Diplomacy and Commerce No.16 by Diplomacy&Commerce magazine

July / August 2019 | ISSUE No. 16 | FREE COPY

www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr 9772466380002

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IS A FICTITIOUS COUNTRY, THE COUNTRY ON PAPER STEVEN MEYER

Former CIA Deputy Chief for the Balkans

12 JULY

THE BASTILLE DAY MARKED IN ZAGREB

WRITING FOR YOURSELF – LITERATURE IN 280 CHARACTERS SANJA ČANAK – RAIČ Twitter Writer

THE NATO MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES GREATER SECURITY FOR OUR COUNTRY ZORAN ZAEV

Prime Minister of North Macedonia

OUR AIM IS PAPERLESS DOCUMENT DRAŽEN BOŠNJAKOVIĆ Justice Minister

THE SUBJECTS OF MÜNCHAUSEN, LENIN AND SHERIFF Reportage by Robert Čoban

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IS OUR COMMON GOAL H.E. RISTO PIIPPONEN

Ambassador of Finland to Croatia

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

Chernobyl, 33 Years Later The planetary success of the HBO series "Chernobyl" triggered numerous debates whether such a catastrophe could have occurred only in a closed socialist system like the USSR in the 1980s. Is such a thing possible in capitalism, in the "free world" in which, as Fukuyama said "the end of history" happened? Is the same possible today? Many who watched the series forgot the tragic events involving the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. Although there weren’t as many casualties, there were similar attempts to cover up the cause of this catastrophe. Just like 33 years ago, all big countries and all major corporations today are trying to hide problems in their functioning, at the cost of causing tragedies and a large number of human casualties. Is it possible that, in the digital era and the era of social media when news circles the globe in matter of a few seconds, one can quickly rebut news without communist secretaries or the heads of NASA, the FBI and the CIA putting a stop to it? At a time when an employee of some other ‘Chernobyl’ can take photos or film his superior giving him orders leading directly to a disaster? Numerous events in the past few years have demonstrated that no matter how much has technology progressed and changed our lives, human nature remained the same as in 1986, when, one day in April, pressing a button at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin nuclear power plant put a whole continent into a huge peril because of which millions of people suffered decades later. Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth are not just the "seven mortal sins" based on which many Hollywood thrillers were filmed. Each of these "deadly sins" combined with modern technology and unfortunate circumstances can still bring the world to the brink of cataclysm.

DRAŽEN BOŠNJAKOVIĆ

GORAN ZARIĆ

OUR AIM IS PAPERLESS DOCUMENT Justice Minister

FAKE DEMOCRATS EASTERN EUROPE LIBERATING Politics by Želimir Maraš

THE NATO MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES GREATER SECURITY FOR OUR COUNTRY ZORAN ZAEV

Prime Minister of North Macedonia

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IS OUR COMMON GOAL H.E. RISTO PIIPPONEN

ROBERT ČOBAN

Ambassador of Finland to Croatia

Director

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IS A FICTITIOUS COUNTRY, THE COUNTRY ON PAPER www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr

Former CIA Deputy Chief for the Balkans

BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ Executive director

boban@diplomacyandcommerce.hr

RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ Magazine director

TANJA BANKOVIĆ Editor-in-chief

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

SVEN DARRER Advertising manager 091 766 5479, 091 377 4358

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STEVEN MEYER

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THE POWER OF TRUTH IS IN EMOTIONS Resonant Voices Initiative (RVI) in the Western Balkans

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2019 IN CROATIA: A RHETORICAL APPROACH JAGODA POROPAT DARRER

Business Communications Professional

WRITING FOR YOURSELF – LITERATURE IN 280 CHARACTERS SANJA ČANAK – RAIČ Twitter Writer

THE SUBJECTS OF MÜNCHAUSEN, LENIN AND SHERIFF Reportage by Robert Čoban

BRANDING AFTER BRANDING DANIJEL KOLETIĆ CEO of Apriori World

CRISIS IN KHARTOUM

How to Stop Sudan Sliding Into War A fragile state may disintegrate unless its factions are made to talk

The burst of optimism in Sudan did not last long. In April, after months of mass protests, a tyrant was deposed. President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for 30 years, was ousted in a bloodless coup. No one was sorry to see him go. Mr Bashir had unleashed genocide in the western region of Darfur, his violent oppression drove the southern third of his vast country to secede, and he presided over a regime of exceptional cruelty and avarice. Alas, the joyful crowds who gathered in Khartoum to serenade his departure and paint their faces the colours of the Sudanese flag have been tragically let down. The Transitional Military Council, a junta that took over, has no intention of holding free or fair elections, as the crowds demand. To underline this point, on June 3rd a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started slaughtering peaceful protesters. They shot and killed at least 100, probably far more. Some were thrown howling from bridges. Since then the RSF, which grew out of the Janjaweed, a militia notorious for village-burning in Darfur, has terrorised the capital. Militiamen barge into shops and steal goods. Both men and women are raped. The clear aim is to intimidate civilians into giving up hope of a say in who rules them. The junta, however, is far from united. The RSF reports to Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, its deputy head, a warlord who goes by the nickname Hemedti. Although theoretically junior to the junta’s chairman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Mr Dagalo has become the most powerful man in Sudan. By letting his hired killers rampage through Khartoum, he appears to be signalling that he wants to be president, and will deal firmly with anyone who gets in his way. Other members of the junta are unhappy with this. Officers of the regular army are hostile to Mr Dagalo’s ambitions and furious that an

ill-disciplined militia is looting the capital. This divide risks descending into civil war. Sudan is a mosaic of feuds. One ended when the mostly non-Muslim and black African south split from the Muslim and Arab-dominated north in 2011. But South Sudan took most of the oil, leaving less cash for Khartoum to buy off the many northern factions. Mr Bashir stayed on top for

Outsiders complicate the picture still further. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) support the junta and have promised it $3bn in cash. But within the junta they back different forces. Egypt supports the army, perhaps because Egypt’s president is also an army man. Egypt wants stability and hates the idea of a bloodthirsty militia with Islamist ties ruling its neighbour. Saudi Ara-

SUDAN IS WOBBLING ON A CLIFF-EDGE ABOVE AN INFERNO. A CONCERTED INTERNATIONAL EFFORT MIGHT JUST PULL IT BACK FROM THE BRINK. IT WOULD BE UNFORGIVABLE NOT TO TRY three decades by setting these factions against each other. Hoping to coup-proof his regime, he divided power between the army, the RSF and the intelligence service. All now dislike and distrust one another. In April, when Mr Bashir ordered the intelligence services to fire on protesters and clear the streets, soldiers of the regular army protected the crowds. To prevent a civil war, the generals teamed up with Mr Dagalo to depose Mr Bashir. Now they are falling out.

bia and the UAE, by contrast, back Mr Dagalo with guns and money, because his militia has provided thousands of foot soldiers for their pointless war in Yemen. Pro-democracy demonstrations keep breaking out in Sudan, despite the regime’s repression. Discipline in the armed forces is said to be breaking down: soldiers are demanding weapons to protect Khartoum from the RSF. Some predict open war or even a Syrian-style implosion that sucks in

outside powers. To avert such a disaster, Sudan needs a power-sharing agreement, led by civilians but with representatives of the armed forces—an arrangement that worked reasonably well after a revolution in Burkina Faso in 2014. Outsiders should press for it. The African Union has made a good start by suspending Sudan and threatening sanctions on Sudanese military chiefs unless they hand over to civilians. The United States needs to persuade its Gulf allies and Egypt that they share a common interest in keeping Sudan stable (not least to keep out their regional rivals, Iran, Qatar and Turkey). The Trump administration should urge them to set aside their differences and work together to defuse the time-bomb in Khartoum. Donors should be poised to help any plausible effort to move towards election and civilian rule. Sudan is wobbling on a cliffedge above an inferno. A concerted international effort might just pull it back from the brink. It would be unforgivable not to try. From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

INTERVIEW

Our Aim is Paperless Document I want an effective, modern and fast judiciary that uses all modern aids and technological capabilities. This is a way to expedite the justice system, making it effective and make full use of the potentials available to us

DRAŽEN BOŠNJAKOVIĆ Justice Minister

„We cannot work now the same way we did 10 years ago if we want an efficient, modern and fast judiciary,“ says Justice Minister, Dražen Bošnjaković, whose ministry has been implementing numerous technological innovations and contemporary tools, and adds: „We have achieved a lot in this segment. However, changes do not happen overnight, they take time. " To what extent is the judiciary at the level that you, as the line

minister, would want it to be?

— We have merged municipal and misdemeanour courts and the main objectives of this newly created network of judicial bodies were to increase the efficiency of the work of the judicial bodies, to harmonize their workload, to shorten the duration of court proceedings, to reduce the number

of unsolved cases and to ensure unified and full utilization of all human resources in the system. By merging 24 municipal and 22 misdemeanour courts and increasing the number of towns with courts in order to bring justice closer to citizens, we have reduced the total number of courts from 46 to 34.

WE ARE CARRYING OUT FURTHER DIGITIZATION OF THE JUDICIARY BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE A FASTER, BETTER AND MORE UP-TO-DATE JUDICIARY, THAT IS A PAPERLESS JUDICIARY

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We have also bolstered the role of permanent services outside the court seat. The President of the Court is obliged to arrange for a hearing in permanent services outside the Court's seat. Before, people had to come to the court seat, which created additional costs for them. We will make the biggest step forward in expediting the proceedings when we digitize the judiciary. Last year, we fulfilled the prerequisites for e-filing feature to become fully functional at commercial courts, which means that electronic communication between judges, attorneys and forensic examiners was established. We are carrying

out further digitization of the judiciary because I want it to be faster, better and more up-to-date; that is a paperless judiciary. When I was in Portugal, I was in a courtroom that had only microphones and screens; everything was recorded and stored electronically. Estonia is in a similar situation. I can say that we are on the right path with digitization. We have also launched very important infrastructure projects. We are building an additional floor on the building that houses a court in Dubrovnik. In Split, after finding out that a part of the Municipal Court in Dračevac was inadequate, we decided to refurbish a part of the Standa building in the town centre for this purpose. In Zadar, where the court shared its building with the police, we decided that together we are going to refurbish another building that the police can use so that the court will remain in the existing building. In Šibenik, we will refurbish an attic, spanning 2,000 square meters. Also, we are building a new land registry in Zagreb. We are going to launch a tender soon and are currently drafting the documents pertaining to the refurbishment of

For instance, we are aligning the Criminal Procedure Law with Directive 2016/1919 on legal aid for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings and for requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings and the Juvenile Justice Law with Directive 2016/800 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings. Are you satisfied with the percentage of statues of limitations in court proceedings?

WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING E-FILING AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION FIRST AT COMMERCIAL COURTS BECAUSE THEY ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR THE ECONOMY the Justice Palace, the biggest municipal civil court. Furthermore, we are constructing a new building in Bjelovar where we signed a co-financing agreement with the local self-government. The process of harmonization with the EU Acquis is ongoing.

Which direction is the harmonization taking?

— During the accession process, we had to harmonize all our laws with the EU Acquis, but as the EU legislation is dynamic, we also harmonize our national legislation with the Acquis by incorporating their directives into our legislation.

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— I'm unhappy even if we have one statute of limitation. At the end of 2016, the share of statutes of limitations in criminal cases in relation to the number of criminal cases settled at municipal courts was 0.20%, and at county courts, it was 0.93%. At the end of 2018, the share of statutes of limitations at municipal courts was 0.23%, and at county courts 0.4%. The percentage of statutes of limitations has been decreasing year-on-year. I will be satisfied only when we have no statutes of limitations in our courts. How much can modern technology speed up procedures

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and contribute to making better decisions?

— Our goal is to have a paperless document. Last year, we fulfilled the prerequisites for e-filing feature to become fully functional at commercial courts, which means that electronic communication between judges, attorneys and forensic examiners was established. Some people have already started using this, some haven't. However, the Civil Procedure Law now makes it mandatory to use this feature and thus creates the conditions for e-filing first at municipal courts and then the others. Whenever I meet with judges I ask them about their experiences with using the speech-to-text system. Their reactions are very good. We have secured funds for this purpose from the European Social Fund and last year, we distributed about 800 of speech-to-text units to courts and state attorneys. In some places the units are used in hearings, but they are mostly for writing judgments. These devices are somewhat personalized because they get accustomed to the way the user speaks and their memory is supplemented with legal terminology. Judges are very pleased with them because they expedite the writing of judgments which they now dictate into the unit. If we manage to meet the prerequisites for using these devices at hearings, that would save a lot of time because the current procedure is such that the hearing is heard out in its entirety, then a judge reproduces it, then a court reporter writes everything down and then there is a debate whether everything that was written down has been credibly recorded. With the use of the aforementioned units, none of this is needed. How much does digitization help judiciary to be more efficient, both in regard to their dealing with ordinary citizens and businesses? The legal system is one of the keys to attracting foreign investors.

HE PURPOSE OF THE NEW DISTRAINT LAW IS TO MAKE THE ENFORCEMENT PROCESS EFFICIENT, MODERN AND ECONOMICAL WHILE ENSURING BALANCED PROTECTION OF THE DEBTOR'S DIGNITY — We started implementing e-filing and electronic communication first at commercial courts because they are incredibly important for the economy. But, there are also important changes to the Company Law that allow the establishment of a company, both single-member and limited liability companies, remotely, by filling out an electronic form. This is a major step forward under the auspices of the Start project which is implemented by the Ministry of Economy with the goal of facilitating a faster and simpler entry into the business world. Judicial pundits were quite focused on the public debate about the Distraint Law. What core changes does this law bring?

— The purpose of the new Distraint

Law is to make the enforcement process efficient, modern and economical while ensuring balanced protection of the debtor's dignity, which will be achieved through the seven proposed measures. One of the major changes is that courts are now in charge of enforcement proceedings, that is the court jurisdiction is now a rule, and notaries have become trustees serving the court in order for the proceedings to be done faster, thus making sure that the judgements regarding the enforcement proceedings are in accordance with the EU Acquis. Enforcement proceedings are now modernized thanks to electronic communication between the bodies involved in the process and the use of prescribed forms, which at the same time, reduces

and simplifies the procedure. The level of the debtor protection is increased in such a way that after two unsuccessful attempts at serving the enforcement papers, they are delivered through the bulletin board and, at the same time, the debtor is sent notice to their ordinary mailbox and the personal e-citizen mailbox. This ensures that debtors are duly informed of the proceedings against them. One of other novelties is that, before making the decision on the enforcement on the basis of a credible document, the notary public will summon the debtor and inform them about their obligations and the possibilities of negotiating with the creditor in order to avoid extra costs. The important thing is that this reduces the costs of proceedings and eliminates the costs associated with obtaining a clause of validity because the clause is now issued automatically. Also, there is a new rule that the debtor cannot be thrown out of the property in which they live during winter, i.e. from early November to early April, and that the limit on claims, which is subject to enforcement proceedings on the property in which the debtor resides that is not permitted, increases to the amount of HRK 40,000. Also, the scope of income that is exempt from enforcement settlement includes Christmas bonuses, holiday allowance, per diems, social benefits and other income which employees receive in addition to basic wages. What are the Ministry's most important projects in the upcoming period?

— Our most important projects are further digitization because we are aiming for a paperless document, the establishment of the High Criminal Court and amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law, the Criminal Code and the Domestic Violence Law so that we can introduce stricter penalties and thus send a message to everyone.

EDUCATION TAILOR-MADE TO CURRENT NEEDS OF THE JUDICIARY How much can the Judicial Academy help in education? — Educating judges is very important and the Judicial Academy is an extremely important institution because at the academy judicial officials can discuss all important issues. We recently adopted amendments to the Judicial Academy Law, whereby the concept of the Judicial Academy, as the central body for the education of judicial officials and their lifelong education, remains as unchanged, while the new draft law proposes that the management of the

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Academy should be done more efficiently, while the Programme Council, a body that oversees the programme implementation, will be able to adapt the programme to certain individual, but generally more to the current needs of the judiciary judiciary. This marks the establishment of the most important institute – the Programme Council – where our judicial officials will be able to talk about verdicts passed by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of the European Union and adapt its programme to the current methods in the judiciary.

