D&C 12

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February 2017 | ISSUE No. 12 | Price 350 RSD

UKRAINE IS THE MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRY AT THE MOMENT

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BULGARIA AND ROMANIA 10 YEARS IN THE EU

31st January

OLEKSANDR ALEXANDROVYCH

Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia

WE ALL HAVE TO CHANGE TO SUIT MARKET NEEDS

PAGE 06

Accepting Difference is Key MUAMER ZUKORLIĆ

Member of the Serbian National Assembly, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Science, Technological Development and Information Society

MLADEN ŠARČEVIĆ

Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development

THERE IS NO BETTER FUTURE WITHOUT DEEPSEATED REFORMS

Every VET Approach has to be Tailor Made MAURO DELL'AMBROGIO

Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation

THE COUNTRY OF ALL LANDSCAPES AND TRADES Croatia in Focus

ALEKSANDAR VLAHOVIĆ

President of the Serbian Association of Economists

GARI CAPPELLI

Croatian Tourism Minister

+ Special supplement

INSURANCE IN SERBIA 2017

EDITORI AL

C O N T EN T S

Welcome to the Shattered World Dear readers, Ewan McGregor suggested, commenting on the second instalment of famous film Trainspotting (T2), that the 1990s had this tremendous feeling of optimism and euphoria, and that Trainspotting, hand in hand with the band Oasis, has depicted that optimism. But wait! I remember the nineties. I am exactly the same age as Ewan. I remember Trainspotting and Oasis as rare dots of light in the vast ocean of darkness of the ‘90s – crime, wars, poverty, transition, hatred, rage and pessimism. Did we live in the same world? No! After the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989, we had an enormous rush of optimism that was even followed by the country’s first multi-party, democratic elections, and freedom of speech. Unfortunately, that all came tumbling down too, very quickly. I suddenly became acquainted with such names as Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Gagauzia, Abkhazia, Chechnya and Dagestan. I could name all the small towns of Croatia and Bosnia by heart. While the world experienced the dot.com boom, we did not even have the internet. Everything appeared to be doomed, approximately until the year 2000. Then the light was turned back on and all of the ex-USSR and ex-YU republics started to grow. And the light went off in the U.S. on 9/11 that very next year. Now, let us remember some countries where you could actually walk down the streets peacefully in 2001: Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. I caught a coach in Odessa one evening in August 2006 and was in Yalta by the morning.

Things looked promising, everywhere, and holidays in Egypt and Tunisia became commonplace. Now there’s going to be a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, while lorries are killing people in Europe. The problem is that the world did not become shattered now, but rather it just became shattered for everyone. We have lived in a shattered world for 25+ years.

The rest of the world, please, welcome to the shattered world.

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jovana.markovic@color.rs

Member of the Serbian National Assembly, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Science, Technological Development and Information Society

08 EVENTS TO EXPECT IN 2017 Politics

10 UKRAINE IS THE MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRY AT THE MOMENT OLEKSANDR ALEXANDROVYCH Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia

14 THERE IS NO BETTER FUTURE WITHOUT DEEP-SEATED REFORMS President of the Serbian Association of Economists

Editor-in-Chief

Editor in Chief

MUAMER ZUKORLIĆ

ALEKSANDAR VLAHOVIĆ

ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

06 ACCEPTING DIFFERENCE IS KEY

VANJA KOVAČEV

Director and the proprietor of the company Projekt Ekspert ADRIA d.o.o.

38 REVOLUTIONS ARE ALWAYS UNPREDICTABLE ZORAN ĆIRJAKOVIĆ

Political analyst and columnist in daily Politika

44 WELL-PAID PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED PEOPLE BILJANA EGIĆ

Certified NLP trainer

46 CAREER STAGES – MY VERSION STEVAN VRANEŠ

Author, corporate affairs professional, blogger

16 GROWING INEQUALITY – A SHALLENGE FOR RESPONSIBLE LEADERS

47 CARIBBEAN CRUISE: ARUBA, JAMAICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND BAHAMAS

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34 THE FEELING OF SAFETY, WARMTH AND SECURITY

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S PA I N A N D C ATA LO N I A

In their Search for Independence, Catalans Can Resemble Brexiteers But in a region plagued by corruption and unemployment, the nationalists may not win

If you look up from the bustle of the winter tourists thronging the streets of Barcelona, you will see some balconies draped with the estelada, a blend of the Catalan and Cuban flags that has become the banner of those who want their land to become independent. There are fewer than there once were, but still enough to inspire the Catalan regional government’s pledge to hold a binding referendum on independence in 2017. Since the Spanish government refuses to contemplate such a vote, a confrontation seems inevitable.

Indeed, it has already begun. Some 300 Catalan officials face court cases for flouting the law, in acts ranging from a previous unilateral effort in 2014 to organise an independence vote to petty protests, such as flying the estelada from town halls. Carles Puigdemont, the president of the Generalitat (the Catalan government), promises to push through “laws of disconnection” this summer, such as one setting up its own tax agency, prior to holding a referendum, probably in September. His pro-independence coalition has a majority in the Catalan parliament. On December 14th Spain’s Constitutional Tribunal warned the Generalitat that the referendum would be illegal. Spain could face unprecedented defiance of its democratic constitution.

How has it come to this? Spain’s constitution of 1978 gave Catalonia, one of the country’s most prosperous regions, more self-government than almost any other part of Europe. The Generalitat controls not just schools and hospitals but police and prisons. It has made Catalan the main language of teaching. Under Jordi Pujol, the skilful moderate nationalist cacique (political boss) who headed the Generalitat from 1980 to 2003, Catalonia was content with this settlement, using its votes in the Madrid parliament to extract increments to it powers and revenues.

Two things upset matters. The first was when the Constitutional Tribunal in 2010 watered down a new autonomy statute, which recognised Catalonia’s sense of nationhood and granted additional legal powers to the Generalitat. It had been approved by referendum in Catalonia and by the Spanish parliament. The second factor was the economic crisis after the bursting of Spain’s property bubble in 2008.

In 2012 demonstrators against austerity began to put the blame on Madrid, rather than Artur Mas, Mr Pujol’s heir. Support for independence surged from less than 25% to more

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than 45%. “Society moved towards more radical positions,” thinks Joan Culla, a historian. Others see this as at least in part induced by the Generalitat, with its money and powerful communications machine. It allowed the nationalists to keep power, despite budget cuts and revelations that for decades they had taken rake-offs on public contracts.

FOR US THE PROBLEMS OF CATALONIA ARE UNEMPLOYMENT, POVERTY AND CORRUPTION Catalan society remains split. “There aren’t the numbers to advance [to independence] but there’s enough to make a lot of noise,” says Jordi Alberich of the Cercle d’Economia, a business group.

BEST OF ENEMIES

This stand-off has been politically profitable not just for the Catalan nationalists but also for Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, and his conservative People’s Party. His staunch defence of his country’s territorial unity is popular in most places outside Catalonia. For years Mr Rajoy did nothing to respond to Cat-

alan grievances, some of which are justified.

Catalonia pays more into the central kitty than it gets back, but its transport systems have been neglected while Madrid has spiffy metro lines and a surfeit of motorways.

Yet weariness with the deadlock has taken hold, in both Barcelona and Madrid. Last month Mr Rajoy put his deputy, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, in charge of the Catalan question.

She is putting feelers out to the Generalitat. Mr Puigdemont has published a list of 46 points to negotiate. It starts with the “binding referendum”.

It is not hard to divine the contours of a deal.

Mr Rajoy could offer concessions on financing and infrastructure. More controversially, he could propose recognising the Catalan language or that Catalonia is a nation within Spain.

The toughest issue is the referendum. This is no moment to contemplate any sort of plebiscite with equanimity. Catalan nationalists claim to be exemplary pro-Europeans. But there are many echoes of Brexit in Catalonia. Instead of Brussels, it is Madrid the nationalists accuse of stealing Catalans’ money. They argue that independence would be quick and easy. “The great growth in support for independence from 2012 was the first manifestation of populism in Spain,” says Javier Cercas, a writer who lives in Barcelona.

Mr Puigdemont insists that blocking the referendum “would be bad news for democracy”. He is prepared to negotiate its timing. But he adds: “We won’t easily renounce it. I think we’ve earned the right to be heard.” Some in Barcelona believe the Generalitat’s leaders are searching for a dignified way to back down. Mr Puigdemont talks also of “constituent” elections to found a new state. But his party, clouded by corruption, may suffer. The Catalan variant of Spain’s left-wing Podemos, which already runs Barcelona’s city government and which is forming a new, broader, party, is likely to gain ground. It wants Catalonia to form part of a “plurinational” Spain, a cleverly vague formula.

“Is being part of Spain a problem in the daily life of Catalans?” asks Inés Arrimadas of Ciudadanos, an anti-nationalist party that leads the opposition in the Catalan parliament. “For us the problems of Catalonia are unemployment, poverty and corruption.” The longer the deadlock lasts, the harder Mr Puigdemont may find it to persuade Catalans otherwise.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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I NTERVI EW MUAMER ZUKORLIĆ

Member of the Serbian National Assembly, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Science, Technological Development and Information Society

Accepting Difference is Key It is important for us to define and start promoting shared values Muamer Zukorlić speaks about his childhood, his choice to become a mufti, but also about the chances of maintaining stability in the Balkans.

How did your childhood influence your formation as a person; your attitudes and further development?

— I was born and raised in a family with clear principles of spirituality, the tradition of a family that has its own tradition, a very large family that lived in the community. As a child I did not understand that well enough, but now I see that all of my capacity for communion and community, my ability to cope in complex systems, was in fact sown back then. My grandfather was most responsible for my education, because he was actually the most learned man in the whole area – he was an imam. I was in a position to from my early childhood to hear expositions from books on religion, history.

You studied in Algeria and completed your studies in just three

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and a half years. Tell us more about that. How come Algeria?

— After completing primary school, I enrolled in the secondary Islamic school, madrasa, in Sarajevo. At the age of 15 I left my place and that was a special experience for me.

This was a new hardening, both because of the ways and dynamics of life, but also a kind of challenges

like today, only children who had strong support from the system or financial support from their family could study abroad. I did not have those conditions, but I was very willing and, with three friends, we decided to set out “off the cuff”.

At the age of just 23, you arrived at the head of the Islamic com-

THE BALKANS IS ONE OF THE SPRINGS OF WORLD CULTURE. MY THESIS IS THAT THE BALKANS IS CULTURALLY SUPERIOR TO EUROPE, AND EUROPE IS A MORE ADVANCED CIVILISATION. A BALKAN MAN IS MORE TALENTED THAN ALL OTHERS in the boarding school. The Arabic language was then my love and I wanted to study abroad. Islamic studies are unthinkable without the Arabic language, the Qur'an is in Arabic, like most literature, and I realised that I could not go further in familiarising myself with Islamic teachings without the Arabic language. I knew that I would master Arabic most successfully if I studied at some Arabic university. Then,

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munity. What did the selection of you in particular for that position look like?

— I completed my studies in 1993, right in the year of chaos in the Balkans and in Yugoslavia – there was war in Bosnia, a desperate situation in Serbia, persecution in Sandžak.

My Algerian friend said to me, “Go, return to your people when they are in difficulty. If a tragedy occurs there in which you could lose your

loved ones, then the meaning of your life with all of your titles is brought into question”. For me, that was a moral lesson and it was then that I decided to return. I already a one-year-old child and I sought to be allowed to teach in the madrasa in Novi Pazar, but I didn’t expect to receive much of a chance. However, I started teaching and was overjoyed. With the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the unified Islamic community also disintegrated, and the Mešihat Islamic Community of Sandžak was formed, and then it was necessary to select the cadre of this community and a mufti. We had two competing groups within the Islamic community and each had its own candidates. They were positioned antagonistically and could not agree on a candidate, so they decided to delegate someone who did not belong to any faction.

I had only just come back from my studies and was the only one who did not belong to any group. I was shocked myself with the selection, but I’m also a person who has never run away from challenges. I was not conscious of what was waiting

for me. Everything that to be built from scratch. Then I said, “I don’t know how long I will be the mufti, but rest assured that I will try to be proper for as long as I am”.

It was very difficult, but it was a great honour, because that was a unique case in the history of that function. I didn’t think it would last, but for as long as 23 years I was the mufti. I was reselected many times, but in 2007 I became the chief mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia.

I am proud because we have the best system of the Islamic community in the wider region and in Europe, which realised that it could not be the same as those from the 19th or the 15th centuries, but rather that it must be an institution that will monitor the challenges of the times. I realised that the key to the success of the community was the education system. Thus we formed an independent madrasa, and after that two female departments, then 12 nursery schools, while we also formed a new gazette. After that we founded a humanitarian organisation. Then we established the Academy, which grew into the Islamic college, but also into an international university. We are the only Islamic community to have formed an international university.

Faith is not something that is important in itself, or sufficient in itself, but is rather a value system the quality of which is weighed in the quantities of good that you produce for other people. The quality of your faith is not measured by the intensity of your ceremony, but rather the fruits of faith should be in society. That which people do that is good for their family, but harmful to others, is not charity but rather a particular interest that has something toxic within it, something that is not good. My perception of faith and goodness is that what you do must be good for all.

That’s why I considered it good for us to enable students from Novi Pazar to study in their town, and not to pay for accommodation elsewhere. The lack of higher education institutions eliminated any chance of that area developing. The establishment of that university launched an avalanche of developmental events, an influx of residents, inflows of money... With that we rounded off the system and laid the foundations for a new Sandžak.

You are writing a book entitled “Ancient Bosnia”. What idea led you to write a book and can you tell us something more about its contents?

— Until the age of 40 I avoided writing serious academic materials, because I considered that those who prematurely wrote about serious subjects were forced to abandon their stances after a certain time and change them. That’s because a man matures regardless of axioms and maturity is needed for you to reproduce knowledge and offer some of your insights to other people. For the last seven years I’ve been dealing intensively with different areas - ethics, political science, international relations... but the book, which is already printed, is an interesting material under the title “Ancient Bosnia”.

Following the traces of one question about the faith of old Bosniaks, I was particularly interested in the phenomenon that

What would you highlight in particular for this region of ours, the entire Balkans; what are our chances of maintaining stability?

Do we have the same genetics and can we accept differences?

— We have to go a little deeper, which is why it was important for me to touch on the roots, ethnogenetically and culturally. It is important for us to define and start promoting common values. As small nations in the Balkans, with a very intertwined ethno-genesis and culture, we were for centuries the servants of various empires and there resides the root of our civilizational inferiority, because from Illyria – which was some 2500 years ago – to this day, we have never had our own Balkan empire, but rather we have been an area that he has

WE ARE ALL CROSSBREEDS. THE ONLY QUESTION IS THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE ARE SUBSTRATES occurred in 1463, when Sultan Mehmed Fatih came to Bosnia and in one day around 40,000 families accepted Islam, while throughout the Balkans the Ottomans met with various forms of resistance. I didn’t stick exclusively to religious historiography, but rather extended the topic to ethno-genesis and to the culture and the language. I did not stick exclusively to Bosnia, but rather also touched on the ethno-genesis of the Balkan peoples, and came to the excellent discovery that Balkan cultures and Balkan nations are substrates, i.e. that there are no ethnically pure Balkan nations. We are all crossbreeds.

The only question is the extent to which we are substrates.

constantly been occupied by various empires, and during that time we formed a servants mentality, which is very negative, because for one who is oppressed it is always easier to hit one’s own than someone else. There grows the virus of ethical opposition between Serbs, Bosniaks, Albanians and Croats.

We must resolve this in the sense of perception in our heads, between the intellectual political elite, and set out with a new wave of defining and promoting those common values. We have much more in common than that which divides us.

