 1500 exhibitors from 62 countries. ”We are very proud of this award because it is given to us in the market, which is extremely important for us. Carnex Selection line is the youngest in our portfolio. With Selection chicken pâté we offered a premium product, with no additives, preservatives or artificial colours, made of the best parts of chicken meat - chicken breasts and thighs” said Tijana Katalinić, brand manager of the company Carnex. Carnex was, in February this year at the ”Prodexpo - 2016” Fair in Russia, the only foreign manufacturer which was awarded the gold medal for ready meals and the silver medal for the complete range of pâté.

VTB Bank

TERM DEPOSIT SAVINGS IN RUBLES AVAILABLE

IMMOFINANZ, a leading Austrian company engaged in investment and development of real estate, whose activities are primarily focused on retail, office and logistics segments, has opened its office in Belgrade. In the presence of numerous guests, representatives of the private and public sectors, Chairman of the Executive Board of IMMOFINANZ, Dietmar Reindl, delivered a welcoming speech.

STOP SHOP is a brand of IMMOFINANZ for retail parks in Central and Eastern Europe and the basis of its market development. The first STOP SHOP retail park opened in Čačak in April 2015, the second in Niš in April 2016 and the third in Valjevo, in August 2016. IMMOFINANZ is primarily focused on the eight major regional markets in Europe: Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Moscow.

VTB Bank allows its customers the service of term deposit savings in rubles at attractive interest rates. The client has the option to set a term of one, three, six, twelve and twenty-four months. The minimum amount for savings is 10,000 rubles. Upon the expiry of the term, the deposit interests aer immediately paid on the current account of the client. VTB Bank also provides its clients the service of money transfer in the currency of the country, in both directions, at very favourable conditions, without any compensation for the inflow of money from abroad. Also, customers are able to perform exchange operations conveniently in rubles.

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B USINESS NEWS IN hotel

NATIONAL CHAMPION

IN Hotel has been named a National Champion for Serbia in The European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM; Europe’s largest business competition set up to celebrate business excellence and best practice in the European business community.

The Awards, now in its 10th year, is supported by business leaders, academics and political representatives from across Europe, and this year engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries.

IN hotel has been chosen after the first phase of judging by an independent panel. They were evaluated on the core EBA values of innovation, ethics and success and will now go through to the second stage of the competition, which includes a video and a public vote.

IN hotel Belgrade, opened in August 2006, was created for business people, as well as for the new generation of world travelers. Located in the heart of business and financial center of Belgrade, hotel offers impeccable service, highly professional staff and a pleasant ambience both for work and leisure.

McCann Belgrade and Huge Media

CULTURE FOR ALL

Miteco

NEW CHAPTER IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

The panel ”A new chapter in the hazardous waste management in Serbia”, that was held in Novi Sad, organised

by Miteco and ISWA World Congress 2016. The panel participants were Jean-Paul Leglise, Chairman of the ISWA Working Group on Hazardous Waste, Dr Stefan Salhofer, University of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences in Vienna, Peter Hodecek, representative of the European Federation of Waste Management ”FEAD” and Nenad Marković, director for energy production JP EPS, Branch ”TE-KO Kostolac”. ”Recycling of electronic waste is not only a question of protecting the environment, but it is also an important economic issue” said Salhofer. ”By effective functioning of the waste in the EU, 72 billion euros a year will be saved (thanks to the full implementation of EU legislation), the annual turnover of the waste management and recycling sector in the EU should be increased to 42 billion and would create the conditions for establishing over 400,000 jobs the European market by 2020” says Hodecek.

Uniqa Insurance

FIRMLY ON THE 5th POSITION

After a successful business in 2015 in which we recorded a total premium growth in the amount of 9.88%, UNIQA Insurance continues with good results in the first half of 2016.

According to the overall results of operations in both companies (UNIQA Life and UNIQA Non-life insurance) in the first six months of 2016, UNIQA Insurance has confirmed the 5th position in the Serbian market. A strong orientation towards the development of health insurance, resulted in the highest level of growth of private health insurance in the first six months of 2016, up to a level of 72%, as well as maintaining the leading position in the field of travel insurance for travelling abroad. And in the future, UNIQA Insurance will continue with a responsible and professional business, in order to justify the trust of its clients and its continued business success.

Coca-Cola Hbc

NEW TARGETS IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABILITY

When was the last time you were at a show? Watched or listened to a concert? Excuses such as lack of money for expensive tickets “crumble” when it comes to free cultural events.

In order to display the most precious part of the Museum of Contemporary Art the public under the motto “The biggest virtual exhibition of works of art,” McCann Belgrade and Huge Media have developed an application that will allow everyone to enjoy works from the rich collections of the museum. The application is called msu ARt and it transforms formats such as billboards, city lite or print ads into a virtual reality and works of art, thus forming virtual collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art. All you need to do is to download free application msu Art to your android phone, scan ad or billboard, and the screen will display a collection of art from the MSU together with additional interesting information on the specific work and/or author of the work. Information about the ad positions and billboards that can be scanned is available on the map that is displayed in the application.

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Diplomacy&Commerce

Coca-Cola HBC, ranked as a global leader in sustainability in the sector of drink manufacturers according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI), announced a new sustainability goals by 2020.

These are: use 40% of energy from renewable and clean sources, recycle at least 40% of packaging, use of recycled PET packaging or that of renewable materials by 20%, reduce packaging by 25% per liter of beverage produced, certify over 95% of the key ingredients in accordance with the Principles of sustainable agriculture and invest at least 2% of their annual profit before taxation in the community, double the number of employees who participate in voluntary initiatives during working hours to 10% of the total number of employees. T " he ambitious goals that we publish today reflect our desire to inspire a better future for our employees and the communities in which we operate."

Said Dimitris Lois, Managing Director of Coca-Cola HBC.

Mercedes-Benz

MERCEDES PRESENTED ITS NEW MODELS

Mercedes-Benz and Star Import, general distributor for MercedesBenz and smart vehicles in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with Daimler presentd its new models from different classes of vehicles at the polygon of NAVAK (National Drivers' Academy) at Subotište, near Pećinci during the interactive show called Mercedes-Benz Star Experience M " asterpieces". The vehicles were driven to Serbia by top German sport race drivers and the visitors from the media could test the vehicles on the Top-Gear-like driving polygon, and in the city conditions. sportski model Mercedes-AMG GT. Also, the new features were shown, „Intelligent drive“, „Safety parcour“, „Agility“ and „On road“. This year's main instructor Stefan Neuberger applied promoted exercises and training mode, on the fastest Mercedes-Benz models. All those present were able to get acquainted with the benefits of original spare parts and after-sales activities in a specially designed after-sales hall.

