D&C 57

Nonvember 2020 | ISSUE No. 57 | Price 350 RSD

15 OCT

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EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR

Paja Jovanović: One Painter, 12 Photographers, 24 Works of Art

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MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FRANÇOISE JACOB

UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia

TURN AROUND TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND COOPERATE JOHN JOVANOVIĆ

Regional Director of DFC

MAYBE 2020 ENDS UP BEING A POSITIVE SURPRISE RADOŠ GAZDIĆ

Acting Director of Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) S P E C I A L

E D I T I ON

Greece FOCUS ON

H.E. GEORGIOS DIACOFOTAKIS Greece Ambassador to Serbia

CYCLING THROUGH VOJVODINA Reportage by Robert Čoban

WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER ON VARIOUS ISSUES H.E. YAHEL VILAN

Ambassador of Israel to Serbia

FOCUS ON

INVEST IN

VOJVODINA NENAD IVANIŠEVIĆ PhD, Vojvodinian Secretariat for Economy and Tourism

Gulbenkian for the 21st Century?

Ethics, as the key document that defines the museum, its obligations and rights. Namely, this decision was reached so the museums could survive the increasing economic crisis with the help of their own resources, i.e. by selling the artwork from their own collections.

Last weekend, the Brooklyn Museum of Art sold nine of ten artworks put up at auction at Christies’ New York, including “Lucretia”, a masterpiece by Lucas Cranach Senior from the 16th century. This way they earned $6.6 million, even though the museum management underlines that they need at least $40 million for collection maintenance and paying salaries to a small number of remaining employed curators until the museum starts working as usual. In that name, they will offer the works

by Monet, Degas, Miro, Mathis and some other famous artists from their collections at an auction at Sotheby's next week.

The Brooklyn Museum is not alone in this situation. Their example will be followed by others as well, even though this is an incomparable precedent in the history of museums of the world.

While reading this news, I remembered the story of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, an oil magnate of Armenian origin who used the USSR’s need for money and oil for industrialization in the 1920s. Namely, the Soviets secretly sold him works of art

from the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg in exchange for oil and money.

Gulbenkian collected his valuable art collection in his house in Paris, and when the Germans entered the city in 1940, he transported it to Vichy.

Later on, at the urging of the ambassador of neutral Portugal, he and his treasure came to Lisbon, where the famous Gulbenkian Museum is located today.

We are left to hope that valuable artwork that end up being sold to “new money” during the pandemic – will one day as well end up in a private collection – open to the public.

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Courting the presidency

JOHN JOVANOVIĆ

GALA ČAKI

Regional Director of DFC

Artist

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Photos GORAN ZLATKOVIĆ GETTY IMAGES Translation SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ Print ZLATNA KNJIGA Jagodina Bagrdanski put bb

FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

he pandemic brought an almost unbelievable twist when it comes to museums!

Especially museums in countries that practice the so-called liberal cultural politics, among which USA undoubtedly takes the crown.

A decision was recently reached in the US to allow museums to trade with artwork from their own collections – a practice that is most strictly forbidden by the ICOM (International Council of Museums) Code of

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CONTENTS

DONALD TRUMP GOES TO COURT

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MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SHARED ACCOUNTABILITY FRANÇOISE JACOB UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia

10 ”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 TIN 107871532 Matriculation number 20887303 Phone: +381 21 4897 100 Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Vase Čarapića 3/IV/38, Belgrade Phone: 011 4044 960 CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

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

WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER ON VARIOUS ISSUES H.E. YAHEL VILAN Ambassador of Israel to Serbia

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MAYBE 2020 ENDS UP BEING A POSITIVE SURPRISE RADOŠ GAZDIĆ Acting Director of Development Agency of Serbia (RAS)

TURN AROUND TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND COOPERATE

IMPROVING MOBILITY AND EXCHANGE MARKO KOSTIĆ

NERO AND THE PHOENIX WITH A BRUSH IN HAND

AKSENTIJE AND JANOŠ'S FRIENDSHIP AS A GUIDEPOST Reportage by Robert Čoban

Representative of the Serbian youth at RYCO

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"ONE PAINTER, 12 PHOTOGRAPHERS, 24 WORKS OF ART"

S P E C I A L

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Belgium FOCUS ON

Exhibition "Paja Jovanović"

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AN INDONESIAN IN THE BANAT PARADISE FATHER ELIAS OHOILEDWARIN Catholic priest from Banat

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COURTING THE PRESIDENCY

Donald Trump Goes to Court The incumbent hopes litigation will keep him in the White House atching his re-election odds falter in the Midwest on November 4th, Donald Trump pulled out a backup plan: salvation through litigation. “We’ll be going to the US Supreme Court,” he said in the wee hours after election day, repeating a weeks-long mantra justifying a rush to install Amy Coney Barrett into the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s chair. Continuing to count ballots is “a fraud on the American public”, he declared, without explanation. “We want all voting to stop.”

The scattershot legal strategy that emerged hours later carried an air of desperation and included, as promised, a quest to stop counting ballots in states where Mr Trump was in the lead and perhaps in some where he was behind. Mr Trump and his supporters have now filed suits in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign claims, rogue officials are opening “a backdoor to victory” for Joe Biden. Further suits may come in Arizona. However, the barrage of litigation is no more likely to change the president’s fortunes than his tweet announcing he would “hereby claim the state of Michigan”, where Mr Biden had already eked out a win.

Mr Trump’s lawyers and allies are particularly busy in Pennsylvania, where the president has also declared victory prematurely. The hoped-for win relies on at least five lawsuits. Four of them are rather small potatoes. The Trump campaign is appealing a judge’s one-paragraph dismissal of its complaint that campaign workers sent to observe vote-canvassing were denied sufficient access. Twin suits in state and federal courts involve mail-in voters seeking to correct errors such as a missing envelope or mismatched ballot signature; the opportunity to “cure” a ballot, according to one filing, entails a “high risk of jeopardising the integrity” of the election. Another suit contends that Pennsylvania ballots that lack proof of identification should be

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MR TRUMP WON THE WHITE HOUSE FOUR YEARS AGO WITH A BRASH, TAKE-NOPRISONERS CAMPAIGN thrown out if not fixed by November 9th.

Such efforts aim to give Mr Trump small advantages. None of them seems destined to alter the president’s electoral prospects or get a hearing in America’s Supreme Court. The Nevada state supreme court rejected a canvassing-observation complaint on November 3rd, finding that observers for the Trump campaign had plenty of access. A judge on November 4th seemed unimpressed with one of the ballot-curing challenges. Didn’t the Pennsylvania legislature, the judge asked, intend to “franchise, not disenfranchise, voters?”

A battle with higher stakes for the Pennsylvania race is Republican Party of Pennsylvania v Boockvar, a case that has seen two visits to the Supreme Court and is

now back for a third. The matter involves the Pennsylvania state supreme court’s order in September, amid the pandemic, to allow a three-day extension to the receipt deadline for mail-in ballots.

Republican challengers could not persuade five justices that this move was an illegitimate usurpation of the state legislature’s will.

They tried and failed again one week later, when the newly minted Justice Barrett chose not to participate in the matter.

But on October 28th, in a separate opinion involving the case’s second trip to the court, three justices told Pennsylvania’s Republican Party that it may have better luck asking a third time. Accepting the invitation, the Trump campaign has joined the suit with the hope of shredding any ballots arriving after election day.

If the presidential election comes down to Pennsylvania, stemming votes trickling in

by November 9th—ballots that are helping Mr Biden erase his deficit—might be just what Mr Trump needs to hold on to a slim lead and win 20 critical electoral votes. But it may not come to that if Mr Biden finds his way to 270 votes without the Keystone State.

Efforts to halt voting in Michigan, throw out a small stack of mail-in ballots in a single Georgia county or force a recount in Wisconsin, where Mr Biden has a 20,000-vote advantage, all seem quixotic.

Mr Trump won the White House four years ago with a brash, take-no-prisoners campaign. He seems intent on losing it—if the 2020 election comes to that—in much the same posture.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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Mutual Accountability and Shared Responsibility The global and local responses to the pandemic have shown that cooperation today is about mutual accountability and shared responsibility, between countries, between citizens and their state, between generations INTERVIEW

pack fear by providing real data, solutions, knowledge and alternatives that give people easier ways to make informed choices.

States should use the crisis caused by COVID as an opportunity to build a better foundation for the future, faster transformation of the economy according to environmental principles and continuous building of trust between institutions and citizens, based on shared responsibility.

When it comes to Serbia, our team of development agencies recently published the Assessment of the socio-economic impacts of the crisis in the country.

As this unprecedented crisis continues, the state will need to further strengthen the health care system, target social protection, re-value the whole care economy – which is often informal and the responsibility of women, continue to capacitate local self-governments, provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises to improve their flexibility and resilience to crises in the future, and really take a strong lead on transitioning towards a greener economy, over the next 25 years.

FRANÇOISE JACOB UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia

like to share a message of hope and optimism, and a vision that call for action together. We are going through a difficult and tiring period, and it is easy to indulge in catastrophism, cynicism and blame others. We need to remember our fundamental principles and values that define the Charter of the United Nations. Peace and human rights is our most precious value.

Well Being of the people is our most precious asset. A healthy planet is our most precious resource. It does not matter that we have different ways of looking at life, different ambitions, different understandings. We must still work better together and achieve this beautiful Agenda 2030.

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Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the consultations conducted by the UN worldwide express a great appeal to act concerning inequality and climate change, as well as for more solidarity. Was this particularly evident during the COVID-19-induced crisis?

— At the beginning of 2020, the UN launched the global UN75 dialogues, which turned into the largest research to date on priorities for recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic. Initially, people polled in Serbia listed climate change, armed conflict, and inequalities as the top threats/priorities to address in the years to come.

The pandemic has not greatly changed this outlook neither globally nor in Serbia. Naturally, access to better health services (and to other basic social services) became the #1 issue, as people realised that the pandemic would have long term impacts on our lives. Yet the same focus remained on threats caused by climate change and armed violence, while a new priority shaped up as

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THE UN PRIORITIES REMAIN THE SAME: A PEACEFUL WORLD, WITH PROSPERITY, WELLBEING AND JUSTICE FOR ALL the need for better international cooperation and solidarity between nations and people. Other topics include ensuring greater respect for human rights, and reducing corruption.

On the climate change front, the combined impacts of pollution and extreme weather events, in Serbia and elsewhere are happening at an increasing pace, closer to home. Humans, on average, tend to act and change their habits and behaviours only when they are directly affected. In economic terms, it is called discounting the future. The pandemic is forcing us to learn the hard way how much the health of our planet affects the

health of humans, as well as our social well being and economic wealth. When we destroy ecosystems and biodiversity, eventually we destroy life sustaining infrastructure and systems we all depend on.

Fear and anger are emotions that also run wild around the world today, fueled by the prevailing state of uncertainty and fragility.

How to find quick durable solutions to the new problems created by the pandemic?

— This is where the role of the political leadership, of scientists, of economists, of the civil society and of the UN, is critical: to un-

Does the global pandemic require and encourage a better and more extensive multilateralism?

— Multilateralism, or the rule based international order, is often considered as a matter related to high-level politics and diplomacy, and to the UN Security Council.

Yet, multilateralism is also about people and how they see the challenges of globalization, security and sustainable development should be dealt with. We heard a lot in the past few years that multilateralism was on its last breath, but it is very much alive!

Take for example the nexus between Climate Change, International Security, and Multilateralism. It is now clearly established and accepted, including by military institutions, that Climate Change, abusive exploitation and destruction of natural re-

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sources, pollution, have become root causes of extreme and extended tensions between communities, people and countries. It is not a coincidence that many conflict-affected countries are also those badly hit by climate change and competition for natural resources, particularly around water and energy. We know very well that a large share of the migrants and refugees stuck in Greece and elsewhere on the European shores are climate migrants. It is therefore imperative to dedicate much larger resources, in money, time, efforts, capacities to fighting the complex issue of climate change together, both locally and regionally.

Of course, there are persistent challenges. The whole world is engulfed in a vicious pandemic, humans everywhere are suffering, along with the planet, and we continue to have dangerous, racist or nationalist rhetoric in too many places! As the UN Secretary General say, we should stick to a global and permanent cease fire, and focus ALL our energies in building a good world, rather than destroying it! To conclude, we need a more inclusive multilateralism, drawing on the contributions of civil society, businesses, cities, and with greater weight given to the voices of youth.

After seventy-five years since its establishment, how much have the UN’s priorities and global goals have changed in the meantime?

— The world in 2020 is quite different than in 1945! But often I am tempted to say that the UN priorities remain the same: a peaceful world, with prosperity, well-being and justice for all. The exponential population growth and related growth in wealth, the exponential speed of technological progress, have created new challenges that we could not fully envisaged right after the second World War: climate change, massive levels of multiple types of pollution, widening inequalities despite drops in poverty rates, new types of violence and conflicts, absolute

abuse of human rights, violence against women, and ignorance fuelled by misinformation despite amazing increase of and access to knowledge . Global growth has also increased competition for resources, including the most basic ones needed for survival: wa-

Are we aware enough of the challenges related to climate change?

— The Government of Serbia has started to integrate the ambitions of Agenda 2030 in its planning mechanisms, and reported on initial progress in the summer of 2019. The UN has worked exten-

tivity from the citizens.

Technology and solutions exist, financial resources exist, so it is now primarily a question of political vision, political will, allocation of efforts, close and intelligent coordination between partners, and willingness to

THE UN HAS WORKED EXTENSIVELY WITH BOTH CENTRAL AND LOCAL AUTHORITY TO SHAPE SERBIA’S PRIORITIES ALONG THESE GOALS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO OVER THE YEARS TO COME ter, land, various fuels, etc, which shape new tensions.

With the pandemic, we realise more than ever that all countries are connected, the well-being of citizens in all continents are closely interlinked, and the solutions to each of the global issues will come from joint efforts: this is what the UN is now doing by pulling together expertise around the creation of a COVID vaccine. This is what international platforms and collectives working on climate change are trying to achieve. And this is of course, at the core of Agenda 2030: 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are closely related, universal and relevant for all countries.

The world did well in reaching the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. We have to work even harder to achieve these goals.

What kind of attitude do people in Serbia have when it comes to topics such as climate change and sustainable development?

sively with both central and local authority to shape Serbia’s priorities along these goals, and we will continue to do so over the years to come. A small share of the private sector is also embracing the sustainable goals in redefining their mission and ways of operating.

However, the UN75 research that we run this year shows that 60% of the citizens of Serbia are not aware of the Sustainable Development Goals, a similar ratio to last year’s Demostat question on Sustainable Development. So we have a lot of work to do to raise awareness and underestanding about the goals, as all of them relate very closely to our daily lives, they are not aspirational wishes.

The role and responsibilities of citizens are as important as that of governments. But they also need to do their share in making this happen: through their own individual action on reconsidering their lifestyle. It is a matter of mutual accountability and shared responsibility, of transparency from the state, commitment and crea-

change, to make this urgent fight a successful one. I can only urge for a greater, tighter cooperation between the UN, the EU, the international financial institutions, the private sector, and the Government of Serbia, now, on this topic. The Green Deal is a good start to do that. Let’s make every infrastructure investment a step towards a greener economy. Let’s solve the air pollution problem this winter and next winter, not in 5 or 10 years. Let’s decide and act on the milestones required for the energy transition, from now until 2050. This country should be bold about it, particularly now.

Businesses face choice. They can either be part of the problem or they can be part of the solution, and add value to their own future.

In Serbia, there are opportunities to shift models and promote the green economy in the energy sector, transport and the agriculture.

There are initiatives to upscale the circular economy. And the UN already explores and supports many such initiatives in Serbia.

SUPPORT Have we progressed on the path to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda and how are they connected to the opening of the chapters in the accession negotiations?

— The EU accession agenda and Agenda 2030, are complementary, synergetic, and mutually reinforcing. The UN fully supports the accession process, and works in close relationship with the EU partner in Serbia and in the Balkans. Both the UN and the EU are keen to accelerate progress on these agendas, now. So it is really important that we all work closely together. The UN focuses more particularly on the vulnerable segments of the population, on human rights, and on planting the stakes for a green path.

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ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

The end of the Daylight Saving Time ummer time or Daylight Saving time was somehow strange invention of several countries to change to official clock in order to save energy and have more light during the day. Contrary to some popular opinions, the first who really implemented it were the Axis Powers during the energy crisis in 1916: Germany and Austria-Hungary did it first. Many countries have used it at various times since then, particularly since the 1970s energy crisis, with Yugoslavia trying to avoid the troubles from the 1982 bankruptcy introducing DST in 1983. DST is generally not observed near the equator, where sunrise and sunset times do not vary enough to justify it. Some countries observe it only in some regions; for example, parts of Australia observe it, while other parts do not. Only a minority of the world's population uses DST; Asia and Africa generally do not observe it. But gradually it was being abandoned. Russia and Belarus did it in 2011, and now the only countries to observe DST will be

NOVEMBER

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MOROCCO

Independence Day

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LEBANON

Independence Day

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ALBANIA

"Dita e Pavarësisë"

- Independence Day DECEMBER

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ROMANIA

Iran, Cuba, Paraguay, Chile, N. Zealand, Levantine countries, Haiti and some parts of Canada, USA and Mexico. The bad effects on health and concentration, sleeping patterns, efficiency and the rise of traffic accidents have proven little energy savings and much more losses. But there is a problem in the EU: how will the European countries choose the time for 2021? Permanent DST, permanent standard time or

changing the time zone? According to the map, the most logical would be to preserve standard solar time, with Iceland moving from GMT to GMT+1, Spain, France and Benelux moving to GMT, and Belarus to Turkey moving to EET. Otherwise the sun in Western Spain will rise on 10AM on 22th of December. The Sun rising in Bialystok at 3AM on 22nd of June will be more bearable. All the rest will be quite confusing.

Michael Shannon has been selected as General Manager for the Hyatt Regency Belgrade. A hotelier with over 25 years of experience joins the hotel from Hyatt’s regional office in Zurich where he held the position of Regional Vice President, Hotel Openings. During the 4 years in the role he oversaw the openings of several key hotels including the Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi, Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa, Andaz Vienna, Andaz Munich, Great Scotland Yard Hotel London, Park Hyatt Doha, rebranding

02 UAE

ational Day, N formation of the federation of seven emirates on independence

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FINLAND

I ndependence Day of 1917

IRAQ

of the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz and many more. Michael, a Canadian national, began his hotel career in Germany and has since worked in several operational roles including Divisional Director and General Manager Assignments across EAME and Australia. In his current role, Michael will be responsible for the hotel’s strategic direction, all aspects of the operation and continuing to build on the proud traditions and experiences of the Hyatt Regency Belgrade.

National Day

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UNICEF

UNICEF Day

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HE T NETHERLANDS Kingdom Day

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KAZAKHSTAN Independence Day

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ZOLTAN GARAI New CEO at MOL Serbia MOL Serbia decided to appoint Zoltan Garai, the current CFO of MOL Serbia.