My basic political idea is the idea of reconciliation, which I have defined as the foundations of my political learning and action. Without sin-

cere and embedded reconciliation, the Balkans does not have a stable future. Reconciliation should have two principles, the first of which is an equal relationship towards actual events, in particular crimes. Let science investigate where there is the possibility of a judicial prosecution, because we need the truth, even if it is bitter. That should also be allowed to unfold without spasms, without antagonism. A past that was marked by many crimes, sometimes of genocidal proportions, should not be our direction - studying the past should be our direction for the future, in terms of lessons learned.

When it comes to political relations, reconciliation is based on compromise, and that is the second principle of reconciliation.

You collaborated with Zoran Đinđić and now you cooperate with this government. Are there any commonalities in their politics?

— What they have in common is that they offered their hand to me and my people, which I experienced as being in good faith and friendly, as an opportunity for something we have awaited for years. This is that we have at the head of state an individual or group that will have the statesman’s capacity to, in their rhetoric and practical functioning, prove to all citizens that this is their country. I can represent my people with dignity if my political engagement enables and helps them to be personally and collectively safe in this country, to not be treated differently because they are a minority and because they are different in religious or ethnic terms. This is our essential demand.

With Zoran Đinđić I was met with a lot of understanding that had an incredibly positive dynamic, and as a result of that the International University of Novi Pazar emerged, as a project of understanding. With the arrival of Aleksandar Vučić in power, we received a new chance with a somewhat reduced dynamism compared to that which happened in 2001 or 2002, but in the same direction. My compatriots in Sandžak and Serbia recognise that opportunity, with everything that burdens these relations, whether ideological, political, social or economic. On that basis I actually reached an agreement with Prime Minister Vučić on the inclusion in the ruling majority of two members of parliament from the political party to which I belong. We are moving forward, building a new future stone by stone.

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POLI TI CS Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Events to Expect in 2017 All men have predictions, and here are mine

IF SOMEBODY IS NOT FREE, NOBODY IS GOING TO BE SAFE

In one of the episodes of The Simpsons, Sideshow Bob rides in his car through the Evergreen Terrace, i.e. The Simpsons family street, declaring through his megaphone “The following people shall not be killed by me: Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, this little baby Simpson, and that's all.”

Clearly, Bart Simpson was not mentioned. It meant that he would be killed. The same thing happened in Iraq with Sunni Muslims and in the U.S. with white males. In America, all possible groups were listed as “special”: women, Afro-Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ, etc. You are all protected, unless you are a white male – in which case everyone can target you. There is no special protection for you. Then you become an endangered minority. In Iraq, Sunnis ruled the country for decades. After Saddam's fall, Kurds and Shiites, formerly oppressed groups, became the rulers. The Kurds formed their own region and the Shiites effectively ruled the country. All of a sudden, the Sunni Arabs were an unprotected minority. In both cases the ex-ruling class has become an unprotected minority. And while the American white males voted for Trump, the Sunni Arabs protested for a decade until they formed the Islamic State. The moral of the story: if there is no justice for all, even for the former rulers and sometimes oppressors, there will be no peace for anyone. The year we are entering is going to be marked by attempts to soften the rage of “new pariahs” and their backlash. The idea for Iraq and Syria could be quite easy, if everyone

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agrees: a “Dayton” style loose federation of ethnoreligious groups: in Iraq – Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraqi Shiastan, Iraqi Sunnistan, Assyria and Iraqi Turkmenistan… Just an idea. And for Syria it could be Alawistan (a future safe haven for the Assads, even if the national elections go against them), Syrian Kurdistan, Jebel Druze, and a few Sunni regions, one more liberal region (like Western Syria) and one more conservative area (Eastern Syria). Everyone would lose something, but the system could be sustainable. In the West, the “rebellion of the white males” or, more precisely, “the rebellion of the white core” will be on the rise. There are approximately as many women in all these populist movements and voters, so they are not all-male movements by any means.

against the USSR, made the Brits so angry that they decided to leave the EU. The wave of immigrants from white, Christian Europe flooded the West: Poles and Lithuanians in Ireland, the UK and Scandinavia; Romanians and Bulgarians in Italy, France and Portugal. Instead of praising the fresh blood, the people quickly got fed up with the newcomers. The same is to be expected with Ukrainians when they start leaving their impoverished country. And it is just a matter of time until there are so many of them (in Poland, especially, since the languages are quite similar) that some will say, “Enough, go home!” That would be a sad turn of events. Support for Euromaidan in 2013, dislike in 2017. Europe has to do a lot to calm the disgruntled

A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER THE REVOLUTIONARY 1917, WE ARE FACING ANOTHER TUMULTUOUS YEAR THAT MIGHT FINISH OFF ALL THE “REVOLUTIONS” STARTED IN 2016 THE MULTIVECTORIAL EUROPE

In 2004, Europe looked as though it was peaceful and further uniting, with 10 new members from Eastern and Southern Europe having joined. Kofi Annan drew up the plan for uniting Cyprus; the Schengen Agreement had proven to be good, with a fantastic free flow of people. The euro was on the rise. There was no Kosovo, no Abkhazia and South Ossetia, no Crimea. Now, in 2017, the Poles, admired for their Solidarity fight against Communism, and the Lithuanians, who were the first to rebel

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Southern states, which cannot stand fiscal austerity any longer, to develop the East in order to prevent it from being a source of migrants heading West (Bulgaria lost two million people in 20 years, while Latvia and Lithuania have the fastest-diminishing populations in the EU!). A new formula for “being European” must be found. Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine are crippled, as they cannot control their entire territories, and the U.S. and Russia hold the keys to their fate.

A MULTITUDE OF YALTAS

With all of this in mind, it seems

not only that we need “A New Yalta”, but that we need a multitude of New Yaltas and, perhaps, a “new Berlin Congress” or a “New Versailles”… with the same rules for everyone.

Solve it all, from Western Sahara and Palestine, to Northern Cyprus, Kosovo, Abkhazia and Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh… all at once, or form many “new separate Yaltas”: one for Cyprus (UK, Greece, Turkey), one for Syria (Russia, Turkey, Iran, perhaps Saudi Arabia) etc. And there will probably be a “Global Trinity” comprising Russia, China and the U.S, pretty much like in Orwell's 1984: Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania, all organised by Kissinger perhaps. But the three superpowers are going to sit down and deal with everything, from politics to the economy. And in the new rebalance we could all profit – even our region, which has always been torn apart by the U.S., Russia and Turkey.

If they get along, their proxies and allies will likely also get along.

And the final question is in France, The Netherlands and Germany. Perhaps Marine Le Pen will not win and France will not leave the EU, causing its demise. It could be François Fillon, a “Catholic Thatcherite”. In a country traditionally not-too-religious and quite Socialist, that could mark another revolution. France and The Netherlands voted against the EU Constitution, remember? They hold the keys now. And, finally, Germany might lose its government, which relies on free immigration and fiscal austerity. They will either lose the elections or just peacefully shift their policies to restrict immigration and fiscal generosity. Wait, the latter is already happening.

CORPORATE PMI

Designing a Smoke-Free Future

We’re building the future of Philip Morris International (PMI) on smoke-free products that are a much better choice than cigarette smoking. Thanks to these products, for the first time in history we have the real potential to both accelerate harm reduction and grow our business JELENA PAVLOVIĆ

Managing Director South East Europe, Philip Morris International

Over a million adult smokers have chosen to use iQOS, the latest smoke-free product coming from PMI, instead of conventional cigarettes. The company has also been investing a lot of effort into expanding its smoke-free product range that could gradually replace cigarettes all together. The new PMI’s website ( www.pmi.com ) gives an insight into the different version of the future in which the company’s new products could have a significant impact on adult smokers and the overall society. We are talking to Managing Director for South East Europe at PMI, Jelena Pavlović about this new long-term strategy.

on your website www.pmi.com .

What role do smokers and those in favour of banning smoking play in this future?

— For the first time, we have an opportunity to reconcile the two opposing groups of people who often very passionately defend their stances on smoking. The main argument that non-smokers

the taste of real tobacco, the same level of nicotine, and the ritual that resembles smoking. All in all, more people decide to use this potentially less harmful smoking alternative, less conflict there will be between opponents and proponents of smoking indoors because there won't be any smoke to complain about.

SO FAR, THIS INNOVATIVE PRODUCT HAS BEEN LAUNCHED IN 20 COUNTRIES. OVER A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE STOPPED SMOKING CONVENTIONAL CIGARETTES AND STARTED USING IQOS

How can a company which is in the business of producing cigarettes survive in a smoke-free world? Are there going to be some dramatic changes happening?

— Our decision to direct our resources towards creating a smokefree future is revolutionary in itself, and, at first glance, rather unexpected for a tobacco company. However, if you stop and think about it, the decision is actually quite logical. At the time when the world is rapidly changing you have only two possibilities – either you do nothing, or you are at the forefront of change. We have decided to do the latter and have mustered up courage to set a very ambitious goal for ourselves – to completely replace cigarettes with our new smoke-free products which are a far better and potentially less harmful option than conventional cigarettes.

You have shared your vision of the future with your consumers

use is „we are breathing in the smoke although we do not want it“, while the main argument of smokers is that they are entitled to enjoy smoking. Alternative tobacco products, on which we are building our vision of the future, are smoke free because they work on the heat-not-burn principle.

There is no fire, no smoke, no unpleasant smells, no negative impact on indoor air quality nor on non-smokers. At the same time, people who use smoke-free tobacco products can still enjoy

What prompted you to focus your research on products that were far from your traditional product range? How long did this research last?

— The needs of a huge number of smokers are very clear. They want products that are less harmful to their health but still be able to fully enjoy tobacco. The company that satisfied these needs would be given an opportunity to advance its operations, and also give a huge contribution to public health. We were the first to recognize this

win-win situation when we started our research 10 years ago. So far, we have invested 3 billion dollars, and hired 400 top scientists and experts in order to find an adequate replacement for conventional cigarettes. We think we have succeeded in that. We have developed four types of alternative and potentially less harmful tobacco products, but at the moment we are focusing on iQOS, our first heat-not-burn platform.

Tell us more about iQOS. What innovative potential does it have and how is the market going to receive this product?

— iQOS is actually a very contemporary device that is quite simple use, and that heats tobacco sticks which contain real tobacco. The level of nicotine in these tobacco sticks is the same as in conventional cigarettes, but there is no smoke, ash or unpleasant smell as byproducts. It has been scientifically proven that nicotine aerosol, that iQOS users breathe in instead of smoke, contains up to 90% fewer harmful and potentially harmful substances compared to the smoke that is a result of cigarette combustion. This and other results of the scientific research on potentially lower risks of using iQOS look very promising. Our commercial results are also quite promising.

So far, this innovative product has been launched in 20 countries.

Over a million people have stopped smoking conventional cigarettes and started using iQOS. Judging by their reactions, we are confident that this is only the beginning of a very successful transformation that cannot happen overnight but can happen in the near future.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

9

I NTERVI EW Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Ukraine is the Most European Country at the Moment We are not a failed state!

We are a state that has changed for better

OLEKSANDR ALEXANDROVYCH

Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia

There are few people that are as interesting in conversation as the Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia. The geostrategic position of his country and current events make his position very delicate, but his answers to difficult questions are quite straightforward.

How difficult it is to be the Ukrainian ambassador to Serbia during such an historical juncture?

— It is both difficult and easy at the same time. It is easy because our nations are very close and similar.

Your historian Ljubivoje Cerović wrote a book “Serbs in Ukraine”, which includes the statement that Ukraine is the ancient homeland of Serbia, since they probably came from today's Ukraine. In many parts of Ukraine there are the same names of villages as in Serbia and vice versa. As for the languages, 68% of the words are the same.

People here think that Ukrainian and Russian are practically the same, but Ukrainian is actually closer to Serbian. They are both folk languages, like Belarusian. Russian is like Bulgarian, based on Church Slavonic. And it is hard during the last three years, since the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Before that we were all “happy Slavic brothers”, but that changed and I understand Serbian politicians. Un-

10

til recently Serbia tried to be on the middle path between Russia and us, but that has changed.

Yes, Serbia is somehow in the Ukrainian crisis “between the Devil and the deep blue sea”: it must stand with Ukraine when it comes to national sovereignty over Crimea (as in the case of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria, for instance), and yet it has to be with Russia as its main ally in defending Kosovo.

How do you assess this situation?

— It may seem logical that Serbia is in the middle, as it is a small country. But the current situation is quite different to that of Tito's times. He juggled between East and the West and nobody dared to

be possible. But Serbia changed its position during the voting in the UN on the human rights violation in Crimea. Until then it abstained, but now it voted for Russia against Ukraine. Belarus is in the same situation as Serbia and also voted against Ukraine in the UN, but did not recognise Crimea as Russian. Serbia could be more resilient against Russian pressure.

We played a football match against Kosovo in Poland, as we don't recognise Kosovar passports. But Serbia did not thank us – rather it voted against Ukraine. That saddens me, since we have always supported you on Kosovo.

Ukraine has multiple identities in many areas: two languages,

NOW WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DECENTRALISATION OF UKRAINE, IN ALL OBLASTS. WE LAUNCHED THE BUDGET RESTRUCTURING AND SELF-ORGANISATION, BUT WE ARE SENDING MONEY TO CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNS, NOT TO WHOLE OBLASTS touch him. But now that is not the case: Serbia could be slapped from both sides, since now everybody wants you on their side. It could be easier to choose one side. If you choose Russia, that is okay, but then being in the middle won't

Diplomacy&Commerce

Orthodox and Greek Catholic religion, even a split between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Kiev Patriarchate. Excluding one or more communities could be a fatal blow. How can a coun-

try at such a crossroads find its balance and unite its people, even those from the rebellious regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, and even Crimea? After gaining its independence in 1922, Ireland tried to eliminate the English language and restore Irish Gaelic, but it failed. The same happened in Serbia with Latin script, which is still prevalent over Cyrillic. Do you think that these processes are innately improbable to implement?

— Immediately after the Orange Revolution, domestic tourism in Ukraine became very popular. The people from Kiev visited the people of Donetsk and the people of Luhansk visited Lviv, for example, for Christmas etc. No problems existed. Now we have some 1.6 million internally displaced persons, primarily from Crimea and the occupied Eastern regions, who came to live in Western or Central Ukraine.

No single case of an incident happened. Before there were two main political parties – the Party of Regions and the “Orange” Block – and everybody spoke different language, but we did not fight. Prior to Euromaidan and Russian aggression and lies, 95% of newspapers in any kiosk were in Russian!

But Russification “killed” many Ukrainian words in the course of history. Now the Russian-speaking

Ukrainians are trying to save the Ukrainian language, sending their children to Ukrainian-language schools. They cannot change themselves, but they are changing the future. Half of Euromaidan was Russian-speaking. And now in the Donetsk region there is not a fight between Russian-speaking and Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians, it is a fight between Russian-speaking and Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians on one side and Russian citizens on the other. We have 35,000 terrorist troops. The Russians are trying to convince us they are rebels, but 10,000 of them are Russian soldiers, 20,000 are Russian volunteers, and maybe 5000 are Ukrainian locals. At the beginning some were enthusiastic about the rebellion, like “we want to be in Russia”, but now it is almost completely composed of outsiders.

of deep federal structure and regions with broad autonomy?

Could the wish for a unitary state and identity ruin us all? Could Ukraine and Serbia be more like Spain and Germany?

— Until the Russian occupation of Crimea, it was already an autonomus republic. They had their parliament and spoke Russian.

They were no Ukrainian soldiers sent to kill Russians. Now we are in the process of decentralisation of Ukraine, in all voblasts. We launched the budget restructuring and self-organisation, but we are sending money to cities, villages, towns. It is better to let the money at the lowest level. If we give voblasts more power, they could want

U.S. president and all the other possible changes that happened in 2016 and could possibly happen in 2017?