NATIONAL DAYS

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

JULY

ANTE VLAHOVIĆ

Adris Group

The Supervisory Board of the Adris Group has extended the term of the Chairman of its Managing Board, Ante Vlahović to last by the year-end, while Roberto Škopac was appointed a new member of the Managing Board, after resigning as a member of the Supervisory Board. Changes in the Managing and Supervisory Board

of the Adris Group were announced after the recently held main assembly session at which it was decided that Ante Vlahović, a longtime CEO of the company, will become a member of the company’s Supervisory Board, as of the beginning of next year.

PERU

National Day

MOROCCO National Day

AUGUST

SWEDEN

Confederation Day

ORTH N MACEDONIA

VITOMIR KLASIĆ President of the Economic Council of Zagreb’s Chamber

Up until 2019, Klasić was a proprietor and director general of the successful company Ivanićplast d.o.o. In March this year, Bemis Manufacturing Group took over Ivanićplast d.o.o. Since 2012, Klasnić was the vice president of the Economic Council of Zagreb’s Chamber of Economy, and as of 2017, he has

National Day

been a member of the Croatian Chamber of Economy. In the same year, he became a member of the Executive Board of the Chemical Industry Association at the HUP (Croatian Employers’ Union), and in the period from 2011 to 2016, he was Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Pevec d.o.o.

JAMAICA

Independence Day

ECUADOR National Day

H.E. CORINNE MEUNIER AND H.E. PHILIPPE MEUNIER French Ambassador’s term expires

French ambassadors H.E. Corinne Meunier and H.E. Philippe Meunier have been jointly accredited in the Republic of Croatia and alternately performed their duties every six months. From 1st January to 30th June 2019, M. Meunier held the post of Ambassador of the Republic of France to the Republic of Croatia. In August this year, a new French Ambassador will be appointed in Croatia.

PAKISTAN

Independence Day

INDONESIA

Independence Day

UKRAINE

Independence Day

MALAYSIA National Day

SEPTEMBER

H.E. DR ANDREAS WIEDENHOFF

SLOVAKIA

Austrian Ambassador’s term expires

Constitution Day

The term of the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Croatia, H.E. Dr Andreas Wiedenhoff has expired, with the new Austrian ambassador expected to be inaugurated this summer. Ambassador Wiedenhoff, who is an experienced diplomat, will continue his career in Vienna for the time being.

SAN MARINO Republic Day

BRAZIL

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MEXICO

National Day

In print and online.

CHILE

Independence Day

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ARMENIA

Independence Day

POLITICS

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Fake Democrats Eastern Europe liberating

The recent political turmoil in Moldova, and the election of new, more liberal presidents in Slovakia and Ukraine respectively, are a good sign for the eastern continent, which at one point was drowning in the swamp of fake democrats that destroyed the rule of law. Of course, this does not apply to Slovakia, which, although somewhat more conservative, is part of the EU and a prosperous country which sees itself as a member of the Visegrad Group and the bridge between the East and the West. In fact, it is very interesting to see how Slovakia perceives itself as a Eurasian country, which could be the link between Central Europe and the Western understanding of reality combined with the Eastern European, much more turbulent comprehension of everything that is happening. Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Kazakhstan are excellent examples of how democracy can take various forms, not just the "Jeffersonian" one. The latest in a series of turbulent events took place in Moldova. Namely, in February this year, Moldova had a parliamentary election with nobody winning the majority of votes. For a long time, it was not possible to build a coalition that would have 51 out of 101 seats. And then, in an unusual turn of events, the Socialist Party, led by Igor Dodon, a Ukrainian native whose mother language is Russian and who is an advocate of closer relations with Russia and

the Eurasian Union (of which Moldova is the only affiliate member, or rather, an observer), has formed an alliance with the ACUM party (ACUM literally means "NOW") led by Maia Sandu, who is strongly pro-EU. Maia Sandu will be the new prime minister, and the government will have a solid 61 deputies. Many are wondering how it is possible for a party that is deeply involved in Euro-integration to be

government leaves behind a poisonous legacy: hollowed state institutions, a corrupt or controlled justice sector, shaky finances, shadow schemes of extracting state resources, a large chunk of servile mass media and a system of illegally interceptions practised on a wide scale." And the very same Democratic Party, together with paid protesters, was preparing to demolish the new coalition because the Constitutional Court, ruled by the Democratic Party, replaced the country President and the President then dissolved the Constitutional Court, followed by the two factions battling it out in the streets. Both the EU and Russia jointly backed the new coalition. Basically, it all boiled down to the following – enough with corruption, enough with privatizing public functions and the state, enough with the Central Bank that is full of sycophants, enough

PEOPLE ARE FED UP WITH NATIONALISTIC RHETORIC, FAKE DEMOCRACY, THE FAKE PATH TO THE EU MEMBERSHIP AND THE BLUE FLAG WITH 12 YELLOW STARS THAT DOES NOT MEAN A THING in coalition with a party that favours Eurasian integration. The aim was simple – remove the Ukrainian-born tycoon and the leader of the pro-European Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc from power. He is one of many "fake democrats" in Eastern Europe. According to Euobserver. com: "The former Democratic Party

with the Constitutional Court that lost all its credibility, and enough with dodgy privatizations (the third biggest bank in the country was privatized under suspicious circumstances, and the bank's new owner bank is, surprise, surprise, Plahotniuc's friend). We want a normal life! Vladimir Zelensky's appoint-

ment to the post of the president of Ukraine, with as much as 75% of votes, is equal to "a cry for help" against the former President Poroshenko. To remind, five different criminal charges have been filed against Poroshenko. In Serbia and especially in Montenegro, tensions are growing. The ruling Democratic Party of Socialists in Montenegro, led by the perennial president Milo Djukanovic, who has been in office for 31 years (longer than Lukashenko), has already decided to privatize and sell everything that could be sold, and play the card of inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflict, while attempting to seize 1,020 churches legally owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church and subsequently nationalize them (allegedly, this property was handed over to the non-governmental organization called the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, led by an excommunicated priest Miraš Dedeić). Subsequently, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church would demand complete autocephaly, in line with the Ukrainian model. This has already been tried by Poroshenko in Ukraine but what goes around comes around. In Serbia, the authoritarian power of Aleksandar Vučić does not play on the card of national hatred, but the population is emigrating in huge numbers and the situation in the media, the judiciary and the state is equally poor. People in Albania are protesting against Edi Rama and there are even stories about his connections to the mafia in Germany.

THE NORTH HAS HOPE, THE SOUTH HAS FAKE DEMOCRACY — People are fed up with nationalistic rhetoric, fake democracy, the fake path to the EU membership and the blue flag with 12 yellow stars that does not mean a thing. They want a state that practices the rule of law, free central banks, free media, free judiciary, and the future that would facilitate some kind of optimism. Nobody believes that Moldova would become second Austria or Serbia second Germany, and nobody believes that those two countries will reach the Polish living standard any time soon. All they want is an opportunity to work. However, when you see tycoons scheming with the mafia and politicians, you quickly lose your will. Moldova and Ukraine are on the right track - Ukraine is awaiting parliamentary elections where Zelensky and Boyka are expected to win (maybe even Vakarchuk if he forms a party) and a sharp transition to a different policy. However, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania are still waving the flag of fake democracy.

EXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEW

The NATO Membership Provides Greater Security for Our Country We all work towards the same goals: peace, prosperity, better life for the citizens, reinforced regional cooperation and accelerated Eurointegrations. The investment in stability and prosperity of the Western Balkan means investing in safety and future of the Union itself

ZORAN ZAEV Prime Minister of North Macedonia

It is very important, on our joint path towards EU, to alleviate and to improve the lives of our citizens. In each country of the region individually, but also in the region as whole. To have infrastructure connectivity, to simplify the procedures, for example, of customs control. To promote the region as an investment whole for foreign investors. And here, I must mention the lowered roaming prices in our region – this is a great example for regional cooperation. In June you completed the reconstruction of the Government. How satisfied are you and why did reconstruction ever occur?

— Two years from the work of the Government are behind us. We have left behind the deep political crisis using the necessary deep and serious reform processes in order to overcome the “captured society” and to reinstate the trust in the institutions, to restore the democratic environment.

The international community has recognized this, acknowledged our actions. It recognizes us as an equal partner, as a regional factor, in Europe and the world. This year we received the most positive report so far, as of the moment when we became a candidate country for membership; a report with clear and unconditioned recommendation for the European Union to commence the membership negotiations. The NATO Accession Protocol is in its final stage and we expect in December, on the Lon-

from last year or, by 260% bigger compared to the average of the previous years. The labour market is significantly stirred. The unemployment is decreasing on fast rate. The State Statistical Office has announced that the unemployment in the first quarter is 17.8%. This means that the unemployment has been decreased by 4.8% in the last two years. Bold decisions, courageous solutions are ahead of us, for additional benefits for all citizens – in the social area, in agriculture, re-

WE HAVE LEFT BEHIND THE DEEP POLITICAL CRISIS USING THE NECESSARY DEEP AND SERIOUS REFORM PROCESSES IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THE “CAPTURED SOCIETY” don NATO Summit to become the official 30th member-state. The economy is free, the entrepreneurs feel the positive tide of changes; they accepted the measures from the economic growth policies and the results are visible. Last year we had 737 million dollars in foreign direct investments compared to 205 million dollars

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garding wages and measures from the operative plan for new jobs. Our next task in the following period is increase of wages. I believe that towards the end of the year we will have sufficient financial capacities to increase the pensions, starting as of January 1st next year. I remain on my viewpoint that I do not look at the people in the

Government as people who come from a political party, from the experts areas, from the civil sector or any other party. I look at them as people who must deliver. To me, the highest criteria is how much their job is making a positive difference from the previous policies; Whether the performances of the institution that they manage have been improved, whether they work in the interest of the citizens. This is what I expect in the future period. During a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, you had received a pledge that the German Bundestag will approve the start of the North Macedonia's accession talks in September. You called the EU "the sexy lady who is attracted and motivated by the countries of the Balkans to change positively". In which way a membership of your country in the European Union would be to the benefit of your people?

— We must be sincere and admit that the fact that our country has been in EU’s waiting room for too long is not due to EU’s fault, but

due to the previous government’s actions which in 11 year has not done anything to close the status of a candidate country with membership in the Union. The EU membership does not come as a gift. It must be earned. The merit comes after serious reforms conducted to achieve EU’s standards. This means that first we must Europeanize and there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary: one must resolve all disputes with neighbours, EU does not want to “import” problems. That is why one must establish rule of law: EU does not want “enfant terrible” among its lines. EU is solidarity based, but it does not want countries which will bring the Union their own social unresolved issues, etc. Therefore, the Western Balkan countries were offered the Berlin Process. A political process that complements the Euro-integration processes. It is a platform for European dialogue and cooperation; a platform that provides support to EU Enlargement Policy. It is a frame of mutual reconciliation of the Western Balkan countries using close regional cooperation and all in line of achieving economic growth and development, open market economy i.e. enhanced reform progress in the interest of accelerated EU integration. The Republic of North Macedonia, instead of waiting the EU membership to fall from the sky as a gift, started working. Today, the country has no open disputes with any of its neighbours. EU welcomes the continuous progress in all key reform areas. They especially welcome the progress of the plan for enhancement of the neighbourly relations with a special emphasis on Prespa Agreement achieved with the Republic of Greece. We remain committed to the realization of the reforms in key areas such as the judiciary, intelligence and security services, fight against corruption and reforms in public administration. This is the choice done by the Republic of North Macedonia. This choice has no alternatives. The completion of these processes is just a matter of time. The European Union is the strongest economy in the world. This is a market of 500 million consumers. Having equal approach and having equal benefits from that market bears great significance for the country. The investment in stability and prosperity of the Western Balkan means investing in safety and future of the Union itself. The

Euro-integration processes will greatly impact the future generations. New possibilities will open for the young people: they will be free to study and work in any of the member-states. Our citizens will have all rights and obligations, as the other citizens of the EU. North Macedonia has reached the top 20 of the EU's top achievements. What does that mean for you?

— This is a strong motivation for us, for the citizens, for our country. First, because we received a recognition for the great, historic deci-

on the start of the negotiations process by opening the chapter is in the interest of the European Union; for the role of EU as a global player, for its foreign policy, for the future perspectives of the region. Opening of EU accession negotiations is the single guarantee for maintaining the domestic stability and the reform impulse in North Macedonia which will bring positive effects for the whole Western Balkan Region. Can the Greek-Macedonian recipe serve as an example for solving the remaining disputes in the Balkans?

THE GOOD-NEIGHBOURLY RELATIONS AND THE REGIONAL COOPERATION MUST BE SHARED PRIORITY AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE AND WE MUST GO TOGETHER sions that we adopted in only two years as of the date when this Government took power, a recognition for the accomplished reforms, for the great role that our country has played in relaxing the situation in our region. For the period after taking power, we were given homework and we were told: Deliver and we will deliver! Even without this, we knew that we must complete the reforms and implement the Prespa Agreement and the Agreement with Bulgaria. We delivered reforms and full cooperation. We showed that we are ready to make bold, historic decisions and to show political maturity and European manners. Today we are ready, both politically and institutionally. We have fulfilled our tasks, from A to Z and we are fully ready to start negotiating. Now, the EU member-states and institutions should make their move. It is Europe’s turn to deliver. We strongly believe that we deserve the trust and the decision which EU will make based on our merits. The delivery of clear attitude

— Yes, the most influential leaders of the international community have recognized it as a model for resolution of the most delicate and risky political issues. This agreement has shown that not all stereotypes are rule of thumb and that when these stereotypes are broken, it creates energy for new models of behaviour and for establishment of new friendships and relations between the countries and the politicians. While we were looking for the best solution, we chose to leave solutions for our citizens and for our societies, not for us or for our political parties. These are the features of a European leader. Europe today is a result of bold decisions of the leaders who have left traces to remember on the political stage, traces which enable us to enjoy the fruits of their vision. What would have Europe been today if the political stage is filled with only vain and self-sufficient, short-sighted politicians who have no vision? The good-neighbourly relations and the regional cooper-

ation must be shared priority and strategic objective and we must go together, using our ambitions for EU integration. We must unite around the fact that the history is a significant part of our identities, but it must not take the place of our future. That is why it is important to turn to the future! North Macedonia is ready to become a member of NATO. This defence-alliance was created during the era of the Cold War between East and West. Do you think that it is still effective today?

— The small countries can hardly influence the policies and the decision making on global level. The only way to increase the impact is through integrations in supra-national organizations. By becoming a NATO and EU member state, following the principle “equal among the equals” and the principle of solidarity, we will have the opportunity to influence the equal decision making processes in these organizations. Besides, one must not neglect the fact that the threats on the security and peace today are not the same as those in the times of Cold War. Especially with regards to the cyber space; there is no traditional declaration of war, there is no distinction between war and peace. One must take into consideration that the NATO membership, besides security and safety, means greater political, and thus, economic security. The economic growth largely depends on the country’s capacity to secure sustainable peace and stability i.e. long-term security and political stability. The NATO membership provides greater security that improves the possibility of the country to secure political and economic stability. The EU membership shall mean entering a great and developed market thus increasing the perspectives for economic growth. This is a potential for new investments, for new jobs and reinforcement of the competitiveness of the domestic economy. NATO membership and EU accession accelerates the progress in the democratization of the society and good governance. These are the preconditions for faster growth and development; it creates conditions for enhancement of the standard of life and quality of life of the citizens. You can read the entire interview in the Serbian issue of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine.