UniCredit

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY TOUR

SPECIAL TUBORG TIN

City of Belgrade and UniCredit Bank organised the arrival of the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour. It began its eighth road trip through Europe on September 13th. The long-eared trophy was exhibited in Belgrade in two locations, on the 1st October at the Republic Square and on the 2nd October in Ušće Shopping Center. At the conference were: Siniša Mali, Mayor of Belgrade, Csilla Ihász, CEO of UniCredit Bank Serbia, Cafu, Stevan Sojanović, Mustafa Hasanagić, Lars Elensson, and Milojko Pantić as a moderator.

NEW PPA PACKAGE IN SERBIA The legislation that Serbia adopted in June will attract capital and help launch green energy projects, said participants at a conference in Belgrade titled “New PPA Package in Serbia – Main Challenges”. The event was organised by Petrikić & Partneri AOD in cooperation with CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz with the support of ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Belgrade. The regulations were six months late but still a good signal while their quality makes the country the most advanced in the region. H.E. Johannes Eigner, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria said Serbia is not an island and that its regulations must be adapted to the surroundings and make it competitive. Željko Đurić, director of Vetroelektrane Balkana, a wind power company, said the Ministry of Mining and Energy had made a good move with the regulations. International partner in CMS Belgrade Radivoje Petrikić stated: “Serbia’s biggest potential lies in wind energy and the most progress has been made there. Where solar energy is concerned, the number of projects is smaller and we haven’t made so much progress there,” he said.

Thanks to the Tuborg design competition, organised at the beginning of the year, the young creatives from Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, BIH, Montenegro and Hungary got the opportunity to demonstrate their originality designing a tin for of one of the most popular international beer brands. Among more than 90 works, the winning designs are are on the shelves! In the competition for the best design, over 10,000 votes determined the winners: Albena Radeva from Bulgaria and Ljubiša Gornik from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The finalists from Serbia were we Mario Marković and Miloš Dostanić whose works were among the top four by the votes of fans and jury. The winners won a memorable trip to Travel TYPO conference in Berlin. Tuborg continues with the contest B " ecome a Tuborg DJ"! All talented lovers of good sound have the opportunity to participate in the competition by submitting their original set, but the best ones - which will decided by the jury headed by the famous lady DJ Lea Dobričić will expect a course of music production at SAE Institute!

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

53

C I N EMA

50 Years On Star Trek, still boldly going

"Do you have any advice for someone who wants to be an actor or actress" asked a little girl in the packed auditorium in New York’s Javits Centre. Forget being an actress, said William Shatner. “Be an astrophysicist!”, he shouted. The crowd roared with approval. The little girl’s question came at the end of Star Trek Mission, a three-day convention celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the television series set on a spaceship in the future—stardate 1312.4 to be exact. Mr Shatner played James Tiberius Kirk, the captain on the starship Enterprise in the original series. His answer clearly pandered to the science-fiction loving audience, but it also acknowledged the impact the series has had on science as well as society.

Fifty years ago tonight, Americans first heard the lines that opened each show: "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Essentially a western in space, created by Gene Roddenberry, the show and its crew didn’t get to complete the five-year mission. It was canceled after three. But it launched an animated series, four spin-off series and soon a fifth to premiere in January, as well as a number of films, including a 2009 reboot, which grossed $386m and led to two sequels. Its impact is still being felt, and not just in Hollywood.

Its cast was, for its time, diverse. Mr Roddenberry envisioned an egalitarian future and used several episodes as allegories for the unrest and social problems of America in the 1960s. He cast Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura, who headed up communications on the starship. She was one of the few non-whites on television and virtually the only one not playing a maid or some other stereotypical role. Ms Nichols says she had intended to leave the series to go on Broadway, but was talked out of it by Martin Luther King.

He told her that if she left, she would be undoubtedly replaced by a white person. Two decades later Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar winner, who also played a recurring role on a "Star Trek" spin-off, said that seeing Ms Nichols on television when she was a young girl had inspired her.

Ms Nichols also was part of history when she and Mr Shatner exchanged the first inter-racial on-screen kiss. The series took on the stupidity of racism again in an iconic episode, entitled “Let that be your last battlefield”. In the episode, the crew encounters two aliens, one half black, half white, and the other half white, half black, who hate each other. Mr Roddenberry cast George Takei to be Lieutenant Sulu, the ship’s helmsmen. Mr Takei initially saw the role as just a job, but later grew to appreciate that he

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Diplomacy&Commerce

was one of the few Asians on television who did not have an accent.

Its fans were rabid from the beginning. A successful letter-writing campaign saved it from cancellation after two seasons. But once it was cancelled, few, least of all its cast, expected it to be remembered. But it lived on in repeats.

And fans wanted more. They held their first convention in New York in 1972. Organisers expected a few hundred attendees, but thousands showed up. The "Star Trek" convention was the pioneer of fan and pop culture conventions like ComiCon, a multi-genre event showcasing comics, movies, television and art, which draws 150,000 fans every year. The programme was among the first to nurture a fan-base.

ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PANELS AT THE CONVENTION WAS MADE UP OF NASA ASTRONAUTS, SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, WHO ALL SAID THAT THE SERIES INFLUENCED THEIR CAREERS Last weekend’s Star Trek Mission was a much smaller affair. As conventions go, said one attendee, this one feels quiet. “Why?”, asked Prospero. "For one thing, there's hardly any Klingons." Many attendees were in cosplay, that is to say dressed as their favourite characters.

There were Starfleet uniforms galore, plenty of Vulcans, even a Cardassian (an alien species not unlike the Kardashians on earth: lots of makeup, unusual attire and a sense of their own superiority). Nearly everyone not in costume wore some sort of "Star Trek"-related gear, like a logo-bearing t-shirt or a dress. More than a few wore "Star

Trek" utility bags. One fellow was dressed as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the Enterprise on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", the first spin-off, which premiered in 1987, running for seven seasons and then four films. He had rigged up a sort of stereo-system to blast the programme’s theme music as he walked.

The fans were there to mix with each other as much as to attend the panels that discussed, among other things, fashion in the future and feminism. Others were there to bid in an auction of the personal belongings of Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock. Lucky fans, for the right price, could walk away with Mr Nimoy’s “Whales Alive” record or an old script with some handwritten notes on it. Many were there to catch a moment with the stars of the various series and films. They happily queued to get autographs of their favourite alien or federation crew member—for a fee, of course. Mr Shatner’s signature cost $80. Hundreds lined up nonetheless, until his handlers ran out of headshots.