— Pope Francis said, explaining all the populist and far-right movements: remember Hitler, he came to power through elections! People around Europe should think twice about their choices, but I would not exaggerate that. Before elections politicians promise everything: we will leave the EU! We won't pay taxes! But once in office, they change their rhetoric. And the UK is a good example: now when we see how the people will be hit by leaving the EU, others will learn a lesson. Look at Austria: in the end, the moderate candidate won, not

Why did the Ukrainians relinquish the name Rus' in favour of Ukrainian identity?

— I will tell you something I haven't told anyone in Serbia before: Ukrainians are real Slavs and original Russians, Rus' people. After Peter I proclaimed in 1721 that - from then on – Moscovia-Tataria and all its occupied territories must be called “Russia”, he also demanded that the entire population of this new “Russia” must be recognised as Russian or forcefully Russified (he didn’t want any national minorities in the Russian Empire.

Everybody had to be Russian to receive higher education, get social protection, pensions etc.). Peter I simply forgot to mention that he himself, and other Finnish or Tatarian people, had, in fact, never been Russian people. So, the true Ruski Ljudi (with the exception of Ruthenians) deliberately started calling themselves “Ukrainians” simply in order to differentiate and distance themselves from these new false “Russians”. Because if they had continued to stick to their old historical name “Ruski Ljudi”, that would give a good pretext to the Kremlin rulers to say to the world – “Look! We are all Russians.

They confirm it.” It sounds crazy, because of this substitution of names, because of this grand historical theft by Moscovia-Tataria of national identity of Rus-Ukraine.

Do you think that the lack of federalisation is a decisive factor in every crisis lately: in Ukraine, but also in Serbia, Georgia, Moldova etc.? Could all these conflicts be resolved by some sort

AND THE EU APPROACH OF NOT ADMITTING COUNTRIES THAT DON’T CONTROL THEIR WHOLE TERRITORY IS DANGEROUS: IF YOU WANT TO STOP ANY COUNTRY FROM ENTERING THE EU, YOU SIMPLY OCCUPY A PART OF THEIR TERRITORY, AS RUSSIA DID IN GEORGIA AND UKRAINE. THAT IS A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY to leave. Fiscal or cultural autonomy can be given to regions with the majority of Russian-speaking, or Romanian-speaking or Hungarian-speaking populations, but not fiscal autonomy to individual or collective speaking any language.

So, the essence of decentralisation is about giving more power and money and responsibility to all local communities regardless what language people speak there.

Russia wants the terrorists to have veto on Ukrainian foreign policy, everything. Russia wants federal Ukraine to block the decisions from inside. We want first all of Russian troops out of Ukraine, and we are not afraid of federalisation, call it any other name.

the extremist one. I would not be too pessimistic about Trump, but we don't know anything yet.

How do you think the situation will develop after the Brexit vote, Donald Trump becoming

— Serbia is already in the stage of opening chapters, but it needs more than five years to finish that.

Do you think that the prospects of European integration are realistic, for Ukraine, Serbia or any other country, like Georgia or Moldova? None of these countries control their entire territory, while the EU stated that, after Cyprus, it would not accept any “divided” country?

Is the EU tired of expanding but still provides prospects in order to preserve hope in these countries? The people in Turkey, Serbia and many other places have also grown tired of endless delays. What’s the general feeling like in Ukraine?

Ukraine is lagging behind, but we have a common trade area. Different stages of EU integration are present elsewhere, but we don't talk about immediate membership.

It is about economic ties with the EU. We had a free trade agreement with Russia and planned to sign the same kind of contract with the EU. We didn't want to cut ties with Russia, but for them it was a political question. We had a perfect position to trade with both of them, but Russia simply killed our trade. From 50 billion USD we fell to 4-5 billion with Russia and we increased our trade from 25% to 44% of total trade with the EU. We did not buy a single drop of Russian gas in 2015. And we are quite happy. We buy it elsewhere, it might be even Russian, but we don't buy it from them. We are fighting for European values, which are stronger in Ukraine than in the rest of Europe. We want to have a European-organised society, like Switzerland or Norway, not membership. Good standards and infrastructure. And the EU approach is dangerous: if you want to stop any country from entering the EU, you just occupy a part of their territory, as Russia did in Georgia and Ukraine. After many people died in the Euromaidan and over 10 000 in Donbas, people are more determined than ever not to go back.

After the Orange Revolution there was disdain for the politicians. But now we are resolute that there is no going back. We are not happy, since it is progressing slower than we expected, but we are progressing. Russians are now financing a hybrid war, financing media to create the impression that Ukraine is a failed state. But we reformed the police, the state and judges more in the last three years than in the previous 25. People were afraid of the police then, but are proud of them now.

In the end, what are your hopes for Ukraine and the world? How can the “brotherly Slavic countries”, like Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, Serbia, Croatia etc., learn to identify common ground, like the Scandinavians, and not overestimate differences?

— Of course, sooner or later, neighbors will have to live in peace. But in the case of Ukraine and Russia, it will take at least several generations to overcome the current feelings. It is possible to live in peace with Russia only when it abandons its imperial behavior, when it stops attacking its neighbors and instead concentrate on its own many internal problems.

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11

NATIONAL DAYS

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES DUBRAVKA NÈGRE

New Head of EIB Regional Representation for the Western Balkans

in February

Dubravka Nègre has been heading EIB Regional Representation for the Western Balkans since September 2016. She came from Luxembourg where she has been working in the Lending Operations of the EIB since 2004 as a Loan Officer.

In the last three years, Dubravka was responsible for Public-Private Partnerships and Project Finance operations in Ireland, France, UK, and Benelux. Until 2013, she was responsible for EIB’s operations in the Balkans. She negotiated and executed the first PPP in the region (financing of airport concession in Zagreb). For this project, she won Project Finance Deal of the Year 2013 and EMEA Finance Magazine European Deal 2013 in London.

She initiated the establishment of the

Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF) and the Western Balkan Enterprise Development Innovation Facility (WB EDIF). Before joining EIB, she worked in the media as a Television Producer for CNN, covering conflicts in the Balkans and the war in Afghanistan, for which she won an award in the USA from the US National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences. She graduated Finance and Banking at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, and holds a Master degree in International Finance and Management from Bocconi University in Milan and Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles. Dubravka speaks fluently English, French, Italian and Serbian. She is married with two children.

11th February

JAPAN

National Foundation Day

11th February

IRAN

Islamic Revolution Day

11nd February

VATICAN

Foundation of Vatican City

17th February

LIBYA

Revolution Day

24 February th

ESTONIA BUMSEOP LEE

VLADIMIR VAVA

New regional CEO of LG for Central and Eastern Europe

New Director General of Carlsberg Serbia Group

Bumseop Lee has been appointed as the new regional president of LG Electronics (LG) for Central and Eastern Europe, with a branch office in Budapest. New Regional President will coordinate the activities of the company in ten countries, which in addition to Serbia include Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Before he took the new position, Bumseop Lee was president of the company LG in Romania, while before that he gained experience by working in subsidiaries in Eastern Europe, North America, and in the Member States of the Community of Independent States, as well as in the Middle East and Asia. The vision of the new regional president is to strengthen the leading position of LG in the markets of Central and Eastern Europe nurturing local talents and teamwork, and present and introduce technological innovations.

When it comes to innovative products, it is important to mention a range of modern devices recently presented at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017, which brought the company 21 CES award. His spare time Lee carries out playing sports – he prefers tennis and table tennis, or travelling, when he uses every moment to enjoy nature.

Vladimir Vava was appointed the new Director General of Carlsberg Serbia Group, which includes operations in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Vladimir took over a new function, on the 1st of February, after three years of experience at the position of Vice President of Sales at Baltika Breweries, the Russian company owned by Carlsberg Group. Prior to his decision to continue his career as part of Carlsberg, Vladimir Vava was on the position of sales and vice president of operations for Spain and Portugal in the company Makro Cash & Carry retail chain, a aprt of the Metro Group.

Her career started in the marketing and sale of CB Holding in Belgrade and continued in Metro Cash & Carry Romania, after which he took a leading position in the sales department of the same company in Russia. Vladimir Vava, born in 1968 in Romania, graduated Hydromechanics from the University of Timişoara, and obtained MBA degree at the University of Sheffield, UK. He is married and has two children.

DRAGANA KRSTIĆ

new CEO of Volvo Group Trucks for South Adriatic region

From 1 January 2017, Dragana Krstić is the new managing director of Volvo Group Trucks for South Adriatic region, to which belong the markets of Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Montenegro. In the new position Dragana Krstić is coming from the position of financial director in the same organisational unit of Volvo Group Trucks. Ms. Krstic has been with Volvo since 1998. From 2003 to the end of 2016, she worked as the regional finance director at Volvo Trucks in Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2011 to 2014, had the same function, in the companies Volvo Trucks in Croatia and Slovenia. Ms. Krstić is a graduate engineer of technology, married and has two children.

12

Diplomacy&Commerce

Independence Day

25 February th

KUWAIT

National Day and Liberation Day

28th February

EGYPT

Independence Day

NEBOJŠA PANTELIĆ

New for Network and Retail Divisions Director at Vojvođanska Banka

Nebojša Pantelić has been appointed the new Network and Retail Divisions Director at Vojvođanska Banka.

Nebojša has rich professional experience and knowledge, which will in future focus on further improving the quality of services and products and to develop existing and future tailor-made functions for clients of Vojvođanska Banka. He came to the current position after many years of work as Director of Treasury at Vojvođanska Banka, where he has been engaged since 2007. He is a member of the ACI (The Financial Markets Association). He graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance.

He speaks fluent English. Born in Belgrade in 1975, he is married and has three children.

POLI TI CS Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Barack Obama's Legacy What was left after his presidency?

“Oh, momma, I wanna go surfing, Oh, momma, I don't care about nothing”, sang NYCbased The Drums in 2009, immediately after Barack Obama, the first multiracial president in the American history, entered the White House. Of course, I you misheard the lyrics as “Obama, I wanna go surfing...” it was intended, in fact.

The whole song is basically about the hopes for the newly appointed president: “Wake up, there's a new kid in the town (a new president)/ Honey, he's moving into the big house (The White House)/ Remember when I was so very hopeless (during G. W. Bush era)/ Darling, he's gonna make it all better”. If was a time of great hope, after warmongering George W. and his disaster in Iraq, and falling down of the markets in the late 2008. Obama even got the Nobel prize “in advance”, without doing virtually anything, just for... not being Bush.

the fatal mistakes was appointing Hillary Clinton as State Secretary.

Maybe he was pressed by his own party, but it was a bad omen. Nothing will change any time soon.

THE BEST CAMPAIGN, KILLED BY COMPROMISES

intended interventions: Syria and Libya. OK, Afghanistan was never too peaceful and not even Bush is too blame for their state today, but the other 3 could have been avoided easily. Especially the intervetion in Lybia was tragic, since it was done by a peace-Nobel prize winner! The social networks cried: Give it back! He didn't. Hillary smiled over Gaddafi's dead body.

Now nobody's smiling. “The Arab Spring” was not successful since the Western powers looked at it through Western glasses, ignoring the local mentalities. Instead federalising Iraq and giving enough power to the Sunnis there, and instead of pushing democratic pro-

There has been no better campaigner than Obama. He had great words, moved the masses, the young and the old, the white and the black and those in between. He was the first to use social networks effectively. First, he has beaten allmighty Hillary Clinton and winning the warmongering McCain was a piece of cake. But later, he committed many mistakes by simply compromising too much. The people did not elect the first Afro-American president in order to be “not revolutionary”. We expected the real revolution. And we got just some bits and pieces. One of

FOREIGN POLICY

The greatest failure of Obama's presidency was the formation of the fiercest and the most destructive jihadist groups ever, ISIS. No, it is the most destructive ever.

Killing Bin Laden was not nearly enough. It was so 2001, as the kids would say. The new enemy formed from four sides. Two countries were destroyed by Bush's interverventions (Afghanistan and Iraq) and two from Hillary's real or

cesses in Syria, we had insisting on asymmetrical Iraq with only one autonomous state (Kurdistan) and letting the Shiites leading the rest, which was catastrophic. We had arming of the Syrian rebels and the Caliphate was born. So was the migrant crisis and the populism. And in stopping it, the USA did less in few years than Russia in few months. The error was leaving Iraq with no self-sustainable system and meddling with Syria and Libya at all. Good things came at the end: opening Cuba and Iran. We have waited for decades for that, and it finally happened, and we are looking for better future. It was as historical as

OBAMA HAS PROVEN TO BE FAR BETTER TALKER THAN THE ACHIEVER. WE EXPECTED A REVOLUTION, A WE GOT LUKEWARM COMPROMISE. NOW WE ARE FACING ANOTHER REVOLUTION, AND THIS ONE IS NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT Nixon's opening of China. Maybe, if the Republicans don't overturn it. The bad relationships with Russia are also very negative burden, caused by American meddling with Ukraine. Killing people by drones was not a good thing either. Bombing 7 countries during 8 years is rather a lowsy result for a peace-promising president.

DOMESTIC POLICY

Obama promised the end of wars and orientation towards domestic issues. So did Trump, right?

It seems that all the presidential candidates know the wishes of the people and then they somehow forget them when they enter the

Oval Office. We got something: ACA or Obamacare, was enacted instead of Universal Health Care, and it was “better something than nothing”, and it could be Obama's finest moment. And then again, contrary to all reasonable countries, parts of American population want it removed. Imagine a removal of Healthcare in any other country?

It would be a revolution. Not in America. By failing to ensure his heir to be Bernie Sanders who had great chances to win over Trump, Obama risks every achievement of his presidency to be endangered now, or even erased. The economy pushed far better than the EU's, and auto-industry and some of the devastated cities were saved. Samesex marriages? This was the least important and the easiest thing to be done, having in mind the lobbies and the situation in the developed world. Black lives matter, of course, but not even the half-black president could change the inner racism in the USA. EPILOGUE

Obama moved from Iraq without preparing the feasible system for the country to survive. He let Hillary and the warmongers to destroy Libya and Syria. By not ensuring Sanders to continue his revolution, he failed domestically. And there is no wonder that after all the unfullfilled promised from Obama, the voters blamed exactly those who sabotaged Obama. Hillary and the old-styled Republicans. No Clinton, no Cruz, no J. Bush in the White House now. When the good ol' Bernie was sabotaged, they turned to yet another revolution. This one is not politically correct.

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13

I NTERVI EW

There is No Better Future Without Deep-Seated Reforms In 2015, Serbian government decided to carry out fiscal consolidation based on austerity which the Kopaonik Business Forum (KBF) had been advocating for years. However, today, we are critical of the slow restructuring of the public sector which is a prerequisite for the country having sustainable, long-term fiscal position. The past has taught us that procrastinating is not recipe for success

The Serbian Association of Economists (SAE) and the Association of Corporate Directors of Serbia, in partnership with Mastercard, will hold the 25th Kopaonik Business Forum between 7th and 9th March. Over 1,000 participants are expected to take part in the Forum, all representatives of the political and economic elite.

We are talking to the President of SAE, Aleksandar Vlahović about the main topics of the „Serbian Davos“ (as the KBF is also called) and the influence that the Forum has on devising reform policies.

The topic of this year's forum are lessons from the past and solutions for the future on Serbia's reform path. Did we have a series of wrong attempts at reforms in the past, or maybe we had some good but overlooked ideas?

— The main reason of our failed economic transition is the frequent discontinuity in implementing transitional politics. Unfortunately, in the beginning (during the 1990s), unreasonable political decisions had significantly delayed the beginning of the deep-seated economic transformation. Other East European countries used this most dynamic period of development of global economy to catch

14

ALEKSANDAR VLAHOVIĆ

President of the Serbian Association of Economists

up to the developed part of Europe and the world. Following the political upheaval from 5th October, we had a consistent policy of economic transition which was abruptly aborted in 2003. Since then until 2014, despite some positive developments, economic populism, ambling around without purpose, and unreadiness to implement crucial reforms were the key features of

if we want to create sustainable solutions?