Zoltan has over 20 years of experience in the crude oil industry in various positions, starting from the sales and finance sector to being the company's CEO in Hungary and Serbia. In the new position, Zoltan will significantly contribute to the further development of MOL Serbia, using the knowledge gained from working in top positions in the crude oil industry. He will use his abundant experience to contribute to increasing

National Day

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MICHAEL SHANNON Appointed General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Belgrade

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NATIONAL DAYS

in November & December

QATAR

business efficiency, the implementation of key investment projects planned for the coming period and achieving even better results. Garai started his long-standing career in 1997 in OMV, as a retail manager, and in 2001, became CEO of OMV Bulgaria. In the following years, he changed several managerial positions - he became the CFO and CEO of OMV Serbia, followed by working as a top executive in several countries.

Since 2018, he has been part of the MOL Serbia team as the company's CFO.

ational Day, the N assumption of power

by Emir Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani in 1878

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JAPAN

ational Day N (Emperor's Birthday)

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SLOVENIA

I ndependence and Unity Day

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We Should Work Together on Various Issues Together with my staff at the embassy, we will do our utmost to use the momentum to take our bilateral relations to the next level

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INTERVIEW

H.E. YAHEL VILAN Ambassador of Israel to Serbia

or November issue of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine, we spoke with the new Ambassador of Israel to the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Yahel Vilan, about his agenda in the coming years in terms of bilateral and economic relations between Israel and Serbia. Also, we asked him what does the relocation of Serbian embassy to Jerusalem mean for Israel, and what does the recognition of Kosovo by Israel mean for Serbia. “The upcoming opening of the Office of the Government of Serbia in Jerusalem has political and economic importance. We see it as an initial step towards relocating the em-

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bassy to Jerusalem. What we would like to see in the future are concrete joint ventures, joint projects, and business deals between the two communities,” concluded Ambassador Vilan.

You came to Serbia a few months ago and you have great international experience. What are your first impressions of Belgrade and Serbia?

especially in economy and investments. On the personal level, as a big sports fun, especially basketball, Serbia is kind of a dream come true for me.

What have you set as priorities on your agenda in the coming years in terms of relations between our two countries?

— First and foremost, to work with the Serbian government on

I’M CONFIDENT THAT ISRAEL-SERBIA RELATIONS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE TO THE BENEFIT OF OUR TWO PEOPLES — As expected, I came to a very friendly country with strong relations with Israel. It is a challenge and an opportunity to enhance the already good relations

the implementation of the parts of the Washington Agreement connected to Israel such as relocating the embassy to Jerusalem.

Secondly, enhancing econom-

ic and trade relations in terms of bilateral agreements that facilitate and ease the trade and investments along with the existing ones materializing. Providing support and sharing the experiences in combating COVID 19 is also part of the agenda.

On September 3rd, Belgrade and Priština signed so-called Washington Agreement. What does the relocation of our embassy to Jerusalem mean for Israel, and what does the recognition of Kosovo by Israel mean for Serbia?

— That is a very important issue for us. Naturally, we believe that all embassies of countries that are present in Israel should be located in our capital, Jerusalem. Of course, we warmly welcome Serbia’s decision to move its embassy

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to Jerusalem by July next year. We will do our utmost to work together with the Government of Serbia to see that happen. At my meeting with President Vučić we discussed the ways in which Israel and Serbia should work together on various issues.

Recognition of Kosovo was in the framework of the Washington Agreement and therefore Israel is committed to the implementation. I’m confident that Israel-Serbia relations are strong enough to overcome the challenge to the benefit of our two peoples.

The opening of a joint office of the Serbian Government and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia in Margalit Startup City in Jerusalem is underway. How important is this for boosting the economic cooperation between our two countries?

— The upcoming opening of the Office of the Government of Serbia in Jerusalem has political and economic importance. We see it as an initial step towards relocating the embassy to Jerusalem. At the same time, it sends a message that economic cooperation is the main focus of our bilateral relations and an area in which Serbia would like to see improvement and will work on in the coming period.

It was mentioned that the Office will concentrate on cooperation in sector of innovation and innovative economy. This includes a wide spectrum of hitech and cyber products and presents a great opportunity for both countries.

As a startup nation, Israel is one of the countries Serbia chose as a model to develop its innovation ecosystem. We have had numerous Israeli speakers at various events, conferences, bilateral visits and similar. Initial contacts between the two tech communities have been created. What we would like to see in the future are concrete joint ventures, joint projects, and business deals between the two communities. The Office will definitely assist in putting Serbia on the map of Israeli techies and other businesses and we welcome our future cooperation on this mission of advancement of our economic ties.

During the recent meeting with Serbian PM, you discussed further comprehensive reinforcement of relations between Israel and Serbia. Where do you see the

THE OFFICE WILL DEFINITELY ASSIST IN PUTTING SERBIA ON THE MAP OF ISRAELI TECHIES AND OTHER BUSINESSES AND WE WELCOME OUR FUTURE COOPERATION ON THIS MISSION potential for improvement and in which areas?

— As mentioned before, Israel and Serbia have been nurturing strong relations for decades.

Nevertheless, we highly appreciate the contribution of President Vučić in accelerating cooperation in recent years.

The 21st century diplomacy focuses on business and economy, first and foremost. That’s the way to transform friendly relations into real benefits for both economies and peoples.

Therefore, innovation and R&D, defence, cyber industry along with agriculture and water technologies are the areas in which we will work on to enhance

cooperation.

In this regard, I would like to use this opportunity to mention that we have just appointed an Israeli Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee for Economic and Trade Cooperation that has been agreed upon President Rivlin’s visit in 2018. We hope to see the first meeting in the nearest future.

discussed the potential for such cooperation. As far as I know, both countries have relevant business presence in the areas of real estate and agriculture across Serbia.

We will look for the best ways to utilize the cooperation in the existing areas along with exploring new joint projects opportunities in the country.

Israel and the UAE have recently signed a historic peace agreement. What are the potentials of trilateral cooperation between the UAE, Israel and Serbia?

— Following the historic Abraham Accords Peace Agreement, I had a great meeting with the UAE Ambassador to Serbia at which we

You arrived in Serbia at a very sensitive time. Is that a challenge for you?

— I prefer to look at it more as an opportunity than a challenge. Together with my staff at the embassy, we will do our utmost to use the momentum to take our bilateral relations to the next level.

BEING AMBASSADOR IN SERBIA Given your background, and having experience in Eastern European countries, was coming to Serbia easier compared to previous countries where you served as a member of diplomatic corps?

— Bearing in mind my personal background, being half Hungarian – half Polish, serving in these two countries, was quite an experience, both personally and professionally. I felt more “at home” than in other postings. I have all the reasons to expect the same from my time in Serbia.

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Wellport – Best Seekers Top Choice The very first New Belgrade condominium is the choice of those who want the best for their families and themselves

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WELLPORT

urchasing an apartment is one of those difficult-to-make decisions, regardless of whether one is deciding on a future home to settle in or an investment property to rent out. Alongside the desired location and preferable size, we want to get the most value for the price we are paying and ensure we have everything that makes life comfortable, effortless and beautiful. We want a safe port.

Wellport is just that - a goodlife safe port situated at one of the most attractive locations in the Serbian capital. Taken into consideration the number of amenities at the exclusive disposal of its residents, the very first New Belgrade condominium is the choice of those who want the best for their families and themselves.

Safety and security of the high-

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est level, undisturbed privacy, superb cleanliness, as well as innovative solutions, modern design, environmentally-friendly materials - these are just some of many reasons why this complex developed by the leading Israeli company Shikun and Binui Group has become so popular.

This modern residential complex will have 500 residential units ranging from studios to four-bedroom apartments, designed by

The third phase will commence in spring 2021.

Wellport was designed to provide future residents with premium build quality focused on natural materials and carefully selected furnishings reflecting the most modern technologies and meeting energy efficiency demands. Each apartment structure has several interior layouts to offer that can meet the needs of the most demanding customers.

PRIVATE PARK AND GREENERY, INCLUDING AN OPEN-AIR GYM AND DEDICATED PET SPACE, MAKE WELLPORT STAND OUT FROM ITS COMPETITORS the world-renowned Israeli architect Rami Wimmer. The construction will be executed in four phases. It should be noted that the first phase has already been completed, and the second, for which there is so much interest that waiting lists are being made, will most likely be completed before the deadline.

Due to the round-the-clock video surveillance, 24/7 reception desk, key card access, as well as professional security personnel, Wellport boasts an unmatched level of safety. Furthermore, the overall sense of safety is reinforced by the underground garage featuring the remote license plate

recognition system, as well as the other amenities available solely to the residents.

Private park and greenery, including an open-air gym and dedicated pet space, make Wellport stand out from its competitors.

Regardless of whether the residents of this very first New Belgrade condominium wish to work out or just relax after a hard day's work, they have numerous amenities available exclusively just to them. Even the youngest residents have their own niche - a playground designed having them in mind within the condominium's confines. Peace and privacy are guaranteed as Wellport is solely a residential complex without retail and service outlets. Furthermore, the residents only get to come across their neighbors inside the complex, which is an added benefit that makes this condominium so popular.

Families with children tend to go for ground floor apartments, as

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they feature terraces that resemble actual small private gardens.

They represent additional space for kids to play, as well as for pets to roam around. Moreover, apartments on upper floors are also quite comfortable, as they offer an additional level of privacy to its residents due to their position within the complex. These units are primarily chosen by buyers interested in larger apartments.

In addition, a Wellport novelty is also the integrated Smart House system, allowing for remote heating, shutter and light control, among many other functions. Each apartment is Smart House ready, allowing the residents to purchase and install the desired package option, while the penthouse units already include the basic package option.

Needless to say, the sense of exclusivity is bolstered by the complex's location - constructed in a peaceful part of New Belgrade, yet so close to everything needed for a comfortable, modern life. Schools, university faculties, headquarters of international companies, shopping malls, restaurants and coffee shops, as well as the river promenade and a bicycle path, are only a few short minutes away. Thanks to its location, Wellport is an ideal place to live, both for the young, just looking to start their families and careers, and the experienced, who are well into their retirement years.

WELLPORT WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE FUTURE RESIDENTS WITH PREMIUM BUILD QUALITY FOCUSED ON NATURAL MATERIALS AND CAREFULLY SELECTED FURNISHINGS The Wellport sales office and model apartment showroom are located at 1 Tadije Sondermajera Street. There, experts from the leading real estate consultancy in Serbia - CBS Internation-

al, which is a part of the Cushman & Wakefield group and the exclusive sales representative for the complex, help potential buyers choose the best apartment layout to match their lifestyle. Cor-

dial and forthcoming experts are at the disposal of all those who want the best for their families and themselves - those who wish to sail smoothly into the safe port that is Wellport.

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Maybe 2020 Ends Up Being a Positive Surprise No investor gave up investing in Serbia, and all construction and other works relating to the implementation of investment projects went without major problems, even during the state of emergency uation affect the liquidity and sustainability of the SME sector?

What else can be done to help the sector?

— I can confidently say that the SME sector has been hit by the crisis the most, as opposed to large systems and large companies that can overcome liquidity challenges much easier. In one of the surveys we conducted involving the representatives of the SME sector, most of the survey participants have said that they have suffered a drop in revenue of between 10% and 29% and that liquidity and maintaining the level of business at the pre-crisis level are the biggest problems. What awaits them all is cutting back on expenditures in the coming period, fewer investment opportunities and a lack of liquidity. However, in addition to the direct government support, I think we also need strategic programmes to help the SME sector in the long run, to be more prepared to emerge victorious from these and similar situations. We, at RAS, have approached the problem in this way by creating a programme in 2019 to help companies to become part of supply chains of multinational companies (MNC).

INTERVIEW

RADOŠ GAZDIĆ Acting Director of Development Agency of Serbia (RAS)

adoš Gazdić from RAS spoke for the November issue of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine about the current situation in Serbia and economic trends. He points out that this year may come as a surprise and although pandemics of this type can potentially negatively affect investments, that has not been the case with Serbia.

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An uncertain period awaits us in the coming months. What kind of effects does the crisis have on companies in Serbia?

— Uncertainty has become synonymous with every segment of our lives, especially with business, not only in Serbia but worldwide. For now, companies are struggling with the uncertainty of cash flow planning and some, primarily smaller firms, have a liquidity problem. Delays in payments and delivery of work in the previous period have led to some of having weak business activity, but also to greater caution in all companies in terms of spending, entering into new business arrangements and higher risk assessment at each business step.

Supply chains, as expected, suffered the most in terms of logistics and transport, but these problems were most challenging at the very beginning of the crisis. Now, companies are adapting and finding solutions on how to overcome these obstacles. Beyond the obvious effects, a dose of caution with each new business step is something that marks the operations of every company today. Fortunately, economic actors are not alone in that, and from the beginning, they have had the state’s support they can count on.

Can the global pandemic slow investments, and is there data to

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WE HAVE SO FAR SIGNED 20 CONTRACTS ON THE ALLOCATION OF INCENTIVE FUNDS FOR COMPANIES THAT ARE PLANNING TO INVEST 1.16 BILLION EURO compare the FDIs made in 2019 and 2020?

— Of course, pandemics of this type can potentially affect investments, although that is not the case with Serbia. We are very pleased that no investor who had previously decided to invest in Serbia, changed their decision and gave up. All construction and other works relating to the implementation of investment projects went without major problems, even during the state of emergency. We should bear in mind that, in terms of FDIs, 2019 was the best year ever, with a total of 3,81 billion euro of FDI made, which will

be difficult, but not impossible to exceed. I would not underestimate 2020 either, considering that, for instance, we have so far signed 20 contracts on the allocation of incentive funds for companies that are planning to invest 1.16 billion euro and create 4,882 new jobs, and that nine more contracts are in the process of being concluded which stipulate 502.1 million euro worth of investments and jobs for 1,783 people. We will see by the year-end how the situation develops. Maybe, 2020 ends up being a positive surprise.

How much will the current sit-

The basic idea of this programme is to help companies improve their business performance and capacity, in order to reach the level of business necessary to become suppliers of large MNCs. This means that we want to boost the capacity of our SMEs, and with these improvements and becoming a supplier, companies will be able to reduce the risks and uncertainty in doing business. That’s what they need, in the long run.

What are the results of the government measures now after a few months of their implementation and can we perhaps ex-

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pect the new government to devise new measures?

— Government measures have helped to keep many companies afloat and have saved many jobs.

Without that, we would encounter big problems as an economic system, but also as a society. The most important thing was to react on time, which the Government did. Companies continued to operate without major oscillations and employment is at the pre-crisis level. However, it is still early to make precise conclusions about the effect of the implemented measures. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic will not pass quickly, and that its impact on the economy will also be prolonged, which means that the Government will certainly devise and implement new support measures, while closely monitoring the situation and reacting on time, as it did in the past.

The crisis, on the other hand, has had a positive impact on the digital sector. In Serbia, e-commerce grew by 48% in the first half of the year. Is this an opportunity to create new jobs and open new companies?

— Due to the circumstances, the crisis has brought something good, and that is the acceleration of the digitalization process, and many companies were forced by circumstances to redirect most of their activities to online platforms. RAS supports digital transformation, not only declaratively. Since last year, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, we have started to implement the Digital Transformation Programme intended for the SME sector, where we help companies to prepare for digital transformation. I don't know how much everyone agrees that digital goes hand-in-hand with the creation of new jobs, but if digital leads to the opening of new companies, that always translates into new jobs.

Is the Serbian labour market ready for new technologies and new jobs? Do we have enough resources?

Direct Investments. Furthermore, RAS’ professional and consultative support and its advisors are always available to investors. Domestic investors have the advantage of receiving additional support through the programmes we implement for domestic companies. We have several very successful examples of domestic investments that have received our support such as ITN Group (Budimka), Inmold from Požega, Natura Trade, Planet Bike from Kruševac, GIR Kraljevo, spa facilities and hotels in Vranje and Kuršumlija, and many others.

SERBIAN COMPANIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME SUPPLIERS OF BIG GLOBAL BUSINESS ‘PLAYERS’ — It absolutely is! Human resources are our comparative advantage. We aspire to attract such investments, which will bring new technologies, progress in that field, and employ the young, educated, professional people we have in our country, especially engineers and people who were educated at technical and IT faculties.

Our technical faculties are highly valued. This potential has already been recognized by investors, who, like Brose, Continental and ZF, have established long-term cooperation with our faculties and universities.

A few days ago, the German company Brose, which plans to invest over 180 million euro in Serbia and employ over a thousand people, signed a cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Belgrade with the idea to participate in profiling

future engineers and their faster progress towards acquiring the necessary competencies to work in the high-tech atmosphere that these investors will create.

How and in what way does RAS encourage domestic investments?

— For some reason, people always make a distinction between domestic and foreign investments. However, both the Serbian government and RAS, which deals with investments operationally, have never made such distinction. For us, investors are all equal, no matter where they come from. All investors, both domestic and foreign, have the same rights and opportunities when it comes to receiving direct investment support, as per the Law on Investments and the General Regulation on Determining Criteria for Granting Incentives to Attract

What is Serbia’s chance in terms of new investors, i.e. which economic branches and industries can be the most appealing to investors? On the other hand, which investment opportunities do Serbian companies have?

— The processing industry is certainly still in the focus of many investors, and there is a growing interest from investors who want to develop new products and solutions and implement new technologies in our country, which is especially evident in industries such as automotive, machinery and electronics. That is why I see an opportunity in these investments, which, in addition to production, also bring R&D centres to Serbia, as well as the latest production technologies. The whole world is moving towards e-mobility, for example, and the e-mobility segment of the automotive industry is also our chance for development.

Serbian companies have the opportunity to become suppliers of big global business ‘players’. Currently, supply chains are facing the biggest challenges and now is the time when many companies are looking for new collaborators, i.e. suppliers who will be geographically closer to the headquarters, which is mainly in Europe. Logistically speaking, that is a simpler solution for them and this is where our companies have a great opportunity, particularly in producing parts for the machine, electronic, automotive, rubber and plastic industry.

PLANS FOR 2021 What are your plans for the next year? What activities does RAS plan to implement in 2021?

— In addition to the usual programmes, RAS plans to implement several specific programmes intended for businesses. They are the Supplier Development Programme and Export Support Programme, as well as the activities relating to having a strategic approach to attracting new investments and networking of investors, connecting large companies with local, Serbian suppliers.

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We Will Go Through a Serious Transformation I think that companies, which aim is transforming their business model, carrying out digitalization and increasing customer satisfaction, will achieve the greatest success and positively affect the dissemination of insurance culture in our society and the business models of other market participants in the long run

a good recipe for fighting the virus, but it was clear that the exact opposite was necessary to maintain business and work ethic. The fact is that this time has forced us to change our habits and the ways we work, but it also showed us that we are ready and able to change and adapt to the situation.