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DAILY CHART

The Greenland Ice Sheet is Melting Unusually Fast It is losing so much water that it may raise global sea levels by a millimetre this year

Greenland’s misnomer is the result of a marketing campaign by Erik the Red who wished to attract Viking settlers to its icy landscape. Little did he know that the land had been covered in lush forests many millennia before he was born. Nor could he have fathomed that, a millennium after his death, the vast ice sheet would be in rapid retreat. The ice atop Greenland holds enough water to raise global sea levels by more than seven metres, should it all melt and run off into the oceans. For this reason, climate scientists closely monitor its seasonal trends, and in particular how quickly it melts in the spring leading up to the late summer “ice minimum”, after which it starts to grow again. The latest data show that the area of melting ice this year is unusually high. On June 12th 712,000 square kilometres of the ice-sheet (over 40% of the total) were melting. This is well outside the norm for the past 40 years (see chart).

GREENLAND MAY NOT BE GREEN, YET, BUT IT IS FAR LESS ICY THAN IN ERIK’S TIME Several factors are to blame. First, a natural cycle known as the North Atlantic Oscillation is encouraging ice-melt. Then there is long-term warming driven by rising greenhouse-gas emissions. Third, climate change has also weakened the jet stream, allowing a warm and humid weather system to settle over northeastern Greenland.

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As a result, the seasonal ice melt began two weeks early. According to data published on the Polar Portal, a Danish climate-research website, Greenland is currently losing 3bn tonnes of ice every day, roughly three times the average for mid-June in 1981-2010. The extent of the melting is not entirely unprecedented for this

time of year. Researchers have seen similar events in 2002, 2007 and 2012. Each portended a record low at the end of the summer. Although a switch in the weather could still turn things around, the early melt will result in darker snow and ice, which absorb more sunlight and hastens the melting process, says Thomas Mote of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre. “If this year is anything like 2012 [which set the current record for ice melt], then we will get in the region of 1mm of sea-level rise in one year just from Greenland,” says Jason Box, a professor at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. The oceans are rising by 3.3mm each year because of global warming. Greenland may not be green, yet, but it is far less icy than in Erik’s time. From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

INTERVIEW

Sustainable Future is our Common Goal

Croatia and Finland have much in common and excellent bilateral relations. We are both relatively small in population and face similar challenges, nature-related included. Therefore, cooperation in the field of environmental protection, waste management and energy is in our focus

H.E. RISTO PIIPPONEN Ambassador of Finland to Croatia

A key priority of Finland’s Presidency over the EU, which started on July 1st, is the EU’s global leadership in climate action. Finland has been a member of the European Union since 1995 and has already held the Presidency twice, in 1999 and 2006. We spoke with H.E. Risto Piipponen, Finland’s Ambassador to Croatia, about the goals of the third presidency and the future of the European project after the May elections. “The slogan for our Presidency is: “Sustainable Europe – Sustainable Future”. The future needs to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Our key priority is the EU’s global leadership in climate action which means committing to climate neutrality by 2050,” says Mr. Piipponen and adds: “Our aim is for the European Council to reach an agreement on the main elements of this plan by the end of 2019. As Prime Minister Antti Rinne has stated, the time for “yes, but” policies for combating climate change is over. To demonstrate this, Finland has set an even more ambitious target for herself - climate neutrality by

2035. Sustainability also ties in with the EU’s shared values. Human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and rule of law are all values that the EU Member States have committed to as part of the membership. Finland wishes to improve and strengthen the EU’s rule of law toolbox. We need to

we offer clean, pure Finnish tap water instead of bottled water. We serve organic, seasonal and locally produced food. Our aim is also to keep the number of meetings held in Finland at a reasonable level. We will host some 100 meetings in total, only in Helsinki. In this way, we will reduce travel and carbon footprint. We really encourage all the delegates to reach the centrally located meeting venue, Finlandia Hall, on foot, by bike or by public transport. Teleconferencing is used, as much as possible, in the preparations.

CROATIA CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN BRINGING THE WESTERN BALKANS CLOSER TO THE EU. IN THAT, IT CAN TAKE THE ROLE THE NORDIC COUNTRIES PLAYED WHEN THE BALTIC STATES APPLIED FOR THE MEMBERSHIP ensure, more efficiently, respect for our common values in the Member States. We also need to continue negotiations on how to tie the access to EU funds with compliance to the rule of law.” How do you contribute to sustainability through your own actions?

— Sustainability is a cross-cutting theme for the meetings. For instance, we are committed to producing very little physical material for the presidency. We use digital applications and innovations instead of paper and plastic. For meetings in Finland,

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Finland wants to see itself as an equal, future-oriented country. We are “breaking the rules” and traditions a bit by not handing out traditional presidency gifts such as ties, scarves, writing pads and pens. Instead, the money earmarked for gifts is used to offset greenhouse gas emissions from flights to the presidency meetings in Helsinki and Brussels. The emissions will be offset by financing projects that reduce atmospheric emissions. Through these examples we are keen to show that a successful presidency can be achieved by ecologically sustainable means.

How has the outcome of the recent EU elections affected your presidency agenda?

— During the EU election campaign a lot of attention was paid to climate change and other environmental issues. In this regard, it is not surprising that Finland wants to advance the EU’s position as a global climate leader. The effects of climate change can be felt in Northern Europe, even more than the rest of our continent. That is why our President Sauli Niinistö, who visited Croatia last year, has probably been the most vocal advocate for reducing black carbon emission as part of Finland’s Arctic policy. As we had our parliamentary elections in April and the new Government was only formed a few weeks before the start of our presidency, our Presidency Program was prepared by the Finnish Parliament with the participation of all political parties. In this work, certain themes emerged strongly, and they are now an integral part of the program published on 26.6.2019. In addition to climate change and common European values, we underline security and inclusive economic growth. In order to protect the security of citizens comprehensively, it is important to strengthen the EU’s internal and external security and its defence cooperation, including measures to counter hybrid threats. In order to build a competitive and socially inclusive EU, greater emphasis must be placed on research, development, innovation and digitalization.

What would be your main message to young EU members like Croatia? How does the EU now differ from the original concept and where is it heading?

— The main objective of the EU remains the same as it was 70 years ago. The EU was created to bring lasting peace and stability to Europe. It is important to note that this peace process has been expanded through enlargements. Enlargement policy is a strategic investment in the stability and development of Europe. This also applies to the Western Balkans, which is a region of high strategic value to the Union. Croatia can play an important role in bringing the countries of the region closer to the Union, the final objective being full membership. However, one of the conditions for accession is good neighbourly relations between the countries. Croatia can take a role in searching for solutions to outstanding issues, strengthening economic and political relations and creating closer cooperation between countries in the region. In this respect, Croatia could follow the example of the Nordic countries in the 1990s, when the Baltic States applied for EU membership. The Nordic countries provided them with strong support, which helped them join in 2004. The accession of the Baltic States proved to be beneficial, not only to them as countries, but also for the stability of the region. In addition, it strengthened economic cooperation and in this respect increased the economic growth of the larger region. As proposed by the President of Finland, who visited Croatia in 2018, Croatia could take the same role in this region. How ready is Croatia to perform the duties associated with the presidency? How well do you coordinate your actions?

— Together, Romania, Finland and Croatia prepared an 18-month Trio Programme last year. We have had excellent cooperation with both Romanian and Croatian colleagues. Having seen the seriousness of the Croatian preparations, I am convinced that you will do

country. Finland is not only the home country of Santa Claus, but it also has a lot to offer in terms of beautiful nature such our 190,000 clean lakes, world-famous design and architecture, good food, endless summer nights and, of course, friendly and welcoming people. Many Croats are leaving their country and wanting to live in a welfare state like Finland and alike. What potential does Croatia have to build a strong economy and society which will be able to provide European standards to their citizens?

TODAY, WE HAVE TO BE INNOVATIVE, FUTUREORIENTED AND BE READY TO ADAPT TO A CHANGING WORLD. YET ONE THING THAT HASN’T CHANGED OVER THE YEARS IS THE FACT THAT WE, FINNS, TAKE OUR TASK VERY SERIOUSLY extremely well. The training of Croatian civil servants is a good example. The former Croatian Ambassador to Finland, Mr. Krešimir Kopčić, has been in charge of preparing Croatian civil servants for the upcoming Presidency. So far, around 700 people have gone through different segments of training on how to prepare and chair meetings efficiently, etc. How would you assess the bilateral relations between Finland and Croatia? Which topics are you focusing on?

— Croatia and Finland have much in common and excellent bilateral relations. Since we are both members of the EU, we have been able to bring our relations to a completely new level, benefitting both countries. We are both relatively small in population and face similar challenges. Nature, in particular forests and water, are

important elements for both of us. Therefore, I find it quite natural to give more attention to cooperation in the field of environmental protection, waste management and energy. Our most important asset is human capital, meaning that well-educated people are the driving force of our societies. Small countries, like ours, may have the flexibility to create new solutions faster than bigger ones. We need to continue to embrace education, entrepreneurship, sustainable development and innovation in order to strengthen the existing networks. Croatia has become one of the favourite destinations for Finnish tourists. There are direct flights during the summer months and over 110 000 Finns visit Croatia annually. This, of course, has positive effects on business as well. I hope we will also see increasing numbers of Croatians visiting my

— In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with spending some time outside your native country to widen perspectives and worldview. International cooperation is necessary today. I have learned that Croatian citizens do not leave the country purely for economic reasons. Social factors seem to be significant as well: a perception of a brighter future elsewhere. Finland experienced difficult times in the early 1990s. To overcome the crisis, the main emphasis was placed on structural elements: investment in R&D, radical tax reforms, increasing productivity in the public sector. The sense of justice, equality and social integrity were crucial for overcoming difficulties. Equal access to quality education, then again, is a precondition for equal opportunity. When citizens’ trust in the quality and effectiveness of institutions, it makes the future more predictable. Croatia is on the right path in reforming, for instance, its educational system and the public sector. A key factor in the reforms is digitalization, which increases transparency and efficiency. The government has also invested in the integrity of the public sector through educational initiatives and programs. Finland has had the opportunity to support these initiatives through intense Twinning cooperation with Croatia. We have a lot to learn from each other, so we are ready to continue our good cooperation and share experiences in different fields of life.

PERSONAL EXAMPLES MATTER We are driven by the need to respond to climate change. We are very ambitious and serious about this. This also applies on the individual level. For instance, the Embassy of Finland employees in Zagreb are encouraged to

take climate change action. One colleague reduced meat consumption, another uses the stairs instead of the elevator, and the third is planting a vegetable garden. There are good solutions for every taste.

INTERVIEW

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Fictitious Country, the Country on Paper If you look at US history in Balkans since 1992 on, they made a mess of things

STEVEN MEYER Former CIA Deputy Chief for the Balkans

In an interview with Diplomacy and Commerce, Steven Meyer, former CIA deputy chief for the Balkans, talks about the current situation in Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as America’s influence in our region. What were the CIA's tasks in the Balkans in the late 1980s and early 1990s?

In very early days in the 1980s, the task was to collect as much intelligence about what was going on in Yugoslavia as possible because we saw danger signs in the collapse of Tito's system, and we had to collect as much as we could information. In the 1990s, we were here more, because of the war, and it was again mostly to collect information. We tried not to favor anyone's side, because that made it easier for

Looking back, would you change anything regarding your work in the Balkans? What does it look like from your perspective today?

— That’s a great question and yes, I think there are things that CIA and intelligence could have done

IN THE 1990S, WE WERE HERE MORE, BECAUSE OF THE WAR, AND IT WAS AGAIN MOSTLY TO COLLECT INFORMATION

— It was to collect intelligence.

us to go to all three ethnic groups. That got a lot more difficult as time went on, to stay neutral.

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better; collect better from all three sides. But the more difficult question is a question of policy. There were often strong disagreements between the State Department and CIA, and the White House also. The White House and State Department decided, at one point, that Bosnian Serbs were much stronger than the Muslim army and that we had to train and equip. That was a program - to make the Muslim army even with the Bosnian Serbs. CIA argued that two armies are equal, but the White House and State Department said no – “we still have to do more for the Muslims.” CIA argued very strongly that

if we kept doing that, the Muslim army would become stronger and that would be an incentive for them to attack the Serbs, so the war would continue. That was one example of something that we felt we could have done better. There were several things along the way, but that was an important one. Another important thing was the impact of the Dayton; an annex form which is the constitution of Bosnia, which was negotiated with Milošević, Izetbegović and Tudjman, but no Bosnian Serb representative. Nobody represented them except Milošević. Some of us were arguing that the objective was to create Bosnia as a multiethnic, democratic, free enterprise country, but when we analyzed the Dayton accord, we said that it would have the opposite effect, mainly you would structure two entities and they would have, by the constitution, a special relationship with their mother countries. CIA realized that if you create these entities and you say that Croatian entity can have a special relationship with Croatia, and the Serb entity can have a special relationship with Serbia, you are already establishing ethnic communities, and that was not what we were supposed to be doing according to the White House. We argued this but it was not accepted. As a matter of fact, Richard Holbrook became very angry when we reminded him that this would probably happen. The main point was that although many people here thought that the all departments in the US government had the same position, and that was not true. There were a lot of disagreements and a lot of anger and a lot of disappointments, and it was not just CIA. Sometimes, the Department of Defense would argue with us. So, it was train, equip and Dayton agreement.

THE AMERICAN POLICY HAS NOT BEEN CHANGED FOR 25 YEARS. EVERYTHING AROUND CHANGES BUT NOT THE US POLICY What is your assessment of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

— What you have now is essentially a fictitious country, the country on paper. There is no national government since the last election. And that is because the national government is not that important, as the real power centers are in ethnic communities and the entities - especially the Serbs and the Muslims. Croats are a little different - they are a declining population and and they are much smaller and concentrated in Herzegovina. If you look around Banja Luka, what you have is all the trophies of the state, a large complex of the government buildings. The US embassy was very opposed to Dodik and Bosnian Serbs buildings. The US wants Bosnia to be the state. That’s not going to happen. The American policy has not been changed for 25 years. Everything around changes but not the US policy.

You have supported the demarcation plan for Kosovo. Is there a realistic chance for the plan to be implemented?

— It is possible, it happened before, in Montenegro. That was something that the UN and the EU supported; they supported border change. The US is supporting the border change of Serbia. The US supported independent Kosovo and recognized its borders. That is a border change. That is a violation of Helsinki final accord. But there are areas where they say no, and we are not going to recognize border change. When I gave a lecture at Banja Luka University, the students talked a lot about these issues, we talked about it, and I said why couldn’t there be a referendum. I asked three questions. Do you want to be a part of Bosnia? Do you want to be independent? Do you want to be a part of Serbia? There are problems with each of those. Being a part of Serbia would require Serbia to want it, but the Serb government

doesn’t support that. They don’t support it because they are afraid of the western reaction. I think that honest development, an honest solution would be, quite frankly, that everything north of the Ibar River belongs to Serbia. I know there are Serbs in the south and I am sorry and my heart is with them but it`s not going to come back. But there are enclaves, Serbian enclaves, in the south, holy places, churches, monasteries, Kosovo Polje... I think that agreement can be made that for this to be under the UN protection. If there is an agreement like that, and if there are Serbs, living south of the Ibar River who don’t want to live under the Kosovo government, then, I think, the UN should pay for them to be moved. This has happened before. I think that the key is to respect the ethnic identity for now. Maybe in 20 to 25 years, it may be different. But if they can come to some kind of agreement like that, then they can begin to work on economic issues. You can read the entire interview in the Serbian issue of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine.