One of the most popular panels at the convention was made up of NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers, who all said that the series influenced their careers. They discussed how the "Star Trek" ethos and technologies have inspired real NASA developments. Tablets, cellular phones (called communicators on the show), even automatic doors were all on "Star Trek", years, if not decades, before they were available commercially. The crew used phasers, a sort of energy blaster. The Pentagon is developing phaser-like weapons today. The ship’s crew used to spend downtime on their holodecks, a sort of virtual world. Kjell Lindgren, who spent 141 days on the International Space Station, explained that virtual reality is starting to be used on the station and by NASA. The keynote speaker was Mr Shatner. Some attendees had camped in the audience for hours to ensure they had a seat for the main event. He told amusing stories about his life and the show while shamelessly plugging his other projects.

But the running thread of his speech was science. He told of his excitement upon meeting Stephen Hawking, a fan of the series. Mr Hawking's favourite episodes were, unsurprisingly, related to dark matter. The attendees ate up every morsel Mr Shatner shared. They had clearly forgiven him for once telling devotees of the series to “get a life”. Today, Trekkers are nerdy cool, they are millions strong, and they are well into successful careers, many of which the show helped inspire. They are, in other words, worth a fortune, and Mr Shatner knows it.

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

INTERVIEW

POSITIVE ENERGY IN THE CITY CENTRE The Belgrade Zoo is not only the place where children have the opportunity to meet exotic animals, but is also a promoter of the sporting spirit and culture. Soon, both younger and older visitors will be able to enjoy educational programmes about flora and fauna. Apart from exchanging animals with other zoos, the Belgrade Zoo is also relying on the help of companies, to which the zoo plans to offer sponsorship deals soon promoting the sporting spirit and culture in our capital city come about?

SRBOLJUB ALEKSIĆ

Director of the Belgrade Zoo

In the year when the Belgrade Zoo is celebrating its 80th anniversary, the zoo draws inspiration for further development from the legacy of its former director, Vuk Bojović, while simultaneously modelling itself according to the best European practice – says the new director of the Belgrade Zoo, Srboljub Aleksić.

Which events marked the 80th anniversary of the Belgrade Zoo? Many interesting events have happened in the last 80 years, but I would definitely like to single out the two air raids that the Zoo survived following its opening, followed by the difficult period of recovery and, of course, Vuk Bojović becoming its director. Vuk made this Zoo the way it is today and it is up to us to continue his legacy and do as much for the Zoo as he did.

How many children visit the Zoo annually and thereby gain firsthand experience about wild and domestic animals, and how do you educate them?

— A large number of children visit the Zoo year-round and, apart from providing information about every animal species, we also try to give them additional opportunities to acquire knowledge. For now, this is only done through sporadic campaigns, but our goal is to establish a kind of educational centre where both children and adults will be able to acquire additional knowledge about flora and fauna. This is going to be one of the Zoo's priorities in the following period.

How did the idea about the zoo

— When it comes to sport, it seems that the friendship between Vuk Bojović, our celebrated karate fighter Tanja Petrović and Dejan Nikolić, director of the Belgrade Marathon, was the starting point. They came up with an idea for the Zoo, which is a gathering place for many children, to become the location where events like “The Sports Fairy Tale” (organised by Tanja) and “The Children’s Marathon” (organised

by Dejan) would take place. That's how it all started and today these are among the most popular annual events at the zoo.

The zoo became a promoter of culture thanks to its cultural and educational role, which it has been playing for over 80 years. It is a lesser known fact that there are many monuments in the zoo which are masterpieces of famous artists who have witnessed the creation and development of this zoo. Students of the Academy of Fine Arts do their practice here and also made the mosaic that decorates the zoo’s outer

have been friends of the Belgrade Zoo for many years.

How do you acquire new animals and how often do companies decide to help the zoo as part of their CSR activities?

— We usually acquire new animals through exchanges with other zoos.

There is an unwritten rule that zoos should help each other out. Every zoo has a surplus of certain animals, while some species are very rare or not available at all, and that’s usually when exchanges happen. Animals are often donated. We have good cooperation with many zoos in Europe and Russia. Our long-term goal is to become a member of the EAZA (The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria), which is an umbrella organisation for European zoos.

This would greatly help us with various procedures and would simplify the acquisition of new animals and the exchange of ours. Of course, sometimes we have to simply buy animals, but that is quite rare.

Companies have been known to help us, but we would appreciate it if they would do that more often.

opment plans and its ability to provide adequate living space for the animals?

— Our focus is on developing the zoo in the current location and we are committed to that. Every year we try to do something new in order to create better living conditions for our 'tenants' and offer something new to our visitors. There are many zoos located in the centre of major cities that are similar to our in terms of the size of the land they occupy. Of course, investments in zoos in wealthier countries are much more substantial.

The Belgrade Zoo can reach the same level as these zoos even with less investment. We are on the right road to achieving this and, although a lot has been done in the zoo in the past 20 years, there is always more to do. The legislation regulating the safekeeping of the animals is constantly changing and the zoo regularly needs to adapt to that. We expect the EAZA to provide us with guidelines in this process.

How can someone apply to volunteer at the Belgrade Zoo?

— Sending a mail to volonteri@ beozoovrt.rs is the first step. After

OUR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE EAZA (THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIA), WHICH IS AN UMBRELLA ORGANISATION FOR EUROPEAN ZOOS

wall. Many events take place here every year, like “The Night of Museums”, “The Fabulist Workshop”, numerous art exhibitions etc. We should also mention many famous figures, including writers, painters, musicians, actors, composers, and people of different professions, who

We are going to offer them a sort of sponsorship package soon. All assistance is welcome, because only in that way can we develop the zoo in the right direction.

How much does the current location affect the zoo’s devel-

that, they will be asked to come for an interview with our volunteer coordinator, followed by a short training course that is necessary because working at the zoo is quite unique. We also have to mention that volunteers must be at least 15 years old.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

55

SPORT

WORLD CUP BECKONS FOR SERBIA

Serbia’s national rugby league team is intensifying preparations for its upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Wales and Italy, which could lead to the country qualifying for its first ever global championship in the sport, just 15 years after rugby league was reborn in Serbia Serbia passed the final test ahead of the qualifiers with flying colours, demolishing Spain in Valencia 4-64 in a friendly late September, and now attention has been turned to the world cup qualifiers.