We accepted this situation as an opportunity to change for the better. Bearing in mind that we started with the transformation and digitalization of our business, promotion and support of remote work (work from home) earlier, I can confidently say that the Generali team quickly and easily adapted to the new situation and that we were immediately ready to enable clients to do all insurance-related activities online or by phone - from filing claims, renewing and contracting insurance to receiving various useful tips and information. We have activated all our online and electronic communication channels to the maximum to provide our clients with good and timely support. I am proud of the dedication and sacrifice of our people and pleased that clients have recognized this. During the first six months of this year, we recorded a slight increase in nonlife insurance segment and maintained a leading position in life and health insurance. Bearing in mind that we have been workCORPORATE

DRAGAN FILIPOVIĆ CEO of Generali Osiguranje Serbia

EO of Generali Osiguranje Serbia, Dragan Filipović talks about how the insurance industry has adapted to the new circumstances, the future period and his satisfaction with the company's business results so far.

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How did the new circumstances, caused by the COVID-19 pan-

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DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, WE RECORDED A SLIGHT INCREASE IN NON-LIFE INSURANCE SEGMENT AND MAINTAINED A LEADING POSITION IN LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE demic, affect Generali Osiguranje's business?

— It is evident that the pandemic has brought significant changes in the lives of people, society and the economy. Naturally, dealing with the unknown causes fear in all people. That is why, in the beginning, we focused all our efforts

on preserving the health of our people - clients and partners alike - but also on conducting our business activities with even greater commitment. We maintained our personal and teamwork ethic and motivation and we did not allow everything to stop. Social and physical distance proved to be

ing in extraordinary circumstances for almost six months since the beginning of the year, I can say that we are satisfied with the achieved results.

Do you think that the whole situation with the pandemic will raise the awareness about the

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importance of health and life insurance?

— Research and analysis conducted at the European level show that the pandemic has significantly increased people's interest in insurance products, especially in the segment of life and health insurance, but also for products that provide financial security in the event of job loss. Having in mind the development of our insurance market and culture, we can say that this trend has been noticed in our country as well. People are more interested in these products and are more willing to invest in their own and their family’s protection. Of course, the trends observed in our market cannot be compared with the trends in European and world markets, but the main reason for that is the financial possibilities and stability of the individual. However, it is important to point out that the interest in insurance products has noticeably increased among people with lower income.

Generali Osiguranje Serbia is the recipient of two prestigious awards for innovative solutions in the user experience category in Southeast Europe. How important is the digitalization of the insurance sector for Generali Osiguranje?

— Innovation and digital transformation are one of the three pillars on which our strategy is based. We are very committed to the transformation and digitization of our business model through the simplification and automation of processes and the use of artificial intelligence in business. We are shifting our business focus from products to clients, by moving from the traditional business model of an insurance company, which includes protection and disbursement of claims, to prevention and the provision of additional services to clients. We are increasingly providing our clients with different types of assistance 24/7 and dispense advice that suits their needs. We have enabled them to do most of the insurance activities online and thus increase their satisfaction with the service provided.

You have extended the COVID-19 coverage for your life insurance clients, SMEs and small business owners free of charge. How did you decide to take this step?

— We made such a decision guided by the idea to provide addi-

ty and commitment to sustainable development are the basis of our business strategy. By this, I don't mean only philanthropy, but also activities that provide support to less privileged individuals or communities, as well as activities towards preventing depletion of natural resources to maintain ecological balance so that the quality of life does not decrease over time. In that sense, we are focused on expanding our The Human Safety Net programme, which we are implementing in Serbia in partnership with the Novak Djoković Foundation, creating products for responsible customers and increasing the number of products that have a social and environmental impact. Following our strategy, the donation to the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Vatreno Oko laboratory, we wanted to contribute to the efforts of health and scientific workers to adequately respond to the increased need for health protection and help them fight the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the fact that the Vatreno Oko laboratory has significantly contributed to more testing in Serbia, it is important to us that in the future it will boost the health system in Serbia, but also its research and educational potential, What will be the period ahead of us like in terms of the insurance market?

WE HAVE ACTIVATED ALL OUR ONLINE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION CHANNELS TO THE MAXIMUM TO PROVIDE OUR CLIENTS WITH GOOD AND TIMELY SUPPORT tional protection for our clients in these extraordinary and hitherto unseen circumstances. We thought that by compensating for the days spent in a hospital and all other COVID-treatment facilities with COVID-19 infection, we would additionally protect life insurance clients and increase the financial security of their relatives. Besides, with this decision, we wanted to support SMEs and small business owners to more easily overcome the consequences of downtime due to illness, because they are very important for the economy of our country, and with the beginning of the pandemic, they faced great business and financial challenges. Furthermore, travel insurance clients who were abroad at the time when the pandemic was declared and could not return to the country immedi-

ately were allowed to extend their policies by calling our Contact Centre, while health insurance clients were allowed to consult authorized doctors online or by telephone about their health. I am glad that our activities received a very positive reaction from clients and that we once again showed that we have their back regardless of the circumstances and that they are the focus of our business.

A satisfied customer is the greatest reward and the best referral for us and our business.

You also donated EUR 100,000 to the Serbian government towards boosting the country’s health system in overcoming the coronavirus epidemic. How important is socially responsible business for Generali?

— Corporate social responsibili-

— The insurance market, like many other industries, will undergo a serious transformation in the coming period and will experience ups and downs. I think that companies, which aim is transforming their business model, carrying out digitalization and increasing customer satisfaction, will achieve the greatest success and positively affect the dissemination of insurance culture in our society and the business models of other market participants in the long run. Companies that are ready to change in line with customer expectations and trends imposed by the new age, that invest in education and satisfaction of their employees and win over customers and the market with personalized products and good service, not low price, are the ones that have a great future.

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Working Together on Protecting the Environment It seems that the current COVID-19-induced crisis has demonstrated to all of us, both individuals and businesses, how sensitive the environment is and how big of a responsibility and an obligation we have to protect it

micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs, registered agricultural farms and other privately-owned legal entities that want to invest in highly efficient and green technologies, and is implemented through partner leasing companies.

UniCredit Leasing has been our partner since the very beginning of the implementation of the GEFF Serbia Leasing programme, which was launched in early 2020.

The interest shown by beneficiaries is best evidenced by the results achieved so far - in less than 10 months of our operations during a pandemic that has paralyzed the whole world, we have built an excellent portfolio worth over 10 million euro. Therefore, we believe that in the coming period, GEFF Serbia Leasing will provide support to an even bigger number of Serbian companies and include more partner leasing companies in programme implementation.

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LOVRE RISTEVSKI Project Manager, GEFF Serbia Leasing

e talked to Lovre Ristevski, Project Manager of GEFF Serbia Leasing, about the beneficiaries of the credit line for green financing in Serbia, the interest shown by Serbian companies and the importance of the environment in all segments and aspects of life.

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The EBRD has two Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) credit lines active in Serbia GEFF for the Western Balkans and GEFF Serbia Leasing. Are there certain quotas for coun-

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What makes the EBRD's GEEF programme a good long-term option for companies in a time of COVID-19 when companies are extremely reluctant to undertake new projects?

— It seems that the current COVID-19-induced crisis has demonstrated to all of us, both individuals and businesses, how sensitive the environment is and how big of a responsibility and an obligation we have to protect it. By choosing new, highly efficient technologies, companies are becoming greener and are reducing their negative impact on the environment.

WE SEE GREAT POTENTIAL IN AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELLS IN THE COMING PERIOD

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CORPORATE

we have achieved so far, I would like to mention the data from the analysis of the current portfolio which shows that the new equipment financed with the help of GEFF Serbia Leasing will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions of between 20 - 40% as compared to old equipment.

tries or does each country withdraw the amount tantamount to the interest shown by potential beneficiaries?

— There are several active financing lines for different markets and different beneficiaries under the auspices of the global GEFF programme.

Our programme - GEFF Serbia Leasing - provides a credit line for green financing, for which the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has allocated up to 40 million euro towards financing investments of companies that are transitioning to the green economy (GET), and which is supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Government of Luxembourg.

This credit line is intended for

How does this programme contribute to the accomplishment of the green economy goals set by the EBRD in the region?

— GEFF Serbia Leasing supports companies in Serbia by financing the purchase of highly efficient equipment and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase resilience to climate change. Under the auspices of this programme, we combine the financing of investment projects through leasing arrangements and technical advice and services to enable companies to understand, implement and benefit from highly efficient technologies, thus supporting the transition to the green economy.

To best illustrate the effects that

In terms of long-term planning, highly efficient technologies help companies reduce energy, water and resource consumption, cut costs and thus become more competitive in the market. A final and very important aspect is the nature of leasing, which provides companies with the opportunity to implement green technologies using the advantage of leasing financing, which doesn’t affect their creditworthiness at all.

Our experience and the results of the portfolio to date show that companies in Serbia recognize the importance of GEFF Leasing. One recent example is the company Karin Komerc MD, which had previously financed the replacement

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of some of its old equipment using its own funds, with the aim of reducing emissions of harmful exhaust gases. Now, thanks to GEFF Leasing, the company has undertaken a 200,000 euro investment in a new separation line, which has reduced the company’s electricity consumption by 23%, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 17 tonnes per year, as well as to cut down water consumption by roughly 34%, saving the company about 33,000 euro per year in reduced consumption of fuel and lower maintenance costs. Through GEFF Serbia Leasing, we look forward to assisting many other companies save both energy and money by undertaking similar investments to upgrade equipment, including solar panels or agricultural machinery.

What leasing options are available to companies interested in implementing green technologies?

— Production (with special emphasis on green energy production), agriculture, construction, commerce and transport are business areas that we have defined as priorities in terms of introducing highly efficient technologies. The construction industry has shown the biggest interest in GEFF Leasing in Serbia and leasing construction machinery comprises just over 50% of the existing portfolio, which is in line with the current market trends.

In cooperation with our partner financial institution, UniCredit Leasing, we have devised very competitive offers and created simple procedures with the leasing process taking only a few steps. The integration of online solutions such as the Green Technology Selector into the process of approving leasing funds by UniCredit Leasing contributes to the fast realization.

What is the GEFF Green Technology Selector and how does it help companies make smart choices?

— The Green Technology Selector is an online tool that helps companies identify the most appropriate high-efficiency equipment that is eligible for financing. It is a catalogue of highly efficient equipment that has been pre-approved as eligible for financing under the GEFF Serbia Leasing credit line.

This equipment meets the minimum established performance parameters and achieves results better than the average results of the

THE GREEN TECHNOLOGY SELECTOR IS AN ONLINE TOOL THAT HELPS COMPANIES IDENTIFY THE MOST APPROPRIATE HIGH-EFFICIENCY EQUIPMENT THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR FINANCING equipment currently in use, which brings clear benefits and improvements relating to environmental protection. The equipment catalogue is regularly updated to include the latest technologies, and new suppliers in the categories of commercial vehicles (including agricultural and construction machinery), process technologies, refrigeration equipment, solar collectors, heat pumps, etc.

On the webpage of the Green Technology Selector ( https:// ebrdgeff.com/serbialeasing/SR ), you can choose high-efficiency equipment, download the certificate (manufacturer's specification confirming the minimum efficiency requirements) and fill in the application form for GEFF Serbia Leasing. In this way, the EBRD strives to make it easier for companies to select needed equipment and apply for leasing, as well as to save time, which is a

valuable resource for all of us.

What does the GEFF’s offer mean to equipment vendors and manufacturers?

— First of all, I would like to highlight the aspect of free global promotion for vendors and manufacturers of green technologies.

Having products of certain manufacturers listed in the GEFF Green Technology Selector is a validation of the equipment’s quality, since these manufacturers, vendors and products are recognized worldwide as the best green technologies in their class in a particular country. In the case of Serbia, the equipment must demonstrate an energy efficiency performance of at least 20% better than the market average.

Through the Green Technology Selector, equipment vendors and manufacturers are achieving better visibility of their products and services and expanding their mar-

kets, as the GEFF already works with over 140 financial institutions from 26 countries. Equipment vendors and manufacturers do not have to bear additional costs, neither costs of material or human resources, since the GEFF Serbia leasing team analyzes and evaluates the efficiency of products on the GEFF Green Technology Selector.

Cross-selling and the use of sales channels of all partner institutions involved in the GEFF Serbia Leasing programme ensure important additional support to the sales efforts of vendors and manufacturers. Finally, in addition to financing green investments, the EBRD is constantly working to build the market for high-efficiency technologies and equipment and thus create a favourable environment necessary for making sustainable investments and achieving overall economic development.

GREEN TECHNOLOGY SELECTOR GEFF Serbia Leasing has had a significant impact on the local market in terms of boosting sales results and opening new advertising channels for vendors and manufacturers. The Technology Selector provides direct sales support, because via the Selector, vendors and manufacturers can present themselves and their green equipment to potential buyers, thereby incentivising buyers to choose that equipment. So far, GEFF Serbia Leasing has included nearly 200 Serbian companies in the global Green Technology Selector, with over 1,000 registered products (equipment)

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Author Boban Spasojević

Turn Around Towards Each Other and Cooperate The economic cooperation is crucial, we are here to help

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INTERVIEW

JOHN JOVANOVIĆ Regional Director of DFC

nited States of America decided to shift their focus from futile attempts to create full-blown perfect political solution in the Western Balkan region to the effort to elevate the living standard and the economy.

This is clearly visible in the recent Serbia-Kosovo Agreement and in opening the regional branch of DFC, a very important and a quite new American development bank.

We spoke with John Jovanović, newly appointed Regional Director of DFC about the future plans of this financial giant.

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Bearing in mind that the US International Development Fi-

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nance Corporation deals in, why did it take so long to open an branch here in the region and have the necessary conditions been met only now?

— Maybe it is helpful if I explain a little bit how DFC came about. It is an idea that originated actually under the Obama administration

the region for decades, combine it with some development credit agency that was previously with the USAID, and combine it, but it was the past Congress that authorized it in 2018 with the bipartisan support. And what it did… it did couple of things that were particularly important. 1) It doubled

I THINK THAT THE BIGGEST POTENTIAL IS TO INCREASE REGIONAL COOPERATION AT EVERY LEVEL which was to create the proper American development bank akin to what the counterparts have, to work together, to achieve some of our development goals globally. So think of EBRD, EIB, IFC and countless others. So the idea was to take OPEC which has been very active around the globe and in

the size of the balance sheet available to DFC from 30b to 60b, 2) and most importantly, quite importantly for this part of the region, it took away the requirement that any transaction or a project in which we participate, so we the American involvement. So we have projects that have inter-

national involvement, with those companies that kind of share our values. That happens with something quite important.

Is this the first proper regional office and regional presence anywhere, of DFC? — The part of the plan was to really sort of think about the different regions of the world as coverage areas. It came to IFI’s or other development institutions of the globe. As part of the economic normalization that we have reached in the White House between Kosovo and Serbia, this administration saw in the DFC the potential to help both of those countries broaden the financial tools available to them to realize the commitments under the economic normalization agreements. That really helps the Western Balkans and

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come to the forefront and hence the original place. But this is the first proper regional office and regional presence anywhere. We’ve had investment officers elsewhere around the world but this is the beginning of what would, I’m sure, follow – other regional offices and regional coverage for DFC. You have history here, and as you explained now, you are just beginning here. As an American Development Bank that cooperates with the private sector, how interesting you think the Western Balkan is to the US companies?

— Sure, as I mentioned a moment ago, we have near term goals and we are heavily oriented towards helping Kosovo and Serbia to realize their commitments under the economic normalization agreement. However, a key sector for us and a key focus of our development team is energy security and energy diversification. You perfectly pointed out that our unique toolkit is geared towards catalyzing private sector investment and private sector capital. Regional security and regional energy diversification truly has to start with a leader and it is truly a regional story. A lot of countries in the region are too small to think about a sustainable energy future as natural gas and LNG in particular, but even we’re down on the line with some renewables advancements.

It’s regional economic cooperation that will be crucial to realize those goals.

Sure, there is a tremendous growth potential here, the smaller scale projects, as far as global scene is concerned… sure, but you’ve demonstrated the proof of concept, you’ve done it. Let’s talk about that, how can we do that, how can we help you do that, most importantly how can we mobilize American private sector.

It’s a good question.

We are the world leader in shell and there is a tremendous amount of private capital invested in expanding the LNG export capacity. There is a technical knowhow and capacity and capability.

And there is also a desire in this low-interest environment to find on a risk-reward basis, attractive financial returns. DFC can be tip of the spear and mobilize some of the capital by ways of some of our direct investment products which are energy-eligible, so, oftentimes there are projects in the region, they are attractive, they are mak-

IT IS ALL ABOUT TURNING AROUND AND FACING EACH OTHER AS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION ing sense, there are common equity sponsors, someone who’s ready to lose money first. That’s a project sponsor. It is attractive enough to bring the bank financing. But there are oftentimes projects that are a bit short fall in capital. And that risk capital shortage is where we’d like to play a role.

What is that DFC insists on in investing? The most important for you?

— On one hand we want to find the deals that make the economic sense. We are here to catalyze and realize projects that by and large make financial and economic sense. On the other hand, we are a development bank, the development agency with very robust development criteria. So, these are thinks we would like to see, the key development goals of ours: 1) job creation 2) female empowerment – we want to support the initiatives that help empower women, employ women, see women in leadership positions they deserve. These are two axes. The other key growth and development criteria: we want the environmental… Especially since the projects have fallen into certain categories of the work, there is in-depth environmental and social impact… there is public comment… there is a very keep development compass in everything we do.

As a development corporation, how many funds have you secured for the region?

— There is no minimum and there is no maximum. So it is very much opportunity-set driven. In other parts of the region where we have more development goals, there are actually smaller-scale projects that we think can make tremendous impact.

All the way up to larger projects that would require more capital.

Our framework is not “we are allocating this much to the region, we are allocating this much to a country, or a sector”. Introducing ourselves, better understanding where we can work together. We’re to deal with the pipeline, the way we wouldn’t do with the private sector.

Finally, what is the key message for the successful business? Is there any secret key?

— In my experience, it’s been investing in your know-how and your team and your people. And high-quality people with shared ethical point of view, with shared values, that really care about doing a good job together, is crucial.

I think that’s where more American involvement, spreading…

Capital is being monetized around the world right now, especially when interest rates stay so low, but high-quality partners with

know-how and shared vision, with shared values for the future, I think that is crucial. So you want to work with partners, especially as a common investor, in multinationals, that hire local people, help develop the local supply chains, that leave with their work a positive impact on know-how, knowledge and society.

What is the biggest problem here when we talk about business?

For whole region, all countries?

They might have one and the same problem: people’s minds, legislation… or something?

— Each country has its own challenges and its own road to reform. By the way, the entire region is very fortunate. The US Ambassadors are so driven, so committed, they are your biggest champions and your biggest advocates, both here in Europe and home in Washington. But I would say… look, it’s hard for me with anything I am doing to help and so on. But one thing is what the entire region is thinking about. It’s turning around and facing each other as a real opportunity for economic cooperation. Even at the micro-level, since the business is by and large already doing it. If we think about the economic prosperity, and it doesn’t necessarily mean getting your differences or you cultural identities, your linguistic identities or your sovereignty, but seeing a true value in better trading and cooperating with each other, building the economic future together.