NATO Since all countries in the region have joined NATO, do you think Serbia should become a member too? — No. What’s the point?! When Croatia joined NATO, I was wondering for what purpose - who is going to attack Croatia and who is going to attack Serbia. Nobody is going to do that now. Even if it were to happen and if both countries were in NATO, and there was a conflict, NATO would not be able to pick a side. NATO has essentially outlived its usefulness. What does Croatia get from

NATO? What does Albania get from NATO? All it means is that now the US can go to these countries and say we need soldiers to send to Afghanistan / Iraq. You know when Albania was considering joining NATO, the defense minister at the time was a friend of mine, and I kept asking him, what possible reason would Albania have for joining NATO. Well, he said, it put them at the big table. But their seat would be in the back! All NATO does is add to the making of a new cold war, because it antagonizes Russia.

POLITICS

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

Trump's Gambit Alone against everybody

Donald Trump is consistent - he opened up a bunch of fronts that he promised to open. He broke the NAFTA economic union ("perhaps the worst deal ever") and founded a new alliance on loose grounds (In September 2018, the United States, Mexico and Canada reached an agreement to replace NAFTA with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement USMCA). But this was not the end! It was merely a beginning. CENTRAL AMERICA

Trump promised to build a wall between the US and Mexico, and because of his proverbial allergy to the Latino immigrants, he refused to receive them into the country, despite the dramatic colonies of immigrants forming on the other side of the US border. Then he pressured the Mexican government with a 5% tax "on everything" until Mexico tightens the control over the border with the United States. Mexico has agreed to receive more people who seek asylum in the US while the US authorities' are deciding on their case - the joint US-Mexico declaration written in early June stipulates. Mexico has also agreed to increase the number of security forces to curb illegal immigration, including deploying the National Guard to the southern border and fighting against human trafficking groups in exchange for the 5% tax on the Mexican goods being suspended. Mexico will, in particular, step up the oversight of the border with Guatemala, which is ready to sign the Safe-Third Agreement that requires Guatemala to ac-

cept refugees from neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador. By doing so, Guatemala will become a country where migrants from the southern states will have make a stop because of the asylum they will receive in Guatemala and the incredibly strict control of Mexican authorities that ban illegal immigrants. In addition, on Twitter, Trump also announced the expulsion of the existing immigrants to their native countries. "Next week, ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illegally found their way into the United States," the American president tweeted. It seems that, when it comes to NAFTA and southern migration, the president has won the battle. SOUTHERN PROBLEMS

Of course, US citizens are worried about the illegal immigrants but objectively speaking, they couldn’t care less if the governments in Nicaragua, Venezuela

ICE WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO HAVE ILLEGALLY FOUND THEIR WAY INTO THE UNITED STATES or Cuba are to the liking of the US administration, which has led to the situation with the hawks like John Bolton and the resolve of China and Russia to keep their allies on the surface, causing a draw. Brazil's controversial president and Trump’s admirer, Jair Bolsonaro, is in a serious crisis, as his charlatan promises backfired pretty quickly. Also, Trump is not doing that well.

GOALS Of course, Trump has no intention of giving up his goals easily, and with the combination of power and concessions, he is ready to make America great again. He is surprisingly civil with North Korea, while, in terms of Putin, he has failed to accomplish what he promised to achieve - a détente. For the time being, he was able to stop the warmongering lunatics in the administration from attacking Venezuela and Iran, but he has also managed to unsettle the EU, his closest ally. Maybe because he doesn’t think of those allies as being allies on their own accord or that he thinks of them as being too small, so it would be better to keep them down.

IRAN

Due to its size, the leadership over the Shia Muslims worldwide, anti-Israeli stance and nuclear ambitions, Iran is a thorn in the US administration’s paw. Everything good that Obama managed to achieve regarding the relations with Iran is now flipped and has become a source of tension. We still don’t know whether the at-

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tacks on the tankers in the Hormuz Strait were a false flag operation or indeed real attacks of anti-American extremists. From using the warmongering rhetoric (the conflict is “the end of Iran”), Trump quickly and surprisingly came to different conclusions than Pentagon. Namely, it appears that the US president has been persistently going against his security officials, so recent attacks on the two oil tankers in the Oman Bay - for which his administration blames Iran - have been rated as "very minor". A few days after the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the administration continued to consider military options in the case of Iran, Trump rejected that idea in an interview for Time magazine. Probably, as an experienced businessman, Trump saw that France and Germany did not intend to

accuse Iran of aggressive actions. It remains to be seen how things will unfold, but the ruthless action of the American warmongers could cause a global or large regional war. CHINA AND RUSSIA

After introducing sanctions against China in the technology segment and against Russia in numerous other segments, as well as after raising the tariff war to a whole new level, Trump is now also playing hot and cold. He is both a good cop and a bad cop, rolled into one person, depending on the situation. On June 20th, he said that he would like to have good relations with Russia and that he was confident that he would succeed in that. “I want the same relations with China. I am meeting Putin and Jinping next week in Japan, at G20 summit,” he added. Trump still hopes that the policy of personal deals and “nobody knows what I am going to do next” is the best policy. This is driving his associates crazy, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He probably noticed that an antagonizing relationship with both superpowers led to Russia and China getting closer technologically and that the same could happen politically too. Furthermore, the prices for US users and consumers are pretty high and he is trying to get the best deal for everyone. He will certainly not be able to prevent Nord Stream 2 from happening, while China is gradually becoming the number one technology power in the world.

CORPORATE

New and unique PBZ Card Premium Visa cards PBZ Card Premium Visa cards combine the card benefits and services developed by PBZ Card, leader on the Croatian card market, as well as the advantages and benefits of Visa

Dinko Lucić, President of the Management Board of Privredna banka Zagreb

In the exclusive event at the Croatian Artists' Association in Zagreb, a new PBZ Card Premium Visa card, a unique and innovative card product has been presented to a number of prominent customers and business partners. PBZ Card Premium Visa portfolio offers twelve cards that combine premium card features and services developed by PBZ Card, the leader in the Croatian card market, as well as the number of benefits and privileges offered by Visa. "PBZ Card Premium Visa cards are the result of the strength and synergy of PBZ Group, the leading financial group and leader on the Croatian card market, and our partner Visa, the leader in the introduction of innovative technology solutions and one of the strongest global card brands. We shall provide our customers and business partners with top-level service and ultimate dedication to their needs, premium card features and functionality, and modern and technologically advanced solutions. That is why these cards represent the premium products of the Croatian card offer”, said Dinko Lucić, President of the Management Board of Privredna banka Zagreb. PBZ Card Premium Visa cards offer technologically the most advanced contactless payments, the largest insurance package, as well as other premium benefits, such as Premium Rewards – the largest customer rewarding program, Payment in instalments without interests and fees, cards based loans, Premium offers, Premium Travel Services, Global/Gold Assist road assistance etc. The cards will

also have Visa's additional benefits, such as the highest grade of acceptance in the country and the world, the highest security standards and modern payment solutions. "We are very honoured and proud that PBZ decided to cooperate with Visa as the best partner for further development of superior and best in class cards solutions and experience for customers. Our cooperation puts PBZ Card and Visa on a new path, with both

companies working to accelerate the adoption of safe, reliable and convenient payments for consumers and business` but also merchants. Visa enables fast, secure and reliable electronic payments in more than 200 countries and territories. Croatian cardholders of Visa cards, issued by PBZ Card, will join 3.3 billion Visa cardholders in the world and their cards will be accepted in Visa’s network of 54 million merchant locations around

FOR NEW USERS PBZ CARD PREMIUM VISA CARD WILL BE AVAILABLE DURING AUGUST, WITH A SPECIAL BENEFIT

Mislav Blažić, Dinko Lucić and Catalin Cretu

the world", said Catalin Cretu, sub regional director in Visa. Great attention is paid also to the card’s appearance and therefore they feature the motifs of the constellations and lion, which symbolize tradition, strength, courage, leadership and courage, which are also the characteristics associated with Premium Visa cards. "Thanks to the almost fifty years of tradition and excellence in card business, the result of which is the top service and numerous unique features and functionality that we have developed for our customers, and in some of them we were the first in the world, the exceptional cooperation and loyalty of our customers and business partners, and the new strength we have gained in partnership with Visa, we have developed superior card products that will be available to all citizens, regardless of the bank in which they have an account. We have created twelve cards that will enable each of our American Express users, as well as all new users, to enjoy all the benefits PBZ Card has developed, as well as added values of Visa", said Mislav Blažić, President of the Management Board of PBZ Card. For new users PBZ Card Premium Visa card will be available during August, with a special benefit – exemption from subscription and membership fees for the first year, for the application forms received by December 31 this year. Existing American Express cardholders will receive their Premium Visa cards no later than the end of the year and until then they can use American Express cards.

INTERVIEW

The Power of Truth is in Emotions The Western Balkan countries, where the system and state have been established on the back of political populism and national mythomania, represent a fertile ground for the growing radicalization and violent extremism, which are strongly conveyed to the diaspora too. We want to understand these trends in order to formulate an answer to them GORAN ZARIĆ Resonant Voices Initiative (RVI) in the Western Balkans

The Resonant Voices Initiative is a threeyear programme, launched in 2017, that tackles the problems stemming from creating and spreading radical extremist content. "This is one of the pioneering attempts in this region to investigate this phenomenon and develop a response strategy. We will measure the results carefully and gradually, on a limited sample, trying to track the findings of the research and adjust the approach accordingly," says Goran Zarić from the Resonant Voices Initiative (RVI). How fertile of ground are Western Balkan societies for disseminating radical extremist content?

— The issue of creating and disseminating radical extremist narratives and propaganda is one of the key security issues today both in entire Europe the rest of the world. It is a well-known fact that societies are affected by war, poverty, misery, unemployment, low education level of the population and corruption are particularly sensitive and subject to such phenomena. This is the case, to a greater or lesser extent, in all Western Balkan countries, and these are societies in which the system and the state are not established on the foundations of basic civilizational trends, including de-

mocracy, human rights and the rule of law, but on political populism and national mythomania, which is certainly a fertile ground for the growing radicalization and violent extremism. In the last few decades, human life – i.e. the right to live and to survive – hasn't meant much to humankind; people had no life values and principles to hold on to, so they, driven by the political elite and not accustomed to critical thinking of reality, turned to racism, xenophobia, discrimination, and hate speech. Considering all of the above, it is important to mention that the serious scientific-research approaches in studying the phenomenon of radicalization and

bania, invested hundreds of hours in mentoring and consulting support, and thus empowering their work and encouraging them to, in particular, to use social networks and other online channels to create powerful and effective counter-narratives that will confront dangerous and inflammatory messages directed at particular groups or minorities. This is done jointly by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and my team, Propulsion. Since last year, you have been focusing on the effect that such narratives have on the dias-

WE DEEPLY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF CAREFULLY CREATED, CREATIVE APPROACHES TO CONVEY KEY MESSAGES AND FIGHT AGAINST RADICAL, EXTREMIST NARRATIVES WE ARE FACING extremism in this region are still insufficient so we could easily understand these trends and draw certain conclusions. We, in the Resonant Voices Initiative Programme, have been trying to come up with answers together with other interested individuals. Over the past two years, we have collaborated with dozens of initiatives and hundreds of people from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Al-

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pora. What are you focusing on the diaspora? What makes these communities particularly vulnerable?

— Hate speech, extremism and radicalization that lead to violence are global problems. That is why we are interested in exploring what role the events in the countries of the Western Balkans have in a wider scheme of things and in the European Union and vice versa, especially today, at the time of the expansion of economic and

tourist migration in this part of the world. How a topic comes into focus, how extreme right-wing and radical attitudes are formed around it, how are they communicated and disseminated, how they spill over externally and internally, do they affect the official policies and the general public, and how to fight them – these are all questions that we do not yet have sure answers to, but the causal connection is obvious. The diaspora is also interesting to observe because of its strong connections to the motherland, its very strong influence and an important role it plays in dissemination and sustainability of these narratives. A large part of the Western Balkans is made up of immigrants during and after the wars of the 1990s with many of them being victims of war or active fighters, with a strong sense of their own ethnic and religious identities, and who were especially carefully nurtured and encouraged for the purposes of war. There are very sturdy and active networks and channels for the illegal smuggling of weapons, narcotics, and even people, from the Middle East to Europe, which have been massively used in recent years to spread radical ideologies and share resources through the diaspora. In 2015 alone, the diaspora sent 8 billion euro to the region, so this financially dependent impact on "those who stayed", especially in the era of social media and the Internet, is immeasurable. According to certain allegations,

the Balkans is mentioned as one of the Recruitment Centers of Terrorist Organizations (FTF). Along with constantly active disinformation campaigns, the growing Euroscepticism, and the influence of ISIS, Al Qaeda and Russian propaganda in recent years, analyzing the diaspora, which is a particularly interesting category for the Resonant Voices Initiative, was the next natural step. What is more challenging for researchers today - discovering channels, vocabulary and methods by which fake news attach to our emotions and move us, or developing defensive strategies?

— It is probably equally challenging to determine which rules apply when it comes to spreading harmful messages in the online sphere, and how to develop adequate and effective responses to it. In the last few months, while preparing for the programme, I discovered two things that seemed to me to be particularly important. At a public meeting, we heard an interesting observation by a reputable communication expert and former journalist Krunoslav Vidić who lives in Zagreb. He said that, while we were dealing with political correctness and watering down messages that are important to us so not to offend anyone, at the same time, right-wingers and radicals communicate directly, simply, from the heart and through emotions, and people understand them better and connect with them more easily. Similarly, a young educator and trainer from Belgrade, Demir Mekić says that, in fighting to change thinking process, attitudes and prejudices, information is not enough (e.g. „refugees are people like everyone else“), but rather we need direct contact, experience and emotions because only acting based on emotions can lead to change. That is why we decided to consult and work with communication and online campaign experts at every stage of our work, as well

as with the representatives of local communities in which we want to work, including Zagreb and indirectly Croatia. What is it, in the motherland and the diaspora, that radicalizes people the most and makes them assume extreme attitudes? Does our region have specific narratives that nurture old animosities or are they universal?

— It is interesting to note the

in the society that doesn't really want them. In this position, frustrated by the lack of opportunity and burdened by the imposed sense of inferiority, many of them act only as they know and know; they direct their wrath and aggression to the weaker ones, to the refugees, to the Roma, to the members of the LGBT+ population... It seems that only a handful of them get a sense of belonging to a privileged majority.

OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM IN ZAGREB, VIENNA AND BERLIN WHO WILL CREATE COUNTER- AND ALTERNATIVE NARRATIVES TO OPPOSE THOSE WHICH ARE MALICIOUSLY TARGETTING REFUGEES mechanisms that prompt such things in the diaspora communities. During one of the meetings with our people in Vienna, the actress Ana Stefanovic called it "discrimination against the discriminated". Many economic migrants from our part of the world, who have immigrated to Germany and Austria in the last twenty years, including those who are highly educated, qualified and competitive in the labour market, have encountered something that can be seen as an example of a cold shoulder treatment - they have faced with some sort of silent, non-verbalized discrimination and exclusion

On the other hand, if we consider the narratives specific to the Balkans in relation to the rest of Europe, it seems that there is not much difference here. Both radical extremist content and topics are created under the influence of global daily political events, with the specifics depending on the local context. Our interlocutors in Zagreb, for example, were most concerned about radical attitudes and narratives related to the reproductive health of women in Croatia, which apparently only intensified and worsened after the reinforcement of pro-life and anti-abortion movements in America

and Europe. Other worrying topics include the attitude towards the Roma people and other national minorities, including the sexual minorities, as well as all radical extremist agendas that are against these minority groups and pose an additional danger to them. What kind of people or groups are targetted by extremist activists? Why are these groups chosen to be subjected to hate?