The qualifiers for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, which is to be played in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, represent the culmination of a five-year plan that was launched after Serbia failed to qualify for the 2013 World Cup, losing emphatically to teams from Italy and Lebanon that were made up of heritage players from Australia, France and the UK. This prompted the Serbian Rugby League Federation to spread its wings and seek talent among the “heritage” populations of Australia and the UK – two of the sport’s heartlands.

The Serbian Australian Rugby League Community was founded, and an initial visit to the Southern Hemisphere by SRLF Board member Blagoje Stoiljković was followed up by the participation of eight Serbian players with a dozen Australian players of Serbian origin in the Cabramatta Nines Tournament and in a test match against the Philippines earlier this year.

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Now a 22-man squad has been announced that includes players from the Serbian domestic league and ethnic Serbs from Australia, but also a Serb from Vranje who plays in France and a Yorkshireman with Serbian roots.

Serbia was beaten heavily by Italy in the last world cup qualifiers back in 2011, but it’s a different story whenever the Serbia team plays an Italy team made up of domestic players… Such encounters are no contest, with Serbia having a much stronger and better developed domestic league than Italy, and argua-

all areas: grassroots rugby, coaching and referees education, marketing, promotion and managing strategy.

National team recognition is important, but if you don't have the other elements, success won't last. We assumed a leading role in the region and that's why it would be a great achievement if we could be a part of the World Cup. Not just for us, but for all the up-and-coming nations in this part of Eastern Europe.”

The 22-man squad named by Serbia for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup European Pool A Qualifiers against Wales and Italy includes

Dorćol vs. Partizan

bly any other country in mainland Europe besides France.

“Rugby league is fast growing sport, especially in this part of Europe,” explains SRLF general secretary Slobodan Manak. “We were among the first Federations to dedicate ourselves to developing in

Diplomacy&Commerce

Dalibor Vukanović

three debutants from Australia.

Daniel Burke (Collegians), Jordan Grant (Wests Tigers) and James Mirceski (Western Suburbs Magpies) find themselves included alongside experienced Australian-born Serbia international Ilija Radan, who debuted in 2011 and played in Serbia’s unsuccessful qualifiers for the 2013 World Cup. The majority of the squad, however, comprises players from the top four teams in the Serbian First Division: Dorćol, Red Star, Partizan and Radnički Nova Pazova… But selectors also found room for Dews-

bury Rams’ Jason Muranka, and Vladica Nikolić, the Vranje-born former Red Star starlet who was once a junior European champion in judo and who now plies his trade in the top French league, Elite 1, for the Villeneuve XIII Leopards club.

Despite the inclusion of experienced players from overseas, the squad will continue to be captained

by Dorćol legend Dalibor Vukanović.

Although some of the top Serbs in the Australian game were unavailable, and with eyebrows having been raised over the omissions of Red Star players Stefan Nikolić and Miodrag Tomić, Head coach Ljubomir Bukvić is confident that the best squad available has been selected.

“We've been working for almost a whole year in drafting our heritage players for this historic chance to get to the World Cup for the first time… Some were part of our tour to Australia earlier this year, but we also have some debutantes coming in. They will bring more experience

“We are more than satisfied with our current selection and we know that our squad will represent Serbia with pride and passion.”

ROOTS AND PASSION

Rugby League, or Rugby 13, came into existence in England on 29th August 1895 and became popular in Australia and Northern England during the 20th century. By the 1930s, however, France had become the sport’s leading force in Europe.

Despite a ban issued by the Vichy France government during WWII, the French maintained their interest in the sport, spreading it to other

Serbia vs. Senegal

Stevan Stevanović

to our core players, who come from domestic clubs.”

SRLF general secretary Manak added: “We would like to thank all of our heritage players on their efforts to represent Serbia and their backing in our quest to be a part of the rugby league elite.

“Due to differing circumstances, we couldn't count on all of them in this qualifying series, but everyone who was approached is keen to back us.

“Both Tom and Jake Trbojević [Manly Sea Eagles] had a very hard NRL season, as did Tom Opačić [Brisbane Broncos]. Unfortunately, Nikola Čotrić's club commitments didn't make him available, but we are excited to welcome our newcomers.

“Jordan Grant will join his older brother Chad, who debuted for Serbia in our successful warm-up international in Spain.

counties, including Serbia. And in the early 1950s, Serbian sport enthusiasts introduced this dynamic game to the general public.

Dragan Maršičević is considered the founder of Serbian rugby.

Dragan Pavlović's book “Essay About the First Essay in Serbia” describes how Maršičević, then secretary of the Serbian Sports Association, established contact with the French Rugby League Federation. On 26th September 1953, this collaboration resulted in a friendly game between Selection Provence and the French Student National Team. After the Belgrade game at JNA Stadium, a few other games were played in Novi Sad, Subotica and several other towns in the former Yugoslavia.

Everyone liked the new sport.

With the help of Vladimir Marković, Zvonko Bedenković and Berislav Manjlović, Maršičević founded

Partizan Rugby Club, the first rugby club in Serbia, on 1st November 1953.

The formation of Partizan was followed by the creations of many other teams. In Belgrade alone there was Radnički, Sloboda, Jugoslavija, Red Star and Avala. Zmaj and Naša Krila were established Zemun, Jedinstvo and Utva in Pančevo and Radnički in Sombor.

The late Budimir Tomanović Tamba, a Serbian rugby pioneer, was amongst the 8,000 spectators at the first friendly game and later, together with his school friends, he founded the club Belgrade Radnički.

Two historic matches between Radnički and Partizan were played in Paraćin on 25th April 1954 and at the JNA Stadium in Belgrade a week later, on 2nd May. Tomanović also had a great influence on the foundation of the Serbian Rugby League Federation in 1954, which was responsible for the popularisation of the sport in the region. The Federation also organised the first rugby tournament in Yugoslavia, called the Liberation Cup, which was played until 1964 and which remained the most important tournament in the country until the Rugby Championship of Yugoslavia started in 1957.

In the 1960s, rugby league was banned by the government and clubs were forced to either convert to the rival code – Rugby Union, or Rugby 15 – or disband. In 2001, a group of new enthusiasts, led

by Dragan Pavlović, Aleksandar Milošević, Blagoje Stojiljković and Slaviša Milenković, renewed interest in rugby league.

The first match following the reintroduction of the sport was played between Dorćol and Vojvodina, two teams comprising players who had previously played Rugby Union.

The first Serbian Rugby League Cup was held on 10th November 2001 in Kruševac. The Dorćol, Kruševac and Vojvodina clubs were soon joined by Žarkovo and Borac, which led to competition becoming tough.