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The Harm Reduction Principle is the Path to a Happier and Healthier Life Experts gathered at a recent conference organized by the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction pointed out that the priority was to accept adequate, proven and scientifically based less harmful alternatives eople who use tobacco products also have the right to protect their health. The harm reduction principle also reduces the state’s funds for the health care system, transforms the tobacco industry from burning to switching to heating, and puts people and their quality of life in the centre. That is why it is important to be open to the harm reduction principle, "said Gerry Stimson, a British university professor and longtime adviser on addiction treatment to the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the World Bank and many governments.

The principle of harm reduction is an increasingly mentioned option that sees alternatives to classic cigarettes as a great untapped potential in public health. This is supported by the fact that despite efforts to reduce the number of smokers, 1.1 billion people still consume traditional cigarettes in the world and that number is expected to grow in the coming years.

Experts gathered at the recent conference organized by the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction pointed out that the priority is to accept adequate, proven and scientifically based less harmful alternatives. The users themselves have already turned to these alternatives, so today globally about 100 million people use them. However, the conference highlighted that fact-based information and regulations were necessary to support a greater shift to these products.

"Consistency in the results of dozens of studies comparing cigarettes and the consumption of less harmful alternatives proves that different types of alternatives are much less harmful than traditional cigarettes," said David Nutt, an addiction expert and former professor at the University of Bristol, Department of Psychopharmacology. Nutt further states what is the key to success in terms of less harmful alternatives: "People enjoy nicotine, but when to-

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WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF LESS HARMFUL ALTERNATIVES, INSTEAD OF BEING GUIDED BY MISINFORMATION, FALSE SCIENCE AND MISLEADING DATA THAT ARE DECEIVING. LEGISLATION NEEDS TO CATEGORIZE TOBACCO PRODUCTS ACCORDING TO THE RISK THEY CARRY bacco burns, it produces smoke and the compounds found in it are the most harmful to the body, while with tobacco alternatives, such as smokeless products, the emission of harmful substances is significantly lower."

Clive Bates, former director of the British initiative ‘Smoking and Health’, adviser to former British

Prime Minister Tony Blair and a United Nations official, said: "We need to focus on the benefits of less harmful alternatives, instead of being guided by misinformation, false science and misleading data that are deceiving. Legislation needs to categorize tobacco products according to the risk they carry. "

The recent decision made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize IQOS, a device that heats rather than burns tobacco, thus emitting significantly fewer harmful and potentially harmful substances than conventional cigarette smoke, as a modified risk product, shows that the use of this alternative is expected to benefit the health of the population. The Philip Morris Company has been developing IQOS for years, and extensive scientific evidence has confirmed that a complete transition to using IQOS reduces the harmful impact on the health of users.

Harry Shapiro, an expert with decades of experience, also pointed out that the availability of proven alternatives was a great chance for public health that should be used as soon as possible. “It took 60 years for cigarettes to replace the previous ways of consuming tobacco and nicotine. We don’t have 60 years to wait for less harmful alternatives to replace cigarettes," he said.

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NIS Continues to Improve Working Conditions for All its Employees Professional employee development is of great importance in modern business apid, dynamic and often unexpected changes are something we encounter every day in the business world. This was demonstrated to us by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which large corporations and systems had to adapt to the new working conditions in the easiest and safest way, without jeopardizing their work processes. On the other hand, this pandemic has also initiated changes in the way of doing business and the attitude of the employers towards their employees.

NIS is a good example of a domestic company that, despite challenging times, has managed to preserve stability and adapt to new working conditions. Determined to primarily preserve the health of its employees and their work productivity, the company introduced measures for employees that further facilitated working conditions. Thus, in a very short time, NIS has managed to technically organize remote work for about 3,000 employees in the administration, without endangering the company’s work processes. Also, NIS has introduced a number of flexible forms of work, including a gradual return to work for all employees who have used sick leave for more than a year, part-time work during the day in consultation with the management, as well as many other benefits.

Besides, professional employee development is of great importance in modern business. That is why NIS has launched a programme that enables employees who want to share their knowledge to educate their co-workers in various fields by conducting a series of professional training sessions. Besides, NIS implements several programmes aimed at recruiting young people and allowing them to make their first career steps in one of the largest energy companies in the region.

Thus, a student programme named NIS Calling was launched, which offers 320 hours of work practice in the company, which the selected candidates can use for three months in line with their obligations at school. The program allows third, fourth and fifth-year students (master or graduate) to apply for an internship at NIS during different seasons of the year, per the required positions. Also, to attract new young professionals, this year NIS launched the NIS Energy programme, intended for graduate and master students who can bring new energy to the company with their ideas, but also get a chance to develop professionally in one of the largest domestic companies through a one-year, paid programme.

With such an approach towards its employees and by investing in young people and their potential, NIS also contributes to the realization of one of the 17 of the UN sustainable de-

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ONE OF THE INDICATORS THAT NIS IS ON THE RIGHT PATH IN TERMS OF ITS APPROACH TO EMPLOYEES IS THE FACT THAT IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, THE COMPANY WAS DECLARED THE MOST DESIRABLE EMPLOYER IN SERBIA velopment goals - decent work and economic growth. One of the indicators that NIS is on the right path in terms of its approach to employees is the fact that in September this year, the company was declared the most desirable employer in Serbia according to the results of the TalentX survey conducted by the specialized website Poslovi.infostud.com. More than

10,000 respondents took part in this survey.

They said that they valued financial stability, a friendly work environment, and a fair reward system among employers. The company said that the award is great recognition for them, but also an obligation to continue to improve the working conditions for all 11,000 current employees and future ones.

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„Care is Not Only Women’s Job” The campaign has the aim to combat gender stereotypes and gender roles in socio-economic spheres of life to ensure equal rights for both women and men s 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of adoption of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we are at a turning point for women’s rights, a recognition that realizing gender equality, the empowerment of women and the human rights of women and girls must come to a forefront. Namely, 25 years after significant levels of inequality between women and men persist.

One of the critical areas of insufficient progress in Serbia and beyond include gender relations in parenting and economy of care.

According to the Time Use Survey conducted in 2015, women spend somewhat less time in paid work than men, but much more in unpaid household work and care for family members. Their total work hours are longer, and time dedicated to rest and recuperation shorter. In a bid to reach full gender equality, it is of utmost importance to ensure equal participation of women and men in parenting and economy of care.

On the other side, there is a low awareness in public on the issue meaning the costs and value of the unpaid household work performed dominantly by women but also on the importance of sharing the case within families for transforming gender roles in households as one of the last bastions of patriarchy.

In COVID 19 emergency state, the burden of unpaid care work has multiplied, with many experiences from the local level, this topic was modesty raised and this wave, messages and stories can be used to emphasized the need to recognize and value unpaid care work done by women and its value.

Thefore, we are launching the campaign „Care is not only women’s job” with an aim to combat gender stereotypes and gender

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THE CAMPAIGN IS TWOFOLD: ONE PART FOCUSING ON COSTING OF UNPAID CARE WORK AND THE OTHER ONE ON EQUAL PARENTING - BOTH UNDER THE SLOGAN "CARE IS NOT (ONLY) A WOMEN’S JOB!" roles in socio-economic spheres of life to ensure equal rights for both women and men.

Specific objectives of the campaign are: raising awareness on unpaid care work in the country; to inform on costing of the value of unpaid care work; promoting joint and equal share in parenting and economy of care; and to encourage men to taking more part in parenting.

KEY MESSAGES ARE: - Unpaid work has value - Women and man must share household responsibilities - It is important for father to contribute to raising children etc.

ONLINE SELF MEASURING TIME SURVEY This will be the first online

surevy of a kind in the field of unpaid care work in Serbia, intended to measure the volume and life span of the unpaid work and developped for android platfiorms The survey is supposed to list different services in the domain of care and household work, and the selected group of people (women and men) testing it will tick the boxes of services they carried out every day along with the time they had spent on it. The survey will calculate the cost of that work day by day/on monthly basis and life period and after a one-month trial period, the participants will have the exact monthly/life cost of unpaid care and domestic work. These data are to be used for further promotion and advocacy on social and traditional media. As well, the selected

women and men that have tested the survey will be promoters of change, whose life stories will be used further in the campaign media content, and as a promotion of changes and combatting the stereotypes.

TOILETS OF DIFFERENT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS/ OTHER PLACES As an innovative approach in the country, gender neutral and men's toilets with baby care facilities, all branded the same, have been installed on five different location sending a clear message on share parenting to various audiences in different public institutions. They are also accompanied with key campaign messages put on visible places in toilets where no one can miss them.

TO MOTIVATE FATHERS "With the new wave of coronavirus pandemic, it is important that we try to distribute more equally the unpaid care work for children, the elderly and the sick. Therefore, one of the main goals of the campaign is to encourage and motivate fathers to take an equal role in childcare from an early age, to understand that they are not there to lend a helping hand but to be equal partners. This is the main path towards happy families and a happy society", said Mrs. Milana Rikanović, Head of UN Women Serbia.

Photo: Marija Piroški

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Improving Mobility and Exchange Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is an independently functioning institutional mechanism, founded by the Western Balkans 6 participants (WB 6): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, aiming to promote the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation between the youth in the region through youth exchange programs facing, we addressed a statement to the RYCO signatories, but also the relevant stakeholders. First of all, we encouraged the most important actors not to give up on regional cooperation, regardless of the current situation. We then appealed to the RYCO's contracting parties to always take into account the interests of young people when reshaping educational processes during a pandemic.

Then, we encouraged the contracting parties to devise policies that will address the problem of growing youth unemployment.

Finally, we called on all relevant actors to enable young people to participate in decision-making processes as well as to address the issue of their mental health during the crisis.

INTERVIEW

MARKO KOSTIĆ Representative of the Serbian youth at RYCO

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alks on the establishment of the RYCO were held at the highest political level. At the EU-Western Balkans Summit, held in Paris on July 4, 2016, the Prime Ministers of the Western Balkans 6 signed an agreement establishing the RYCO. The agreement set the main goals of this intergovernmental organization, which include improving mobility and exchange among the youth of the Western Balkans, as well as promoting a series of activities aimed at reconciliation and boosting regional cooperation.

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You represent Serbia’s youth in the Governing board of the RYCO (Regional Office for Youth Cooperation), which was formed in July 2016 along with 5 other members of the Western Balkan 6. What are the organization's basic goals and main projects?

— I can proudly say that the RYCO has implemented over 100 projects since its inception and that we have invested over € 2,500,000 in youth exchange programmes while 326 organizations and schools implement RYCO projects. Our success would not be possible without our partners such as the UN, the EU, the OSCE, German, Swedish and the Norwegian government, but also many others. I would like to mention two projects that will be implemented in the next period. The RISE project focuses on young social entrepreneurs from the region. We are currently in the process of selecting the participants.

The plan is to support over 200 young social entrepreneurs, and the idea is to work on intercultural learning and reconciliation through entrepreneurship.

The ROUTE WB6 project will enable the creation of a regional volunteer network, but also facilitate

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Can the young people in the Western Balkans, assembled in such organizations, bring the members of the Western Balkans 6 closer to the European Union and its values?

— RYCO is a guarantor of European values through its activities

RYCO IS A GUARANTOR OF EUROPEAN VALUES THROUGH ITS ACTIVITIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS, THE PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY AND DEMOCRATIC VALUES advocacy activities to change and harmonize the legal framework related to volunteerism in the region, in each of the contracting parties' countries.

Why is the integration of young people important in terms of mobility, education and exchange in the WB region?

— Prejudices and stereotypes that exist between young people in the Western Balkans could be overcome through projects implemented by the RYCO and it is therefore crucial that young people from the region meet, exchange experiences and make friends through various social, cultural and educational activities. RYCO recognizes young people as drivers of change in society

and for this reason our Governing board implements the principle of co-management. This principle shows that the voice of young people is valued as much as the voice of government representatives and, more importantly, the principle of co-management enables young people to decide on issues concerning themselves.

Recently, five youth representatives from the RYCO issued a statement on the global crisis caused by COVID-19 and its impact on youth in the Western Balkans. What did you specifically point out and appeal to in that statement?

— Given the negative consequences of the pandemic that young people in the region are

that contribute to respecting human rights, the promotion of diversity and democratic values, as well as the promotion of regional cooperation, the European spirit of tolerance and intercultural learning. In order to understand the connection between the EU and RYCO, I would like to mention that the agreement on the establishment of the RYCO was signed under the auspices of the Berlin Process, which is an intergovernmental initiative for the EU to support region on their way of becoming members of the European family. The Berlin Process aims to provide greater regional connectivity in infrastructure and economic development, along with youth policy. RYCO is its most successful story.

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Our Core Business is Client's Satisfaction Every day, the company is improving all aspects of its core business due to unique connections with its established clients vided service and maintaining a high business standard.

Express SEE is synonymous with reliable logistics partners in the region. Does this provide a guarantee for clients that their shipment will be secure until the end of its journey?

— Apart from the standard criteria in terms of punctuality and reliability of delivery, which we maintain at a high level, Express SEE thinks it is very important that our clients don’t stress during transport and logistics operations.

We strive to adapt our services to each client individually, because we are aware that not everyone has the same parameters for assessing the quality of service.

We want our clients to know that their goods are secure with us and that we take care of them throughout transport and logistics, while our experience helps us to avoid or overcome any problem during the transport process.

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SLOBODAN FILIPOVIĆ General Manager, Express SEE

or November issue of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine we spoke with Mr. Slobodan Filipović, General Manager, Express SEE, a company that operates under a large Italian freight forwarding group, ExpressGlobal. They operate on three continents, in the logistics services segment for many years.

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You have been working very successfully in Serbia for the past six years. What are the criteria you follow to make your customers satisfied?

— Our satisfied clients represent our core business. Every day, the company is improving all aspects of its core business due to unique connections with its established clients. We have a one-

of-a-kind approach to our clients and give them a tailor-made/special treatment. Our main focus is on delivering precise and accurate information, which gives our customers the freedom of using their time more efficiently. Time repre-

ment for many years, both abroad and here. The company operates under the international freight forwarding group, Express Global, based in Italy. Currently, we do business on three continents.

The Group has expanded its range

WE HAVE A ONE-OF-A-KIND APPROACH TO OUR CLIENTS AND GIVE THEM A TAILOR-MADE/ SPECIAL TREATMENT sents one of the most important factors in logistics management, therefore thanks to our fast and reliable service, our customers are benefiting in multiple ways.

You do business on three continents. Is the approach to business same everywhere, or do you adapt to specific market demands?

— Express SEE has been operating in the logistics services seg-

of activities across Europe, so now we have a new office in the Czech Republic which will cover the markets of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, as well as an office in Poland. We are aware that each market has its requirements. A great deal of effort is put into making sure that we all follow these trends and act in accordance with them. However, one thing is the same across markets and that is the quality of pro-

We have to mention the coronavirus and its consequences on the entire economy. How did you organize your business during this time and have you felt the consequences?

— What sets our company apart is that, in addition to taking care of our clients, we take great care of our employees. Without teamwork, it would not be possible to complete the entire logistics chain. In order for our employees to be able to carry out their business without interruption, the company has implemented all the required measures to preserve health. The coronavirus has changed the course of our business and significantly affected all economic factors. Adapting to that situation has significantly altered the business of our clients and thus ours too. Many clients have changed the markets in which they operate and we simply have to follow all these trends. We were successful in doing that and elevated our business to another level.

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BRITAIN AND EUROPE

How a “No Deal” Brexit Can be Avoided It starts with acknowledging the consequences of one ritain’s conservatives are fond of Australia, an Anglosphere place with a flourishing economy, fine weather and fabulous beaches. So when trade talks with the European Union were briefly suspended before resuming this week, and Boris Johnson told Britons they might end up not with the Canada-style free-trade agreement he wanted, but instead leave on “Australian terms”, he made the prospect sound beguilingly sunny.

This is typical Johnsonian spin. If the latest face-to-face talks should collapse and Britain end up with no deal, the terms on which it leaves would not be those that apply to Australia, which has many side-deals and is seeking its own free-trade agreement with the EU. They would be closer to those of Afghanistan, Bhutan or Congo: Britain would have no trade deal at all with its largest trading partner, and little prospect of getting one.

The government’s own modelling suggests the hit to GDP after 15 years would be almost 8% with no deal, against less than 5% for a thin Canadian-style one. Many businesses would be devastated by tariffs, including 10% on cars and 5% on car parts, threatening an industry that employs 800,000 people and accounts for 14% of Britain’s goods exports. The food industry would suffer from EU protectionism, with farmers facing tariffs of 40% or more on lamb and beef exports. Research by UK in a Changing Europe, an academic thinktank, suggests that food prices would rise by as much as 4%.

Non-tariff barriers now matter more than tariffs, and for services they would be erected with or without a deal. But in two cases an acrimonious no-deal Brexit could be damaging. The financial-services industry would suffer more than it already has if the EU refused to accept the equivalence of Britain’s regulation, and many firms, especially those in the digital economy, would struggle without a similar agreement on the adequacy of data protection. Failure to reach a deal would probably exclude Britain from the lu-

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crative European energy market, and might even threaten mitigation measures to allow lorry-drivers and airlines to keep operating on the continent.

Then there is Northern Ireland. No deal would resurrect the threat of a border in Ireland between north and south, which all sides wish to avoid. It would also create problems within the United Kingdom. The protocol that is

Worst of all, leaving without a deal would make it hard to talk further. Even a thin trade agreement could be built on, for instance, with renewed efforts to extend its range to more services. Most security co-operation, crucially including access to common intelligence databases, would halt completely after no deal. The bad blood would imperil broader joint diplomacy, a serious

NO DEAL WOULD RESURRECT THE THREAT OF A BORDER IN IRELAND BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH, WHICH ALL SIDES WISH TO AVOID part of January’s Brexit withdrawal treaty in effect keeps Northern Ireland inside the European single market and customs union, with Great Britain outside. As Mr Johnson has belatedly conceded, that necessitates controls on goods moving between the two. These could be manageable with a trade deal; without one, which would mean not just customs checks but tariffs, the protocol would be far more intrusive. The government’s solution would be to rewrite it unilaterally, but that would create new problems. As the House of Lords made clear in voting against it this week, such a naked breach of international law would undermine trust in Britain.

loss in a dangerous world. And it would be difficult to restart negotiations, because the EU may well begin by putting back on the table the demands that had prevented a deal in the first place.

Time is short: Britain’s final departure from the EU is on December 31st. However, the latest talks begin with a deal tantalisingly close. The only big obstacles are fish and the EU’s desire for a credible regime to police state aid to industry.

Compromise is possible on both. Given that Britain resorts to subsidies less than other European countries, it is mystifying why a Conservative government would hold out against a deal in

order to gain the dubious privilege of handing out lots more taxpayers’ money to private companies. As for fisheries, which contribute barely 0.2% of European GDP, both sides would suffer from there being no deal. European vessels would lose access to richer British waters; British fishermen would lose tariff-free access to the EU market, which buys 70% of their catch. The French are insisting that the EU’s over-generous quotas should persist after Britain leaves. They need to budge on fish, and Britain should drop its newfound enthusiasm for subsidies and its bid to rewrite the Northern Ireland protocol. With those concessions, a deal would be eminently doable.