— After short-term fiscal consolidation yielding good results, the successful continuation of the reforms entails restructuring of public enterprises, reforming state adiministration, education, and healthcare, and further reduction of the share that pensions have in the national GDP through consistently

SHORT-TERM FISCAL CONSOLIDATION IS NOT A REFORM MEASURE IN ITSELF WHICH IS ALSO A REMINDER TO THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT THAT THEY HAVE COVERED ONLY THE FIRST, ALBEIT EASIER, LEG OF THE ROAD AND THAT TRUE CHALLENGES ARE STILL AHEAD OF THEM our road to transition. Until the onset of the 2008 economic crisis, all of the system's inefficiencies were funded with the huge influx of foreign capital through privatization. After that period, they were funded by accelerated borrowing.

Today, both of these resources are depleted, and if we want to build an economy that is sustainable in the long run and competitive, reforming public sector is definitely condicio sine qua non.

reforming the pension insurance system. Also, we need to improve the efficiency of our judicial system and continue reforming our tax administration because these are both important steps toward reaching sustainable solutions.

What is most important to do right now in the reform process

— The KBF gathers economic and social elite of our country

Diplomacy&Commerce

The KBF is a kind of reality check for public policy creators.

Based on previous experiences, how much have they taken the suggestions and objections from the previous forums on board?

in one place for three days. All of the important economic and political stakeholders come to the Forum, starting with the Serbian government (prime minister, government ministers), the National Bank of Serbia governor, the president of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, the president of the Fiscal Council, the ambassadors of the EU countries, Russia, the US, Canada, Great Britain, China, Japan, South Korea etc., representatives of the international financial organizations and regional chambers of commerce, prominent executives from real and financial sector, big regional investors, successful entrepreneurs, foreign investors, directors of public enterprises, mayors and representatives of local self-governments, not to mention the most renowned Serbian economic theoreticians. We should also mention the social component of the Forum where participants will get to know each other. Some business deals were actually instigated at the KBF. During the three days, through well-argued exchange of opinions, ideas come forward that are then summed up in the document called Kopaonik Consensus. This document is then forwarded to the government and NBS with the view of assisting

them as much as possible in devising economic policies. I think that up until now, and especially in the last few years, the Forum has directly contributed to the government and NBS devising good policies with its clear position about fiscal consolidation and monetary policy. Ever since the onset of the global economic crisis, the KBG has been promoting the idea of fiscal consolidation based on austerity, which the Serbian government had been ignoring all the way until 2014, while trying to jump start economic activity with the measures based on spending, as the key component of GDP growth.

The negative effects of the ill-conceived policy are well known – a fast growth of public debt, outburst of budget deficit, and further erosion of external balance. Since 2015, the Serbian government has been using the recipe that was originally concocted at the KBF. However, However, today, we are critical of the slow restructuring of the public sector which is a prerequisite for the country having sustainable, long-term fiscal position. Our position is that short-term fiscal consolidation is not a reform measure in itself but

it is a prerequisite for implementation of key reforms. This is also a reminder to the Serbian government that they have covered only the first, albeit easier, leg of the road and that true challenges are still ahead of them. In terms of our position about monetary policy, the KBF has always supported the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) to maintain its monetary policy based on targetted inflation and floating exchange rate.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the support from our sponsors, the most successful companies in Serbia. As of last year, we have a new partner that is the renowned company MasterCard. As you probably know, MasterCard is very selective which events to support which indirectly speaks volumes about the KBF's quality. As a non-profit NGO, the Serbian Association of Economists, as the organizer of the KBF,

IDEAS FROM THE KBF ARE SUMMED UP IN THE DOCUMENT CALLED KOPAONIK CONSENSUS WHICH IS THEN FORWARDED TO THE GOVERNMENT AND NBS WITH THE VIEW OF ASSISTING THEM IN DEVISING ECONOMIC POLICIES AND BECOMING THE MAIN CATALYST OF SOCIAL CONSENSUS You expect at least 1,000 to attend the Forum. How successful of a business project is the Forum?

— Organizing the KFB is a very complex and demanding project.

From the initial idea, that came about in the early 1990s, until today, we have covered a long road.

Year-on-year we have been improving the quality of the forum, both content- and technically-wise.

operates without state's donations and, in part, has been funding its operations thanks to the successful financial results of the KBF. How close are the topics discussed at the KBF, also called 'The Serbian Davos', to those covered by the World Economic Forum in Davos?

— The World Economic Forum is

probably the most important annual economic and political event in the world. Undoubtedly, the KBF is the most important event of its kind in our country that has been gaining on regional importance year-on-year. They topics discussed at the KBF do correspond to those in Davos, namely improving regional cooperation, facilitating economic growth, digital transformation as a result of the fourth technological revolution, education system reform and catching up to the developed countries in this area, scientific development, and balanced regional development are the topics covered by both forums. Furthermore, at the KBF, we also discuss the topics that relate only to Serbia like reforming the public sector, facilitating entrepreneurship, balanced development of financial sector, infrastructural improvements in the country and the region, reforming healthcare, developing agri-business and other. The similarities between Davos and the KBF also lie in the fact that both events are not keen on being active decision makers, but rather platforms for exchanging different opinions of the key stakeholders, or rather decision makers.

Your

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15

DAVOS

Growing Inequality – a Shallenge for Responsible leaders The key topic of this year’s Davos conference was inequality, while the most important message is that responsible representatives of the political and business elite must find ways to stimulate economic growth with a more equal distribution of wealth. The gathering was marked by the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who proposed a new model for organising global relations

The theme of this year’s conference of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which brought together over 3,000 representatives of the world’s political and economic elite from 17th to 20th January, was inequality and the ever deepening gap between rich and poor, and the need for responsible leadership in response to the dangerous rise in populism and the challenges brought by the so-called fourth industrial revolution.

WEF founder Klaus Schwab warned that 2017 could represent a key milestone in the further development of mankind. “The world around us is changing at an unprecedented pace. We find ourselves at a turning point where our traditional concepts of society, nation states and modes of employment are facing major challenges.”

In the same vein, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde called for the better distribution of wealth in order to respond to the rise of populism worldwide, while billionaire investor Ray Dalio, for example, predicted the possible end of globalisation.

Special challenges noted by

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participants included the arrival of Donald Trump as president of the United States, a possible trade war between the U.S. and China, Brexit, climate change, forced migration, major natural disasters, large-scale terrorist attacks and massive data theft via the Internet.

This year was also the first time the Davos conference has been attended by a president of China. President Xi proposed a new model for more equitable global economic relations, while voicing his objection to trade wars and protectionism.

Some of the mentioned threats to peace and economic progress

In accordance with that, in Davos it can be increasingly heard that political and business leaders have a responsibility to find a way to relaunch the world economy, using innovations brought by the so-called Industrial Revolution 4.0 that simultaneously create conditions for greater social inclusion and a more equal distribution of wealth, through the coordinated implementation of monetary, fiscal and structural reforms.

Apart from that aspect, the Forum also represents one of the most influential platforms for the exchange of opinions between members of the global elite, as well as the series of useful meetings that are held on the margins of Davos’s main programme between representatives of international institutions and leaders of countries and companies.

Since the turn of the millennium, Serbia and the other countries of the region have received invitations to attend the gathering in Davos.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić had a number of meetings in Davos this year with represent-

THE FORUM IN DAVOS ONCE AGAIN REPRESENTED AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER VUČIĆ TO MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE WORLD’S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ELITE have been on the WEF’s list for years, but new threats arise with each new conference. This forum, which among other things also represents a demonstration of refined luxury, has for several consecutive years focused on topics that could be dubbed left-orientated.

Diplomacy&Commerce

atives of international institutions and organisations, heads of state (Chinese President Xi, U.S. Vice President Biden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, Swiss President Doris Leuthard, former European Par-

liament President Martin Schulz, head of relations with Europe and Asia for the World Economic Forum, Martin Larkin, and others) and representatives of the economic elite (Bloomberg Chairman Peter Grauer, CEOs of companies Al Dahra, Tarkett and Lukoil, representatives of Ahold Delhaize, Poly Group and others). Ana Brnabić, Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, also took part in the Forum of New Leaders of Europe, which was held under the auspices of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

These meetings saw Prime Minister Vučić and his interlocutors discuss security issues in the world and the region, reforms in Serbia, negotiations with Kosovo, Belgrade agricultural combine, PKB, investments in the airport, customs services, agricultural production and processing.

According to a Serbian Government announcement, PM Vučić noted in Davos that the Government of Serbia is very interested in one of the Forum’s regional meetings being held in Belgrade and dedicated to the theme of encouraging entrepreneurship.

Speaking at the Reuters “Global Markets” Forum, held under the auspices of the World Economic Forum in Davos, PM Vučić said that ensuring peace and stability are the main goals of the Government of Serbia and that the country is investing a lot of effort into achieving its most important goal - maintaining peace and stability in the region. He also said that Serbia remains committed to joining the European Union, and that he believes the Western Balkans could be a driving force for the economic development of Europe.

PEOPLE & EV ENTS TODEBO FROM SREMSKA MITROVICA IS EXPANDING IS CAPACITIES ONCE AGAIN

10th January

Serbia and the Netherlands keep wining together! Todebo from Sremska Mitrovica is expanding is capacities once again. H. E. Henk van den Dool was the special guest who cut the ribbot at the official ceremony. Todebo d.o.o. is a private Company founded in 2013. Its business orientation is export.

The whole production is oriented towards the EU, Russian and Middle East market. A Dutch management team monitors all manufacturing processes that reflect in a cost-effective production of built to order product series for the top end market with guaranteed quality.

Dejan Tonić and Marina Jukić EBRD,Duško Krsmanović, Senior Economic Policy and Trade Advisor to Netherlands embassy, H.E. Henk van den Dool, ambassador and Daniel Berg, EBRD Director for Serbia

"BREWERY MUSEUM GEORG WEIFERT" MARKED THE 295TH BIRTHDAY 12th January

The birthday party was held at the Fire Hall in Old Weifert brewery in Pančevo. In preparing to mark three centuries of the brewery, this ceremony was dedicated to Abraham Kepis, the pioneer of brewing in the Balkans. Birthday party was attended by special guests: H. E. Dr. Attila Pinter, Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia, Stefan Imre, counsellor of Economy, Embassy of Romania in Serbia, and many others. H. E. Dr. Attila Pinter continuing the action “Beer connects us all”, which was last year started by H. E. Axel Dittmann, German Ambassador to Serbia, brewed his own beer to be sold to charity.

H. E. Tomasz Niegodzisz, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Serbia

H. E. Dr. Attila Pinter, Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia

EXPOSITION “SILENT AND INCONSPICUOUS”

16th January

Polish Embassy in Belgrade and the Serbian Army Club held an exhibition "Silent and inconspicuous" which presented the fascinating history of the Special Department of Polish Homeland Army (Armia Krajowa) during World War II. The exhibition was opened by Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Serbia H. E. Tomasz Niegodzisz. During the exhibition the speeches were given by director of the Media Centre "Defence" Colonel S. Stevica Karapandžin and Colonel Zbigniew Rosziński, the Polish military attaché in Serbia.

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS SLOVENIAN BUSINESS CLUB WORKING MEETING

19th January

Slovenian Business Club organsed a working meeting at the Hotel In. The special guest was the director of the Development Agency of Serbia Željko Sertić, who spoke to members of SPK-on business conditions in Serbia, Slovenian investments, and the government's plans to improve the business environment. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Slovenian Embassy in Serbia, headed by H.E.Vladimir Gasparič and a large number of members. President of the Slovenian Business Club, Danijela Fišakov thanked Mr. Sertić for participating.

H.E.Vladimir Gasparič, Slovenian Ambassador to Serbia, and Željko Sertić, the director of the Development Agency of Serbia

Danijela Fišakov, President of the Slovenian Business Club in Serbia and Željko Sertić

ELYSEE AGREEMENT ANNIVERSARY

23th January

The 54th anniversary of the Elysee Agreement was celebrated in the Goethe Institute in Belgrade. The anniversary was marked by a ceremony during which the French and German ambassadors H. E. Christine Moro and H. E. Axel Dittmann expressed their hopes that the pessimism and hate would disappear from the Balkans as they did from the Western Europe. The new development was the new Office RYCO, starting from mid-2017. RYCO was created on the model of Franco-German Office for Youth incurred within the Elysee treaty which was confirmed on 22 January 1963 Franco-German reconciliation among Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, AP Kosovo, Macedonia and Motenegro.

H.E. Alona Fisher Kamm , ambassador of Israel to Serbia and H. E. Denis Keefe, British ambassador to Serbia

H. E. Christine Moro, French ambassador and H. E. Axel Dittmann, German ambassador to Serbia

DAFNA TAL PHOTO EXHIBITION OPENED

23th January

H.E.Vladimir Gasparič, Slovenian Ambassador to Serbia, H. E. Vera Jovanovska Tipko, Macedonian Ambassador to Serbia and H. E. Branislav Mićunović, Ambassador of Montenegro

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Diplomacy&Commerce

Ambassador of Israel to Serbia H E Alona Fisher Kamm opened the the photo exhibition "A Lasting Faith: Orthodoxy in the Holy Land" by Israeli author Dafne Tal in Belgrade gallery "Progress", after which followed the performance of the choir of the temple of Saint George in Čukarica, conducted by Emilija Milin. The exhibition is the first in a series of events that Israeli embassy this year organises in honour of the 25th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Israel. Visitors will be able to see the exhibition until 5 February.

MORE PHOTOS ON

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MIKSER HOUSE NEW PLANS FOR 2017

24th January

Mikser House announce Mikser's big changes and plans for 2017 to public, followed by a cocktail party and a toast to new beginnings. The programme included Savamala Dreams, a short overview of Mikser’s presence and activites in Savamala 2012-2017 by Ivan Lalić, the plans for opening Mikser House Sarajevo during this summer, and the announcement that after 5 fruitful years in Savamala, Mikser House will close its premises in Karađorđeva street on 1 May 2017. Mikser Festival 2017 will move to a new location in Dorćol and transform abandoned factory IMK - Industry of Metal Construction.

Mikser has also started the initiative of relocation of Mikser House to industrial zone of Lower Dorćol and revitalization of IMK industrial heritage into a creative hub.

H.E. Pertti Ikonen, ambassador of Finland to Serbia, Mrs. Svetlana Bojković, Serbian actress with her husband Slavko Kruljević, Serbian ambassador to Finland

Ivan Lalić, Executive Director and Michael Davenport, Head of the EU delegation in Serbia

SUOMI 100 KICK OFF COCKTAIL RECEPTION

25th January

Ambassador Ikonen introduced the Embassy’s activities branded as “Suomi Finland 100” in 2017 when Finland celebrates its 100 years of independence and uninterrupted democracy. The goal of the Embassy’s activities will be to raise awareness about Finland and strengthening the country image in order to promote Finnish values, know-how and businesses. Beside Ambassador Ikonen, Mrs. Svetlana Bojković, the well-known Serbian actress and spouse of former Serbian Ambassador to Finland talked about her experience of Finland during the last four years.

ASMEDI ANNUAL CELEBRATION

26th January

The traditional annual reception of the Media Association was held at the Crowne Plaza. Executive Director Dalila Ljubičić and Chairman of the Board Zoran Sekulić greeted more than 150 guests, among them Ambassador of France H.E. Christine Moro, OSCE Ambassador Mr. Andrea Orizio, attachés for culture and media Embassy of Norway, the Netherlands and Germany. At the beginning of the reception guests were welcomed

by Zoran Sekulić. A short film "Do you understand the media?" was presented to the audience. With its implementation is ASMEDI contributed to the development of media literacy in Serbia.