— In June, we had a series of conversations with our people in Zagreb, Vienna and Berlin, i.e. those who live and work in the European Union countries or are, in some way, close to that experience. We asked what did they think was the problem? We also asked them about the social groups that are the most jeopardized by extremist activities? It came as no surprise that all these communities cited the refugee crisis as the No 1 problem, i.e. the attitude towards refugees and the narrative of violent extremism directed towards refugees. In terms of the diaspora from the Western Balkans and their attitude towards refugees, based on the conversations we had, we were under the impression that they thought of refugees as people that had privileges and benefits handed to them as part of the practical policies of accepting refugees and asylum seekers. This belief is deeply rooted and supported by personal experiences in which migrants from the Balkans have been fighting to make living and have a better life through hard work, while today, everything is just given to them, in the space of one day, just like that. A certain form of perverted perception of reality is created in this way, whereby a person from Syria or Afghanistan, who was left homeless and barely made it alive, is regarded as competition in the struggle for the same resources, affection, understanding, acceptance and love.

CREATIVES AND COMMUNICATORS ARE OUR ALLIES Who are your natural allies in an attempt to convey different opinions and attitudes to people? — Our direct allies in this mission are creatives and communicators, including the media. We think that we need to choose and access channels that are considered unusual and find ways to offer something different; something that we have not seen

and experienced so far, but which can help us to reach out further and understand better. In the future, we will rely heavily on the help, experience, skills and knowledge of all those people who are interested in experimenting with us: script editors, videographers, photographers, editors, actors and theatrical workers, designers, developers and other creative forces.

CORPORATE

Mergers & Acquisitions Many business professionals will experience a merger during the course of their careers. In fact, mergers and acquisitions are common business practices, particularly in industries like technology, finance and retail PETAR PETRIÄ&#x2020; Attorney at Law

The motivation to pursue a merger or an acquisition can be considerable; a company that combines itself with another can experience boosted economies of scale, greater sales revenue and market share, broadened diversification, and increased tax efficiency. However, the underlying business rationale and financing methodology for mergers and takeovers are substantially different. Mergers are the combination of two companies to form one, while acquisitions are one company taken over by the other. M&A is one of the major aspects of the corporate finance world. A typical merger involves two relatively equal companies which combine to become one legal entity with the goal of producing a company that is worth more than the sum of its parts. In a merger of two corporations, the shareholders usually have their shares in the old company exchanged for an equal number of shares in the merged entity. For example, in 1998, the American automaker Chrysler Corp. merged with the German automaker Daimler Benz to form DaimlerChrysler. This has all the makings of a merger of equals, as the chairmen in both organizations became joint leaders in the new organization. The merger was thought to be quite beneficial to both companies, as it gave Chrysler an opportunity to reach more European markets, and Daimler Benz would gain a greater presence in North America. Acquisition, or takeover, is characterized by the purchase of a smaller company by a much larger one. It does not necessarily have

to be a mutual decision. A larger company can initiate a hostile takeover of a smaller firm. The acquiring firm usually offers a cash price per share to the target firm's shareholders, or the acquiring firm's shares to the shareholders of the target firm, according to a specified conversion ratio. For example, in perhaps the most visible deal of 2017, the e-commerce behemoth Amazon stepped out into the real world with a major acquisition of the brick-and-mortar food retail company Whole Foods Market. Amazon is known for its quick turnover of inventory and its logistical mastery. Whole Foods, on the other hand, gives off the vibe of a local artisanal food shop where time and effort goes into everything. The effects on the food

Studios in 2006. In this case, the takeover was friendly, as Pixar's shareholders all approved the decision to be acquired. The principle behind any merger and acquisition (M&A) is 2+2=5. There is always synergy value created by the joining or merging of two companies. The synergy value can be seen either through the revenues (higher revenues), expenses (lower expenses) or the cost of capital (lowering of the overall cost of capital).

THE MERGER & ACQUISITION PROCESS IS VERY COMPLEX, YET IT CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO FOUR PHASES: DUE DILIGENCE, AGREEMENT, INTEGRATION, AND VALUE ATTAINMENT retailer have been quick, with lower prices and Amazon lockers in stores within the first few months. The changes are likely to attract a new customer base that has avoided Whole Foods because of its niche reputation and relatively high prices. Another example of an acquisition would be Walt Disney Corporation buying Pixar Animation

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Mergers and acquisitions involve complex agreements and deal structures that present organizational challenges. Often, businesses work with M&A consultants to ensure success. The merger & acquisition process is very complex, yet it can be broken down into four phases: due diligence, agreement, integration, and value attainment. While the M&A

may contain four phases, it is critical for organizations to understand that all four phases are interconnected and that each stage presents challenges and opportunities. The Due Diligence Phase - due diligence is the first step in a successful M&A project that involves intense analysis of the target firm to determine if the business is a good investment and if so, how to structure the transaction and determine the cost. The due diligence process should assess every aspect of the business from intellectual property and technology to human resources and finances. The Agreement Phase - the agreement phase centres on the terms and conditions of the M&A. It involves a detailed plan that includes processes and strategies for change management, inventory assessment, organizational design, and communications. The Integration Phase - the integration phase involves change management, vendor selection, evaluating improvements, schedule visibility, and resource investment. Value Attainment - M&A activity provides transformational value. It reduces costs within operations, creates operational efficiencies to maximize asset value by optimizing people, processes, and technologies, and enhances revenue opportunities. Developing competency in M&A is becoming critical in the current business environment, so it is important to work with an experienced partner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; advisor, that has helped many businesses transition through an M&A.

PEOPLE & EVENTS

29 THE SWISS MAY

EVENING IN ZAGREB

The Swiss Evening took place at the Matis Absolute Lounge in Zagreb. 250 guests in attendance were taken on a culinary journey with the traditional Raclette and sausages prepared by the Swiss Club in Croatia, accompanied by the music of the Pet za Pet band. Among our eminent guests were Mr. Darko Horvat, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Trade and Mr. Marko Pavić, Minister for Labour and Pension System.

Ambassador of Switzerland to Croatia H.E. Emilija Georgiev Regamey

Ambassador of Switzerland to Croatia H.E. Emilija Ambassador of Switzerland to Croatia H.E. Emilija Georgiev Regamey and Minister of Georgiev Regamey and Minister of Labor and Economy Darko Horvat Pension System Marko Pavić

03 THE REPUBLIC OF JUNE

Ambassador of Italy to Croatia H.E. Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani

Ambassador of Italy to Croatia H.E. Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani and Budimir Lončar

ITALY DAY

The Ambassador of Italy to Croatia, H.E. Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani, held the traditional reception in celebration of the Republic of Italy Day. The event, which was attended by many political, business and culture figures, as well as numerous representatives of the Italian national minority, took place on the terrace of the Esplanade Hotel. The Croatian Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, the Deputy Parliament Speakers, Furio Radin and Željko Reiner, the Croatian Ambassador to Italy, H.E. Jasen Mesić, the President of the Council of National Minorities, Aleksandar Tolnauer and the Consul General of Italy in Fiume, Paolo Palminteri were all present.

Ambassador of Italy to Croatia H.E. Adriano Chiodi Cianfarani and Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

06 THE QUEEN`S

JUNE

BIRTHDAY IN ZAGREB

Ambassador of the United Kingdom H.E. Andrew Stuart Dalgleish

British Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Andrew Dalgleish, and his wife Aline hosted the Queen`s Birthday Party in the Ambassador’s residence in Zagreb. The Queen’s actual birthday is on 21st April but is officially

Minister of Labor and Pension System Marko Pavić, Željko Reiner is vice-president of the Parliament, Defense Minister Damir Krističević

15 SWEDES WELCOME JUNE

celebrated in June. At the reception, Ambassador Dalgleish summed up activities and successes of the Croatian-UK relations in the past year that span from politics, culture and defence to tourism and business.

SUMMER / MIDSOMMAR 2019

The Swedish Embassy in Croatia held its traditional Swedish summer welcome at the Maksimir Park this year with a picnic for the youngest

guests, and later in the evening, adult guests enjoyed the music of ABBA and the screening of the film “Mamma Mia”.

Ambassador of Sweden to Croatia H.E. Diana Helen Madunic

07 CROATIAN TOURISM JULY

PRESENTED IN AUSTRALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

For the first time ever, the Croatian Tourist Board held a presentation of Croatian tourism in Australia. The presentation and the workshop were attended by 70 Australian tourist

Director of HTZ Kristijan Stančić and director of the Zagreb Tourist Board Martina Bienefeld with colleagues

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agents and seven largest tour-operators in Melbourne. The presentation was organized together with the Tourist Board of Slovenia, under the title “Experience Croatia, Feel Slovenia”.

07 EMBASSY OF FINLAND JULY

MARKS THE BEGINNING OF ITS PRESIDENCY OVER THE EU

Ambassador of Finland in Croatia H.E. Risto Piipponen with colleagues from the Embassy

09 MONTENEGRO’S

JULY

STATEHOOD DAY

Ambassador of Finland in Croatia H.E. Risto Piipponen

12 THE BASTILLE DAY JULY

MARKED IN ZAGREB

On the occasion of the beginning of the Finnish presidency over the EU, the Finnish Embassy in Zagreb hosted a special reception at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. The guests enjoyed food made from local ingredients, vegetables and fish. The reception was attended

by a number of guests from the cultural and public life and members of the diplomatic corps, with special guests being the Romanian Ambassador and the representatives of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, as a three-member presidency.

Ambassador of Finland in Croatia H.E. Risto Piipponen

The Montenegrin Embassy in Croatia held a reception in celebration of Montenegro’s Statehood Day. The reception was held at Matis Absolut

Lounge in Zagreb with a number of cultural and public figures in attendance. The Montenegrin Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Boro Vučinić gave a welcome speech.

Former Croatian Prime Minister Mrs Jadranka Kosor

The celebration of the French national holiday – the Storming of the Bastille Day - was held on the Oleander terrace of the Esplanade Hotel, on July 12th. At the same time, the reception was a farewell

French ambassadors in Croatia H.E. Corine Meunier and H.E. Philippe Meunier, Vice President of Parliament Željko Rajner

Ambassador of Montenegro to Croatia H.E. Boro Vučinjić and German Ambassador to Croatia H.E. Robert Richard Klinke

event prepared by the French Ambassadors to Croatia, H.E. Corinne Meunier and H.E. Philippe Meunier. The reception was attended by a number of political, cultural and public figures.

H.E. Philippe Meunier and German Ambassador to Croatia H.E. Robert Richard Klinke

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POLITICS

Text: ŽELIMIR MARAŠ

China Crisis

Empire of Dragon Strikes Back As we wrote in our last issue, the United States launched a brutal attack on Huawei, under the pretence of „fighting for information safety“, with the company, according to Huawei's director, becoming a "badly damaged aircraft". But, the Chinese, knowing how to think long-term, have delayed their conquest of the world for only a couple years. China is now relocating some of its companies to Russia (Siberia, to be precise) where joint companies would be formed to avoid the sanctions. China is preparing its own sanctions too. Huawei has sued Verizon and numerous other companies for us-

ministration to ease restrictions regarding the ban on selling parts to the Chinese technology firm. Last year, Huawei spent about 11 billion on components supplied by dozens of US companies, including Qualcomm's chips, and Microsoft and Google software. American firms will lose these revenues as soon as the 90-day permit expires which was granted by Washington so they can adjust to the new situation, i.e. the ban on the sale of parts to Huawei and its 70 subsidiaries, as of August 20th. Simply put, the Chinese will have to buy everything from someone else, or to make it themselves.

THE QUESTION IS WHETHER AMERICAN HITECH COMPANIES ARE READY FOR THIS, EVEN IF TRUMP IS, OR RATHER IF THEY ARE CONFIDENT ENOUGH NOT TO BE AFRAID OF THE CHINESE The United States has started to hit China where China has surpassed the US – that is, in technology. Since it is impossible to stop China's investments in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, which are hungry for capital, have a poor infrastructure, and are overwhelmed with political reforms that are deteriorating due to the low living standard, there was only one thing that America could do – to sit and watch peacefully as China outpaces them or to attack first. They chose the latter and now China, silently but decisively, is striking back. Knowing the Chinese, everything they do will be quiet and effective. Back in the day, Great Britain was the world's biggest superpower, both military and economically-wise. And then, sometime between the two world wars, Britain slipped to the second place, letting the US, its former colony with which it had not fought for over 100 years and had been an ally of since 1916, take the No. 1 spot. If it had not been for the First World War, Germany would have become the world's greatest power, even in 1930, although having

only a handful of colonies. This would have been achieved primarily through its influence on Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in peacetime conditions. With the defeat of Germany, Britain remained No.1, and it seemed that the partnership with the "younger brother" would be solid. Nowadays, there is a similar tacit agreement: Russia is letting China economically lead Eurasia in return for Russia's military superiority. Never before has a superpower, apart from the aforementioned UK-US agreement, conceded economic leadership to another superpower. However, this did not go down well with the world’s biggest superpower, which decided to prevent this from happening.

ing hundreds of patents designed by the Chinese giant. The Chinese, if they decide, can declaratively claim that an American product is "not safe", like Microsoft Windows, and then all hell will break loose imagine 1.3 billion people stopping using a certain product. US COMPANIES IN THE SERVICE OF THE CHINESE ONES

US companies also don't like sanctions. When they calculated everything, their heads started to spin from looking at the potential loss. Concerned about the inevitable loss of billions of dollars in trading with Huawei, the giants from the Silicon Valley have been quietly lobbying with the US ad-

CHIMERICA IS ALIVE The fact that the two economies are so intertwined that the term Chimerica (the amalgamation of the words China and America) has been even coined poses a big problem for both sides. They are like Siamese twins – separating them would cause huge bleeding. The question is whether American hi-tech companies are ready for this, even if Trump is, or rather if they are confident enough not to be afraid of the Chinese (who are going to come up with innovations in the meantime). Also, are they ready to lose a fifth or a sixth of the world market? If that happens, it will be the biggest economic earthquake since Napoleon's Continental Blockade.

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All this, although it is temporarily hurting Huawei, substantially strengthens the Chinese and their partners. To prevent this, major US chip makers, such as Intel, Qualcomm and Xlink, are lobbying with the US Department of Commerce to ease the ban, anonymous industry sources have told Reuters. Although the details of these negotiations have not been revealed, Huawei said that it did not ask its US partners to lobby for their benefit. "They do so on their own accord as Huawei is one of the major clients for many of them,“ said Andrew Williamson, vice president of Huawei, adding that the loss of the Chinese market for some of them will have catastrophic consequences.