Britons did not vote to leave the EU without a trade deal in 2016; rather, they were told they would have the easiest trade deal in history. Walking out of talks was not in the manifesto in the election in 2019: an accord was “oven-ready”.

A year ago Mr Johnson said that to leave the EU without an agreement would be a failure of statecraft. He was right. It is past time to seal the deal.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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Greece

D I P L OM AC Y

&

C OM M E RC E

P R E S E N T S

FOCUS ON

OLDEST WRITTEN LANGUAGE Greek is the oldest written language still in existence. The Greek language is unique and has continuously been used for more than 5000 years.

WORLD’S FIRST DEMOCRACY The Athenian Democracy was a system dating back to the fifth century B.C. It was a system of direct democracy, where citizens with voting-rights voted directly on legislation and executive bills.

ONE OF THE SUNNIEST COUNTRY The whole country has more than 250 days of sun on average.

That’s more than 3000 sunny hours per year.

WILDLIFE Greece has one of the richest varieties of wildlife in Europe.

Home to 116 species of mammals, 18 species of amphibians, 59 species of reptiles, 240 species of bird, and 107 species of fish.

MORE THAN 2000 ISLANDS That’s a lot of islands, but only 170 of them are populated. The other islands are uninhabited.

GREECE

Cooperation is Expanding In All Fields Zero problems but plenty of room for expanding and deepening of our multilevel cooperation is exactly the core of our bilateral relations his is my second term in Belgrade. I served as Deputy Head of Mission here between 2000 and 2004.

I am very happy that I returned to Serbia as Ambassador after 15 years.

I like very much the country and its people. This is an opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the Government and the people of Serbia for their hospitality and kindness. I really feel at home.

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What are your impressions of Serbia’s cooperation with Greece?

— Our countries have traditionally been very close. We fought together, on the same side, in two Balkan and two World Wars. We shed our blood together for freedom and against oppression and tyranny. Nowadays, cooperation is expanding in all fields.

As you may remember, in December last year, President Vucic travelled to Athens where he signed the Declaration on the Strategic Partnership between our countries. This is a very important document highlighting not only the excellent state of bilateral relations but also the potential to expand them in all fields; especially in trade and new technologies, which provide for new opportunities.

Greece has managed to slow down the spread of COVID-19 thanks to strict measures. What is the situation today?

— Thanks to early and severe containment measures, Greece has successfully managed to flatten the curve very quickly and slow down the spread of the virus. We suspended public events and closed down schools even before

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the first 90 cases were detected. On June 1, we reopened gradually and under restrictions our borders for the summer period.

Unfortunately, the second wave of the virus occurred and the European continent seems to be affected the most. Today, Greece is in a much better epidemiological situation than many other countries thanks to the individual responsibility of the vast majority of the Greek people.

However, we are fully aware that the current picture may change at any moment. Therefore we remain vigilant and the government successfully continues with its plan to strengthen the Health System, with the recruitment of medical staff and the increase of the number of ICU beds.

How much did the Greek economy suffer because of the coronavirus’ impact on the tourism industry?

— As governments began to take measures in order to protect the health and safety of their citizens, such as travel bans and restrictions in the free movement of people between countries, it was evident that the tourist industry would be enormously affected by the crisis. Let me give you some figures: Tourism is a key pillar of the Greek economy, directly accounting for a 11.7% of the country’s GDP, while its indirect contribution to it is estimated between 25.7% up to 30.9%. Taking into consideration that 90% of tourism comes from abroad, it is safe to assume that the country could suffer a significant blow from the global impact of the pandemic.

Athens International Airport marked an average 70% decline be-

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H.E. GEORGIOS DIACOFOTAKIS Greece Ambassador to Serbia

Greece welcomes the progress that has been made so far in Serbia's negotiations with the EU

tween March and August this year, compared to the same period in 2019.

According to data presented by the Minister of Tourism, the revenues for July amounted to 577 million Euros, down by 84.4%. Revenues in August reached 1.6 billion Euros, down by about 60%. According to the latest data, a total of 3.9 million visitors mainly from Europe have traveled to Greece so far this year, equal to 22% of arrivals in the same period last year. In sum, tourism-related revenues are expected to reach 20% of the 2019 total by the end of 2020.

On a positive note, Greek tourism achieved three very important goals this year: First, the tourism market gave Greece a vote of confidence.

Secondly, the country’s brand name and good reputation formed during the first wave of the pandemic was not only maintained but strengthened during the tourist season. Thirdly, the implementation of health protocols was exemplary. Of course, there are many lessons learned, so our goal for the post-pandemic future is to focus on sustainable tourism.

Greece traditionally supports Ser-

bia on its path to the EU membership. What should be the priorities of the new Serbian government?

— Integrating all WB countries to the EU is a long-term strategic objective of Greek foreign policy. The 2003 Thessaloniki Agenda for the Western Balkans, adopted during the Hellenic Presidency of the European Council, paved the way for these countries to join the European family. Almost 20 years later, in February this year, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Greece, neighbouring EU states and WB countries, along with EU officials attended the Thessaloniki High Level Conference on the European Perspective of the Western Balkans “From Thessaloniki to Zagreb” and reaffirmed that the future of our entire region lies within the EU. Greece has always been a staunch supporter of Serbia's European integration. Let me remind you that the EU-Serbia accession negotiations began during the 2014 Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the EU. We welcome the progress that has been made so far in Serbia's negotiations with the EU and we are convinced that the country’s dedication to European integration will remain a top priority of the new government as well.

I have actually had the opportunity to discuss these issues during my recent meeting with Minister Jadranka Joksimović, to whom I reiterated Greece's firm support to Serbia's EU accession bid and its willingness to provide any practical assistance if needed.

Mechanism, which was launched on Greece’s initiative aiming at promoting security, stability and growth.

also an effort to see how we can establish our common future". I believe that this is exactly the core of our bilateral relations, zero problems but plenty of room for expanding and deepening of our multilevel cooperation.

In which areas can the two countries improve their relations and exchange knowledge and experiences?

— The signing of the Joint Declaration establishing a Strategic Partnership between Greece and Serbia – in the context of the 3rd High-Level Cooperation Council (HCC), which took place in Athens on 11 December 2019 – has upgraded and enriched our bilateral cooperation.

The Declaration covers six areas, including defence, security, civil protection, economy/connectivity, renewable energy sources, culture, education, sports, health, environment and support for Serbia’s efforts to join the European Union.

Last but not least, Greece and Serbia seek to expand their cooperation through multilateral schemes, such as the Greece – Bulgaria – Romania – Serbia Quadrilateral Cooperation

We discussed the past and we discussed the future but there is no difference between us

What is your view of the challenges we face once the pandemic passes and migrants become the number one topic again?

— The Greek government is currently developing the National Migration Strategy 2020-21 with measurable objectives: the substantial restriction of flows and the drastic reduction of the impact on local communities, both on the islands and on the mainland. By implementing a strict but fair migration policy, Greece respects international law and European values and at the same time aims at avoiding to be a getaway for migrants.

Among the important policy changes that have already taken place in the management of the migration problem, I could mention the reduction of the flows by 73% this year, the acceleration of asylum procedures, the positive balance of departures /arrivals and a new legal framework for controlling the operation and economic activity of the NGOs.

How would you assess the overall relations between Greece and Serbia?

— In an interview, during his visit to Serbia, in November 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikos Dendias when asked to comment on the Greek-Serbian relations, he replied, inter alia, "Talking today with Foreign Minister Dačić and with President Vučić, we had no differences to solve. We discussed the past and we discussed the future but there is no difference between us.

There is always an understanding and

Travelling to Greece When will Serbian citizens be able to go to our favourite destination?

— Since the beginning of the crisis we tried to strike a fair balance between public health and opening of our borders to foreign tourists. The government has been working intensively in order to adapt to a new normality

and is currently developing a comprehensive plan for the next summer. In the meantime, let me bring to your knowledge that Greece has ratified in September the bilateral agreement on tourism. This agreement lays down the groundwork for expanding our cooperation in this field.

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We are Working on Improvement the Current Cooperation As our countries have been recording better results in bilateral cooperation year-on-year, the HBA will provide all kinds of assistance within its capabilities to overcome obstacles

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I N T E RV I E W

reece traditionally represents an important economic and business partner of Serbia as the two countries have always enjoyed excellent bilateral relations reflected through important Greek investments in Serbia over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, the economies of both Serbia and Greece have been severely affected by this emerging crisis. In this fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, both countries struggle for the preservation of their economic systems.

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The economies of both Greece and Serbia have been hit by the crisis caused by COVID-19. What are your forecasts for the end of the year? — The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia (HBA) is witnessing an unforeseen period in which all parameters and predictions change from day to day. 2020 economic perspectives largely depend on the duration of the pandemic and there is still great uncertainty in terms of more accurate forecasts of economic trends,

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STYLIANOS ZAKOF President of the Management Board HBA

We believe that the engagement of our association has contributed to some extent in the implementation of mentioned measures

but the World Bank's latest projections show that the negative impact on the Serbian economy will be far weaker than in other European countries. As for Greece, the novel coronavirus has caused a nightmare regarding a recession that will possibly rise to 10 percent by the end of this year and perhaps even surpass this percentage. All in all, it is certain for both countries that the most difficult period, that is, the true dimensions of this crisis, will be revealed at the end of 2020.

What do you think of the measures adopted by the Serbian government and do you know to what extent Greek companies in Serbia have been affected by the crisis? — The government of Serbia had a timely and efficient response to the first peak of Covid-19, while addressing the health emergency, and the immediate economic impact. By undertaking sets of measures, it has chosen to take up the burden of sharply rising costs and loss in the private small and medium-sized sector and thus effectively help entrepreneurship. The main idea was to save jobs (as many as possible) and to maintain liquidity within the SME. We believe that the engagement of our association has contributed to some extent in the implementa-

tion of mentioned measures. As has been proven so far, the strongest effects caused by the pandemic were illiquidity, lack of contact with clients and working time limitations, and specifically for Greek companies in Serbia, the biggest hit from coronavirus was to those in sectors of food service, hospitality, storage industry and real estate. So, shortly after declaration of state of emergency in the country, in cooperation with other business chambers and associations, we requested government support for our member-companies that were most affected by the crisis.

Those measures were, in one way or another, implemented in most countries, and businessmen agree that they are the most important ones.

What will the business world look like next year and which sectors will be most affected? — The ramifications of the coronavirus and its global economic impact will be felt for decades to come.

While exactly how the pandemic will change the world is still unclear, what is certain is that business as we knew it has changed.

According to our opinion, three elements in particular will define the next normal, and businesses will need to come to terms with them in order to survive and thrive. First, there will

be more government intervention and therefore greater scrutiny of business.

How much, how fast, and in what ways governments will eventually reduce their economic role will be some of the most important questions of the next decade. Second, the world will see the rise of a contact-free economy. Areas where the pandemic could prove to be a decisive turning point are digital commerce, telemedicine, and automation. And finally, companies will need to reconsider how they can establish more resilience in the sense of building, or strengthening a backup or safety plan; be it deeper layers of succession planning or significantly expanding work-athome capabilities for more employees. Under these circumstances, the future will be very harsh on sectors like commercial real estate, tourism, hospitality and retail.

What can be improved in the economic relations between Greece and Serbia?

— Many Greek companies have recognised Serbia’s investment potential and have decided to locate and relocate their operations in Serbia.

For some of them, Serbia serves as a manufacturing hub that enables duty-free exports to a market of almost a billion people. Others are attracted by the great level of highly skilled and easily trained workforce, an environment of good incentives and a business-friendly tax system. But it should be said that, despite the great interest in Greek investments in Serbia, the two countries have not yet explored opportunities and complementarities in many sectors.

Bilateral cooperation is not equally reflected in the commercial sector, where our overall bilateral trade volume still remains low, despite the huge potential. This can be addressed by jointly exploring opportunities and complementarities in sectors, such as agriculture, food and beverage, building materials, energy, information and communication technologies etc.

What should the new Serbian government do to improve the business environment and attract new investors?

— Our companies operating on the Serbian market are very satisfied with the overall business climate, as the country has already come a long way in adopting measures to stabi-

The HBA has adjusted its strategic plan to current conditions so that it can improve its services and adapt them primarily to the needs of its members

lize public finances and to create a business friendly environment. During the last few years, consistent application of the ambitious structural reforms program has considerably improved the business and investment climate and has boosted economic activity. The state improved the business climate and worked on conditions related to fast incorporation and a favourable tax regime for foreign investors. Certainly, there are challenges that Greek companies face that need to be addressed to further promote trade and investment, related to modernizing the business legal framework by reducing red tape. Another challenge is harmonizing trade

regulations to reduce the administrative costs that remain on certain goods, to eliminate technical barriers to trade and to facilitate the issuance of construction permits etc.

Nonetheless, Serbia is one of the few countries in South-Eastern Europe where companies from abroad have found the proper place for development and stability.

HBA has continued its activities, and you are now organizing online

events and seminars. Do you have any indications that the situation in 2021 will improve and that we will return to the old way?

— Generally, we believe that next year will not be much different from this one, since it has been announced that the coronavirus vaccine will not be in use until 2022, at least as far as the healthy part of the population is concerned. The HBA has adjusted its strategic plan to current conditions so that it can improve its services and adapt them primarily to the needs of its members, but also to the needs of Greek entrepreneurs interested in the Serbian market during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is clear that segments that have to be addressed to a greater extent are those related to information sharing. Our plans for 2021 are aimed at conducting information seminars, panels and presentations for different sizes and types of companies, providing refined information on certain topics and guidelines on investment and financial opportunities in the country, and, of course, enhancing the existing ongoing dialogue between the association and system’s institutions in Serbia and Greece.

The HBA will certainly continue searching for new opportunities for business cooperation between the two parties and working on improving the current cooperation.

As our countries have been recording better results in bilateral cooperation year-on-year, the HBA will provide all kinds of assistance within its capabilities to overcome obstacles. That is why we will boost activities aimed at better acquainting our members with the Serbian legislation, the market and the opportunities for its utilization. We strongly believe that the time has come for Greece and Serbia to make a greater effort by joining forces to overcome problems that hamper their truly great economic potential.

Social responsibility How important is it to be socially responsible in times of crisis and to contribute to the community?

— This difficult time, if nothing else, brought a new dimension to the term “social responsibility”, both on the private and business level. Corporate social responsibility has become an integral part since companies today are expected to be continuing commitment in protecting the quality of life of the workforce and their families, as well as of the local community and society. We, as representatives of the HBA, are very glad that all our members have shown support to initiatives and activities that contributed to strengthening the traditionally friendly relations between Greece and Serbia, such as recent donations to the Serbian health care system.

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It is Important to be United and Coordinated

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Hellenic Business Association of Serbia (HBA) for its 17 years of existence has been always targeted towards bringing the Greek market and the market of Serbia closer and to give Greek companies the chance to operate in a safe investment environment

I N T E RV I E W

BA is comprised of the representatives of 80 member companies which operate in Serbia, currently employing 4.500 people, and their investment equates to about half of the total Greek investment in the country, which stands at nearly a 1.5 billion euros. Members of HBA represent Greek economic interests, in the broadest sense, and successfully operate in Serbia in various fields banking, food and beverage, telecommunications, retail, real estate, construction, hospitality, heavy industry, various services etc., bringing Greece to the top of the list of foreign investors in the country.

In order to meet its goals, HBA perform activities that would be unduly costly or time-consuming for its members, including promotion in front of the Serbian public, lobbying, information gathering, and research. Association’s management board contend that by combining voices under one banner, Greek companies are able to establish a strong and unified presence and effectively protect their shared interests in Serbia. HBA organizes various events every year such as high-level seminars and conferences, speed business meetings, assisted networking cocktails, business forums, informal gatherings etc.

Then coronavirus arrived and

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SELENA DJORDJEVIĆ Executive Director, Hellenic Business Association of Serbia

We are very proud that most of Greek companies responded and provided support to Serbian health institutions

changed our world! After a decade-long debt crisis, and the economy growing by several per cent a year, Greek companies in Serbia faced once again economic and operational uncertainty across every industry and sector. The new virus has touched nearly every facet of organizations, from payroll to auditing standards to how conduct day-to-day operations. Almost overnight, most of our members shut their doors and turned remote to conduct business and that clearly marked for us in HBA a new way of providing services, or, fulfilling our goals.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was a test to the relevance of our association and it has confirmed how important is to be united and coordinated. Informed businesses during a crisis are better positioned to make sound decisions, that is why we are focused on communication and information sharing. As there is a huge amount of information being spread about the coronavirus pandemic, we want to provide ongoing updates which are essential for businesses in the longevity industry to understand implications of the virus on both their businesses and their customers, whether it concerns government financial programs, accounting and legal incentives or travel rules.

We tend to raise social awareness and encouraged our member-companies to give their financial contribution in prevention of the spread of the new virus and the treatment of patients in Serbia.

Furthermore, for the purpose of educating, communicating, onboarding, and networking of our members, but also to be able to ask questions through direct dialogue, we intensify the organization of online seminars, business meetings and discussion panels. Video conferencing and virtual events have never been more important to business as it is now, so we motivate our members to get acquainted in using internet in so many aspects of their business. What we got as feedback is that Greek companies in Serbia, regardless of their size, are fully aware of the new business era - the era of internet business communication.

We were focused on providing support as much as possible to companies most vulnerable and affected by the crisis - small and medium-sized enterprises. In that sense, together with other bilateral business organizations, we sent a letter to the Minister of Finance of Serbia, requesting a set of facilities for SME, which were subsequently adopted. Such benefits included deferral of tax and contributions on salary, ease of access to loans, subsidies etc.

Overall, HBA is aware of this confusing and complex period. Now more than ever is the time to understand compliance, adjust expectations, renew focus and reposition in the wake of the next normal. As our members prepare to navigate the next normal, HBA make any effort to be a trusted advisor by their side and help them to move forward.

The Year Marked by Investments and Development Building a new business facility, expanding the range of machines and providing even more reliable services are the three key things we are working on to the requests of our customers, we continued to work in the company's premises in compliance with all epidemiological measures and employee protection. At some point, closed borders exacerbated our business, given that we have customers and clients in the neighbouring countries, especially the countries of the former Yugoslavia - Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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he MBL Company was founded over two decades ago and is the market leader in the graphic machinery segment in Serbia and abroad.

Under the recognizable MBL brand, the company provides services and servicing of high-quality laser machines for cutting. We talked to Georgios Kalaitzakis, the founder and Managing Director of MBL, about the way they organized their operations during the pandemic, investment in the new business facility, plans and expectations for the next period.

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The pandemic is in full swing throughout Europe. How have you adjusted your business in these changed conditions caused by the coronavirus contagion? — The whole world is facing a crisis and difficult conditions for doing business, including our company.