Milica Đokić, Director of Corporative Communications, CPG and Zoran Sekulić

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA

26th January

The Embassy of India, Belgrade celebrated 68th Republic Day of India on 26th January 2017 with the unfurling of the Indian National Flag by Ambassador Narinder Chauhan followed by singing of the National Anthem by Serbian School students. The ceremony was attended by the representatives of local Foreign Office, Vidya Yoga School, Faculty of Philology, Faculty of Political Science & Economics, University of Belgrade, the 8th Belgrade High School, Society of Astronomers of Serbia professors, business persons etc. On 26th January 1950, India’s constitution come into force and India became Republic of India and the largest democracy in the world.

H.E. Radko Vlaykov, Maja Gojković, President of the Assembly of Serbia, Jadranka Joksimović, Minister for European Integrations, H.E.Oana Cristina Popa, Michael Davenport

H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India to Serbia

H.E. Christine Moro, French ambassador to Serbia and H.E. Giuseppe Manzo, Italian ambassador to Serbia

BULGARIA AND ROMANIA 10 YEARS IN THE EU

31st January

Embassies of Bulgaria and Romania in Serbia marked the 10th anniversary of the official reception of these two countries in the EU. Bulgarian Ambassador in Belgrade H E Radko Vlaykov said "EU is what its Member States want it to be. It is effective to the extent to which effective and Member States. Understanding that exists between us is the key to success in different sectors". Ambassador of Romania H E Oana Cristina Popa said: "The EU has not only brought changes at the macro level. The life of each of Romanians today, in one way or another, the result of the European integration of Romania".

SERBIAN-GREEK BUSINESS FORUM

31st January

Serbian PM Aleksandar Vučić called for Greek investor to invest in Serbia, “since Serbia offers the best confitions for business”. The country will "always offer at least five percent better conditions than other countries in the region," he said at the opening of a business forum organised by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, attended by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who on Tuesday started his two-day official visit to Serbia. Vučić added that the number of Greek tourists in Serbia has increased, "but is still much smaller than the number of Serbian tourists in Greece."

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Alexis Tsipras, Greek PM, Aleksandar Vučić,Serbian PM and Milorad Dodik, President of the Republic of Srpska

Alexis Tsipras, Greek Prime Minister

Diplomacy&Commerce

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M A N Y R UP EE R ETUR N S

The High Economic Costs of India’s Demonetisation The benefits of withdrawing 86% of the rupees in circulation remain elusive

Most economists might hazard a guess that voiding the bulk of a country’s currency overnight would dent its immediate growth prospects. On November 8th India took this abstruse thought experiment into the real world, scrapping two banknotes which made up 86% of all rupees in circulation. Predictably, the economy appears indeed to have been hobbled by the sudden “demonetisation”. Evidence of the measure’s costs is mounting, while the benefits look ever more uncertain.

At least the new year has brought a semblance of monetary normality. For seven weeks queues had snaked around banks, the main way for Indians to exchange their old notes for new ones or deposit them in their accounts.

That is over, largely because the window to exchange money closed on December 30th. The number of fresh notes that can be withdrawn from ATMs or bank counters is still curtailed, but the acute cash shortage is abating, at least in big cities.

As data trickle through, so is evidence of the economic price paid for demonetisation. Consumers, companies and investors all wobbled in late 2016. Fast-moving consumer goods, usually a reliable growth sector, retrenched by 1-1.5% in November, according to Nielsen, a research group. Bigger-ticket items seem to have been hit harder. Year-on-year sales at Hero Motocorp, the biggest purveyor of two-wheelers, slid by more than a third in December.

A survey of purchasing managers in manufacturing plunged from relative optimism throughout 2016 to the expectation of mild con-

traction. Firms’ investment proposals fell from an average of 2.4trn rupees ($35bn) a quarter to just 1.25trn rupees in the one just ended, according to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a data provider. As a result, corporate-credit growth, already anaemic, has reached its lowest rate in at least 30 years (see chart).

All this amounts to “a significant but not catastrophic” impact, says Shilan Shah of Capital Economics, a consultancy. Annual GDP growth

INDIANS WILL MOVE FROM LIVING CASH IN HAND INTO THE TAXED FORMAL ECONOMY. MR MODI HAS RECENTLY PROMOTED THE IDEA OF A CASHLESS, OR “LESS-CASH”, INDIA (NOT SOMETHING MENTIONED AT THE OUTSET), AS ONE REASON FOR DEMONETISATION forecasts for the fiscal year ending in March have slipped by around half a percentage point, to under 7%, from an actual rate of 7.3% in the last full quarter before demonetisation. Other factors, such as the rise in the oil price and the surge in the value of the dollar after the election of Donald Trump, are also at play.

Whether the costs of the exercise justify the benefits depends, of course, on what those benefits are. In his speech announcing the measure, Narendra Modi, the prime minister, highlighted combating corruption and untaxed wealth.

Gangsters and profiteers with suitcases full of

money would be left stranded. But reports suggest that nearly 15trn rupees of the 15.4trn rupees taken out of circulation are now accounted for. So either the rich weren’t hoarding as much “black money” as was supposed, or they have proved adept at laundering it. The Indian press is full of tales of household staff paid months in advance in old notes, or of bankers agreeing to exchange vast sums illegally.

Fans of demonetisation point to three beneficial outcomes. First, banks, laden with fresh deposits, will lend this money out and so boost the economy. Big banks cut lending rates this week (quite possibly nudged by government, the largest shareholder of most of them). But their lending recently has not been constrained by a lack of deposits, so much as by insufficient shareholder capital to absorb potential losses, and by the over-borrowed balance-sheets of many industrial customers.

Second, Indians will move from living cash in hand into the taxed formal economy.

Mr Modi has recently promoted the idea of a cashless, or “less-cash”, India (not something mentioned at the outset), as one reason for demonetisation. Progress towards getting Indians to pay for things electronically is indeed being made, but from an abysmally low base.

The third upshot is the most controversial. Now that the demonetised bank notes are worthless, the government is intent on in effect appropriating the proceeds. The procedure requires trampling on the credibility of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the central bank, which must first agree to dishonour the promise, on all banknotes, to “pay the bearer” the value. If it does so, “extinguishing” the notes and its liability for them, it can transfer an equivalent amount to the government budget.

With so much cash handed in at banks, the amount remitted to government by the RBI might amount to perhaps 0.2-0.3% of GDP. Proceeds from a tax-amnesty scheme for cash-hoarders may swell the figure. Even so, it will not be enough to justify the costs of demonetisation—or even, perhaps, the damage to the reputation of the RBI, which is already facing questions about its independence. But having imposed the costs, Mr Modi will be keen to trumpet whatever benefits he can find.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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WE RECOMMEND....

THE FEELING OF SAFETY, WARMTH AND SECURITY Home is where you feel relaxed, where you can escape the hustle and bustle of work, where you spend time with family and friends, your safe haven..

MARKO KRIZMANIĆ

Director and the proprietor of the company Projekt Ekspert ADRIA d.o.o.

It is the feeling of safety, warmth and security for you and your family that makes your house a home. To feel at home in another country is a challenge and an adventure.

Belgrade is a big and welcoming city, with the lovely architecture and interesting neighbourhoods.

There are many examples of old architecture here, wonderful lounge apartments and big pre-war villas, as well as phenomenal apartments in smart buildings.

These types of dwellings need top notch maintenance and usually require an army of plumbers or electricians. Sometimes you need something to be additionally designed in order for your living quarters to perfectly fit your wishes. For this you need an architect, somebody who knows this city and its buildings inside out, is familiar with the materials used in constructing them, someone who can maintain your living areas with style and sophistication, and have due respect towards your time, space and money. The same goes for office space or any real estate, for that matter.

In the beginning, Marko Krizmanić, an architect who has equipped, built and maintained retail facilities for well-known brands like Mango, Nike, Head, Navigare and others, as well as many restaurants and bars, and has re-designed numerous apartments,

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used to work for his friends when they needed help with problems in their apartments. This brought Marko good references and, in time, it became his second line of work, after retail.

Walk us through your decision to accept to provide maintenance for private real estate too, aside from large-scale facilities.

— Interior architecture is my love and passion. Large-scale facilities (like retail ones) have similar problems like residential facilities. The only difference is that the problems, compared to the size of these facilities, are somewhat bigger.

Knowing that I am good at logis-

diplomatic missions usually pick large, beautiful, comfortable and well-decorated apartments.

Although these are almost perfect apartments, the circumstances in which their tennants sometimes find themselves in are far from perfect. There could be a burst pipe and you need to call a plumber, and this can happen in the most meticulously designed apartments.

After the plumber, you need to call a tiler, than a painter and decorator, and let's not even mention situations far worse then the mentioned ones. Then all of that needs to be done in line with the original project design which means that you are also going to have to call your interior decorator or the architect.

So, why not shorten the entire procedure?! How much time are you going to spend living outside your apartment?! How many people

SOMETIMES YOU NEED SOMETHING TO BE ADDITIONALLY DESIGNED IN ORDER FOR YOUR LIVING QUARTERS TO PERFECTLY FIT YOUR WISHES tics and have partners with whom I have been cooperating well for many years, my friends have asked me to help them around with small problems at first, and then with more complex ones. The calls kept on coming and I made a decision to do this for living in a professional and responsible manner.

living in the apartment are going to have to be temporarily relocated?!

In practice, what I and my team offer is to do all of the aforementioned in the quickest time and the most reliable way.

What does that mean in practice?

So how does that differ from the usual maintenance services that many companies and city services provide?

— For instance, you come from a foreign country to Belgrade to work. From my experience I can tell you that companies and

— What is different is that our services are tailor-made to your apartment and your living space and that they satisfy your real needs. We can solve

Diplomacy&Commerce

a flooding problem, for instance, but also redesign your apartment if you are expecting a baby, or together with you find a better layout. Foreigners living in Belgrade often have a lot of difficulties understanding our housing regulation which has been changed recently with the new Housing Law so we can also help them with various administrative procedures and go through the red tape on their behalf.

How much time do you need to deal with the damage?

— We leave immediately after we receive the call for help. If a matter is urgent, we react immediately, and, if we need to prepare more, the response time depends on our partners that are also involved. Either way, we arrive to the location as soon as possible.

Does that mean that you are available 24/7?

— Yes! I think that that is the most important thing; to have a person available to real estate developer for all their needs whenever they need us. I would like to underline that such cooperation is vital for successful results. This is the only way to win client’s trust which is the key to everything.

Who are your clients?

Of course, I am not at liberty to divulge that information because my clients are confidential. After all, I spend time at their homes and revealing anything about them and what kind of accommodation they live in would be tantamout to revealing personal things about my family.

B USINESS NEWS Vojvođanska Banka

“AMCHAMPS – YOUNG LEADERS IN CHANGE” The team of Vojvođanska banka comprised of Aleksandra Simić and Goran Tomić, is the winner at this year’s educational programme “AmChamps – Young Leaders in Change“ of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). Aleksandra Simić, manager at Vojvođanska banka and Goran Tomić, student of the Faculty of Architecture, presented themselves with Project “Digitalicious - Bricks plus Clicks, Digitalization of Banking Experience", by which Vojvođanska banka wishes to give its clients a completely new experience of digital banking. “The project, which was developed by Aleksandra and Goran will be implemented over the next year by Vojvođanska banka and thus make a major breakthrough in the banking market", stated Marinos Vathis, President of the Executive Board of Vojvođanska banka. The manager of Vojvođanska banka was awarded with a scholarship for MBA studies at the International Faculty of the University of Sheffield in Belgrade, while Tomić won a scholarship for master studies in Thessaloniki.

Unicredit

EUROMONEY NAMED UNICREDIT AS BEST EUROPEAN BANK IN TRADE FINANCE

Based on research conducted by Euromoney for 2017, UniCredit was named B " est provider of trade finance services," in Central, Eastern, and Western Europe. In addition, with the proclamation of the B " est domestic service providers of trade finance" UniCredit outpaced rivals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. UniCredit has invested significant resources in the sector of trade finance in order to develop innovative platforms, supply chain and outsourcing of business processes.

In addition, UniCredit group is a member of several initiatives to use databases that are based on the block chain technology, among others, a banking consortium R3 for distributed databases. Paolo Spada, director of transactional banking in Central and Eastern Europe at UniCredit, said: I" t is an honour we get the fourth consecutive year the award for the best provider of trade finance services in Central and Eastern Europe."

CHINA AND SERBIA SIGNED A MEMORANDUM ON COOPERATION IN AGRICULTURE

The Chinese Agriculture Minister, Han Changfu, and his Serbian counterpart, Branislav Nedimović have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Belgrade stipulating the cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, especially investing in the fruit and meat processing segment. “We are going to cooperate on investments in agriculture and technological development, and encourage our companies to come and invest in Serbia”, the Chinese Agriculture Minister said. Changfu also noted that the Chinese people were great consumers of plums following Nedimović’s statement that Serbia could export its entire annual plum production to China. Furthermore, the Chinese minister has announced a Chinese business delegation visiting Serbian fruit and meat processing companies. “We only have one more thing to do and that is to complete the procedure for certification for export of beef and lamb from our three abattoirs to China. We are also going to discuss exporting milk powder”, Nedimović added.

Delta Holding

YEAR OF INNOVATIONS

EKO Serbia

EKO HANDED OVER THE KEYS TO THE FLAT!

New Year and Christmas holidays are behind us, and the company EKO Serbia, handed over its main prize within the EKO Smile Sweepstakes, to a whole family. In particular, we are glad that the Anteleski family from Obrenovac got the prize, since it was Saša Anteleski who won EKO Smile main prize – a flat in Belgrade. Representatives of EKO Serbia officially handed over the keys to the apartment the size of 44 square meters, in a brand new building (Zemun) with a car park. Sweepstakes was organised for all consumers in Serbia EKO petrol stations that use EKO Smile card. The company’s management the opportunity to congratulate the lucky winner and thanked all the participants for their trust and wished all the best in his future life to the lucky winner of the flat.

In all Delta members 2017 will be the year of innovations. Delta Auto Group will import electrical models BMWi3, BMW i8 and hybrid vehicles; it will open a BMW service shop for vehicles older than 6 years and present new BMW, MINI and Honda models. Delta Agrar plans investments of almost 40 million euros, which is double in comparison to last year, while the novelty will be raising a cherry plantation in the vicinity of Zaječar with the most modern technology involving dense planting, an irrigation system and “drop by drop” feeding and a protection net.

DTS will introduce a new service of railway transport and open new lines of collective road transport to Germany and Austria. It also plans to expand its operations into the Slovenian market. Two largest investments planned by Delta Real Estate are shopping centres: Delta Planet Belgrade worth 200 million euros and Delta City Banjaluka worth 70 million euros. The new shopping mall in the capital of Serbia will provide more than 4.000 workplaces.

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B USINESS NEWS Intesa Sanpaolo

ONE OF THE WORLD’S 20 MOST SUSTAINABLE CORPORATIONS The Group is the only Italian banking group to feature among the top 100 companies. The Index was presented on the 17th of January at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Corporate Knights Index published by the Canadian magazine specialising in sustainable capitalism has ranked Intesa Sanpaolo one of the world’s 20 most sustainable corporations. It is the only Italian banking group to make the grade, thanks to a proven ability for developing risk and opportunity management strategies in the environmental, social and governance sectors.

Corporate Knights analyses more than 4,900 businesses using fourteen different indicators.

“Being ranked one of the world’s 20 most sustainable corporations is fitting recognition of our far-reaching commitment to the environment, innovation, transparency and the Group’s human resources,” explains Intesa Sanpaolo’s CEO and Managing Director Carlo Messina.