CORPORATE

Two New Five-star Summer Resorts, Investment Worth Half a Billion Kuna Guests are very impressed with the newly renovated Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* in Poreč, designed for a luxurious family holiday, and with a premium camping resort Istria Premium Camping Resort 5*

With the opening of Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* in Poreč and Istria Premium Camping Resort 5* in Funtana, Valamar officially presented this year's investment worth 793 million kuna. This completes a threeyear investment cycle in which Valamar implemented investments worth 2.5 billion kuna thus validating the position of the largest Croatian tourist company and the leading national investor. “Up until now, and including the investments we made so far this year, Valamar has invested a total of 5.8 billion kuna in Croatian tourism. As part of our three-year growth and development strategy, we invested a total of 2.5 billion kuna in the tourism portfolio, and if we include investments in business expansion and acquisitions, this amount exceeds 3 billion kuna. In addition to repositioning the portfolio to suit our high-value offer, Valamar has been continuously investing in improving the financial standing of its employees and their professional development which is why the company is recognized as

the best employer in the Croatian tourism sector. This year, we have created close to 400 new jobs, and this summer, Valamar will employ around 7,000 people," said Ivana Budin Arhanić, Vice President for business development and corporate affairs at Valamar. The press attended the opening of Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* in Poreč and Istria Premium Camping Resort 5* in Funtana two new big 5-star facilities that have already received first guests and recorded excellent booking results this tourist season. The unique Valamar Collection Marea Suites 5* has rounded off the Collection Offer in Poreč. A total of 140 million kuna was invest-

ed in this facility. Marea Collection Resort's construction began in autumn and was successfully completed in just eight months, with 25 domestic companies hired to carry out construction works. „Valamar Marea Collection Resort is designed for families with children and with this investment, we have extended the family holiday offer in Poreč. This resort provides level 5 services, it has luxury suites with sea views, attractive swimming pools spanning 200 square metres, the revamped beach, restaurants, sports facilities and Maro offer for children of all ages“, the resort's director, Ozren Renko pointed out. The investment in Istria Pre-

UP UNTIL NOW, AND INCLUDING THE INVESTMENTS THE COMPANY MADE SO FAR THIS YEAR, VALAMAR HAS INVESTED A TOTAL OF 5.8 BILLION KUNA IN THE CROATIAN TOURISM

mium Camping Resort, the first Valamar five-star campsite and one of the best campsites in the Mediterranean, is a continuation of investments in the camping segment in the direction of high added value. A total of 280 million kuna was invested in Istria Premium Camping Resort in the last two years. "Istria Premium Camping Resort has a large family-oriented water park with 1,000 square meters of water surface, a large entertainment hall with cinema, stage, children's clubs and playrooms and Super Maro programs for children. Here, you can find one of the most beautiful Valamar beaches overlooking the old town of Vrsar and its piazza, as well as restaurants, bars, V Sports Park and playgrounds plus there are camping tents and luxury mobile homes with private pools. This is a high-value family resort in the camping products segment," said Lea Sošić, Product Development Director at Valamar. This season, Valamar's guests can also enjoy the completely refurbished TUI Sensimar Carolina Resort by Valamar and Padova Premium Camping Resort on the island of Rab, new facilities at the Valamar Meteor Hotel in Makarska and a series of novelties in the campsites Lanterna Premium Camping Resort and Ježevac Premium Camping Resort on the island of Krk.

BUSINESS NEWS

Promocija Plus

38,156 NEW CARS SOLD IN FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2019

Croatian National Bank

BEGINNING OF THE INTRODUCTION OF EURO

The eurozone finance ministers have formally accepted the Croatian request, just as they gave Bulgaria a green light a year ago which initiated the euro introduction process. Judging by the procedure in the case of Bulgaria, the eurozone finance ministers will set a time frame of about one year in which the country will have to take certain steps, i.e. do the homework that it has to do following Croatia’s entry into ERM2. Each country must remain in this proverbial waiting room for at least two years before entering the eurozone and in that period, the government needs to set the kuna / euro exchange rate.

Although in January this year, the current European Commission Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, Valdis Dombrovskis said that Bulgaria is expected to join ERM2 in the middle of this year although the official invitation for that has not yet arrived.

Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency

PERMANENT BAN ON BINARY OPTIONS AND CFDS

Sales of new passenger cars in Croatia dropped 10% to 8,235 in June, the market research agency Promocija Plus said. In the first half of 2019, sales of new cars were down 0.2% on the year. Opel was the top-selling brand in the country with 930 cars sold in June, down from 1,163 cars a month earlier. Volkswagen was the runner-up with 866 cars sold in June, down from 909 in May, while Skoda ranked third with 595, up from 536 a month earlier. In the January-June period, Volkswagen was the most popular brand with a total of 4,604 cars sold, followed by Renault with 3,909 and Opel with 3,813. The best-selling car models in Croatia in June were Skoda Octavia, of which 388 cars were sold, followed by Fiat 500 with 342 and Citroen C3 with 334. From January to the end of June, 956 Audis, 812 BMWs, 748 Mercedes’, 54 Porsches and 29 Jaguars were sold.

Croatian Deposit Insurance Fund

SECOND PLACE IN EUROPEAN UNION

Croatia will become the 22nd EU country to introduce these limitations. In two weeks’ time, the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) will discuss a total ban on trading in binary options and limitations to the contracts for differenc-

es (the so-called CFDs). The ban will apply to small investors whom the regulator seeks to protect from false promises of large profits that in most cases end with the loss of money invested. Large, or licensed, investors will not be restricted.

Croatian Tourism Association

SEASONAL RESERVATIONS DROP BY BETWEEN 3% AND 7% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

By the end of June, the number of top-season hotel bookings in Croatia fell between 3 to 7 percent from the end of last year, with additional effort made on increasing last-minute reservations to reach last year's figures. "Furthermore, the plans for the top of the season were marred by May and a lot of rainfall,

which resulted in worse than expected results thus creating a lot of concern for the tourism sector. All the information we disposed of show that this tourist season will be the most challenging one in the last few years," said CTA director, Veljko Ostojić. He also added that through adjusting policies to suit the new market reality it remans to be seen what are the real limits of the competitiveness of Croatian tourism, which is negatively affected by a high VAT rate; higher than in other Mediterranean countries, but also in Austria and Hungary.

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According to the European Banking Authority (EBA), the Croatian Deposit Insurance Fund now occupies the second place in the EU in terms of the insured deposits (at the end of 2018) and their coverage through the funds allocated to the relevant EU funds. Over HRK 5.5 billion or EUR 745 million accrued in the Deposit Insurance Fund in Croatia at the end of 2018 was covered by 2.9% of the total of HRK 191.9 billion of protected savings and according by that indicator alone, the Republic of Croatia takes the second place in the EU. The Fund's target level is set at 2.5% of the amount of insured deposits, which is three times higher than the EU minimum (0.8%) under the SOD Directive. In most countries, the targeted coverage is 0.8% with almost half of the EU countries still not able to reach that percentage and only a handful exceeding it. In comparison, more money was accumulated by banks (according to insurance premiums and remuneration contributions) in Deposit Insurance Fund, than in the same funds in Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria together, which insured deposits were four times larger.

Siemens

2019 PRESS AWARD The winners of the Siemens Press Award 2019 were announced on June 4th with the awards for the three best journalists selected from the eleven participating countries were presented at a gala event in Siemens City, Vienna. Based on the decision of the jury made of the representatives from the participating countries, the winners of this year's Central and Southeast European press award are Marina Pavlić from Croatia, for an article published in Mreža magazine, Adrian Mihaltanu from Romania for his work on the "pressone.ro" portal and Christian Lenoble for his "i-presse" publication. A total of 220 articles were submitted for regional applications from 14 countries. The main award was 1,000 euro for each of the winners. This is the fourth time that Siemens has organized this competition for the journalists from Central and Southeast European countries. The competition was launched in twelve countries in eastern and south-eastern Europe - Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Israel, Ukraine and Austria.

Belgrade Beer Industry (BIP)

COMPANY’S FUTURE UNCERTAIN

The North Macedonian company, M6 EDEN SRB has terminated a contract on business cooperation with the bankrupt Serbian beer producer Beogradska industrija piva – Belgrade Beer Industry (BIP) with the process of settling obligations towards employees and all creditors began on July 1st. The company said it had believed in the

possibility of one of the region's largest breweries developing and embarked with enthusiasm on its revival two years ago but that there was no possibility of success. Even the renowned Tikveš Winery started importing BIP beers. The first line of products that were sold in Macedonia consisted of 0.5 litre cans and 0.33 and 0.5-litre bottles.

HPB

CLOSING DOWN ITS SAVINGS BANK

Croatian National Bank

FOREIGN TOURISTS SPENT 25MN EURO MORE THAN LAST YEAR

Despite the fluctuating results in terms of the number of tourists visiting Croatia and overnight stays in the first six months of this year, the tourist year started well. Revenue from foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2019 was EUR 475 million, 25 million or 5.4% more than in the same period of 2018, the Ministry of Tourism said on Thursday, citing the central bank's data. Revenue from foreign arrivals in 2018 amounted to EUR 10.1 billion, 6.4% more than in 2017 while total tourism revenue in 2018 is estimated at EUR 12 billion, the Ministry of Tourism says. It remains to be seen whether these figures will be exceeded and by how much since the figures from May caused quite a concern. In that month, there were 300,000 guests and 1.5 million overnight stays fewer than last year. June positively contributed to the six-month average, with 6.5 million tourists and 26 million overnight stays, which is a new record for domestic tourism.

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka (HPB) has decided to merge its savings bank. Since the similar move was made by Zagrebačka Banka mid-last year, after HPB closes its savings bank, only three such banks will remain in the market - PBZ, Raiffeisen and Wüstenrot, with total assets of HRK 5.2 billion. HPB's move is not surprising given that the savings bank's assets dropped to only HRK 366 million, and most of the lending (in kunas and with fixed interest) is still done by the bank itself. The long-term sustainability of sav-

ings banks in Croatia was affected by the decision made by the state to cut down on government incentives for savings in 2016, DPS was 4.1%, and in 2019, it will amount to 1.2%, or 60 kuna.

VE Krmpote

INVESTING 120MN EURO IN WIND FARM

Bremen-based wpd europe and Rijeka-based Tekol Teri have set up VE Krmpote, a joint venture to develop a wind farm on the Ruševo-Krmpotsko location near Novi Vinodolski, following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Novi Vinodolski town authorities. The value of the investment is estimated at more than EUR 120 million. The Krmpote

wind farm will have an installed capacity of up to 90 MW and cover an area of 27 square kilometers. The wind farm is expected to generate around 250,000 MWh of clean energy, which will significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, dependency on electricity imports, and the transition to a low-carbon economy, according to the press release.

PUTTING THE SEX BACK INTO SEXAGENARIAN

Madonna Remains Scandalous, But for the Wrong Reason These days it is her refusal to stop making new music, not the music itself, that raises eyebrows

In 2016 Madonna was honoured at a music industry awards ceremony. In her speech, she reflected on her 34 years in the business, her extraordinary success as the best-selling female artist of all time and her talent for shocking people. She said something that was, true to form, startling. “People say I’m controversial. But I think the most controversial thing I have ever done is to stick around.” Asked to identify Madonna’s most scandalous moment, this is not the answer that most people would give. Foremost among her many provocations is the music video for “Like a Prayer” (1989), which the Vatican condemned as blasphemous, her simulation of masturbation during her Blond Ambition tour in 1990, and “Sex” (1992), an erotic photo-book chronicling her sexual adventures with both men and women. The idea that these events could be eclipsed by the mere longevity of Madonna’s career seems odd until you remember how sexist and ageist the music industry is. In her speech, she said that a woman who continues to make music even as she gets older is treated as guilty of a kind of sin. Well, here I am, Madonna seemed to say. Guilty. She remains unrepentant. Madonna, who turned 60 last August, is back with a new album. Released on June 14th, “Madame X” finds her in her darkest mood since “American Life” (2003). “Things have got to change,” she sings on the hypnotic “Batuka”, “there’s a storm ahead”. Enter Madonna’s alter-ego, Madame X. A spy working undercover as a teacher, nun and cha-cha-cha instructor—but who nonetheless never removes her conspicuous crystal-encrusted eye patch—Madame X is on a mission to cast off the chains of the oppressed. Who the oppressors are is never entirely certain, but they must be located in Brazil, Colombia, Portugal and Atlanta, Georgia

SHE COULD SHOW LISTENERS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE AN OLDER WOMAN, ONE WHO EMBRACES HER SENSUALITY YET IS NOT AFRAID TO REVEAL HER WRINKLES AND TALK ABOUT MENOPAUSE. THAT WOULD BE TRULY SURPRISING because it is the sounds of those places that supply the soundtrack to her quest. Much of “Madame X” seems calculated to appeal to younger listeners. Her persona is on-trend: it’s cool to care about the issues, and Madame X cares. “God Control” laments the fact that nothing is being done to stop mass shootings in American high schools; “I Rise” starts with a clip from an impassioned speech by Emma González, one of the teenage survivors of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. “Madame X” is woke—sometimes a little too woke. On “Killers Who Are Partying”, she sings about identifying with the downtrodden (“I will be

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gay if the gays are burned / I will be Africa if Africa is shut down”). On “Come Alive”, she sings “All I want is peace, peace, peace”. Over the years, Madonna has hired producers to help her weave the genres du jour into her music, and sometimes those producers have gone overboard. If you didn’t already know that “Hard Candy” (2008), produced by R’n’B hitmakers Timbaland and the Neptunes, was a Madonna record, you might have thought the singer was Britney Spears. By contrast, the producers of “Madame X”—among them Mirwais and Diplo—understand how to update her sound. On “Crave”, Madonna sings over the skittering high hats and big bass of

trap, smoothing the edges of this spare, flinty style of hip-hop until it becomes a wistful lullaby. On the sweaty, sultry “Medellín”, Madonna’s melancholy lyrics give new depth to reggaeton, a genre of Latin dance music as seductive as it is superficial. “Madame X” is no “Erotica”— there are no controversies on this album—but that is not to say that Madonna isn’t experimenting. Since she moved to Portugal in 2017, she has been exploring the sounds of the Lusophone diaspora, as is audible on the most intriguing tracks on “Madame X”. “Batuka” riffs on batuque, traditional dance music from Cape Verde notable for its call-and-response structure, but adds syncopated handclaps and crescendoing drums to hypnotic effect. With its sirens, whistles and chirrups, “Faz Gostoso” is a carnivalesque take on Brazilian funk on which Madonna and Anitta, a Brazilian singer, rap in Portuguese. All the same, this reviewer could not help longing for a glimpse of Madonna the provocateur. She is right to argue that she is taking a stand against the music industry merely by making records at her age, but she could be more ambitious. During the height of her career, in the 1980s and 1990s, Madonna presented society with a new model of femininity: the woman who was unafraid to brazenly flaunt her sexuality. She inspired a slew of imitators from Ms Spears to Miley Cyrus. Now that Madonna is 60, and still backed by millions of fans, the opportunity has arisen for her to scandalise the public once again. She could show listeners what it is like to be an older woman, one who embraces her sensuality yet is not afraid to reveal her wrinkles and talk about menopause. That would be truly surprising. From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www. economist.com

COLUMN

BRANDING AFTER BRANDING

For the first time, after 25 years of independence, the state officials, including the President of the Republic of Croatia, Mrs Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, started talking about opening the Croatian branding office DANIJEL KOLETIĆ CEO of Apriori World

Do Croatia and its decision makers actually know how demanding the branding process is? Croatia has missed an opportunity to use the euphoria from last year's World Cup in Russia. It also failed to create the synergy of institutions in terms of devising tourist programmes and using the success of our football players in doing so. Even today, Croatian airports and state borders don't have a powerful brand identity. What is the brand identity of Croatia? It is how others see us, and how we see ourselves. Everybody has different interests and on the back of that, you should define the tourist offer. Somebody loves history, somebody sports, somebody food and some people

love to enjoy the sea and the sun. But is that really a brand identity? That is, for now, the brand identity of Croatia. The approach to a new brand strategy should be serious and a team of at least 30 experienced professionals should be engaged in writing it. They have to devise the key strategies, the target audience, the messages and the visual images while using all available techniques, tools, channels and opportunities which are required for this process. It is a very positive thing when politicians are thinking about branding, but branding demands serious funding and planning.

Aside from the political will, such a project needs persistence and determination. Croatia is a country brimming with knowledge and people who can take on a branding project. But this project cannot be implemented by experts from political parties or church dignitaries or people without experience in global branding. I wrote in one of the magazines about the Swedish model of branding and I believe that there are many good examples out there, such as Great Britain, which is, in itself, a brand, as is Dubrovnik in Croatian terms. We have the two perceptions - internal, i.e. what we think

IF WE WANT TO WORK SYSTEMATICALLY, WE HAVE TO ASSEMBLE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, DEFINE THE DIRECTION FOR CREATING CONTENT AND TALK ABOUT BRANDING

about our country, and external what others think about our country. „Croatia full of life“ or rather the country that everybody is migrating from, doesn't seriously understand the process of branding. The branding process always starts with good communication. Without good communication between experts from all areas, we can't talk about the branding of a country. One agency cannot take on the branding of the country. There should be the synergy of knowledge, different views and ideas, key strategies, messages and brand strategies. The brand strategy is the most important document. After the brand strategy comes the most demanding process and that is implementation. If we want to work systematically, we have to assemble the right people, define the direction for creating content and talk about branding.