From the very beginning, we tried to continue operating normally, as much as possible in such changed circumstances. This entails no layoffs, working full time, and due to the large volume of work and the need to respond

GEORGIOS KALAITZAKIS Managing Director of MBL Company

We believe that we are on the right path and that the crisis that has befallen us all will contribute to us becoming even stronger and more successful

Many companies have recorded business growth this year, despite the crisis. What contributed to the success of your company? — We have been in business for more than two decades and we have regular customers who always come back to us. Thanks to having a stable business during all these years, we had enough room to lower the prices of one segment of our engraving machine range, which was reflected in the increase in sales volume and revenue. Due to the reduced prices of some machines, we have gained the trust of new customers. At the same time, we have raised the quality of our service segment to a higher and more reliable level. Expanding the range of our machines and presses for metal processing also contributed to the increase in the business volume.

facility. This is something that has been planned for years, and the implementation of that project is ongoing. The 960-square-metre facility is our investment and will house offices, a warehouse and a showroom. The construction works are expected to be completed in about a year. Despite the crisis and altered business conditions due to the pandemic, the works have not stopped. On the contrary, they are in full swing, and we are looking forward to meeting our customers and clients in the new premises. A large warehouse and showroom will facilitate our business a lot because we will be able to meet the market demands at any given time in terms of supplying high-quality machines for laser engraving and cutting and presses for metal processing.

We are continuing to work hard and develop the company. We believe that we are on the right path and that the crisis that has befallen us all will contribute to us becoming even stronger and more successful.

Tell us more about your plans and expectations for the next period. — We are very proud of the fact that we have started building our new

Fun facts About the application of laser engraving machines in the fashion industry.

Laser technology is widely used in the leather and footwear industry. The advantages of this technology lie in the possibility of engraving various samples, high speed and efficiency, and the application on various leather materials without damaging their surface. Besides, lasers are widely used in sandblasting jeans.

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CLICK ON ICON 

It is Important to Accept Changes Since the beginning of the crisis, the Junior Hotel has demonstrated great flexibility towards the implemented changes and restrictions, while always treating the health of our customers and our employees as the highest priority READ THIS ON WEB

C O R P O R AT E

OVID-19 has affected ever yone around the world, and the hotel industry suffered the heaviest blow. Like so many industries, the hospitality industry will also see both subtle and substantial shifts in the post-pandemic era. Some have already become apparent. I think that convincing customers that the hospitality industry can provide a safe environment is currently the biggest challenge the industry is facing.

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You have extensive experience in multinational and tourism companies. What is crucial for someone to be a good manager in tourism and what is most important?

— Hotels are extremely complex environments which require a lot of work performed behind the scenes to ensure a comfortable and relaxing experience for their guests. The following are skills that managers have to have to balance several different responsibilities and duties: • Communication skills to successfully handle situations involving other people. The manager is a public face

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that represents the vision and values of the hotel and should be able to communicate that to the customers, authorities, and investors.

• Interpersonal skills. In stressful situations, managers should always maintain their integrity, professionalism, patience and understanding as they interact daily with a diverse group of people, of different age, preferences, cultural background. There will be times when they will inevitably run into distasteful personality types and unusual international traditions or requests, thus it is very important to listen and adapt to different situations.

• Leadership-team builder skills. Hotel staff from different sectors constantly interacts with each other and with guests, in one way or another.

This means that it is very important to develop strong leadership skills to build, educate and continuously train one’s team. A more cooperative, open and effective team environment will help improve both the staff’s productivity and the guest’s experience.

• Operational knowledge. Daily re-

NIKOLAOS SLIOUSAREGKO GM of JUNIOR DOO GM of NOTOS DEVELOPMENT DOO

Since the beginning of the crisis, the Junior Hotel has demonstrated great flexibility towards the implemented changes and restrictions

sponsibilities and an obligation to make the right decisions demand that hotel managers have a fundamental and well-rounded basis of knowledge of how hotels work, including accounting, human resource management or cost control and pricing.

• Financial management skills. Managers should have the ability to handle financial reports, understand financial concepts, budget and analyze financial data to make the right decisions and maintain a successful business.

• Flexibility skills. As the job itself frequently involves unforeseen and unexpected issues arising at the most inopportune times, flexibility is a necessary skill that helps the manager make decisive and effective decisions.

• Detail-oriented. In the hospitality sector, customers judge everything in real-time. Managers must remain vigilant and focused on every detail, as well as delegate tasks and follow their implementation - from huge ones such as safety concerns to the smallest, e.g. if the picture on the wall is hanging straight.

• Last but not least, something that is applicable to everything we do, and I personally consider the most important characteristic is that you have to love what you do. This is usually the basic motive to train and develop our personality and skills.

You have been living in Serbia for ten years. What is the difference between being a hotel director in Serbia and a director in tourism in Greece? What can we learn from each other?

— The basic difference between the two countries is that Greece has a longer and larger tradition and experience in the industry hospitality, being a tourist destination. That gives Greece an advantage in the rally of investments in hospitality and tourism development. Serbia has about 500 categorized hotels compared to 13.000 in Greece. That translates to development and wage opportunities for hotel managers in Greece. On the other hand, in the last decade, Serbia has changed the overall goals and mentality and started to seriously focus on tourism, especially during the winter seasons. This has resulted in lots of infrastructure projects that have attracted many domestic and foreign investors. This also means that currently more opportunities are created here in Serbia, thus reducing the brain drain of young managers.

You run a hotel and a sports complex with great results. What challenges do you face today when we have a pandemic and a crisis not only in our country but in the whole world?

— Since the beginning of the crisis, the Junior Hotel has demonstrated great flexibility towards the implemented changes and restrictions, while always treating the health of our customers and our employees as the highest priority. That is why we have established cleaning and hygiene high standards in accordance with the relevant regulations. This means that we have taken all the required precautions, such as using disinfection barriers, masks, dispensers, dividers, keeping distance, etc. In addition to the measures implemented in collaboration with the local health authorities, our protocols also include sterilization of rooms before registration and total disinfecting all the public areas and sports fields two times a day, making our premises safer and cleaner while providing

time have all been elevated to a higher level. It is becoming increasingly complicated to deal with numerous tasks, maintain internal balance, have satisfied guests and run a successful business. "I'm getting older while being taught all the time," said the philosopher Solon the Athenian.

peace of mind for our guests. We do this thanks to the cooperation with the company Sterile d.o.o. that supplied us revolutionary devices and chemicals to make the war against COVID-19 easy. We are proud to be among the first hotels certified by HORES to be Clean & Safe.

Does the extensive experience contribute to a better solution everyday challenges and problems, and how important is it to reconcile not only external factors but also internal ones such as team management, information flow, etc.?

— Experience can be a great tool for any business. However, this very unusual period we face proves that experience alone might not be enough.

It is also important that a person has the ability to accept changes. The hotel industry is not the same as 10 years ago. Demands, information, data, speed, technology, norms and

The positive thing is that the gondola project is currently being implemented and will safely connect Brzeće with the centre of Kopaonik

The Junior Hotel is a leader in the development of tourism in the municipality of Brus and the tourist centre Brzeće. What are your plans for completing this and starting next year?

— Unfortunately, the coronavirus contagion has also affected our investment plans, which included largescale renovation, establishing a new conference centre and expanding our spa and our F&B facilities. The positive thing is that the gondola project is currently being implemented and will safely connect Brzeće with the centre of Kopaonik. The gondola project, combined with the continuous investments in ski resorts in Serbia which are creating new amenities and content both in winter and summer, will give a huge boost and new impetus to our region and hopefully a new motive to continue with our investment plans.

What can Serbia and individual hotel complexes, including the Junior Hotel, do in to attract more foreign tourists to our mountains (provided the pandemic calms down)?

— What needs to be done for Kopaonik is to be systematically and constantly advertised and promoted as a summer and winter mountain destination. That entails informing and attracting primarily tourists from neighbouring countries, such as Greece, who traditionally choose the Bulgarian mountains. With all the investments that have been made in infrastructure, services, accommodation as well as in road construction in recent years, Kopaonik stands shoulder-to-shoulder with other mountain destinations.

Combination of Many Things What makes a hotel and a hotel complex successful?

— It is a combination of many things that assist the customer in having a unique experience and having a great stay at a hotel. The staff’s attitude is by far the most important to me because through staff customers will experience the highest or the lowest degree of satisfaction. Inanimate materials like buildings and hotel design might initially attract customers, but it is the staff’s mentality, attitude and behaviour what will make them loyal or judgmental (or punitive).

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Great Opportunities for Improving Commercial Cooperation The fact that some Greek and Serbian products are sold in local retail chains has improved the cooperation in the last few years C O O P E R AT I O N

ccording to the data of the State Statistical Office (SSO), in the first six months of 2020, the total trade in goods with Greece amounted to 247.2 million euro. In the observed period, exports amounted to 96.3 million euro and recorded a 5.7% increase relative to the same period last year. Greece ranks 24th on the list of countries that Serbia mostly exports to with a 1.2% share. In the first six months of 2020, imports amounted to 150.9 million euro, which was a 1.2% growth compared to the same period last year. Greece ranks 20th on the list of countries that Serbia mostly imports from with a 1.4% share. In the first half of this year, Serbia recorded a deficit in trading with Greece in the amount of 54.6 million euro. The export to import coverage in the observed period stood at 63.8%.

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BUSINESS ENTITIES Based on the data collated by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia - Customs Administration, 2,028 business entities in Serbia do business with Greece.

- Number of business entities net exporters from Serbia to Greece - 548 - Number of economic entities net importers from Greece - 1 273 - Number of economic entities that export to and import from Greece - 207 BUSINESS ENTITIES IN SERBIA WITH MAJORITY GREEK CAPITAL According to the data collated by the Business Registers Agency of the Republic of Serbia, 436 active business entities are registered on the territory of the Republic of Serbia (as of June 3, 2020), which are majority-owned

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by Greek nationals, i.e. legal entities registered in Greece.

The largest number of business entities operates in the following economic branches: 1. Wholesale and retail trade and motor vehicle repair (150) 2. Professional, scientific, innovation and communication activities (61) 3. Administrative and support services (55) 4. Manufacturing (41) 5. Construction (37)

In the first quarter of 2020, the revenue generated by Greek residents in Serbia amounted to -2.5 million euro

POTENTIAL FOR BETTER COOPERATION Greek investors are mostly interested in investing in the following sectors: food and beverage industry, infrastructure, energy, environmental protection and transport. They have also showed interest in investing in the energy and renewable energy sector (Aktor, Terna, etc.). Greek companies are also increasingly interested in establishing and boosting cooperation in in the segment of organic production, tourism and innovation (technology transfer, etc.).

There is a great potential for improving trade cooperation between

the two countries, given that the cooperation is currently at a relatively low level. The fact that some Greek and Serbian products are sold in local retail chains has improved the cooperation in the last few years.

The laws regulating public-private partnerships have created the possibility for joint projects of Serbian public enterprises and private Greek companies in construction of motorways (primarily Corridor X), as well as anxilliary infrastructure (motels, shopping malls, restaurants, etc.).

In the first quarter of 2020, the revenue generated by Greek residents in Serbia amounted to -2.5 million euro.

Under the auspices of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, a Greek business delegation came to Serbia in March 2020. On that occasion, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, in cooperation with the Athens Chamber of Commerce, the Greek Embassy in Belgrade and the Greek associations for the promotion of the Greek economy - Enterprise Greece and SEVE - organized the Serbia-Greece Business Forum and bilateral talks between more than 100 Serbian and Greek businesspeople.

The Greek Language Around the world! www.staellinika.com

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L A N G UA G E

The platform can be used either as a stand-alone program to assist schools or to supplement existing curriculums unique digital platform for learning the Greek language and culture, www. staellinika.com, was officially released in the previous months by the Secretariat General for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the “STAVROS NIARCHOS� Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Vancouver, Canada.

Thousands of Greek youngsters across the world, as well as children of different nationalities who learn Greek, are able to use the full version of the application with its additional content and courses to the already existing learning tools for the Greek language and culture.

In the current edition the parents,

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Users are exposed to video game features such as scores, points, skills and rewards to promote the desire for continued learning

teachers and learners will yield the new learning units on Greek language and culture that are addressed to learners of different age groups. These courses include Beginners Greek for Ages 4+, Beginners Greek for Ages 6+, Beginners Greek for Ages 9+, Beginners Greek for Teens and Adults (Ages 13+), History and Greek Mythology. The mobile apps are available for iOS and Android devices (phones and tablets).

As a core tool for teaching and learning the Modern Greek language, mythology and elements of Greek culture throughout the Greek Diaspora, the internet platform and series of applications www.staellinika.com is seeking to provide individuals ranging from preschool-aged children to young adults with an innovative and engaging product designed to re-connect Greeks around the world with their heritage language and culture.

The platform can be used either as a stand-alone program to assist schools or to supplement existing curriculums.

The platform www.staellinika.

com responds fully to the challenges caused by the pandemic on the traditional learning system of the young people across the world and is, at this stage, continuing to facilitate remote learning by privileging accessibility and innovative pedagogy. The platform can be accessed on mobile devices and relies on principles of microlearning and gamification for the facilitation of the Greek language web-teaching at schools, other educational foundations or at home. Users are exposed to video game features such as scores, points, skills and rewards to promote the desire for continued learning. An excellent interdisciplinary team of developers, animators, and educators coordinated by the Secretariat General for Public Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad and the SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies has been working to develop the online platform and suite of apps now available to the Diaspora. This team continues to work and will play a key role in the continuous updating of www.staellinika.com.

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CLICK ON ICON 

Conservatively Optimistic about 2021 Next year we will strength our team further with the hiring of experienced associates, renovate specific facilities in front and back of the house but also prepare the launch of new products that we hope will surprise positively our clients and guests

ith Mr. Petrakis we spoke about impact of pandemic on tourism and hospitality industry. As he pointed out, this year is lost, and still we need to focus how to face with third wave of Covid-19 and to prepare for a challenging winter. But, they are preparing for 2021. In terms of new project, new staff and renovating.

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How do you see the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism and services industry in Serbia?

— Like in many other countries, the impact of covid-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry of Serbia is devastating as well. 2020 was expected to be a year of historic high records for the industry, and even though there was a positive start in January and February, it turned out to be a "lost" year for the industry with a disastrous outcome, if someone compares it with the budgets and the results of previous years. Many companies fight for their survival since their cash reserves reach record low levels, many people have lost their jobs and families, the bone of our society, suffer tremendously. It is not by accident that many people have reached a status of depression. Companies and people try to get through the next few months with the hope that speed tests and vaccines will allow again people to start travelling on leisure or business and bring back the industry to a more normal rhythm. At the same time, this virus has already left its stig-

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ma, and the industry tries to adapt to the "new normal", part of which will continue to exist even after the vaccine will be available in the market.

Has the state done enough with the adopted measures and can something else be done to help hotel chains and complexes in overcoming the crisis?

— It is a challenging period for governments globally. This crisis is different from previous ones since it has to do with the health of our society to the extent that potentially closes down the economies. Serbian State has taken several measures since March to protect the people, from strict regulations like the curfew to softer ones like the wearing of a mask, measures which have produced some positive results overall compared with many other countries. In terms of supporting the hotel companies, it was positive to see lately the grant given by the State that is of great help even though it is a one-off type of support.

In addition, the fact that the State has lifted many restrictions for foreigners to visit Serbia has still kept some demand for the country from foreigners who are still allowed to travel from their countries. Furthermore, HORES has sent several suggestions to the State, and I believe that some of them would be very helpful for the hotel companies if the government would adopt them, especially during the challenging winter months, which are coming ahead of us.

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YANNIS PETRAKIS Metropol Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Belgrade, Serbia

We are preparing the launch of new products that we hope will surprise positively our clients and guests

Were hotels in Belgrade more affected by the crisis than hotels in Serbia, which, despite the crisis, had such a visit in the months when the corona was with low impact?

— If I understand correctly you refer to the hotels located in the rest of Serbia in comparison to the hotels of Belgrade. Generally, the answer is yes, especially due to the summer months when many Serbians decided to take some days off within their own country from the moment they could not travel abroad. This domestic type of tourism in the country’s resorts is a trend that we saw in Serbia but also in other countries. However, this does not mean that these hotels escaped the crisis, or they do not suffer. On the contrary. Some hotels managed to get dissent occupancies mainly in July and August, but the outcome is not enough to “save” the year and the overall bad financial and cash flow situation for them. However, the hotels in Belgrade during the same period were on average below 15% occupancy.

What do you think about the forecasts by the end of the year, can any miracle happen that would reduce

the negative impact of the crisis?

— As mentioned, this is a lost year.

The boost of occupancies in Belgrade during October from specific markets that can still travel to Serbia will not save the year but will help to create a better cash flow for some hotels to be able to pay their obligations. The emergence of the second and third wave of covid-19 are expected to drive the results until the end of the year. Europe records new historic high in the number of infections, the region of Balkans as well. It seems that it is a matter of time to have more restrictions in Serbia and the other countries which will deter people from travelling again and postpone events even further.

What are Metropol's plans for development in the coming year?

— We, at Metropol Palace, are trying day by day, step by step, and conservatively and carefully, to re-launch our hotel after the lockdown period. We have still many things to do to be able to reach the high standards we had in February when the hotel had reached its peak. However, we have a plan in place that we follow and with a target to be in such a good position by April next year when we expect that the market conditions will be opening again. Therefore, 2021 is for us a year of re-launching the hotel in terms of strengthening our Team further with the hiring of experienced associates

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People and companies should prepare for a challenging winter and approach their actions in a conservative manner and with a focus on cash reserves.

The speed tests and the vaccines which would help change this environment should not be expected before the end of the first quarter of 2021. I am afraid that I cannot see a miracle happening, but then, it would not have been a miracle if we could forecast it.

and by renovating specific facilities in front and back of the house which need a facelift or deep maintenance. At the same time, we are preparing the launch of new products that we hope will surprise positively our clients and guests.

Of course, the speed of the plan’s implementation will depend largely on the evolution of the coronavirus and the opening of the business but we want to be conservatively optimistic about 2021.

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The COVID-19 Shock Abruptly Interrupts Greece’s Recovery Greece has responded swiftly to the pandemic and has effectively limited infections, but the economy has been hit hard

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ECONOM Y

s in other countries, containment measures, travel restrictions, social distancing and high uncertainty have led to a temporary but extraordinary drop in production and large loss of tourism demand and employment The government has responded with substantial packages to strengthen the health system, buttress incomes and liquidity, and support and restart sectors most affected by the shock, such as tourism. To reinvigorate the recovery, the government has set out an ambitious reform programme focused on boosting growth and investment. Before the pandemic hit, the Greek economy had been expanding for over three years at just below 2% average annual growth. Structural reforms, high primary budget surplus-

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The government is implementing a new asset protection scheme (Hercules) to help banks to dispose of the large stock of nonperforming loan

es and debt measures by European partners had sustained Greece’s recovery and rebuilt confidence. Rising goods and tourism exports had supported growth and jobs, reducing unemployment and buttressing private consumption.