At one point, the senior league had 12 teams divided into the Serbian first and second division. Dorćol, Red Star, Partizan, Radnički Niš, Radnički Nova Pazova and Tašmajdan played in the first division. Teams from both divisions played in the Serbian Rugby League Cup. Dorćol is the most successful team in the modern era, with 13 league and cup titles. In 2014, Red Star ended Dorćol’s domination, winning the league that year and the cup in 2016.

Following the reinstatement of the local competition, Serbia reconnected with the Rugby League

International Federation and returned to the international scene.

The national team played in the Mediterranean Cup in Lebanon in 2003, followed by many other tournaments in France, the Netherlands and Czech Republic.

The Serbian national team has been competing in the European Rugby League Federation (RLEF) since the qualification rounds for the 2008 World Cup. The team achieved remarkable success in 2015, winning European Championship B against Russia, Ukraine and Italy. This triumph enabled Serbia to earn the right to compete in final qualifications for the 2017 World Cup, which are currently underway.

Serbia is currently ranked 11th on the RLIF World Rankings List.

SERBIA 22MAN SQUAD FOR WC2017 QUALIFIERS:

• David Andjelić

(Blacktown St Patrick's)

• Reece Grkinić (Cabramatta)

• Daniel Burke (Collegians)

• Jason Muranka

(Dewsbury Rams)

• Dalibor Samardžić, Dalibor Vukanović, Stefan Nedeljković, Stevan Stevanović (Dorćol)

• Joshua Marjanović (Kawana Dolphins)

• Džavid Jašari, Vlado Kušić (Partizan)

• Pero Madžarević, Žarko Kovačević

(Radnički Nova Pazova)

• Miloš Ćalić, Miloš Zogović, Vladislav Dedić, Vojislav Dedić (Red Star Belgrade)

• Chad Grant (St Clair Comets)

• Vladica Nikolić

(Villeneuve XIII Leopards)

• James Mirceski

(Western Suburbs Magpies)

• Jordan Grant (Wests Tigers)

• Ilija Radan

(unaffiliated)

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

57

KOVAČEVIĆ WINERY

TRADITION AND ORIGINALITY IN A GLASS OF WINE The wines of the Kovačević Winery are recongised for their striking harmony and elegance. Apart from the bestsellers like Chardonnay Kovačević, this family-run winery has also launched another new wine Cuvee Piquant, a fusion between Traminer and Muscat Ottonel with an added freshness of Pinot Blanc If you love Chardonnay Kovačević or you fell in love with the Aurelius red wine, than you know that the Kovačević Winery always has something special to offer to wine connoisseurs – sumptuous aroma and dazzling, rich taste which the winery achieves thanks to its special barriques and the way of aging of wine that only the true connoisseurs know how to recognise and cherish.

The Kovačević Winery is a synergy of traditional and original – there is the family history and the legacy of Fruška Gora's climate which gave birth to a one-of-a-kind wine called Bermet, and, on the other hand, there are new wine making challenges like the champagne method of making sparkling wines which resulted in a new wine caled Kovačević Sparkling Wine.

Traditional and contemporary have been intertwining in this winery for decades which has an excellent reputation on the market, both among the connoisseurs and consumers.

The Kovačević Winery is a family-run winery from Irig, the Fruška Gora region. It is a representative of

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a new wave in wine making in Serbia and is one of the leading wineries in the country.

In 2000, the head of the third generation of the Kovačević wine making family – Miroslav Kovačević - took over the running of the family business thus creating a new, contemporary winery with the idea of bringing the wine making and oenological experiences of his father and grandfathers into the 21st century and building a foundation for the Kovačević's family fourth generation of wines with the help of a modern and innovative wine making technology.

The Kovačević Winery is widely popular because of its bestseller – Chardonnay Kovačević – as well as its red wine Aurelius which is made from special grape varieties, aged in special barriques. Generally speaking, it could be said that the main philosophy of the Kovačević Winery is producing wines of unique style which are recongised for their striking harmony and elegance of aroma and taste. „We are interested in wines from different segments and styles because through our wines we want to express so many things. First and foremost,

we want to present the uniqueness of our environment, the micro-climate and the land that our vineyards are planted on and the best testament to these are our wines Rhone Riesling and Sauvignon. We also want to showcase the character of certain grape varieties in an original style as seen in our wines Chardonnay and Rosetto“, says Miroslav Kovačević. „Futhermore, we nurture our own signature style of storing and aging wines in special barriques which is bound to be recognised in our wines Chardonnay Barrique and Aurelius.“ At the same time, the Kovačević Winery is constantly searching for new aromas and tastes. „You'll be able to see that in our new wine - Cuvee Piquant – a fusion between Traminer and Muscat Ottonel with an added freshness of Pinot Blanc“, Kovačević says and adds: „We are always up to new wine making challenges like developing our champagne method of making sparkling wines. Our Kovačević Sparkling Wine is the best example of that. Additionally, we are very mindful of our own family history and the tradition or Fruška Gora, as symbolised by our Bermet wine.“

ENSO RESTAURANT

ART ON A PLATE

Change of seasons marks the most dynamic period for the kitchen of the Enso Restaurant. Here, creativity alternates with experimentation, the colours are beautifully put together, the tastes are perfectly matched and the whole plate looks like an art piece

MULLET & PERCH

À LA CARTE RABBIT

Confitted in pure duck lard and served on spinach coulis, this dish comes as a surprise to the most refined palates. Add to it pickled vegetables with a creamy addition of banana, curry and yogurt ice cream, and this dish becomes a true feast for those who are in the mood for a culinary adventure.

There are no limits in cooking and art. Our chefs came up with this bold combination of fresh and salt water fish to help you discover new culinary dimensions. The grilled fillets of red mullet and perch are served on mashed sweet potatoes.

FenNnel, lemon jam, olive cream and bouillabaisse sauce. If you like the sound of it, believe us, you are going to like the taste even more.

MINT CAKE DUCK

A brand new fine dining restaurant had an audacious and original arrival to the Belgrade gastronomic scene in December last year. Located right next to the Bitef Art Cafe and the Palilula Institute of Culture and known for its simple, yet elegant interior, the Enso Restaurant opens at 9 am while the restaurant's kitchen is opened from 1 pm to 11 pm on working days and from 1 pm to midnight on weekends. Monday is a day off.

This is the first restaurant in town that has menus in the shape of tablets where every dish is described in detail, accompanied by a photograph and a suggestion of wine. You also place your food and beverage order via tablet. Friendly staff is always at your disposal for suggestions and help.