BANK OF CHINA OPENED IN SERBIA Official ceremony in Palace Serbia marked the beginning of business in Serbia to one of the world’s biggest financial institutions – Bank of China.

Bank’s launch in Serbia represents extension of cooperation between Serbia and China and further improvement of two countries’ relations, following the visit of Chinese president, Mr. Xi Jinping, to Serbia last year. President Tomislav Nikolić of the Republic of Serbia, Chairman Tian Guoli of the Bank, Serbia Minister of Finance Mr. Dušan Vujović, Chinese ambassador to Serbia Mr. Li Manchang attended the ceremony and delivered keynote speeches and then visited the premises of Bank of China Serbia.

Chairman Tian indicated that the official launch of Bank of China Serbia in Belgrade represents an important step taken by the Bank to satisfy the growing demand of economic cooperation between Serbia and China, and thus Bank of China will make further contribution to China's “Belt and Road“ Initiative through its financial services.

Delta Motors

PREMIERE OF THE NEW BMW 5 SERIES

The new BMW 5 Series was unveiled to domestic media when BMW officially started selling improved, seventh-generation model in Serbia. With the new BMW 5 Series provides standard BMW Service Inclusive package with free regular maintenance for a period of 5 years or 100,000 kilometers travelled. The most important innovations brought by the new model are the dynamism, by far the largest selection system for assisting in driving a remarkable degree of correlation between the driver and the car itself and the new, innovative user interface. Powerful generators BMW TwinPower Turbo, intelligent lightweight construction, Integral Active management of first-class ride and agility and flexible mode provide ultimate sporty driving experience.

BMW TwinPower Turbo technology is present in all aggregates for their extraordinary performance and high efficiency. Two diesel and two petrol engines are available in combination with rear-wheel drive BMW xDrive or all-wheel drive. The starting price of the new 5 Series is very attractive and it is 45,500 euros, in the version 520d. The new BMW 5 Series is the BMW showroom in Radnička 8, Belgrade.

Schneider Electric Serbia

SE SERBIA ENTERS 2017 WITH SUCCESS IN 2016

Spectra

BEST WORKING CONDITIONS AND WORK IN GERMANY

The Serbian Chamber of Commerce presented the new company on the business map Serbia - SPECTRA, which after several years of successful work in Germany, now operates in Serbia.

SPECTRA is focused on the employment of workers from Serbia in Germany, primarily to doctors, nurses and medical technicians. For them, already at this time provided more than a thousand jobs in cooperation with the German Agency for Employment. D " ue to the unfavourable demographic situation in the countries of Western Europe for a long time he feels an increased need for adequate medical care of the elderly population. In Serbia, on the other hand, there is relatively high unemployment rate in these occupations. " said Miguel Nieto Muina, Managing Director of the parent company Spectra GmbH. Beside him, the promotion was also addressed by Monija Počeković, director of Spectra Group resources doo, Spectre GmbH representative office in Serbia; Darko Isakov, human resources manager at Spectra GmbH parent company; Miloje Orlović, lawyer and licensed manager for employment and Alma Lukić, economist and lecturer of the German language.

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Diplomacy&Commerce

Schneider Electric Serbia, ended 2016 satisfied with the results achieved and announced this year which marks the 15th anniversary of business in Serbia. The company has over the last year participated in the implementation of reconstruction projects for own consumption Đerdap hydroelectric power plant, the completion of a business complex GTC 4, expanding the capacity of the factory Cooper Tyres, Hutchinson factory in Ruma, building Airport City, retail Shoppy Park in Borča, followed by projects in the construction of an traffic infrastructure and the beginning of construction of highway Bar - Boljare in Montenegro. Also completed is the new Société Générale buildings with the first electric car charger. F" or us it is very important that the municipalities and cities in Serbia were very active and proposed or started with the implementation of a large number of projects in the fields of infrastructure, energy and tourism, which for us meant a greater volume of activity and support in the realisation of these projects ," said Dejan Markovic, CEO of Schneider Electric in Serbia.

Société Générale

NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM

Société Générale Bank has established the latest international payments system, which allows customers to perform transactions to foreign countries with very tight deadlines, with one of the most reliable online services. Enhanced e-banking tools of Société Générale are processing client orders for the payment within 45 minutes, and the novelty is the possibility of unifying the whole process of payment, by sending supporting documentation.

P " ayments are, unfortunately, one of the most alluring targets for cyber crime" explains Ivan Bulajić, Executive Director of Operations of Société Générale. Société Générale on Serbian market offers sending orders and supporting documentation in the consolidated form, which, according to them, excludes the possibility of intercepting messages between the client and the bank and changes to their content. The latest service enables customers to carry out the whole process much easier, without requiring additional communication by e-mail until after the execution of the order the client receives confirmation of payments by an average of less than one hour.

MK Group

MK GROUP BUYS ALFA BANK SERBIA AD

FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL AND GOVERNMENT FORMED TASK FORCE The Foreign Investors Council and the Government formed the Task Force for implementation of the Foreign Investors Council's “White Book” recommendations. “The key goal of the Task Force is to go through implementation of the “White Book” recommendations in order to improve competitiveness of the Serbian market and thus foster expansion of the existing and stimulate attracting of new investments, contribute to economic growth and decrease of unemployment” said FIC President Yana Mikhailova. She expressed belief that formation and efficient work of the Task Force will contribute to raise in level of realization of the White Book recommendations from the current 35-45 % to 50% on the annual basis.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović, says that entry into top 10 countries in World Bank Doing Business showed that reforms in Serbia are successfully carried out. Task Force will be chaired by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, DPM Zorana Mihajlovic would be a Deputy President, and it will consist of six ministers with economic portfolio, FIC Board members and FIC Executive Director. Moreover, Task Force will form expert sub-groups consisting of FIC Committee chairmen and representatives of state institutions.

WINNERS OF THE "THE BEST OF SERBIA 2016" ANNOUNCED Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications granted the awards to the most successful domestic commodity and corporate brands at the closing ceremony of the campaign ”Best of Serbia 2016” in Novi Sad, in 25 categories. ”We combine the modern trends in business and in the market, knowledge and objectivity of science-based methodology with modern trends and attractiveness” said Marko Čadež, President of the PKS. Serbian Deputy PM and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić said that companies bearers of the ”The Best of Serbia” are the core of the new Serbian business elite. Igor Mirović, Vojvodinian PM pointed out that the term 'The Best from Serbia” was intangible but very important added value that in today's world”. This year there is an amount available to about 11 billion dinars through incentives for investment and about 18 billion through various programmes” said Goran Knezević, Minister of Economy. Novi Sad Mayor Miloš Vučević thanked the PKS for hosting ”The Best of Serbia” ceremony in Novi Sad.

CCFS MEMBERS MEETING AT PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS

The company MK Group has reached an agreement with Alpha Bank AE on the purchase of Alpha Bank Serbia ad Belgrade, after obtaining the necessary approvals of the authorised institutions. MK Group is a holding company consisting of over 35 companies operating in the country and abroad and employs over 8,000 people. With its registered office in Belgrade, MK Group is today one of the largest and most successful business systems in the country and the region. The expected benefits of this transaction are reflected in the concentration and joint appearance on the market with a bank that has been operating within the system MK Group, AIK banka ad Beograd, which already occupies sixth place in the Serbian banking per share in the net balance sheet, amounting to 1.5 billion euros at the end of 2016.

Members of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce gathered at the monthly meeting at PwC Academy in New Belgrade. The guests were welcomed by Vice-President Eric Grasser, director of Hit Auto. He wished a welcome the new members of the Chamber, the companies Adria Media Group, Eontek, Argus Security Project and the law firm ODI Law. Speaking about the forthcoming activities, Grasser announced the Student Award of the Chamber, which will be granted for sustainable development in the digital age, and thanked the sponsors of the competition, companies Schneider Electric, Elektrovat and Enel PS. Vice President also spoke about the ”Startup accelerator” that the Chamber launched this year, in which the members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber provide free mentoring support for three start-ups that will be selected by the end of February. Guests were addressed by the host country manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Emanuel König, followed by Miroljub Labus, a former minister in the Serbian government and senior advisor of the company who held a short presentation on the current macroeconomic situation in the world and Serbia.

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I NTERVI EW Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

REVOLUTIONS ARE ALWAYS UNPREDICTABLE Mentalities may be key to every change

ZORAN ĆIRJAKOVIĆ

Political analyst and columnist in daily Politika

One of the sharpest minds in Serbian journalism, Zoran Ćirjaković, explains his views on differences in mentalities, the roles of China, India, Russia and America, and the global balance or imbalance of power in this, ever more unpredictable, world of ours.

The clash of civilisations has given way to imperial conflicts, where belonging to a civilisation may or may not mean your country being on the “right side”.

Will this be resolved by “several small conferences” in Astana between Russia, Turkey and Iran, dedicated to peace in Syria?

— I don’t think we should think in terms of solutions. As usually happens in human history, what brought us into this global chaos and madness with no end in sight was hubris, a virus that almost exclusively attacks powerful people.

This tectonic disorder was started by the, to put it mildly, reckless U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. How this tragedy, started by George “Dubya” Bush and a handful of his neoconservative advisors infected with hubris and sweet illusions about the end of history, will end is impossible to predict. After all, futurology has proven to be the most erroneous of all the sciences.

History is a much better, although not infallible, teacher. It teaches us that the main “challenger”, the country that first struck the unipolar, Washington-centric world, i.e. Russia, is unlikely to pick the cream of their present success.

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What can we in the Balkans expect from the “rapprochement” of Russia, Turkey and Israel, and possibly the United States?

— The Balkans are important to the Great Powers only when they are in chaos and when they produce history in an area that is uncomfortably close to the increasingly fragile and nervous, but still strong, Western Europe, the former centre of the world that is not easily released from illusion. The year 2016 was revolutionary; one of those rare years in human history when that which we thought was impossible happens. Revolutions are usually unpredictable, even in strategically more important areas, let alone for a side-lined Balkans of little importance. I fear that the “fate” of Serbia will be much more dependent on sheer luck and on events that are unpredictable today,

turn towards Transatlantic and Commonwealth alliances?

— As I said, I’ve developed huge scepticism towards futurology, thus I would not want to try my luck in that discipline. I’m surprised you’re not mentioning the Islamic world, which has held a key position ever since history returned from its short “vacation”.

History is today written by “little people”, and the key role is played

by Muslims, people willing to die for ideas, guided by the seductive, egalitarian belief that is mixed in all. Moreover, today I am much more moved, more than by Orwell’s genius, by the sharp and concise thinking of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the assassinated Hamas founder: “When all the doors are bolted, Allah opens the gate”. What is hidden on the other side of the

I FEAR THAT THE “FATE” OF SERBIA WILL BE MUCH MORE DEPENDENT ON SHEER LUCK AND ON EVENTS THAT ARE UNPREDICTABLE TODAY “the unknown unknowns”, as turbo cynic Donald Rumsfeld said, than on the tactical and strategic decisions of local leaders.

Is the world closer to a new “bloc division of interests”, as defined by George Orwell in “1984”? With Eurasia as a zone of Russian influence, Eastasia as a Chinese zone, and Oceania as the Anglo-Saxon world, led by America and Britain, which, in accordance with Orwell’s vision, has abandoned the continent to

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gate is that which the believers are trying to open; many of whom believed that they would never be in a position to be asked anything, let alone to open or close a thing. We will discover what that is during the long and unpleasant years to come. The key here is that whenever we judge monstrous crimes and terrorist attacks, we should not lose sight of who sowed the seeds of this tragedy in previous centuries, when they drew national borders, crowned rulers and saved rotten regimes. Sykes, Picot,

Durand... the surnames of anonymous Western diplomats that are mere symbols of the unbearable ease with which the West moulded the modern world.

In the atmosphere of neo-colonialism, when former colonial powers want only to make profit from Africa, with investments conditioned by political changes in countries, China emerges as a serious investor that is reshaping the continent like one of its own underdeveloped provinces: building cities of apartment blocks, a tram system in Addis Ababa etc. Will Africa be the Chinese sphere of influence in the future, with others having left a vacuum? Is the African mentality easy to reshape?

— It is true that China has no colonial ambitions in Africa, and the Chinese are too insular to be able to turn sub-Saharan Africa into its sphere of influence in the way that was done by Western European powers at the start of the 20th century. The main problem is that the structure of economic exchanges between China and the countries of sub-Saharan Africa does not differ much from those that characterised relations between the Western colonial powers and their former colonies. Exports of raw materials and imports of consumer goods do not constitute a development based on anything very promising.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging that China is interested in investing in large infrastructure and energy projects, although you are more

likely to see goats than vehicles on the majority of new roads.

China will remain an important role model and an alternative; a country that will allow African leaders to lead a more independent policy. As far as the mentality is concerned, the mentality of each nation is difficult to change, although it is much easier to change the sub-Saharan mentality than the Serbian one, which is one of the hardest mentalities in the world to change.

If it’s any consolation, while we are on the subject, the Greeks and Portuguese are even “worse”.

What makes our mentality so difficult to change?

— Unfortunately, everywhere, including in our country, people tend to mistake a change of clothing styles and a more sophisticated way of expressing oneself as a change of mentality. Although I, as a lecturer of the theory and practice of intercultural communication, spent a lot of time devoted to the study of African and other mentalities, as well as misunderstandings caused by cultural differences, I am still most fascinated by our mentality. In its last incarnation, our great fear of uncertainty – the greatest enemy of any change of mentality – has mutated into the holy trinity “relax, chill out, play it safe”, though its previous avatar, “state service”, has not lost its attraction. We shouldn't forget that neoliberalism, which has ruled the world since the victory of Thatcherism and Reaganism, is not a culturally neutral system. Our Western Balkan cultural pattern, what is colloquially usually called “mentality”, is one of the least compatible patterns with the Anglo-Saxon creation of neoliberalism. After all, when we mentioned Africa, it is not surprising that today the former British colonies are far more prosperous than the French ones, experiencing less bloodshed.

Can we expect times of “strong men” and “deals” from Donald Trump, as was the case in the time of Nixon and Kissinger, who “opened China”?

— It would probably be a great success was if he managed to open up Russia a bit. “Opening” sounds ambitious. Though there are no longer those key ideological differences that marked the Cold War between Russia and the United States, the gap seems quite unbridgeable.

When it comes to authoritarian leaders, it is now a global trend from which no part of the world is

immune. Starting from Singapore, with its seemingly unattainable ideal of beautiful, more or less decorative democracy, the world is being run by strong leaders. Poland, Hungary, India, the USA, Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, the Philippines, Bangladesh... all countries that have, more or less democratically and freely, chosen a firm hand. What that will bring to their citizens remains to be seen. It seems to me that democracy has betrayed the “demos”, but is still not to be written off. After all, this is shown by recent elections in Latin America, where the electoral failures of leftist populists

today than in all of sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest part of the world.

We should not forget the Maoist insurgency, which also has economic roots and is endangering some key Indian states, as well as militant Islamists. The growth of the middle class is significant, but “Digital India” is still relatively small compared to the poor “Bharat”, tens of millions of people who have not felt the development dividend. India is a country of contrasts much greater than in China and, given the high population growth rate, it is unlikely to become a global competitor to China in the near future. There is also the question

THE WEST “GIFTED” THE WORLD THE NATION STATE, AND NOW ITS CORE, VIA THE EU, IS TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM THIS “CAGE” THAT IT CREATED prone to showing a firm hand cannot be explained away simply by the destructive influence of the U.S. in its “backyard”.

India has quietly transformed into a giant. Could this peaceful and ancient civilisation, which skipped through the period of industrialisation (bearing in mind its computer and mathematical potential), soon rival China for the leading position in the developing world?