FISCAL TARGETS In recent years, Greece has exceeded its fiscal targets and the current account deficit has narrowed. Increased revenues and better control of expenditure contributed, before the pandemic outbreak, to sustained and substantial primary budget surpluses, rebuilding fiscal credibility. Greece has successfully returned to the international bond market and rating agencies have raised its sovereign rating. The economy has become more open, although the COVID-19 shock

is projected to hinder export growth.

The public debt ratio is projected to rise from already high levels due to the extraordinary fall in nominal GDP and, to a lesser extent, fiscal support following the COVID-19 shock.

As the economy resumes its recovery, and the budget shifts gradually back to a primary surplus, the public debt ratio is projected to start declining again, helped by low interest rates. The European Central Bank’s decision to include Greek government securities in its asset purchase programmes have contained bond yields below the levels of mid-2019.

Past labour and product market reforms have improved Greece’s price competitiveness, and will stand Greece in good stead when domestic and foreign demand recover. In early 2019, Greece increased the minimum wage

for the first time in many years and ended the subminimum wage. This boosted incomes without any obvious negative employment effects prior to the COVID-19 shock. Following the COVID-19 shock, the 2020 review of minimum wages has been deferred to early 2021. Mechanisms to extend sectoral collective agreements to non-signatory workplaces have been reintroduced, while conditional opt-out arrangements were introduced in late 2019.

THE COVID-19 SHOCK ADDS TO GREECE’S CHALLENGES The COVID-19 shock risks exacerbating Greece’s long-standing labour market challenges. The employment rate has increased over the past six years but is still one of the lowest. Women and the young continue suffering from low employment rates. The dearth of child and elderly care centres restrict women’s job opportunities as caregiving responsibilities often fall on them. The lack of prospects has pushed many talented young people to emigrate, lowering the country’s entrepreneurial and innovation potential. Difficulties of integrating migrants into the labour market and education system together with limited support from other EU countries to deal with the large influx of asylum seekers compound these challenges. The COVID-19 crisis risks aggravating these problems as job growth has collapsed and a large number of discouraged job-seekers have left the labour force. Poverty and material deprivation, while improving, are high, especially among the young and families .

Following past reforms, Greece’s social protection system was much better prepared to deal with a large shock than at the onset of the global financial crisis. The government’s temporary income support measures have buffered household incomes from the COVID19 shock. However, despite improvements in recent years, poverty rates among the young and families with children remain high while retirees fare significantly better. This and the large impact of the COVID-19 shock on the working age population and the young further underline the need to address the intergenerational imbalances of the social protection system. Pension payments as a share of GDP remain among the highest. The COVID-19 shock makes

the need to continue modernising Greece’s social protection system manifest so as to better target anti-poverty programmes to people in need and significantly strengthen retraining schemes.

ed to lower banks’ non-performing loans significantly over the next two years. However, the COVID-19 shock has slowed progress, and further action is needed to address the large stock of non-performing loans that will remain and improve the quality of banks’ capital.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Economic activity, though shifting gradually to tradable sectors, is still concentrated in traditional and low-innovation sectors, contributing to low productivity growth. Small and low productivity firms continue to play an outsized role in the economy. Despite recent progress, such as the digitalisation of the public administration, high tax burdens, red tape, low quality regulations and a slow justice system mar the business environment, discouraging domestic and foreign in-

vestment and preventing businesses from thriving. Banks’ non-performing loans (NPLs) were falling before the COVID-19 shock but they are still high, curtailing banks’ capacity to finance investment. The severe liquidity constraints many firms are facing following the COVID-19 shock risks increasing NPLs further. The government has introduced temporary credit lines and guarantees to address this challenge. Nonetheless, it remains urgent to durably lower NPLs on banks’ balance sheets.

Repair of the banking system needs to accelerate. The government is implementing a new asset protection scheme (Hercules) to help banks to dispose of the large stock of nonperforming loans. The plan is expect-

INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH Increasing productivity growth is key to raising living standards and offsetting the large negative effect of demographics. Raising productivity growth will require additional efforts to reduce barriers to competition, especially in professional services, including notaries, lawyers and retail sales of medicines, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the

The recent establishment of the independent National Transparency Authority goes in the right direction

public administration (including the justice system). This would contribute to enhance the rule of law, thus reducing the costs and uncertainties of doing business in Greece, attracting more foreign direct investment, and helping to rebuild trust in public institutions. The government’s efforts to reduce red tape, raise accountability and efficiency in the public sector, including through the use of digital technologies, are welcome, and demonstrated their effectiveness during the COVID-19 shutdown period.

Efforts to prevent and prosecute corruption need to be pursued following international best practices. The recent establishment of the independent National Transparency Authority goes in the right direction.

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Never Give Up On Your Dreams

I am the proudest of the fact that despite everything I have achieved and seen, I am still a simple man who appreciates little things I N T E RV I E W

NENAD PAGONIS

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Athlete and the founder of the Pagonis Foundation

think that the most important thing today is instilling a normal value system in children - caring for the environment, caring for each other and essentially fighting not to go down the wrong way because the young will inherit the world.

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You have established the Pagonis Foundation to help sick and socially disadvantaged children. What are the Foundation’s goals?

— The Foundation’s goals are caring for disadvantaged children and children suffering from various diseases, which implies providing normal living conditions for every disadvantaged child, i.e. food, clothes, shoes and schooling, i.e. books and basic school supplies. Another goal that is crucial to us is to provide financial support to sick children and their treatment. In essence, the idea for establishing this foundation came from a long struggle with these problems.

You have won ten world titles and three European titles. What important message would you like to send out to young generations today? How does a person become a champion?

— You become a champion by stepping out of your comfort zone when things are difficult. No-one has ever become a champion by lying in bed and doing nothing. It took a lot of

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blood, sweat and sacrifice for me to succeed. We all know what makes children spoiled today and that is the idea of quick and easy money. Such money and success vanish in the same way they came about - quickly and easily. When a person earns something through hard work, both they and people around them are aware of the weight it carries and will therefore respect it more. I think that loving what you do is the most valuable thing to achieve success. That's what I advise children.

How important is it to influence young people and fight against violence?

— This seems to me to be the biggest youth problem today. What scares me is not the number of bullies in schools, but rather the number of children who watch violence and do not react to it.

According to our research, 80% of children who are witnesses of bullying and do not react at all. They even record cases of bullying or make fun of it. That’s a pretty devastating fact.

When I teach in schools, I usually use my example of how roles can make a difference in life to draw their attention. I was bullied by an older student, and after many years, when I became a world champion I met that guy on the street. There was fear in his eyes. But, of course, I just winked at him because my priorities were in

Find something you love to do with all your heart, put all of your efforts into it and success is guaranteed

the ring. That example encourages them to contemplate a lot.

You sing, play and act, you wrote a book and you are the recipient of many awards. Which part of your abundant biography is the most interesting to you?

— My youth is the most interesting part of my biography, namely a constant struggle with poverty and existential problems, but also not giving up on my dreams and the love I felt for sports, which in the end brought me great success and inner satisfaction. I am also in love with music, which has given me emotional breadth and depth throughout my kickboxing career. I'm quite creative, so maybe that's where my multidisciplinary side comes from. I am the proudest of the fact that despite everything I have achieved and seen, I am still a simple man who appreciates little things because happiness is found in little things.

What are your work and life plans?

— My work plans certainly revolve around working with youth and children, that is a hundred children through my foundation and a hundred that I work privately with in my club. One of the plans is also to create a large martial arts centre that will accommodate a lot of young people who are still looking for their way in life. Let's face it, not everyone has to become a champion, but the fact that they play sports and have role models gives them a much better chance of succeeding in some other segments of life.

Hrana Mediterana on Your Menu A concept based on carefully selected products from Greece to be served at any table

C O R P O R AT E

rana Mediterana (Mediterranean Food) is a guarantee of the highest culinary standards and is a great addition to every kitchen. This concept brings products of protected geographical origin. The abundance of food that can be prepared thanks to Hrana Mediterana products can be served at breakfast, lunch, dinner, as salads, appetizers, side dishes, desserts...

The so-called Greek salad is a wellknown staple in Greek cuisine. The Greeks also call it a peasant salad or χωριάτικη σαλάτα. It is made with cu-

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cumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, olive oil, oregano and of course, the real Greek feta cheese.

The Hrana Mediterana portfolio also includes products from the most reputable food producers. Dodoni, a producer of Greek dairy specialities, created on the slopes of Epirus with a touch of sea and mountain climate, is a part of this concept.

The current offer includes olives, extra virgin olive oil and olive paste from the leading producer of olives and extra virgin olive oil – Konstantopoulos. The best olive varieties are included in the Hrana Mediterana

Hrana Mediterana (Mediterranean Food) is a guarantee of the highest culinary standards and is a great addition to every kitchen

portfolio. The Kalamata extra virgin olive oil, which is made from koroneiki, a variety of olives from Kalamata, validates the top quality of Hrana Mediterana.

As of recently, the Hrana Mediterana concept also comprises Greek white cheeses made from cow's milk, the socalled Lefkotiri, produced by Belas.

Also, there are traditional Greek salads produced by Pitenis (melitzano salad, hummus), as well as Pitenis dried tomatoes.

The Sithon honey from Sithonia and Thassos, from the eponymous honey producer, is a valuable addition to the health component that is a must in Hrana Mediterana. Their portfolio includes varieties of pine and wild mountain flower honey.

The Hrana Mediterana range also offers 100% natural freshly squeezed pomegranate juice ASOP, as well as pomegranate and aronia juice and organic pomegranate juice.

Sweet preserves and jams from the producers of traditional Greek desserts, Papageorgiou, make the Hrana Mediterana range even more abundant. Papageorgiou's offer includes traditional preserves made of rose petals and oranges as well as pomegranate, fig and strawberry jams.

www.hranamediterana.rs

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GREECE

READ THIS ON WEB Zeus and Hera

T R A DI T ION

Greek Mythology and Gods

egends are like myths, but they are slightly different.

While myths are completely made up, legends are based on events that really happened.

The Greeks believed in gods and god-

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desses who, they thought, had control over every part of people's lives.

The Ancient Greeks believed that they had to pray to the gods for help and protection, because if the gods were unhappy with someone, then they

Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks' own cult and ritual practices Poseidon

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would punish them. They made special places in their homes and temples where they could pray to statues of the gods and leave presents for them. Modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece and its civilization and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

At the center of Greek mythology is the pantheon of deities who were said to live on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From their perch, they ruled every aspect of human life. Olympian gods and goddesses looked like men and women (though they could change themselves into animals and other things) and were–as many myths recounted–vulnerable to human foibles and passions. The Greeks imagined that the gods lived together, as a family. They did not see them as perfect, but just like people. In the Greek myths the gods argue, fall in love, get jealous of each other and make mistakes.

There are many famous Greek myths and legends. Some of them are reused in stories and films today. In one, a woman called Pandora, the first woman whose curiosity brought evil to mankind, opens up a box full of all the bad things in the world, and lets them out. Theseus and the Minotaur tells the story of a prince who chases a monster through a labyrinth to save the woman he loves. In another tale, two inventors called Icarus and Daedalus try to build wings so they can fly away from prison. Heracles is the adventurer who performed 12 impossible labors for King Eurystheus (and was subsequently worshipped as a god for his accomplishment). Pygmalion is the king who fell in love with an ivory statue. Arachne was the weaver who was turned into a spider for her arrogance. Handsome Trojan prince Ganymede became the cupbearer for the gods. Midas was the king with the golden touch, and Narcissus was the

Greek Mythology is the set of stories about the gods, goddesses, heroes and rituals of Ancient Greeks

Aphrodite

young man who fell in love with his own reflection. Perhaps the most exciting is Perseus and the Gorgon in which a man called Perseus has to kill a woman who can turn people to stone just by looking at them!

Monsters and “hybrids” (human-animal forms) also feature prominently in the tales: the winged horse Pegasus, the horse-man Centaur, the lion-woman Sphinx and the bird-woman Harpies, the one-eyed giant Cyclops, automatons (metal creatures given life

by Hephaestus), manticores and unicorns, Gorgons, pygmies, minotaurs, satyrs and dragons of all sorts. Many of these creatures have become almost as well known as the gods, goddesses and heroes who share their stories.

The characters, stories, themes and lessons of Greek mythology have shaped art and literature for thousands of years. They appear in Renaissance paintings such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Raphael’s Triumph of Galatea and writings like Dante’s Inferno; Romantic poetry and libretti; and scores of more recent novels, plays and films.

Around 700 BC, the poet Hesiod’s Theogony offered the first written cosmogony, or origin story, of Greek mythology. The Theogony tells the story of the universe’s journey from nothingness (Chaos, a primeval void) to being, and details an elaborate family tree of elements, gods and goddesses who evolved from Chaos and descended from Gaia (Earth), Ouranos (Sky), Pontos (Sea) and Tartaros (the Underworld). Later Greek writers and artists used and elaborated upon these sources in their own work. For instance, mythological figures and events appear in the 5th-century plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and the lyric poems of Pindar. Writers such as the 2nd-century BC Greek mythographer Apollodorus of Athens and the 1st-century BC Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus compiled the ancient myths and legends for contemporary audiences.

Did you know?

Most important Greek gods were:

Many consumer products get their names from Greek mythology. Nike sneakers are the namesake of the goddess of victory, for example, and the website Amazon.com is named after the race of mythical female warriors. Many high school, college and professional sports teams (Titans, Spartans and Trojans, for instance) also get their names from mythological sources.

Zeus, the leader of the gods, in charge of rain and the sky. Hera, Zeus's wife, was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Poseidon, the god of the sea. Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Hades, the god of the Underworld, where the dead lived. Ares, god of war and battle. Hermes, god of travel, hospitality and trade and Zeus’s personal messenger. Dionysus, god of wine, pleasure and festivity. Athena, goddess of wisdom and defence. Apollo, god of prophesy, music and poetry and knowledge.

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Churches and Monasteries in Greece The Orthodox Church forms the third largest branch of Christianity after the Roman Catholics and the Protestants

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C U LT U R E

eligion is an important aspect of Greek culture.

Greece is a profoundly Christian Orthodox country with countless examples of holy sites such as churches and historic monasteries scattered in the Greek land and the Greek islands. The rest of the population consists of Muslim, Roman, Catholic and Jewish religions.

Of unique interest are the architecture and the character of the churches in Greece, scattered on top of the hills, in isolated spots among green landscapes, at the center of large squares and amidst the picturesque quarters.

The Orthodox churches are characterized by their particular domed architecture and the well-decorated interiors with beautiful frescoes and holy icons. Their passionate character charms everyone and varies depending on the construction period

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and the region of Greece.

Churches in the Cyclades islands, for example, are mostly whitewashed with blue painted domes whereas, in other regions, the churches are painted with earthy colors. Churches in the Ionian islands are strongly influenced by the Venetian and Renaissance period while on the mainland churches date back from the Byzantine times.

You can also find Byzantine churches in the islands. An island called "small Mystras" for it numerous Byzantine churches is Naxos.

Santorini is famous for the much photographed blue domed and colorful churches that can be seen in the entire island. Each church bears witness to a unique history and has a feast to celebrate, upon which great festivals take place in the villages. Religious plays a significant role in the life of the locals. There are many church-

es of outstanding interest in Greece.

We have selected to describe some of the most important and popular ones. For more churches in Greece, you can find more information about churches in different regions and locations in Greece and the Greek islands.

Santorini is famous for the much photographed blue domed and colorful churches that can be seen in the entire island

MOUNT ATHOS, HALKIDIKI, MACEDONIA Mount Athos or Holy Mountain is the most important monastic state complex in Greece located in the eastern peninsula of Halkidiki. It consists of 20 Orthodox monasteries. It counts on 1,400 monks who live in ascetic ways, even in caves, like hermits. Women are not allowed to enter Mount Athos and men need special permission. Every monastery is a rich storehouse of medieval history with many paintings, manuscripts from the Byzantine era.

MONASTERIES OF METEORA, METEORA, THESSALY Meteora is the second largest monastic state, after Mount Athos located in Thessaly area, close to kalambaka. It is a living monument part of the world culture and consists of 24 monasteries perched on the huge smooth grey rocks. Today, only 6 of them are actively inhabited by either monks or nuns. Most of the monasteries were built by hermits between 14th and 15th century. Given the secluded location, it is worth mentioning that the survival of these monks was based on the use of the fertile valleys where corn, grapes, and potatoes were cultivated. Meteora is a unique place with a divine atmosphere and a bewitching view from the top of the rocks.

MONASTERY OF SAINT JOHN, PATMOS, DODECANESE The Monastery of Saint John is one of the most important religious sites in Greece located in the holy island of Patmos. It is built next to the cave where Saint John wrote the Book of Apocalypse (Revelation). It lies at the center of the island, on the hill above Chora. Its strong walls make it look like a fortress and inside are many chapels. It was built in 1088 by Saint Christodoulos. It can be accessed by the stone paths.

CHURCH OF MEGALOCHARI, TINOS, CYCLADES The Church of Megalochari in Tinos island is one of the most important pilgrimages in Greece. On this holy site, the icon of the Virgin Mary was found, after a vision of the nun Pelagia. Tradition has it that the icon is miraculous and visitors arrive by thousands to pray and ask for help

Monasteries of Meteora

Monastery of Hozoviotissa

(usually for health issues). The church is located on a hill above Chora and pilgrims go on their knees from the port to the church entrance. Inside the monastery complex lies a great chapel and a lovely fountain with holy water.

times is located in Paros island, in the village of Parikia. The church complex dates from the 6th century and consists of two churches dedicated to the Virgin and Agios Nikolaos.

Many consider the church as miraculous and thousands of pilgrims visit every year on the 15th of August, the day of its celebration.

MONASTERY OF HOZOVIOTISSA, AMORGOS, CYCLADES The Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa is one of the most important Byzantine monuments in the Aegean standing on the slopes of Amorgos island, above the sea. The monastery was founded in 1088 in this symbolic site by Alexios Komninos who found the miraculous icon of the Virgin on this exact place. Thousands of pilgrims visit the Byzantine monument for prayer and relaxation as the view is breathtaking.

CHURCH OF EKATONTAPILIANI, PAROS, CYCLADES The Church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani, one of the most important monuments from the paleochristian

Monastery of Saint John

Churches in the Cyclades islands, for example, are mostly whitewashed with blue painted domes whereas, in other regions, the churches are painted with earthy colors

AGIOS NIKOLAOS MONASTERY, SANTORINI, CYCLADES The historical female Monastery of Agios Nikolaos is located between the villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli in Santorini. The monastery is dedicated to three saints, Agios Panteleimon, Zoodoxos Pighi (which means life-giving source in Greek) and Agios Nikolaos. This monastery was originally founded on December 6th in 1651 and it was the second monastery built in Santorini. The Gizi family, one of the few Orthodox families who lived inside the Venetian Castle of Skaros, decided to turn their private chapel into a monastery, which eventually remained on that position till 1815.