The unusual name of the restaurant signifies a continuous handdrawn circle which figuratively means the moment when the mind is completely free thus allowing the body to engage in uninhibited creation. It also symbolizes harmony, strength, minimalistic expression and elegance as seen in the sophisticated game of tastes and forms, the modern interpretation of national and global cuisines and permeation of East and West.

The wine list comprises of over 30 labels and all wines can be ordered

per glass which is a special benefit. „The great advantage of this restaurant is that we can open any bottle of wine you want and you can order only one glass of it. I am really bothered when I go to a restaurant, have a fantastic meal, and then I am forced to drink the so-called house wine.

In the end, I usually order water.

The food here is really unique and special and wine should follow suit.

That's why I insisted that we didn't have house wines but that each wine has its own status“, the restaurant's proprietor Miša Relić says.

Although, the restaurant has a separate entrance, you can also enter it via Bitef Art Cafe because the idea is for the guests to proceed to enjoy Bitef Art Cafe after they finish dining – Miša Relić explains.

Andrej Žilić has designed the restaurant's interior that emanates a warm atmosphere enveloped into a modern expression.

Change of seasons marks the most dynamic period for the kitchen of the Enso Restaurant. Here, creativity alternates with experimentation, the colours are beautifully put together, the tastes are perfectly matched, the whole plate looks like an art piece and new recipes are systematically written down. This is the time when we create a new menu with seasonal groceries that are always fresh and carefully selected and which are a central piece in the

Duck thighs are enveloped in the sweet and sour orange sauce and served on the cauliflower and chestnut puree. Because of its strong character, this dish has been called a man's dish although many ladies, who have also enjoyed in this creamy splendour, refute these claims.

new menu. Chefs, Nedeljko Jerković and Uroš Ivošević, never rest. A day doesn't go by when they don't create something new or try a new element, be it new cream, coulis or ice cream made from a very unexpected ingredient like, for instance, popcorn ice cream. After that, they come up with combinations of different

This is the ideal dessert for those who have trouble deciding because it combines the sweetness of chocolate, the acidity of fruit, the tingling taste of mint and the creamy – crunchy texture into a perfect cake. The dessert has four layers – cocoa seed crumble, dark chocolate and mint ganache, white chocolate cream with mind and mint jelly.

The taste is rounded off with the strawberry and mint sorbet.

tastes which textures perfectly accompany, complement or contrast the main element of the dish. And while the guests are eager to see the product of this artistic-scientific endavour for the autumn-winter season, we are going to summerize the most striking entries in Enso's previous menu.

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50 t h BI TEF – A PROLONGUED SUCCESS Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

KEEPING UP WITH STYLE The 50th Bitef officially closed its doors in Madlenianum with the traditional awards ceremony and a play entitled “Over The Grave of Stupid Europe" by Sebastian Horvat and Milan Marković Matisse, produced by HNK Ivan pl. Zajc (Rijeka) The 50th Bitef has celebrated its Golden Jubilee. In the 50 years of its existence, it has gained an admirable reputation.

This year’s edition of the prestigious festival was attractive enough to appeal to the fussiest spectators’ taste.

During the nine days of the festival, twelve plays were performed as part of the main programme. They dealt with the refugees crisis, or rather the refugee disaster, border closures, building a wall of Western neo-colonial attitude towards other cultures, projecting the desirable image of these cultures, creating and reinforcing stereotypes...

The 50th Bitef jury comprised Jun Cheo Kim from South Korea (Chairman), Aleksandar Denić from Serbia, Thomas Irmer from Germany, Aleksandra Jovićević from Serbia and Femi Osofisan from Nigeria.

They watched the performances and decided that only four of them were eligible for a prize. Mira Trailović Grand Prix was awarded to Slapstick Darkness (Urnebesna tama), directed by Dušan David Paržižek, and produced by the Burgtheater from Vienna.

The special Art Foundation Award was was shared by two performances respectfully – Suite No. 2 by Joris Lacoste and Encyclopaedia of the Words, produced by Echelle 1:1 (Paris), which has been awarded unanimously, and The Riding Cloud by director and producer Rabbi Mroue (Lebanon), which was assigned by the majority vote. In the explanation, the jury said that Suite No. 2 expanded the boundaries of the documentary theatre with an intensive, creative, and courageous use of the human voice, while the The Riding Cloud proved how pow-

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erful political position could evolve into an aesthetic experience.

Politika’s jury consisted of Ana Tasić (the president), Dijana Milošević, Iva Milošević, Borka Golubović Trebješanin and Radojica Džunić. They unanimously decided that this year's 39th Politika Award for Best Director at BITEF should be granted to Dušan David Paržižek for his play Slapstick Darkness, produced by the Burgtheater from Vienna. The jury explained that Paržižek skillfully and playfully staged and expressed complex meanings of the Lotz’s drama, being at the same time modern, a bit naive, very ironic and very politically incorrect in

humorous and typical of Paržižek’s direction, built on the risky but lucid solutions. After an evaluation of the audience, the best performance of the 50th Bitef was Suite No.2.

Thanks to the sponsors of the closing ceremony of the festival (TeleGroup), as well as the closing party sponsors (Coca Cola HBC Serbia, Kovačević Winery, Sokolova brandy, Rock Radio and Restaurant Brener), the jury, the spectators, the journalists and the whole of Bitef team enjoyed a successful finale of the festival. The ten festival days were a real theatre holiday.

The director of the festival, Miloš Latinović, said that organising the

WE HAVE SHOWN THAT THE BITEF IN ITS CONCEPT REMAINED CONSISTENT. WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP ALIVE THE THING IT WAS ADORNED WITH, NOT TO BETRAY WHAT IS THEATRICALLY NEW AND DIFFERENT its reflections on the accumulated absurdity of post-colonial world.

Directorial choice of four different actresses playing male characters is intriguing; it boosts stage theatrics, so the spectators can establish a better distance from the events. The gap between the physical appearance of actresses and characters that they represent is very stylish,

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festival is like being "on the back of the mad bull". He also added that that this year’s Bitef was the main theatrical stations in Europe.

“We have shown that the Bitef in its concept remained consistent. We are trying to keep alive the thing it was adorned with, not to betray what is theatrically new and different. Following the new trends,

Bitef lives” –Latinović proudly said, adding that the best evidence for this are packed theatres and the audience who came from all parts of the world.

“The reason for the huge number of foreigners in the audience, in addition to performances, was the 28th Congress of the International Association of Theatre Critics, which brought together the most eminent experts in the field. During the festival days, we have hosted more than 400 foreigners who were involved in various ways” - says Latinović.