— India faces enormous internal problems, the first of which is the fact that more people live in humiliating, absolute poverty in India

of “mentality”. The thing that most fascinated Rabindranath Tagore, India's Nobel laureate, during his visit to China was the Chinese work ethic. This great Indian found it inconceivable that people can work so diligently without a whip over their heads.

In January I returned from a short journey across India, a country that won over my heart long ago. While Chinese cities resemble the set of a science fiction movie, even the Indian city of Hyderabad, the centre of not only the Indian software industry but the world’s, is more like a cute time machine.

That’s great if you’re travelling as a

tourist, but not very promising if we’re talking about a possible global leadership position. In Calcutta I welcomed the start of the new year in 1993 and 2017. It may sound stupid to someone, but my main impression was how so much has simultaneously changed and stayed the same in the intellectual and cultural capital of India during these 24 years.

Will Donald Trump will be able to push through with his ideas?

— One of the secrets of Trump’s success is that everyone continuously underestimated him. It would be very stupid to disqualify him easily now that he has been elected. It is likely that his main obstacle, especially when it comes to domestic policy, will be the enormous complexity and inertia of the American political system, which is designed to slow deep changes. His main ally will be the alienated liberal elite, which accepts democracy only when it works in favour of its own sheltered world. After all, decades of “fake news” and unfulfilled promises proliferated by various experts and photogenic public intellectuals have contributed to Trump’s victory. As long as his main enemies are CNN, Hollywood actresses and J-Lo, Trump does not have to worry too much about the fate of his ideas.

Will the EU be able to survive, as unprincipled and discordant as it is? (Giving Turks and Ukrainians hope of entering, then suddenly blocking them, etc.)

— The main problem of the EU, like in the case of the former Yugoslavia and the hectic Dayton Bosnia, is a lack of nationalist sentiment, which, I’m afraid, is a fatal shortcoming in a world where no one can escape only one thing – the nation state. It should not be forgotten that those who falsely present themselves as civic nations have actually just chosen to define “nation” in a different way. The West “gifted” the world the nation state, and now its core, via the EU, is trying to escape from this “cage” that it created. As Donald Trump would say, “I don't think so”.

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REPORT

VIRTUS philanthropy awards winners

VIRTUS PHILANTHROPY AWARDS he Trag Foundation gave out the VIRTUS philanthropy awards to companies, small and medium enterprises, and individuals who supported non-profit campaigns, or non-profit organizations working towards the common good and common interests in the most effective, most efficient, long-term manner. Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Ana Brnabić, the US Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Mr. Kyle Scott, and Deputy Head of the Delegation of the EU to Serbia, Mr. Oscar Benedict handed out the awards to the winners.

The Hemofarm Company is the recipient of the main award for contribution on the national level. KPMG won for its contribution to the local community, while the award for long-term partnership between business and non-profit sector went to Telekom Serbia.

Yumis from Niš won in the SME category, while the benefactor from Novi Pazar, Hido Muratović was the winner in the individual contribution to philanthropy category. President and founder of the Women’s Association Višnja, Ljiljana Nedeljković, ERSTE Bank and Ringier Axel Springer all won special awards.

VIRTUS award was founded in 2007, as the first and most important philanthropy award in Serbia. The award is given out with the goal of recognizing and publicly commending companies and individual benefactors that have been providing strategic support to development of communities thus giving the best possible example to other people. For the past ten years, through VIRTUS Award, the Trag Foundation has been promoting philanthropy in our country, and encouraging more companies and individuals to get involved in programmes and initiatives for the common good.

This year's VIRTUS award competition lasted from 10th October to 17th November, 2016. The VIRTUS award is given out in cooperation with the European Union, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), and the C. S. Mott Foundation.

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Danijela Simeunović, Telekom Srbija, Marija Bošković, Telekom Srbija, Željka Burgund, NADEL and Ivana Filipović, Telekom Srbija

James Thornley,CEO of KPMG.

Ronald Seeliger, CEO of Hemofarm and Vice President of STADA Group for South East Europe and Ana Brnabić, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government

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S HA S HI BI YA , MEET TA N G X I A N ZU

How China Uses Shakespeare to Promote its Own Bard There is flattery in friendship

Like many countries, China had a busy schedule of Shakespeare-themed celebrations in 2016, 400 years after his death. There were plays, lectures and even plans announced for the rebuilding of his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon, at Sanweng-upon-Min in Jiangxi province.

But as many organisers saw it, Shakespeare was just an excuse. Their main aim was to use the English bard to promote one of their own: Tang Xianzu. Whatever the West can do, their message was, China can do at least as well.

Tang is well known in China, though even in his home country he does not enjoy anything like the literary status of his English counterpart—he wrote far fewer works (four plays, compared with Shakespeare’s 37), and is not as quotable. But no matter. The timing was perfect.

Tang died in 1616, the same year as Shashibiya,

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TANG IS WELL KNOWN IN CHINA, THOUGH EVEN IN HIS HOME COUNTRY HE DOES NOT ENJOY ANYTHING LIKE THE LITERARY STATUS OF HIS ENGLISH COUNTERPART as Shakespeare is called in Chinese. President Xi Jinping described Tang as the “Shakespeare of the East” during a state visit to Britain in 2015.

The Ministry of Culture later organised a Tangthemed exhibition, comparing his life and works to those of Shakespeare. It has shown this in more than 20 countries, from Mexico to France.

The two playwrights would not have heard of each other: contacts between China and

Europe were rare at the time. But that has not deterred China’s cultural commissars from trying to weave a common narrative. A Chinese opera company created “Coriolanus and Du Liniang”, in which Shakespeare’s Roman general encounters an aristocratic lady from Tang’s best-known play, “The Peony Pavilion”.

The musical debuted in London, then travelled to Paris and Frankfurt. Last month Xinhua, an official news agency, released an animated music-video, “When Shakespeare meets Tang Xianzu”. Its lines, set bizarrely to a rap tune, include: “You tell love with English letters, I use Chinese ink to depict Eastern romance.”

The anniversary of Shakespeare’s death is now over, but officially inspired adulation of Tang carries on (a musical about him premiered in September in Fuzhou, his birthplace—see picture). Chinese media say that a recent hit song, “The New Peony Pavilion”, is likely to be performed at the end of this month on state television’s annual gala which is broadcast on the eve of the lunar new year. It is often described as the world’s most-watched television programme. Officials want to cultivate pride in Chinese literature, and boost foreign awareness of it. It is part of what they like to call China’s “soft power”.

Shakespeare’s works only began to take root in China after Britain defeated the Qing empire in the first Opium War of 1839-42. They were slow to spread. After the dynasty’s collapse in the early 20th century, Chinese reformers viewed the lack of a complete translation of his works as humiliating. Mao was less keen on him. During his rule, Shakespeare’s works were banned as “capitalist poisonous weeds”. Since then, however, his popularity has surged in tandem with the country’s growing engagement with the West.

Cong Cong, co-director of a recently opened Shakespeare Centre at Nanjing University, worries that without a push by the government, Tang might slip back into relative obscurity.

But Ms Cong says the “Shakespeare of the East” label does Tang a disservice by implying that Shakespeare is the gold standard for literature.

Tang worked in a very different cultural environment. That makes it difficult to compare the two directly, she says. Officials, however, will surely keep trying.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

Our first year is behind us

We would like to celebrate it with you On the Occasion of the 1st Anniversary of the Diplomacy&Commerce magazine, we will present the “Diplomacy & Commerce Awards� to individuals, organisations and companies.

On 16th March we will all celebrate this anniversary together, along with the awarding of the

to those who have contributed the most to ensuring all of these themes have come to life, and left a trail.

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I NTERVI EW

WELL-PAID PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED PEOPLE

Conflicts in companies are usually a result of inflexibility and lack of understanding from the other side

BILJANA EGIĆ

Certified NLP trainer

Ever since we were children, we’ve been hearing that we had to give it our best in order to have the life we wanted. To become the best version of oneself is something that we should all aspire to. Still, we live in a competitive world, and it often seems that our best is not enough.

Biljana Egić completed her postgraudate studies, majoring in international management and marketing, at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade. The first question that we have asked her is where did she get the idea to do what she does today work-wise?

— During my graduate and postgraduate studies, especially when I was studying at the Faculty of Economics and, generally, throughout my whole education, the system has been trying to teach us how to manage people, how to be a leader, how to organize people, processes and systems, how to control them, how to plan. But the system has never taught us how to manage ourselves, how to manage our own life, how to be the leader to yourself, how to organize and control yourself, and, lastly, how to plan your goals, and your life. It was this gap between what we have learned and our inner feeling that we are missing something when applying knowledge that prompted me to embark on a personal development path. I have gained a lot of experience from various training sessions that helped me to get to know and understand myself, and to implement what I have learned

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when working with other people.

The neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) was the love at first sight for me. Today, I am a certified NLP trainer, and a graduate of the Coaching Academy. These last two “titles” hold a much dearer place in my heart than those earned in academic world because they have given me an opportunity to acquire a wide variety of skills and techniques owing to which today I can help many other people to advance, and become the best version of themselves, and to fully grasp that this is something I want to do.

Is being an NLP trainer a classic job, or is it more of a lifestyle considering that it requires perpetual work on improving oneself, learning and adopting

to speak, people will recognize and feel that, and, once that happens, the best part of our job will disappear, namely we will not be able to help people to embark on the road of change, and to become a better version of themselves.

Which of the numerous projects you have participated in would you like to single out?

— While working for a foreign investment fund for eight years, I have participated in many projects, and have experienced and learned a lot.

I am very grateful for that part of my career because without it, I would have never understood what I wanted to and what I did not want to do.

As an HR professional in an international company, how do

WHEN WE LEARN THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO THE SAME REALITY AND WHEN WE TRULY UNDERSTAND THIS, WE BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE, AND FLEXIBILITY IS POWER new skills and work methods?

— As you have mentioned, this profession requires from us to constantly improve our knowledge and skills, to closely follow latest trends and techniques, and to continuously work on ourselves.

If you think that you have learned everything there is to be learned in this field, you are closing the door to acquiring new knowledge, and preventing yourself from advancing further. This is a sort of a lifestyle because if you are not living what you are preaching, so

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motivators, or rather what gives us joy in work, come from the sense of freedom, the internal need to be better at the job we do, and to feel purpose, or to feel that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. In addition to the basic NLP training sessions, I focus a lot on empowering internal motivators.

What are the most common problems that you have seen in managing conflicts in companies?

— Conflicts in companies are usually a result of inflexibility and lack of understanding from the other side. People have different understanding of the same event which often leads to conflict because each and every one of them thinks that their understanding of an event (thoughts – feelings – reactions) is the only one and the right one. When we learn that people have different reactions to the same reality, and when we truly understand this, we become more flexible, and flexibility is power.

you motivate people and what are your training sessions comprised of?

What advice would you give to working people for overcoming situations where they are unmotivated to work?

— In order to motivate people properly, the first and basic prerequisite is to pay them well. That is required but not sufficient. When people are not paid enough, their attention is geared solely towards the unhappiness they feel and towards meeting their basic needs.

All contemporary motivational theories are based on internal, not external motivators (which are salaries, bonuses, awards). Internal

— I always encourage people to go deep within themselves, to understand what it is that makes them happy, what kind of roles and activities bring them joy, and to make changes accordingly. If you are not motivated in your current job, find a new way of going about the same work duties, or find a new job. I always quote Winston Churchill: “To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often“.

DINE & WI NE

DELICACIES OF THE ADRIATIC SEA Days of Istria at Tata Mata restaurant from 22nd to 26th February, 2017

"CRACKERJACK" FOR TRADITIONAL DALMATIAN CUISINE Tata Mata Seafood restaurant and Wine Bar is located in one of the very few remaining pre-war villas with a garden in Dalmatinska 98 Street which use to belong to the renowned Serbian and Yugoslav film director and actor, Mata Milosevic.

In an effort to preserve his memory and show due respect

to his stature, we have come up with a title that contains his name and highlights the restaurant’s excellence –the real tata-mata - a Serbian slang word for “crackerjack” for the Adriatic cuisine.

By going for striking, but not showy, carefully selected décor, we wanted to continue nurturing the house’s authenticity and its pleasant and cozy atmosphere,

while bringing a bit of sea breeze to the very heart of Belgrade, and focusing on the most important detail – the Dalmatian food – which is actually the real star of our restaurant.

It is up to you to discover whether we have been successful in our ambitious plans. We are expecting you! Tata Mata – Seafood restaurant & Wine bar.

Well-known tastes and aromas of Istria from famous Rakovica crab to Istrian beef and vines will be served to all admirers of this refined cuisine. Lovers of the Istrian pasta called Pljukanci, and the widely popular fresh Istrian truffles and truffle-based delicacies are welcomed too.

The presentation of the indigenous local culinary delights in cooperation with the Istrian winemakers, including the Trapan Winery as a producer of the wines served at the restaurant, the Zigante Winery, and others which will be presenting their well-known and award-winning Malvasia and Terrano wines, will take place at the Tata Mata restaurant.

During the said period, the restaurant will have a special offer of the fish from the Adriatic, as well as serve a variety of shellfish, the Adriatic scampi, lobster, the well-known Rakovica crab indigenous to Istria, the Istrian pasta called Pljukanci, and the widely popular fresh Istrian truffles and truffle-based delicacies, all of which seasoned with the Istrian extra virgin olive oil.

The restaurant will also serve meals made with the Istrian beef (Boškarin), and the products of the Azri Company which is the only company in the world with a licence to produce the delicatessen made from this unique beef.

Welcome!

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COLUMN

CAREER STAGES – MY VERSION PART ONE

Photo: Đorđe Krstić

One of the best things I had a chance to learn at my previous company is the Lominger system of competencies and career development approach, which includes the classification of career stages

STEVAN VRANEŠ

Author, corporate affairs professional, blogger

It’s not that I think this system is fantastic for career development – it has its own flaws – but working with it, and having a chance to practice it, triggered a lot of thinking and contemplating on this topic. When you have to perform over 100 job interviews on the basis of competencies and work with your team members on 50+ career development plans, you definitely build some muscles in this area. That is, of course, if you honestly dedicate your time and energy to this topic.

But, of course, I will not tell you about Lominger. You can google it to learn more. Instead, I will give you my classification of career stages and what you should develop during each stage – from my own perspective. This is not scientifically based, of course; I don’t have any studies to support it. I only have 15 years of experience working with people, developing myself and others, and thinking about this topic more than any person should.

All my categories are related to tourism, in line with the concept that you should not be a tourist in your life, but preferably in your office.

STAGE ONE – HAPPY BACKPACKER

Landing your first job.

Everything is new and exciting: great expectations, interesting people, good or not-so-good bosses.

But you should not care too much!

Did you care how your hotel looked like when you were 16?

Enjoy this stage as much as possible. Try everything! But, most im-

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portantly, establish good connections with your peers. This is the best thing you can do at this stage.

Several people from my first serious job are still part of my closest network and my big support. There is something emotional about a first job, almost as it is with a first love or a first drunken night out.

The most important things to learn at this stage are: to accept feedback and criticism, establish working relationships, fight for your ideas and have fun in the office.

Don’t stay in this job too long – a year or two at the most.

STAGE TWO – ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

You’ll probably get your second job by accident. You are still not brave enough to start looking for

the time! You are not an absolute beginner, so your learning curve can be very fast.

At this stage it would be very beneficial to have a very good boss; a mentor from whom you can learn a lot and who can guide you through your first major challenges.

The most important things to learn at this stage are: to sell! Sell what you do, sell to clients, sell yourself! Also, start developing your leadership skills: motivating people, leading teams, developing projects yourself… It’s very important to do something on your own at this stage. Feel what it is like when you are fully responsible for something.

When to leave this stage? In many cases, once again, this is not just your decision. However, it’s

ACCEPT FEEDBACK AND CRITICISM, ESTABLISH WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, FIGHT FOR YOUR IDEAS AND HAVE FUN IN THE OFFICE other options and you still don’t have enough experience for headhunters to come calling. So, this second stage will run into you when you don’t expect it. What should you do?