INTERVIEW

Writing for Yourself – Literature in 280 Characters It is redundant to talk about social media as the thing of the future and as one of the possibilities of expressing oneself, or engaging in media activities, simply because they happened a long time ago. They are a way of life today SANJA ČANAK – RAIČ Twitter Writer

Naturally, the question of language is essentially a question of identity, but when it comes to creative writing, the attitude that the writer can only express themselves in their own language, seems to me to be a narrow-handed, over-stretched,19th century-like concept of identifying the linguistic standard expressed through literary canons and the ideas of the nation. On the last day of June, which coincided with the International Social Media Day (yes, there is such thing which has been celebrated for 10 years now), we talked with Sanja Čanak-Raič, a novelist, a translator, a public relations expert and a very active Twitter user. Despite the fact that Twitter, as a medium, gained planetary popularity thanks to the explosive development of mobile platforms over the past decade, it is still not the favourite choice among social media users in Croatia. We became even more intrigued when we learned that Sanja published solely poetry and prose on Twitter, and that in only six months since joining Twitter, she has managed to gain a respectable number of followers, considering that she lives in Croatia. You have professional ties to the media and public relations with the latter being a profession

where writing, which has to be exact and informative, is one of the basic prerequisites for doing a PR job. How did you get into literature? Why did you choose social media?

— I have been writing my whole life, so you can say that writing is my profession, or rather writing in general, that is expressing thoughts and formulating them in words and sentences. I studied the beautiful French and Spanish literature, and at that time, I was also doing professional writing so during my early days in journalism, I sensed and learned the difference between "writing" (for myself) and writing (for others). The quotation marks serve as a visible distinc-

engaging in literature at the author and creative level, with writing solely as an intimate option, passion could either disappear or be smothered by the reality of life or my profession, or maybe survive in the personal sphere of an individual. In practice, the word „survive“ meant to become a hobby, an alternative to real professional writing and writing for one's own enjoyment. That is and always will be a personal choice. Regarding the use of social media for literary purposes, I advocate that we can't talk about them as the thing of the future and as one of the possibilities of expressing oneself, or engaging in media activities, simply because they hap-

A NUMBER OF LONG FORMS (NOVELS AND STORIES), INCLUDING THOSE THAT WERE RECIPIENTS OF THE WORLD-FAMOUS LITERARY AWARDS, WERE PUBLISHED ON TWITTER tion of the position in relation to the object. I wrote mostly shorter forms - stories, and some of them have been published. Professional writing, in my case, is one of the main tools of my profession of a translator and/or a PR executive. The nature of the business always dictated that I wrote (no quotation marks) "for others" who chose the topic, the form of expression, and the canon of reporting, especially if the writing was related to politics. I understood very early on that when it comes to literature and

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pened a long time ago. This is not even a topic to consider for Millennials, because they live through social media which they use to express themselves in a completely authentic way. We just joined the overall trend. Why did you pick Twitter over other social media like the popular and omnipresent Facebook, for instance?

— Simply because it seemed to me to be the best platform for what I wanted to say or write. A large number of users came to Twitter

after being satiated with Facebook and other complicated and tedious social media that have a bunch of useless options, where you are being bothered by people you know or don't know, and by quizzes, tests, ads ... Things are far simpler on Twitter and apart from basic posting and following, there are no other options. Twitter is still a minor in terms of age, while Facebook is a few years short of „legal age“. Instagram is only 9 years old. All of this means that the convergence is still going on, or better to say, the coexistence of classic and new media. Contrary to the expectations and pessimistic forecasts about old media disappearing, the opposite happened - the new media created new opportunities for the classic media. After all, you are interviewing me for a classic medium, which is surviving and developing with the help of new media platforms, aren't you? Professionally speaking, new media have just improved the existing techniques and gave birth to new platforms, but my work, especially in the context of writing, remained the same - collecting, processing and distributing information, or rather using letters, words and sentences shaped by the writing techniques. Of course, when I speak about the professional side, I am talking about the earlier mentioned no-quotationmarks-writing-for-others. While I was doing this, social media came to me spontaneously, in response to the new media practice of contemporaneity, most often in the

form of extensions of classic information forms that I have been using all my life. But you are also writing for others because your every post is public...

— Of course, I write for others too. Writing for yourself is a contradiction at its core providing we are not talking about notes, reminders or "to do lists". The most intimate diaries are written for others, not necessarily for the same generation and contemporaries, but at least for progeny or someone from the unknown future. Art for art's sake simply does not exist in literature because everything that is written, regardless of how real it is, finds its way to the readers. Writing is shaping thoughts with a medium as a go-between. Media always entails communication and you have to have at least two people to have communication the sender and the recipient of the message. In this context, writing for myself is meaningless if there is no medium as a go-between, which then automatically becomes writing for others as well. Generically speaking, humans are creatures of communication, and they communicate in countless ways thus shaping themselves and their surroundings. The entire nature and the world that surround us are communicating – starting with our cells all the way to our DNA molecules. The determinant that is homo communication is special. What makes it distinct from other parts of nature is that this kind of communication is creative. Makeup, tattoos and hairstyles are also a form of communication, just as writing is one of the tools of creative expression. So, communicating is in human nature. This is how things technically are. We simply must communicate. This is given. However, it is even more important to honestly ask ourselves – „Do I have something to say?“, „Is it going to be interesting for others too?“, and „Am I coherent enough to convey my thoughts and feelings?“. If the answer is „yes“ to all these questions than writing makes sense for others too. You tweet in English, you are professionally bound to the French language, while Croatian is your mother tongue. How do you navigate in this triangle?

— I hope quite well. Both professionally and personally, and in terms of the medium that is

language, my life has always been bi-, tri-, quadri- or multilingual. It's just the way it is and I never knew anything differently, nor did I want to. Honestly, I never gave this much thought because learning and using languages came spontaneously to me because the language I choose to speak on a daily basis is probably a reflection of my character and/ or my personality. Naturally, the question of language is essentially a question of identity, but when it comes to creative writing, the attitude that the writer can only express themselves in their own language, seems to me to be a narrow-handed, over-stretched,19th century-like concept of identifying the linguistic standard expressed through literary canons and the

if the reader or the listener of your utterance feels the same. To make this happen you have to think and feel in the language in which you are writing. In that context, translating is also a very creative job because it allows the transmission of thoughts and feelings, which is far from the mere technique. In any language, you can express yourself in this or that way, but pinpointing a true expression of emotion is very difficult. After all, in addition to English, I also tweet in French and Spanish, depending on the theme and the current inspiration. True, I rarely write in Croatian. Twitter is not really the favourite social medium in Croatia. Some say that Facebook dominates and some that it stagnates, at

IF YOU CAN'T SAY IT IN 280 CHARACTERS, MAYBE YOU BETTER NOT SAY IT AT ALL ideas of the nation. Proust sounds fine in all languages and is understood the same by the Chinese, the French or the Norwegians alike, although the French language that Proust used is something vastly different from the contemporary French. That's the rule of thumb for any good literature. In order to illustrate this, I would just like to mention a contemporary Danish writer, Alen Mešković, who originates from Croatia, as an example. Mešković says that a writer doesn't use language to write, but writes with their whole being. It really is like that because by shaping your own thoughts into sentences, you are trying to run a certain emotion or thought rhythm through the filter of language, and this is especially true of poetry. In doing so, it is totally irrelevant which language you use,

least considering the number of users. On the other hand, Instagram is experiencing a huge expansion but the communication there is solely done through photographs and hashtags. Who exactly is your audience?

— In my work, I use solely those social media that have the most widespread reach. On the other hand, for personal things, I first tried Instagram which I still use to this day. However, I quickly realized that Instagram is limited only to visual communication. I also use Viber and WhatsApp for everyday things. I missed using and arranging words and putting them on paper that is also available to others. Instagram is fine but I'm not a painter or a photographer or a videographer. Words are my creative tools. Twitter, in all its limitations (only

280 characters), is still relatively unpopular in Croatia, maybe because of the said limitations. It seemed a good choice to me, though. After registering, I had my own Twitter profile and the address and I wrote the first tweet in the blank field provided for that. Choosing the English language to do so was a logical step because computers are the same all over the world. If I had tweeted in Croatian, my Twitter would have been quite a lonely place. In just a couple of months, I amassed thousands of followers, that is, those who follow me and who read my statuses, and 12,000 likes or positive reactions to my posts. The numbers change from day to day, but the trend is still upward. Such feedback, which is simply unparalleled in classic media, i.e. if I published a book of poetry in a couple of hundred copies, coupled with the fact that I have achieved such a reach with about 2,500 posts, of which only about 350 are my original work while the rest are reactions to comments and the like, shows that my readers do exist and that Twitter is just a platform that helped my work to reach them. I am a proud „member“ of #WritingCommunity, a diverse writing society that includes the greats such as Stephen King and Paulo Coelho, poetry bards, publicists, publishers, authors with several books under their belt, and many other, endlessly talented and imaginative anonymous individuals. Interactive communication and exchange of experiences are also extremely useful for my creative maturation. Last but not least, tweeting is fun and inspirational and it could become the stepping stone to writing something that is much longer. I already have plans but they are not the topic of this interview, are they?

‘A RELAY BATON’ Is 280 characters a form that is too limiting? — In terms of terminology, Twitter fiction or Twitter prose or Twitterature was coined from the words Twitter and literature. These are texts that are tweeted in the specific and predefined form consisting of 280 characters which possess a literary/artistic quality. I mostly post #vss365 (very short story) on a daily basis. It is freestyle prose or poetry on a given theme. The reputable members of #WritingCommunity provide the keyword of the day that serves as the basis or inspiration for your daily tweet. The writer who chooses the "prompt word" has a month-long mandate. In the world of literature, the volume and the length are not essential to assessing the quality. In addition, Twitterature can consist of a single tweet which is then coupled with an illustration (my personal favourite), or a series of tweets which together make up an author's body of work, while, at the same time, each segment is shaped in accordance with the rules and capabilities of this social medium.

REPORTAGE

Text: ROBERT ČOBAN

A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED: MOLDOVA AND TRANSNISTRIA

The Subjects of Münchausen, Lenin and Sheriff

THE SOVIET HOUSE: Monument to Lenin in the centre of Tiraspol

Trapped in a "frozen conflict" from 1990, landlocked, poor, lying on the intersection between the EU (Romania) in the West and the unstable Ukraine and Russia in the East, rife with scarcity, corruption, local sheriffs and Lenin's legacy, Moldova and Transnistria still leave the impression of a region that can expect a brighter future than our "Sanitary control!" A middle-aged woman in a bright-blue uniform opens the door of our compartment in the train going from Bucharest to Chişinău and sticks her head in. We confirm that that we are healthy from head to toe and she leaves without saying anything further. At the Romanian-Moldovan border, the legendary transfer of train wheels to the wider, "Russian track" takes place. Namely, 1,520 millimeters is the width of the railway tracks in Russia, CIS members, Baltic states, Mongolia and Finland. It’s been like that since the 19th century when the Russian Empire started building a railway network that would criss-cross “the Empire on which the sun never sets”. The "narrow" track is used in the countries of North America, Europe and China and is 1,435 millimeters wide. Some half an hour later we arrive to the main railway station in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Eu-

rope. Moldova and Ukraine share last place in Europe in terms of GDP per capita. On that Saturday morning, at 7 o’clock, the Chişinău railway station building looked much cleaner

and prettier than most railway stations in Europe that I saw, let alone our, dilapidated ones. Pots with exotic flowers and aquariums with tropical fish do look slightly bizarre in a building that dates

THE SIX OF US EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY FROM BUCHAREST TO ODESA, WANTING TO SEE THIS EXOTIC PART OF EUROPE THAT IS NOT THAT FREQUENTED AND THAT MANY PEOPLE FROM THE WEST HAVE PREJUDICES ABOUT

MUSSOLINI’S GIFT: One of the five replicas of the Roman She-Wolf in front of the National Museum of History of Moldova

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back to the Russian empire, but everything here is absolutely spotless. The six of us embarked on a journey from Bucharest to Odesa, wanting to see this exotic part of Europe that is not that frequented and that many people from the West have prejudices about. After the drive to our flat and a one-hour walk to the town centre, our first impression was that Chişinău is cleaner and better regulated than most East European capitals. The roads are bad, just like in Serbia, but you cannot find a single cigarette butt, or a plastic bag, or a piece of plastic packaging discarded here. The people in Moldova are poor, but their awareness about utility order is much higher than in the Balkan states. While riding in the lift, the owner of the flat in which we are staying asks us about the current situation in Serbia and whether there is still war there. When we ask her about the 1990 war in Moldova, which resulted in Transnistria, a narrow strip of land located near

the border Ukraine, declaring independence, our hosts replies that the war lasted only three months, but that it was very cruel and bloody. She makes a sign of cross with her hand and mumbles:”I hope we never see war again.” ROMAN SHE-WOLF AND PAIN TRAIN

Everything was calm in the town centre, but there was a certain tension with police patrols on every corner. A day later, the Moldovan court dismissed Igor Dodon as the country’s president and appointed the former Prime Minister Pavel Filip as the interim president. The court’s explanation was that Dodon did not dissolve the parliament, which he was obligated to do in accordance with the previous decision of the Constitutional Court. On Sunday, June 9th, after the court appointed the interim president, Filip scheduled snap elections for September. The Moldovan Parliament approved a coalition government, formed after several months of negotiations in which the Socialist Party of pro-Russian Igor Dodon and the pro-European alliance ACUM of Prime Minister Maia Sandu took part. The official Moscow called the latest events in Moldova as "criminal". Which direction will this poor country, which is only a few kilometres from the Black Sea, take - towards the EU or Russia? That remains to be seen in the near future. The building of the National History Museum of Moldova is located in a luxurious villa, built in an eclectic style, on the site of an identical building which had been almost completely demolished in the 1977 earthquake. There is another bizarre detail in front of the building - a replica of the Roman she-wolf with Romulus and Remus. The story behind this sculpture is quite interesting. Namely, in the 1920s, Mussolini's Italy donated five copies of the shewolf to five Romanian cities. One of them was Chişinău, then part of Romania and the second largest city in the country. In 1940, as a result of the pact between Hitler and Stalin, Moldova fell into the hands of the Soviets, and a year later, the Germans returned it to Romania. After the Second World War, Moldova became one of the republics in the USSR. It was then that the she-wolf statue disappeared. After Moldova declared independence in 1990, brotherly Romania sent to Chişinău a new she-wolf statue,

the symbol of Rome. There is another monument that draws attention – the Pain Train, a gigantic sculpture made in 1990 and dedicated to mass victims of Stalin’s deportations to Siberia from 1940 to 1951. During that period, Stalin also expelled 50,000 people from Moldova to Kazakhstan. "Fans of bizarre feel right at home here”, my colleague Žikica said after we stumbled across a children's recital that took place between tanks, cannons, rocket launchers and MIGs in the military museum yard. The children sang about Jesus and his return to this world. Later, we heard that those

were the students of a religious school who chose a rather interesting location for their event.