The Grave for Stupid Europe, was the last play with which last curtain fell. It is inspired by Miroslav Krleža’s Croatian Rhapsody, but unlike the original story (which is set in the third-class carriages of the Hungarian State Railways during the First World War), the play is a journey into the European Union, Croatian, neoliberal labour market conditions, and the endless waves of refugees from Asia and Africa.

Also, one of the things that Bitef managed to preserve was the spirit of the legenadary Jovan Ćirilov.

Bitef Director Miloš Latinović is extremely proud of the fact that the festival continues what the founders started, especially the Art Foundation. “Jovan Ćirilov is the good spirit of the festival which will always watch over Bitef. I think he would want his “baby” to be still alive. We are obliged to cherish what the founders have started and to continue to develop it because it was Jovan’s target. He said that Bitef did not belong to anyone individually, but it rather belonged to the culture of Belgrade and Serbia. He is above us and above individual actions. Therefore, Ćirilov monitors how culture grows and develops”, Latinović concluded.

COLUMN Text: RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ

BEER IS BEAUTIFUL One of my greatest impressions was how well the company cherishes its workforce. Quality & Flavour, Lifestyle & Enjoyment, the principles of Erdinger Brewery don’t differ from my personal issues in this life. Here in my column I will try to explain how you can be more than impressed by the hospitality of a few days spent in Erding, with the people from Erdinger, and what you need to have a perfect business & pleasure trip

I was so excited when I got an invitation from Jovana and Milena from Carlsberg Serbia, who asked me if I could embark on a trip to the city of Erding, to attend the Herbstfest, the third largest Volksfest in Upper Bavaria, as a guest of Erdinger Brewery.

So, the show was on. It was a sunny day when we arrived in Erding, a town close to Munich in Bavaria, Germany. I walked into the hotel, stepped out onto my balcony and immediately started to make a retirement plan.

The town of Erding has 35,000 inhabitants and is a pretty, nicely restored medieval town. I decided to go for a walk and I felt like I was in a fairy tale. This small, clean town has shops to cater for your daily needs, such as butchers, bakers, greengrocers and small supermarkets. In the town centre you will find a number of clothes and footwear boutiques, an organic market, a flower market etc.

There is a small river with beautiful bridges, flowers all around and several parks. It made me start thinking how I could send a letter informing everybody in my country that I will never be coming back home…

I was a little worried about our tight schedule, but once you start there’s only one way to go: forward.

One of our first stops was a tour through the brewery. The Erdinger Brewery lies at the heart of the town and was established in 1886 with the help of the German National Tourist Board. There we were able to see everything in one place: the history, the process and that tiny little connection you can feel when you walk into the brewery area: the whole town lives and breathes with the brewery, with many local people employed there.

It was amazing to see the whole company up close, including the production processes. Our guided tour started with a short film that informed us more about the history and facts of this largest wheat beer brewery in the world. Everything started in the old premises, standing in the middle of Erding.

working at the company for 10 20, 30 and even 40 years. This shows how Erdinger treats people as valuable assets, showing how long someone has worked at the brewery on a public wall.

The second thing that surprised me is the fact that the Erdinger Brewery exports its products

Mr Werner Brombach with guests

FACTS:

• The Erdinger Brewery is a family-run business • Erdinger has eight different types of beer • 1.75 million hectolitres of beer are produced annually • More than 120,000 bottles are filled at the Erdinger Brewery every hour • There are more than 15 million bottles of beer in its warehouses

Even now, there is hustle and bustle around Erdinger Beer, with everything inside the brewery renovated as a hotel and restaurant.

One of my greatest impressions was how well the company cherishes its workforce. One wall inside the brewery displays photos of all current employees, who have been

to more than 80 of the world’s countries, while all quantities are produced in one place: at the company’s site in the town of Erding. The reason is simple: every tiny ingredient makes the specific Erdinger taste. So, if they want to preserve that specific taste, and to easily control the quality, they will

produce it in their own way and in their own company. Due to their strategy, they have a huge warehouse, which is automated from top to bottom. So much so that when you walk into this area you might feel like you are in the Matrix.

Erdinger beer is consumed and is popular all around the world. Its biggest markets are Austria, Switzerland, the UK, Italy, Ireland and China. If you wish to buy something special for fun, or as a gift for lovers of Erdinger beer, there is an excellent souvenir shop, where all of us who participated in this tour received a present: a real, large beer mug. One interesting thing is that The Erdinger fan club is the world’s biggest beer fan club!

All the walking around made us thirsty, so we finished our tour in the tasting room, which is made to resemble a pub. There we enjoyed some Bavarian specialities with Erdinger Beer, of course.

The evening was marked by our visit to Erding’s Herbstfest, the third largest Volksfest in Bavaria, which is specific due to its unique mixture of old and new traditions. There were two big tents, with people dressed in traditional Bavarian clothes. We enjoyed toasted almonds, fresh roast chicken, beer and good music.

For the more adventurous, there were plenty of fairground rides, games and food stands to keep guests entertained and well fed.

The highlight of the evening was the visit of the owner of Erdinger Brew ery, Mr Werner Brombach. He visited all of his guests, one by one, and, of course, we had our photo taken with him.

After all, we enjoyed our last day in Terme Erding, Europe’s second largest thermal baths complex. But we’ll tell you more about that in one of the upcoming issues.

Drink beer; beer is beautiful!

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CALENDAR & NEWS

FOR MEGALOMANIACS 1 Oct 7, 2016 20:00 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Vladimir Kulenović Soloists: Bojan Pešić, oboe, Mihailo Samoran, clarinet, Nikola Ćirić, French horn, Sava Đurić, bassoon

FOR CONNOISSEURS 1 Oct 14, 2016 20:00 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Mikhail Jurowski Soloist: Alexander Ramm, violoncello

THE PHILHARMONIC THEATRE 1 Oct 27, 2016 19:00 Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Composers’ Letters Mozart

KOLARAC

Koncert hall

CONCERT PROGRAMME October 2016 Saturday, 1st at 10.00 Music Gallery

Kulenović, W. A. Mozart, R. Strauss Production: Belgrade Philharmonic

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab

Saturday, 8th at 20.00 Concert Hall

CONCERT FOR BABIES

Saturday, 1st 12.00 Hall

BAROQUE AT NOON

Belgrade Baroque Ensemble Aleksandar Solunac & Jovan Savić, baroque trumpet; Dragana Popović, mezzo soprano Production: Music Centre

BELGRADE SAXPERIENCE 2016.