Raise your profile, not for one stage, but for two! Instead of arriving in your new environment as a modest person with limited experience (which might be true), try pushing yourself in a way that people gain the maximum respect for you and perceive you as someone who is more important than you actually are.

And work your arse off! Now is

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definitely easier to leave before you get too attached to a certain working environment and people.

Sometimes a place you arrived in by accident becomes so comfy that you don’t want to leave, even when you realise it’s not good for you.

STAGE THREE – BUSINESS GLOBETROTTER

Once you’ve learned how to sell and gained some experience, expertise and, hopefully, some success, it’s time to find a bigger and different stage. Ideally, this would mean going somewhere abroad to work: experience a lot

of business travelling, attend conferences and meetings all over the region/world… I have never fully done that. I did some international projects and spent two years traveling around Central and Eastern Europe, but I never moved somewhere else to live.

This is important, because you can test yourself with this new beginning. You are not inexperienced anymore, but the new market will nullify the benefits of the network that you have built, your knowledge of the marketplace, onephone-call solutions etc. This is a great test for you as a professional – to benchmark yourself and see how far you can progress.

The most important things to learn at this stage are: to manage complex projects in different cultures, assess people quickly on the basis of what you see and not what you know about them, give presentations in front of important audiences in a foreign language, and balance your personal and professional life – it’s very easy in an expat role to destroy your personal life, no matter how old you are or what your family status is. Here it is essential to polish your communications skills.

Stay in this role until you run out of energy for it, because it tends to be fun but also exhausting. Unless you have this in your blood – in which case you don’t need to read Part 2 of this article in the next issue. You will remain a business globetrotter forever.

In the next issue you will read about the next three stages: Weekend Home Tourist, Japanese Tourist and Cruise Ship Tourist!

REPORTAGE Text: ROBERT ČOBAN

CARIBBEAN CRUISE: ARUBA, JAMAICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND BAHAMAS Will the collapse of Chavez’s legacy sink the Dutch tropical paradise in the Caribbean?

“Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya, to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama...” these are famous lyrics from the Beach Boys’ 1988 song “Kokomo”.

The Island of Kokomo, of course, doesn’t exist, but of the aforementioned four island nations, three were included in our cruise’s tour programme.

What is less known is that several more or less successful parodies on “Kokomo” have been created with the title “Kosovo”, the most effective version of is which certainly the one by Norwegian group “Shiptare Boys”, which is composed of idle UN troops in Kosovo and which includes, among others, the verse: “Ooh so now we're helping out in Kosovo We'll kick some ass And then we'll see how it goes And then we really don't know Good luck to Kosovo!”

Anyone who’s interested can see it on Youtube, while we set off

on the MSC Divina from the Port of Miami on the day when a crazed former member of the Alaska National Guard randomly shot and killed five innocent people at the airport in the nearby Fort Lauderdale. This was just another small reminder of the world in which we live, before we embarked on our

ally attractive waterfalls of Dunn’s River. A few of them went to visit the infamous Kingston Town, the capital of this island nation, whose official head of state is still Queen Elizabeth II, and even fewer went to the village of Nine Miles in the heart of the island, far from the sea and sandy beaches. This village is

THE FESTIVAL CONTINUES TO THIS DAY, WHILE THE ENTRANCE TICKET IS A CAN OF FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS cruise through the idyllic waters of the Caribbean Sea described in the songs of the Beach Boys.

“A ROCK WAS MY PILLOW”

After a day spent at sea, on the Sunday we docked at the Cruise Terminal of Ocho Rios (Eight Rivers) in Jamaica. Most people experience this island as a tropical paradise for American tourists, which a good part of Jamaica is, so passengers mainly choose to bask on beaches or climb around the re-

the birthplace (1945) and burial site (1981) of Bob Marley, undoubtedly one of the most famous musicians of the 20th century.

In short? In the village everyone is stoned and they all offer you marijuana, or at least tea and cakes made from the same substance!

Literally everyone: the taxi driver who drove us, the workers in the mausoleum, traders on the market, it would seem even the local police.

The mausoleum where Bob Marley (36) and his mother (81) are

buried is completely spectacular.

Marley was born a Catholic, though he later became a Rastafarian (the religion that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s, following the coronation of Haile Selassie as Emperor of Ethiopia), only for him to be baptised a year before his death by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, so the singer died as an Orthodox believer... Elements of all three religions, pictures of Haile Selassie, a football (he loved football, especially Pele) can all be seen in this small mausoleum. In the ground of the courtyard is a rock painted in the colourful Rastafarian colours. The aforementioned piece of rock served Marley as a pillow which he used for sleeping when he wanted to gain inspiration – “a rock was my pillow”.

Bob Marley’s mother, Cedella, who is also buried in the mausoleum, remarried an American and moved to the United States. In Miami in 1993 she established the “Nine Mile Music Festival”, dedicated, of course, to reggae music.

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I NTERVI EW problems of little Aruba in the warm waters of the Caribbean may seem funny, but for me they say that the world has become so globally connected that there virtually doesn’t exist a corner of the planet that is completely safe from, and independent of, developments in other countries and regions.

We spent only half a day on Aruba, so the tour of the capital - Oranjestad - and its surroundings was “fast-paced”, but the inspired taxi driver compensated for everything with the thousands of pieces information that he showered on us in those few hours.

As we walked along the coast to the left of the harbour, we saw a boat with divers anchored a hundred metres from the shore.

An explanation followed - down there is a German merchant ship, “SS Antilla”, which was sunk here by its captain, Ferdinand Schmidt, in 1940, because he did not want to hand it over to the Dutch. What actually happened?

On 28th August 1939, four days

"Antilla" capitain Ferdinand Schmidt

ships. When the Dutch patrol boat approached the SS Antilla, Captain Schmidt refused to allow them to board the ship and ordered the crew to set fire to the ship and sink it. A few hours later, the ship was at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and the crew of 35 sailors was interned, first on Bonaire and then under (secure) British hands in Jamaica, where they remained until the end of the war.

The epilogue of this entire story is that the wreck of the SS Antilla is today one of the most attractive places to dive, while captain Schmidt returned to Aruba, where he married a local girl and his grandson married the daughter of our taxi driver.

The excellent local beer is called “Balashi”, the beaches are, of course, excellent, and some of my Belgrade friends who go there every year say that the nightlife is even better, but we didn’t have the opportunity to check that out for ourselves, as the ship set off towards the Dominican Republic at two in the afternoon.

The festival continues to this day, while the entrance ticket is a can of food for the homeless.

Bob Marley had 12 children.

The youngest, Makeda, was born on 30th May 1981, 19 days after his father’s death.

GERMAN SHIP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA

After Jamaica, the ship headed south, towards the Netherlands Antilles.

Aruba, a Caribbean island with 100,000 inhabitants that forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is located just 60 miles from the coast of Venezuela, a country of 30 million. Aruba lives from tourism, while Venezuela was hit hard by the economic crisis and is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. So far, 30,000 refugees have managed to reach Aruba by boat, but others are still being prevented by ships of the Dutch coastguard... Penalties for illegal employment are draconian for employers, ensuring that nobody dare offer work to refugees. A taxi driver tells us that they have started picking the pockets of tourists on the beaches, “but there are still not violent” ... Aruba’s inhabitants receive free schooling and healthcare. If they need organ transplants, the state pays for them to be sent to Houston, Miami or the Netherlands ... Will falling oil prices and

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THERE IS A GERMAN MERCHANT SHIP, “SS ANTILLA”, WHICH WAS SUNK HERE BY ITS CAPTAIN, FERDINAND SCHMIDT, IN 1940 the collapse of Chavez’s legacy in Venezuela drag this Dutch tropical paradise down with it, and turn it into the Caribbean Lampedusa?

One friend of mine from Bosnia decided to spread this statement of mine on Facebook, commenting wittily and sarcastically: “Yeah, shit in Aruba!”. From the perception of Bosnia or Serbia, the (potential)

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prior to Hitler’s attack on Poland and the formal start of World War II, all German merchant ships around the world were given a coded command to find some German port within four days or, of that was not possible, to move to some port of a “neutral country”.

Loaded with 3,000 tonnes of sulphur, the SS Antilla sought refuge in the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). With the Curaçao port of Willemstad already full, the ship headed for Aruba and landed its cargo there.

On 10th May the next year, Germany attacked the Netherlands and an order arrived for all Dutch overseas territories to confiscate all German

Bob Marley

WHAT EVIAN & SOUZA HAVE IN COMMON

The city of La Romana in the Dominican Republic, where we docked, has little to offer apart from a solid beach in the area and the local “Presidente” beer. As such, I will use this opportunity to address some other episodes related to the history of this country.

Less than two years ago we were guests in the Dominican Republic home of Rebecca MacDonald, one of the richest and most powerful Serbs in the Diaspora, who has lived in Canada for forty years and owns a large company specialising in the distribution of gas. Rebecca’s

house is near the coastal town of Souza, which was little known to the general public until the tourist boom of the 1980s.

What links the Dominican Republic town of Souza to the small French town of Evian? Namely, a conferenced was organised in Evian in 1938, with the aim of Western countries reaching agreement on how many Jewish refugees they could accept from Germany and Austria, where racially discriminatory laws had already made life unbearable for Jews. All of the participating countries were quite reserved regarding quotas, with only the Dominican Republic’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo, generously “chopping” the quota of 100,000 Jews, giving them 110 square kilometres of land near the village Souza for them to settle and begin producing dairy products. A total

“THIRD-CLASS BRITISH COLONY”

“A third-class British colony” is how the Bahamas was dubbed

by Prince Edward, who was the governor of the islands from 1940 to 1945. After abdicating from the British throne in 1936, because of his desire to marry American double-divorcee Wallis Simpson, Prince Edward, the uncle of current

its nominal head of state.

Immediately beside the harbour is a square with the Parliament of The Bahamas. An impressive exhibition has been set up there to mark the 50th anniversary of the first elections in the Bahamas, when the “majority started to rule”, finally. Independence was declared six years later. Alongside dozens of photos of women and men from

A THIRD-CLASS BRITISH COLONY” IS HOW THE BAHAMAS WAS DUBBED BY PRINCE EDWARD of only 800 of them arrived. They raised the Dominican dairy industry and taught local residents to make cheese and other dairy products. Their descendants still live in Souza today.

Although Trujillo is considered an infamous dictator, it is estimated that his Jewish settlers advanced the country, much like the Spanish Sephardim Jews were broadly accepted in 1492 by Turkish sultan Bayazid II, who allowed them to settle all over the Ottoman Empire, which thereby received overnight a large number of craftsmen, doctors, pharmacists, bankers and various other professions that were lacking.

Trujillo also generously received other immigrants – Japanese nationals and refugees from the Spanish Civil War. It is believed that he did all of this in order to increase the percentage of white people in his country. His dictatorship is remembered for his repression of political opponents and one film on that topic, “In the Time of the Butterflies”, starring Salma Hayek in the lead role, recounts the fate of the Mirabal sisters, who Trujillo had assassinated in 1960.

Trujillo was murdered in 1961 in an ambush by rebels determined to topple his regime in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

on the skyway that connects the hotel’s two buildings. If we consider that cheapest room costs $400 a night and that the hotel is almost always fully booked throughout the year – and has a casino, convention centre, restaurants and other sources of income – it is not difficult to calculate the gigantic business behind this complex, which is owned by 81-year-old South African hotel mogul Sol Kerzner.

Seven years ago we visited South Africa’s Sun City and stayed in his unreal hotel “Palace of the Lost World”, which really resembles an oversized palace from bygone times. Sol Kerzner, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, expanded the hotel business of his parents, who maintained a chain of kosher hotels. The whole project of the “African Las Vegas”, a gamblers’ paradise called Sun City in the heart of South Africa, is his own work, and it even prompted the apartheid regime in Pretoria to declare the area of Bophuthatswana an independent state, in order for gambling and Left: Prince Edward and Wallis Simpson Down: Aruba

British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, spent time in Paris and was also a frequent guest in Germany. Due to his closeness to the Nazis, the government of Winston Churchill and the prince’s younger brother, King George, decided to separate him from Europe and send him to the Bahamas, which Edward, who was accustomed to glamorous European parties, from Paris to Estoril, was not overly thrilled about.

Since 1973 the Bahamas has been an independent country, though the British Queen remains

the islands who were independence fighters stands a monument to Queen Victoria, who personifies that which those depicted in the photographs fought against. This is like placing monuments to Franz Joseph and Gavrilo Princip next to one another. But in the Bahamas that is completely normal.

A ten-minute taxi ride leads to the Hotel Atlantis, which has been a trademark of the island since it opened in 1998. This hotel has as many as 3,805 rooms, five luxury suites and one “Super apartment”

prostitution to be legalised on its territory, in Sun City.

After opening the Hotel Atlantis in the Bahamas, Kerzner opened “Atlantis, The Palm”, on the artificial island in the shape of palm trees in Dubai, in 2008, prior to the start of the global economic crisis.

The Bahaman “Atlantis” is, thus, a magnet for hundreds of thousands of tourists annually, who come to gamble, swim or just take pictures in this attractive setting that is just a 45-minute flight from Miami.

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CALENDAR & NEWS BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

PHILHARMANIA 3 Feb 9, 20:00

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloist: Giovani Sollima, violoncello

Concert hall

CONCERT PROGRAMME February 2017 Saturday, 18th at 20.00 Concert Hall

Cycle: Music Workshop Music Academy Student Concert Production: Music Gallery Admission free

Sunday, 26th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Conductor: Predrag Gosta (USA/ Serbia) Soloist: Evelin Berezovsky, piano Programme: Rachmaninoff, Aleksandar Simić, Makris, Weber

Wednesday, 22nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

Stanislav Binički Artist Ensemble of The Ministry of Defense Pavle Krstić, piano Conductor: Pavle Medaković Programme: Beethoven Production: Music Centre Admission free

NEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MAKRIS

CHOPIN FEST

Piano recital – Dmitry Shishkin (Russia) Laureate of The International

Sunday, 19th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Gabriel Feltz

FOR ADVENTURERS 3 Feb 10, 20:00

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloist: Giovani Sollima, violoncello Giovani Sollima

THE PHILHARMONIC THEATRE 3 Feb 23, 19:00

Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

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KOLARAC

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CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Chamber Opera Orchestra Osijek Mozart: Cosi Fan Tutte/ Concert performance Production: Music Centre Admission free Tuesday, 21st at 18.00 Music Gallery

FOUNDATION LAZA KOSTIĆ Marina Milić Radović, piano Programme: J.S.Bach, E. Granados, S. Rachmaninoff, V. Mokranjac, F. Chopin, F. Schubert Admission free

Tuesday, 21st at 21.00 Music Gallery Frosina Bogdanoska, violin Sonja Radojković, piano Programme: G. Tartini, E. Ysaye, B. Bartok , C. Saint-Saëns Admission free Wednesday, 22nd at 18.00 Music Gallery

Frederick Chopin Competition in Warshaw 2015 and finalist of The International Competition Queen Elizabeth 2016 Friday, 24th at 18.00 Music Gallery

Sunday, 26th at 20.00 Concert Hall

THE ST. SIMEON'S DAY ACADEMY

QUARTET MAKRIS

Production: Dobročinstvo Free Tickets – Dobročinstvo Agency

Saturday, 25th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Monday, 27th at 18.00 Music gallery

How to Listen to a Concert Host: Miloš Milovanović How to listen to Chopin Production: Music Centre 200

Jelena Stojković, piano Sebastian Caspar, violin Production: Music Centre Admission free

SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON

CYCLE: ENCOUNTER WITH AN ARTIST

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