JUST MARRIED: A detail in front of the church in Chişinău

"TICKETS, PLEASE": Driver-conductor on a bus between Chişinău and Tiraspol

BIGGEST WINE CELLAR IN THE WORLD

Moldova gained wide popularity in the Western world when it was mentioned in the TV series “Dynasty”, as a fictitious monarchy where Amanda, the daughter of Blake and Alexis, had her wedding. The wedding was interrupted when terrorists stormed the chapel and massacred everybody. The curtain falls, and it was the end of the series. This episode was the most watched episode in the history of the TV at that time, with

IN 1940, AS A RESULT OF THE PACT BETWEEN HITLER AND STALIN, MOLDOVA FELL INTO THE HANDS OF THE SOVIETS, AND A YEAR LATER, THE GERMANS RETURNED IT TO ROMANIA

HEAVEN FOR FANS OF BIZARRE: Children's play in the shadow of cannons and tanks

THE MASTER OF ENTIRE ECONOMY: FC Sheriff’s complex

60 million viewers in the US alone tuning in. The series’ producer, Esther Shapiro was quoted as saying:”This was a fairytale-like terrorist attack, beautifully shot, like Goya’s painting.” Next year it will be 35 years since the fictitious “Moldovan massacre”. Actor John Forsythe (Blake in the series) is no longer alive, Princess Catherine Oxenberg (played Amanda) went through many traumas in her life with the latest one relating to her daughter India joining a cult, while Esther Shapiro (now age 91) and Joan Collins (age 86) are still going strong. Apart from the “Dynasty massacre”, Moldova is also known for its top-notch wines. Mileștii Mici, officially the biggest wine cellar in the world (located in 200 kilometres-long corridors of the former mine), is located here. The wine cellar boasts the biggest wine collection in the world (over 2 million bottles). You enter Mileștii Mici by car, and the temperature here is between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius all year around which is ideal. While our crew (divided into two taxis) is passing through the winery’s endless corridors, we can see thousands of barrels and hundreds of thousands of bottles of wine, on both sides of the corridors. We also had an English guide, the charming woman by the name of Dorina, who, with the typical Soviet sense of humor, explains some of the features of Mileștii Mici that found their place in the Guinness Book of Records. The cellar is stateowned, and the biggest customers are, as you have probably guessed it, the Chinese. There is also the possibility to rent a dent in the rock where you can store and lock away your valuable wines. At the end of our tour, we tasted white, red and red dessert wines, accompanied by the music from local musicians who happened to be there and who sang “Ihav Kozak za Dunaj” in honour of our imminent departure for Ukraine. The bus for Tiraspol is chockfull. The bus curtains are as colorful as in a New Orleans brothel, and the driver, with a rather impressively big belly that is peeking through a half-buttoned shirt, is also the bus’ owner. He reminds us of the Serbian actor Pavle Vuisić in his role in the film “Ko To Tamo Peva” (“Who is singing over there”) in which he personally collects the money for the tickets and keeps tight control over the behaviour of passengers.

THE HOLY TRINITY OF TRANSNISTRIA

After a little more than an hour's drive from Chişinău, we arrive at the border, that is, the "administrative crossing", as we, in Serbia like to call it, between Moldova and the tearaway territory of Transnistria. We all get off the bus. High above our heads is the coat of arms of Transnistria with a dominant sickle and hammer, a fivepoint star and a cluster of grapes at the bottom. On the other side of the counter is a young woman in uniform, not as beautiful as Nikita in Elton John’s video, but nevertheless beautiful. She stamps our passports and from now on, we can stay up to seven days here. "Welcome to Transnistria!" It took us half an hour to get to the Tiraspol bus station from the border. Tiraspol is the capital city of Transnistria, a state that none of the UN members has recognized as independent. Actually, its independence was recognized by three states in the same position (also not recognized as independent) South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Abkhazia. The flags of these three tearaway territories are flying high in the Tiraspol city centre, right next to Transnistria’s flag. On our way to the town centre, we are passing by the Russian army military base and a lot of the USSR insignia which speaks volumes about the ideological orientation of this territory. We also see signs reading “Sheriff” wherever we go – the Sheriff Stadium, Sheriff sports hall, Sheriff petrol stations, Sheriff supermarkets… If you are a football fan, you probably remember FC Vojvodina and FC Partizan playing against FC Sheriff in the European League and in the qualifications for the Champions League a few years ago. The mastermind behind this omnipresent Sheriff brand is the local sheriff, entrepreneur Victor Gusan, who earned his first million during the war for the independence of Transnistria in 1990. Today, he owns almost the entire economy here. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the media reported that Gusan bought a mobile telephony license covering the territory of this peninsula which obviously points out to his close ties to the Kremlin. Our taxi driver says that he studied with Gusan, that Gusan dropped out of the studies during the 1990s war and became a ‘businessman’. Next to the taxi’s steering wheel, there is a badge

with Lenin’s face on it, a small icon depicting St. Nicholas and two small dices – the Holy Trinity of the modern day Transnistria.

Awash in spring rain, the streets in Tiraspol look even cleaner than those in Chişinău. We arrive in front of the Soviet House, featuring an impressive monument to Lenin, similar to the one in Berlin from the German film "Gorilla Bathes at Noon". Across the road there is a memorial complex dedicated to the victims of the wars from 1941 until today. Most names engraved in stone are the names of people who died during the threemonth war with Moldova in 1990, when the citizens of Transnistria,

with the help of the 14th Division of the USSR Army, which had a base on this territory, defeated the Army of Moldova which also had volunteer fighters from Romania. To this day this is considered "a frozen conflict". There were also the names of people killed in World War II, as well as in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (19791989). In the context of the currently very popular eponymous HBO series, a special segment is dedicated to Chernobyl, specifically to the people of Tiraspol who were part of a nuclear disaster recovery operation and later died from the effects of radiation. Within the complex there is also a Soviet tank T-34 from the Second World War, and right next to it is a small

FIVE-POINT STAR, SICKLE AND HAMMER AND CLUSTER OF GRAPES: Transnistria’s coat of arms

TWO MILLION BOTTLES: Mileştii Mici, the largest wine cellar in the world

BARON MÜNCHAUSEN’S CANNON BALL

ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE TRANSNISTRIA POPULATION BECAME RELIGIOUS AGAIN, MOST OF THEM ARE STILL NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR LENINIST PAST AND SYMBOLS

THE CITY OF CONTRAST: The golden tower of the church and the Soviet tank T-34 in the centre of Tiraspol

THE VICTIMS OF CHERNOBYL ACROSS THE FORMER USSR: Memorial in Tiraspol

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MÜNCHAUSEN’S MONUMENT AND THE CANNON BALL OF THE BARON THE LIAR: Bender Fortress

Orthodox church which gilt roof shining in the twilight. Although some of the Transnistria population became religious again, most of them are still not willing to give up their Leninist past and symbols. This is the only Soviet republic, out of all Soviet republics and provinces, that has not changed the names of its square or streets from the Socialist time. However, we, in the Balkans, have chosen the worst combination – we have only declaratively returned to religion (religious classes in schools, cities, military, police and political parties all have their own slava, people making a sign of cross with their hand while passing by a church and many observing lent), or we have erased our Socialist past in the shape of monuments and streets while preserving its worst mentality traits. Tomorrow, we took a taxi to the nearby town of Bender, which is the home to the medieval fortress, reinforced by the Turks. During the Russian-Turkish wars in the 18th century, German aristocrats, including the officer by the name of Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchausen, participated in the siege of the Bender Fortress, on the Russian side. Baron Münchausen’s confessions about his wartime adventures earned him a reputation of “one of the biggest liars of his time”, while he was also a central character in many novels and theatrical plays in the 18th, 19th and 20th century. The "Baron of Liars," as people called him, was remembered for the alleged story that he was riding a cannon ball while scouting the Turkish positions around Bender. A large cannon was placed next to the Fortress in his honour and the visitors are allowed to “ride” it so that they can, at least for a brief moment, feel like Baron Münchausen. We're heading towards Odesa. While exiting Transnistria, we are met by the joint Moldovan-Ukraine police and customs officers (just like if we would have a joint Serbian-Montenegrin police and customs patrolling the border between Kosovo and Montenegro). Trapped in "the frozen conflict" from 1990, landlocked, poor, lying on the intersection between the EU (Romania) in the West and the unstable Ukraine and Russia in the East, rife with scarcity, corruption, local sheriffs and Lenin's legacy, Moldova and Transnistria still leave the impression of a region that can expect a brighter future than ours.

COLUMN

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2019 IN CROATIA: A RHETORICAL APPROACH As the first term of the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar - Kitarović have neared its end the names of prospective presidential candidates are emerging. What are their rhetorical styles, argumentation, main topics and values they are propagating in order to consolidate and persuade their electorate to vote for them is discussed in following lines JAGODA POROPAT DARRER Business Communications Professional

Flowers, music, pompous scenography, a clear sunny day, and the beautiful lady in blue. It was roughly four years ago when the actual president of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar – Kitarović took the solemn oath in the scenic St. Mark's Square in Zagreb. She is the fourth president in the row, and the second one (the first one was Franjo Tuđman) supported by the right wing party – Croatian Democratic Union. It is expected that she will re-run, however new names, and for now just one already known as experienced politician, appeared in the run. Presidential rhetoric is a new discipline of study within the field of rhetoric. Scholars in this discipline are concerned with how public language and public arguments influence the exercise of presidential power (Windt, 1986). Analyzing Croatian presidential rhetoric, Poropat Darrer and Pletikos Olof (2017) found that the most frequently mentioned values by all Croatian Presidents are freedom, democracy, justice, patriotism (nationalism), peace and prosperity. Also, that the most used figures of speech are metaphor and repetition, and the words by which the presidents were recognized for are history for Tuđman, citizen-president for Mesić, justice for Josipović and prosperity for Grabar – Kitarović. Embedded in the tradition of western political thought there is in fact a view that language and politics are intimately linked at a fundamental level. It is not generally pointed out that when Aristotle gives his celebrated

definition of humans as creatures whose nature is to live in a polis, in almost the same breath he speaks of the unique human capacity for speech: But obviously man is a political animal [zoon politikon], in a sense in which a bee is not, or any other gregarious animal. Nature, as we say, does nothing without some purpose; and she has endowed man alone among the animals with the power of speech. What is clear is that political activity does not exist without the use of language. It is true, as noted earlier, that other behaviors are involved and, in particular, physical coercion. But the doing of politics is predominantly constituted in language (Chilton, 2004). After a short time speculating whether or not to enter the run,

The new slogan is President with character with recognizable red, white and blue, the colors of the Croatian flag. As the slogan first appeared, visually reminded of the Trump's re – run slogan: TRUMP 2020, as well as on his urge to repaint the presidential plane Air Force One in red, white and blue. Rhetorically, Zoran Milanović was as usual great. His rhythm, tone and pace are impeccable and appropriate, thus met the expectations. The message was transmitted loud and clear, he will be the president of all, therefore he is not standing only on the left wing position of his Social Democratic Party, but he is open to everyone. His posture and gesture were ones of the true leaders, except of the collar of his

NATURE, AS WE SAY, DOES NOTHING WITHOUT SOME PURPOSE; AND SHE HAS ENDOWED MAN ALONE AMONG THE ANIMALS WITH THE POWER OF SPEECH finally at the beginning of the second half of June the former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović gathered the media and in a press conference followed by a post on his Facebook profile he announced he is running for President. He appeared to be very sure of how he sees Croatia under his presidency in future: modern, progressive, curious, and open.

shirt that was hidden under his jacket. This visual element might send a message: I don't have a large team around me yet, or, I am so excited about the run that I forgot to check how I look. Zoran Milanović was at his best at his run bid: progressive and open. A week after Milanović, Miroslav Škoro presented himself as a presidential candidate as well. He

chose a different communication channel to launch his bid. In a video uploaded on YouTube, afterwards posted on Facebook (his official FB page as a musician with already around 47000 followers), and earlier announced through newspaper Večernji list he addressed his audience. Apparently, his publics are conservatives and people tired of actual political establishment. He refers to people, clearly dividing the bad political elites on one side and the good people on the other which is the main characteristic of the populist ideology and populist approach to the political communication. Very politely and serious, with his splendid voice explains further in the video the necessity of larger presidential authority, the same one or even larger that the first Croatian president Franjo Tuđman had. Just to remind, in 2000 after the end of the second Tuđman term (he died in December 1999) there was a constitutional change from the semi-presidential to parliamentary system. Škoro's main value from the mentioned video message seems to be patriotism (if not even nationalism). Levinger and Lytle (2001) argue that the crucial pillars of nationalist ideology are the rhetorical triad: idealized images of the past, depiction of the degraded present and the utopian future condition. Therefore, Miroslav Škoro could be seen as a conservative and populist candidate. Presidential campaign is starting in US as well. According to CNN, there are twenty four declared candidates among Democrats, and two Republicans who have thrown their hats into the ring. It is yet to be seen how many candidates will emerge in Croatia. No matter how many names will be in the race, let the best wins!

CULTURE NEWS

Tom Jones Performs in Dubrovnik

Tom Jones absolutely rocked the Old City of Dubrovnik last night in a mega concert. From gospel to rock, Chuck Berry to Little Richard and of course, the vast majority of his own timeless classics. The concert was organized to celebrate the

70th anniversary of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. As Sex Bomb boomed out across the stone facades Dubrovnik enjoyed a night to remember, followed by Tom’s other legendary songs – “It’s Not Unusual”, “Fall in Love” and “Green, Green Grass of Home”.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SENSATION IN ŠIBENIK 3,000-year-old vessels and remains of walls from the Bronze Age were found near the St. Nicholas Fortress in the Šibenik canal. However, this did not come as a surprise to experts. They say that this is a prehistoric fort on which today's fort was built. The discovered fortress was built on a rock about three millennia before the tall naval fort was built since, at that time, this segment was the mainland. The prehistoric finds from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age have already been documented under the oldest Šibenik fortress of St. Mihovil but also at the bottom of the Šibenik bay, Mandalini. The proof that this was once a popular naval area could be seen in other finds – parts of old anchors and ancient and early medieval amphoras. Experts want to display these underwater finding as an archaeological collection of St. Nicholas Fortress.

1ST ART & MORE FESTIVAL IN ROVINJ

ANNUAL AWARDS OF ZAGREB’S HNK

The Festival was launched by the Rovinjborn opera singer Ronald Braus who, after 18 years of performing and playing host to numerous artists on Crveni Otok (The Red Island) near Rovinj, finally decided to make something bigger out of it. The Festival, which takes place in several locations, will showcase a series of concerts and theatre plays. After the Festival, on 28th August, Ronald Braus and his guests will have a traditional performance on Crveni Otok, after which there will be a festival award ceremony.

ITALIAN DIRECTOR FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI PASSES AWAY

Another successful season at the Croatian National Theatre (HNK) in Zagreb came to an end which was celebrated with a concert called “From Evita to Harry Potter”, featuring the most popular movie soundtracks, performed by the HNK Opera. Plus, there was an award ceremony for the best actors of the season. Alma Prica and Franjo Kuhar are the recipients of the Mila Dimitrijević Award for their roles in the play “The Actress”, in the drama category. Ivana Lazar and Max Emanuel Cenčić received awards for their opera performances, while Iva Vitić Gameiro and Guilherme Gameiro Alves were the award recipients in the ballet category.

The iconic Italian film and theatre director, Franco Zeffirelli, who directed the world’s greatest opera singers and brought Shakespeare to the cinema-going masses, has died. He was 96. In a statement, his foundation said he died in Rome after a long illness. Born in Florence, on February 12, 1923, Zeffirelli became wildly popular with his version of “Romeo and Juliet”, the film “Taming the Shrew”, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the main roles, and the drama “Champion”. Often appreciated more by the public than critics, Zeffirelli was the last of a generation of Italian film giants who came of age after World War Two, including Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio De Sica. He remained active until old age and continued living in his villa in Rome’s suburbs.

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19th EXIT ENDS A spectacle happened at the very opening of this year’s EXIT. For the first time in the history of this music festival, one of the biggest ballet stars of today, Sergei Polunin officially opened the festival by performing on the main stage. He was joined by He also joined by the Almazian Symphony, a string orchestra directed by Khachatur Almazian, also an influential violinist from Armenia, performing the classic pieces in the crossover style. The four-day festival showcased performances on a total of 40 stages and zones and featured more than a thousand performers. In terms of ticket sales, the festival organizers say that this was a record-breaking year with about 60,000 visitors from 90 countries around the world coming to the festival.