Nikita Zimin & Chamber Orchestra (Tijana Milošević) Conductor: Aleksandar Sedlar Duo Aliada – saxophone and accordion

CHOPIN FEST

Producton: Music Centre Wednesday, 19. at 18.00 Music Gallery David Saramadić, violin Production: Music Centre Admission free

BEMUS FORMAL OPENING

Wednesday, 19 October at 20 Kolarac Hall

RTS SYMPHNY

Saturday, 1st 20.00 Concert Hall

RTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

48 BEMUS The 48th edition of the Belgrade Music Festival will take place from 19th October to 1st of November 2016. It will present the most prominent performers of today and a wide spectrum of programmes – from the traditional musical heritage of Serbia, to the classical programme at its best, to the most beloved sacred works. Join us on the journey through the most beautiful musical landscapes of the world!

NOKTOBAR – A MONTH OF NORWEGIAN CULTURE IN SERBIA

Sunday, 2nd at 11.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: KOLARC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Concert & CD Promotion Serbian piano composers/ piano works of Serbian composers; Production: Music Centre Sunday, 2nd at 16.30 & 18.00 Music Gallery

CONCERT FOR BABIES

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab Monday, 3rd at 19.00 Concert Hall

THE DAY OF MOSCOW Moscow Chamber Orchestra Musica Viva Aleksandar Rudin, cello Production: CEBEF Tuesday, 4th at 20.00 Concert Hall

CAMERATA JANAČEK Robert Lakatoš, violin Programme: Bach, Mozart, Jancek, Saraste

Wednesday, 5th at 18.00 Music Gallery Milan Panić, tenor Branka Panić, soprano Production: Music Centre Thursday, 6th at 20.00 Concert Hall

FRENDLY NOTES

Students Symphony orchestras Conductor: Bojan Sudjić Daniel Roscia, clarinet; Programme: Tchaikovsky, Rossini, N. Rimski Korsakov, S. Hristić

For the first time, the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade is organising a month of Norwegian culture in Serbia with the aim to bring a taste of Norwegian culture, from literature and music to film and cuisine. Some Octobers are rainy, some are marked by Oktoberfest or October Salon, but this one is simply NOktobar - a month of Norwegian culture in Serbia. This means that all of the NOktobar’s days are filled with various aspects of Norwegian culture, albeit on different locations. The program is designed so that you can see them all, but you need to come to at least one event. If you follow the Embassy on Facebook, you have a big chance to get tickets for some of them. More ino on http://www.norveska.org.rs

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Diplomacy&Commerce

Friday, 7th at 20.00 Concert Hall Conductor: Vladimir Kulenović Soloists: Bojan Pešić, oboe, Mihailo Samoran, clarinet, Nikola Ćirić, French horn, and Sava Đurić, bassoon Programme: V.

Thursday, 27. at 20.00 Concert Hall Pannon Philharmonic Djerdjeli Boganji, piano Programme Beethoven, Liszt, Bartok: Liszt Friday, 28 October at 20 Kolarac Hall

VOJVODINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Emil Tabakov Soloist: Dragan Đorđević, violoncello Programme: Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff

Agata Shimchevska, violin, Poland Lukash Pohunek, conductor, Slovakia, Production: Art Link

th

Programme: D. Desić, V. Mokranjac, M. Kovač, S. Rajičić , Ivan Jevtić

Saturday, 29th at 10.00 Music Gallery

CONCERT FOR BABIES Sunday, 9th at 11.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

ArtLink virtuoso Art director Pavel Dolezal, violin Programme: Bach, Grieg, Wijenjavski, Mozart Production: ArtLInk Wednesday, 12th at 18.00 Music Gallery Andrija Mamutović, piano Programme: Bach, Schopen, Debisy, Rachmaninoff Production: Music Centre Friday, 14th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Mikhail Jurowski Soloist: Alexander Ramm, violoncello Program: Z. Erić, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Saturday, 15th at 10.00 Music Gallery

CONCERT FOR BABIES

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab

ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Bojan Sudjić Dragan Sredojević, violin Brahms, Tchaikovsky Production: CEBEF

Saturday, 29th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Friday, 21 October at 8 PM Kolarac Hall

How to Listen to a Concert Host: Miloš Milovanović Production: Music Centre

MAKE CHOIR “OPTINA PUSTYN”, ST. PETERSBURG

Artistic director and conductor: Alexandre Semonov Soloist: Vladimir Miller, Basso Profondo – soloist of the Glinka Chapel and Mariinsky Theatre Production: Music Centre Saturday, 22nd at 12:00 Concert Hall

BEMUS

Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Defence “Stanislav Binički” Conductor: Pavle Medaković Vera Milanković, Composer Production: CEBEF Sunday, 23rd at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Aneta Ilić, sopran Valda Stojnić, piano Programme: Schumann, Hahn, Poulenc Production: Music Centre

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Wednesday, 26th at 18.00 Music Gallery Jelena Wilke,violin Rada Pećanac, klavir Programme: Corelli, Grieg. V.Milanković , Max Reger Production: Music Centre

Sunday, 16th at 16.30 & 18.00 Music Gallery

Wednesday, 26 October at 8 PM Kolarac Hall

Sunday, 16th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Chopin Fest Production: Music Centre

CONCERT FOR BABIES

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab Monday, 17th at 18.00 Music Gallery

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab

RTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Bojan Sudjić Soloists:Irena Josifoska, violoncello, Marko Kovač, piano, Nebojša Maksimović, piano, Bojana Peković, Gusle

SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON

Saturday, 29th at 20.00 Kolarac Hall

BEMUS

Boris Berezovsky, piano Programme: L. van Beethoven, B. Bartók E. Grieg, I. Stravinsky Production: CEBEF Sunday, 29th at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Karolin Better, traverslo flute, Katarina Aleksić, violin, Đorđe Milošević, violoncello Programme: Mozart Production: Music Centre Sunday, 30th at 16.30 & 18.00 Music Gallery

CONCERT FOR BABIES

(until 3 years) Production: Artysh:Lab Sunday, 30th at 20.00 Kolarac Hall

BAVARIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Artistic Leader and Principal Violin: Sreten Krstić Soloist: Nataša Veljković, piano Programme: Chopin, F. Bridge, L. van Beethoven Monday, 31th at 20.00 Kolarac Hall

BEMUS

Dmitry Masleev, piano – Winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow 2015 Programme: D. Scarlatti, S. Prokofiev, S. Rachmaninoff, F. Liszt Production: CEBEF