Church of Megalochari

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READ THIS ON WEB Kalamata

TOURISM

The Pearls of the Peloponnese When you think of Greece it's often the islands that spring to mind. But the Peloponnese, a three finger-shaped peninsula that hangs from the mainland, offers all the romantic ruins, dramatic beaches and quiet hotels you've been dreaming of too

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egin your Greek adventure with travelling to Greece’s former capital Nafplio, one of the jewels of the Peloponnese and then on into the Mani, an area full of typical Greek villages and small towns. Spectacular views greet every turn in the road, from the myriad olive trees around Kalamata, the soaring mountain peaks of Mount Taygetus or the vivid blue and green of the seawater, it is impossible not to fall in love with Greece.

Add in some typical Greek experiences such as some Greek dancing, olive oil indulgence, sailing and cookery lesson and you have the recipe for the perfect holiday. Yiamas!

Why go to the Peloponnese? If you’re looking for the real Greece, rent a car and drive around the leaf-shaped peninsula of the Peloponnese – it's proudly declaimed its Greekness since time immemorial. Familiar names such as Olympia (the birthplace of the Olym-

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pics) and Mycenae evoke the Homeric legends of ancient Greece, yet it’s lesser-known towns like Monemvasia and Mistras that show the centuries’ Hellenic continuity.

NAFPLIO AND THE ARGOLID The port of Nafplio was the first capital of modern Greece from 1828 until 1834 when King Otto decided to decamp to Athens. Today it ranks as one of the most delightful towns in Greece and competition is stiff on that front. Not content in being superbly sited under two castles – the Venetian fortress of Palamidi and the ancient acropolis of Akronafplia – Nafplio also claims a third: the photogenic fort of Bourtzi set on an island in the harbour.

SPARTA AND LACONIA Given that this region has bequeathed the words “laconic” and “spartan” to the world, it’s no surprise to find

that the warlike Spartans didn’t leave much behind, so there’s not much to see in the modern capital of Laconia.

Stay here for a range of sights nearby, most notably Mistras, reached by bus in half an hour. This is a stunning, never-to-be-forgotten Byzantine ghost town complete with cobbled streets, frescoed churches, medieval mansions and Imperial palaces. Although the climate is perfect in spring and autumn, avoid high summer.

KALAMATA AND MESSENIA Kalamata, the capital of the district of Messenia, may be famed for its olives, but, once there, you’ll fall in love with the longest city beach in the whole of Greece spanning just under two miles. Kalamata also claims the only international airport in the Peloponnese, the gateway to Sparta and the Laconic coast, the Mani peninsula and the Messenian gulf resorts.

Yet, before you set off, linger on for a bit to enjoy the city’s California-style unfussy disposition.

MANI Famed Mani, the long middle “finger” of the three-pronged Peloponnese peninsula is dominated by imposing Mount Taygetus that gets a namecheck as far back as the Odyssey.

Spectacular mountain passes, deep limestone caves, vast pelagic views, evergreen citrus trees and tall defensive towers dot the land of the Maniots, a tough mountain people who kept their autonomy even under the Ottoman occupation in 1770.

Add in some typical Greek experiences such as some Greek dancing, olive oil indulgence, sailing and cookery lesson and you have the recipe for the perfect holiday

Monemvasim

a 600-year old Turkish bath, the oldest in Europe still in operation. Plus, as the large university can vouch, it has a more than decent nightlife centred around a large, pedestrianised street grid.

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK IN THE PELOPONNESE The Peloponnese is one of the most fertile areas in Greece so you should expect gallons of freshly squeezed fruit juices along with kayanás (scrambled eggs with tomatoes) for your breakfast. Indeed, oranges are in such supply that they’re used to flavour sausages in Kalamata as well as syrupy sweets like portokalópita (orange pie).

Olives and olive oil are plentiful and are used liberally in salads and in cooking, including delicious vegetable dishes called laderá. Wine features heavily alongside olive oil. The plain of Nemea grows the famed Agiorgitiko variety (red, dry) while Mantinia in the interior produces Moschofilero (white, dry). The region around Monemvasia gave its name to malmsey wine – a corruption of “Malvasia”, itself a Venetian corruption of “Monemvasia” – which is currently making a comeback. The biggest wine region is, however, Achaïa, the department around Patras where you can taste aromatic white Muscats and sweet Mavrodafni reds.

PATRAS AND THE NORTH If you’re arriving by ferry from Italy, then your first impression of Greece will be formed in Patras and it’s going to be a pleasant one. Greece’s third-largest city has much to commend it, including the ruins of a castle, a Roman Odeon, a museum with no fewer than 14 Roman mosaics and B E ST B E AC H E S

Elafonisos

B E S T S M A L L T OW N S A N D T I N Y I S L A N D S

Kalamata-Koroni-FinikoundaMethoni-Gialova-Costa Navarino

Kalamata-Sparta-MonemvasiaNeapoli-Elafonissos

If you lust after the archetypal Greek island vibe, then the Messenian coast offers resorts and beaches aplenty. Costa Navarino is the most developed with Caribbean standards of service but try also Gialova just below for a more intimate experience. Between the two lies one of Greece’s main birdwatching wetlands featuring a chameleon sanctuary and Voïdokoilia, a perfect semicircle of a beach.

Fly into Kalamata and take the Langhada pass to Sparta, a dramatic 38-mile (60km) hairpin-rich road over Mount Taygetus and one of Greece’s great road trips. A few hours’ drive further on rises “The Gibraltar of the East”: the rock of Monemvasia. Joined by a small causeway with the mainland, the rock hides the medieval, fortified town of Monemvasia, a Byzantine time bubble if ever there was one.

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Favourites from Serbia and Greece in one Place CLICK ON ICON 

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It is always hard when we have to choose between things and when we can’t have it all and need to decide what to let go of. Fortunately, we don’t have to do that in Super Vero. We can have both - the best from Serbia and Greece in one place C O R P O R AT E

t is well known that the story of the family company VEROPOULOS begins in Greece in 1880, but it doesn’t end there. Starting its journey in Greece, cruising through North Macedonia, Super Vero came to Serbia in 2002. That was a big step, with a big dream, having in mind that, at that time, Super Vero was the first foreign hypermarket in our country. By having courage to be the first and never forgetting its roots, Super Vero now offers a wide range of high-quality products from Greece, but also takes great care to find a place in its supermarkets for the best Serbian products.

As the freshness of the goods is one of the main objectives in Super Vero, the majority of the products in the store that are consumed daily, such as meat, are from local suppliers. It can’t get any fresher than that.

Also, the quality of the products is very important for everybody in Super Vero, so all products have to undergo through detailed quality control, so we can offer our customers only the best. Locally sourced and of top

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quality is a perfect equation that results in success and perfect choice.

As Super Vero always invests in the community in which it operates, we are especially proud to be able to help the development of Serbian entrepreneurship, cooperating exclusively with small meat farms.

There is no better way to live up to the slogan “Think globally, act locally” than to do that in practice.

But, as a company with Greek heritage, and we all know how the Greek people treat their heritage, only the best of Greece is sold at Super Vero.

When you think of Greece, you usually think of beautiful, juicy oranges that are so characteristic for this country. It is exactly those oranges and other fresh fruits with such a distinctive Greek taste that can be found in Super Vero. There is much more that Super Vero offers than fruits. There is a wide range of delicious Greek products, which we all have missed so much this summer, which can be found in Super Vero stores, not only during the season, but all year around.

Super Vero is especially proud of its Monoxilitis products – products from the Mount Athos that are made in the Monoxilitis monastery.

Monoxilitis are completely natural products, created by hard work of the monks from the Mount Athos. Clean air and unpolluted nature from which these products originate boost the quality of these products. In addition to honey, jam and tea, this assortment includes incense, holy oil and red wine, which are an obligatory part of every celebration, and can only be found in Super Vero stores.

As someone for whom tradition is an important postulate in business, Super Vero takes special care of its loyal customers, since loyalty has to be rewarded. That is why we have created a special programme called the Vero Klub which provides useful benefits and advantages for all frequent shoppers and the ones who have been shopping at Super Vero since the very beginning.

Because family always comes first!

Jamas!

Belgium

D I P L OM AC Y

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FOCUS ON

NEW YORK CITY WAS FOUNDED BY A BELGIAN The big apple was founded by Belgian, Peter Minuit in 1626.

Minuit was appointed an explorer for the Dutch West India Company and went to the Americas in search of tradable goods.

DIAMOND CAPITAL LONGEST PERIOD WITHOUT A GOVERNMENT Antwerp, the second city of The world record for a democratic nation to be without an elected government is held by Belgium, which lasted for 589 days in 2010-11.

Belgium often gets overlooked in importance when compared to Brussels, but the city not only boasts a rich history of art and culture but is in fact, the diamond capital of the world.

BEER IN SCHOOL

SAXOPHONE

In the 1970s, light beer was served during school lunch. In traditional Belgian culture, it was acceptable for everyone, including children, to drink a kind of light, ‘bière de table’.

When Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax strived to fill the gaping musical hole between woodwind and brass instruments, he created the saxophone with a single-reed mouthpiece in 1846.

BELGIUM

Ready to Step Up and Increase the Trade Bilateral trade has suffered during the COVID crisis, but I am quite confident that trade and investment will get back to the usual growth path READ THIS ON WEB

I N T E RV I E W

ith both governments and parliaments now fully operational, I expect an increase in high level contacts and, when Covid subsides, a resumption of people –to- people encounters. The Brussels Belgrade cooperation may become a source of inspiration for tackling urban challenges. “, said H.E. Adam Koenraad, Ambassador of Belgium for the special supplement Focus ON Belgium.

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Belgium is a staunch supporter of Serbia's EU integration. How would you assess the European Commission's recent annual progress report about Serbia?

— The Commission report offers an elaborate diagnosis of Serbia’s progress to full EU membership. It is the outcome of a complex assessment process, to which numerous Serbian and European stakeholders in Serbia’s EU future have contributed. The result is a balanced report that highlights some advances Serbia has made, especially in the macro-economic framework, and also with regard to the relaunch of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, where the constructive Serbian attitude was recognised. There are, however, also important shortcomings: too little or no progress was made in comparison to last year’s report, in areas that are mostly related to the socalled ‘fundamentals’, i.e. the rule of law, independence of judiciary, democratic governance, the fight against

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corruption and organised crime, or media freedom. The COVID-19 pandemic may indeed explain some of the accumulated delays in government and parliament action, but the overall impression remains that over the past years, valuable time has been lost to make progress in those areas that weigh most heavily in the overall negotiations balance.

What do you think should be the priorities of the Serbian government, especially in the light of the EU accession?

— Without any doubt priority number one will be to overcome the COVID-crisis, in parallel with the accession agenda.

Any enlargement should make the EU stronger, not weaker. And the same goes of course for the new member states. An economically stable, democratically governed Serbia, that is built on a harmonious society and at peace with its neighbours, will always be an asset for the EU. With that in mind, the EU Commission report should be handled as a toolbox and source of inspiration for the government priority- setting, in all areas of political, economic and social life. The country needs well-functioning democratic institutions, where checks and balances can operate freely and transparently, which will automatically generate trust in broad layers of society, and create an environment where the rule of law and economic and social

H.E. ADAM KOENRAAD Ambassador of Belgium

Serbia is considered a stable market with growth potential, provided Serbia continues its path towards EU accession

wellbeing thrives. This is indeed the recipe to attract the interest of foreign investors, create jobs and growth, and hence make Serbia stronger on the threshold of the EU. It could help to stem brain drain and the outflow of young Serbians, who should become the backbone of the new dynamic Serbia, member state of the EU. The EU stands ready to accompany this process, with a Economic and Investment Package worth 9 MIA € for the whole region, leveraging another 20 MIA € in investments through its guarantee scheme. This brings additional financial oxygen to support the COVID-19 recovery process, and help the government to invest in infrastructure, regional connectivity with a green and digital focus - and the social wellbeing of the people.

For all this to come to maximum fruition, the basic requirements regarding rule of law, as spelled out in the Commission report, need to be fulfilled. If the government is serious about EU integration as its strategic goal, it can make it happen. By creating the necessary conditions, maintaining a good implementation track record and using a pro European narrative, it can overcome any possible doubt at EU side, as well as within the Serbian society.

Belgium formed a federal government after almost 500 days post-election. Can you explain to us why Belgium has waited so long for the for-

mation of the government?

— More than any other country in the world, Belgium is characterised by a very specific and complex constitutional setup, with three language-communities, three regions and Brussels, a super diversified cultural melting pot as its capital. Unity in diversity, -or ‘Strength in Unity’, as is mentioned in our national coat of arms, remains our leitmotif. In political terms, with a broad range of parties in all language communities, this requires a readiness to compromise, often after lengthy negotiations, in order to reconcile political points of views that often reflect sharp socio-economic and cultural differences on either side of our language border. Eventually we managed to form a so called ‘Vivaldi’- government, in a delicate equilibrium, composed of 7 parties representing all colours of the ideological and linguistic spectrum, the four Vivaldi-seasons...

It is a relief to the Belgian public to see determinate action of a government supported by a broad parliamentary majority, in the fight against the COVID pandemic. After all, we Belgians can be proud of our highly cultivated, peaceful ‘Art of compromise’.

all business conditions remain on track with the above-mentioned EU requirements.

Belgium is one of the most densely populated countries in the world while Brussels is a hub for international traffic. How is Belgium dealing with COVID-19 today and what can we, in Serbia, learn from Belgium?

— The dire COVID situation in Belgium is indeed largely a consequence of our geographic and demographic reality, that shortens social distances that would otherwise set a brake on the circulation of the virus. Belgium is at the centre of Europe and a hub for international and European travellers, so we had to take strong measures regarding testing, quarantine and travel restrictions. Our figures are high, also because of our testing rates, that are among the highest in Europe, with about 70.000 tests a day for a 11 MIO population.

Against the backdrop of the Belgian experience, I see two main lessons to be drawn. First it is obvious that authorities should not wait too long to issue measures to curb the

The Embassy tries to maintain the tradition of supporting events that promote bilateral cultural exchange

What do you think of the overall cooperation - bilateral and economic - between our two countries and what can be improved?

— We have been experiencing excellent bilateral relations and I hope we will soon see this reflected as well in an increase of contacts at the highest political level. Both governments and parliaments are now fully operational, and we are also eagerly waiting for the resumption of post-corona people- to- people contacts. Bilateral trade has suffered during the COVID crisis, but I am quite confident that trade and investment will get back to the usual growth path. Indeed, during my recent contacts and visits to Belgian companies established in Serbia I have noticed the readiness to step up and expand investments and increase trade. Serbia is considered a stable market with growth potential, provided Serbia continues its path towards EU accession and over-

infection rate, even when this is at a low level, such as it the case today in Serbia. Preventive action enables better management of the crisis, before it explodes in our face. And secondly: all too often some people, also in responsible positions in society, do not adequately realise the seriousness of the situation. Our own individual behaviour should be geared towards not only protecting one’s own health but in the first place that of our fellow citizens. Lack of discipline in keeping social distance, wearing masks and hand hygiene will inevitably make it difficult to uphold hitherto remarkably good COVID-19 records. The need for solidarity between countries has been amply commented, but more importantly even is the need for good civic behaviour and solidarity within society, between generations…

The Belgian Embassy (in Belgrade) is often a patron of cultural events and we are also learning from you how to be better in the field of human rights. What projects does the Embassy plan to implement by the year-end, despite the pandemic?

— The Embassy tries to maintain the tradition of supporting events that promote bilateral cultural exchange.

We have sponsored the Saxperience Festival (of which the Embassy is a patron, as country of origin of the inventor of the Saxophone) and later this year contemporary dancer Lisbeth Gruwez will participate in the Belgrade Dance Festival. Belgian conductor B.Haemhouts brilliantly conducted ArtLink concerts in the superb Kalemegdan setting and in the next weeks a Serbian mural painter will be invited to Brussels, in the framework of the Balkan Trafik festival.

Belgium has no lessons to teach in the area of human rights, but we do want to share our attachment to the concept of European Union as a community of rights and basic values,such as gender equality, LGTB+ and minority rights, or media freedom-, that member states subscribe to, and defend on the world stage. The Embassy will support every action that promotes progress in that direction, as it will bring Serbia closer to the EU.

Impressions You have been living in Serbia for two years now. What are your impressions of Belgrade?

— I am privileged to be one of the few Ambassadors to live in the centre of town, close to the heartbeat of political, cultural and commercial Belgrade.

My wife and I have got really fond of this city, and

I walk a lot to discover its often hidden treasures.

Belgrade should be proud of its cultural heritage, and preserve it. Urban planning is a challenge, as well as the increasing mobility problems and air pollution, that need to be tackled sooner than later.

At Embassy level we are looking at the possibility

of installing solar panels, and working hard to solve an accessibility problem outside our perimeter. I am convinced the upcoming collaboration between the Brussels Region and Belgrade may become a source of inspiration to advance in these areas and make Belgrade even more attractive.

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“Unity Makes Strength“ If we talk about 2021, not knowing what the impact of the new wave will lead to, we will continue the work with and service to our members to the maximum, online, direct contacts and hopefully by mid of next year in a live event

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I N T E RV I E W

his year should have been a celebration year, 10 years of The Belgian Serbian Business Association, BSBA, which president since its establishment is mr. Hugo van Veghel.

With Mr. Veghel we spoke about the impact of pandemic on the economy, Belgium companies in Serbia and the result of the survey, visit of young and dynamic team from Belgium as well as about plans for 2021.

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This year was very difficult for Serbia and the whole Europe. What impact did this whole situation have on the economy?

— Let’s not reiterate too much on what is written, said or broadcasted on the economic impact of this pandemic. For sure we haven’t seen everything yet.

In a short survey among our members we noted that they are aware of it and prepare for worse as the majority already indicated a negative impact on their turnover. And this new assertiveness leads to the “positive” side of the situation; innovation is mainly the result of an action induced by problems and certainly conflicts. Our companies have indicated changes in marketing strategies and development of new, customised products, innovations, wherever possible. Unfortunately, a less favourable position was noted in those in the mining sector.

Is there any changes in number of Belgium companies operating in Serbia?

— At this moment we have a status quo. Despite the difficult circumstances we had in September a visiting party from the Belgian fashion and garment sector. A young dynamic team developed a new product for which they found a Serbian company

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HUGO VAN VEGHEL BSBA President

to deliver a prototype. The team returned with satisfaction of the work, dialogue with and the attitude of the potential partner. The aim is a longterm cooperation between the development and production units.

What does our economic cooperation look like after the whole situation with the coronavirus?

— Maybe it is still not so bad as many might think. Our survey showed that several companies started sourcing from new suppliers, local suppliers.

One of the main concerns of companies is cash flow. Sourcing from the local market instead of the international market is one of the measures that seems to be applied more than before.

Despite the difficult circumstances we had in September a visiting party from the Belgian fashion and garment sector

Serbian government helped companies to overcome the crisis. What do you think about economic measures?

— All our members that participated in the survey, with exception of one, used the support measures from the government. Those who did were all using the minimum-wage -support.

The moratorium was considered useful by 80% and was welcomed as a tool to increase the cash flow. The same 80% would like to see some financial programmes like low interest credit lines or credit guarantees. The same group sees benefit in reduction of tariff on imported inputs, tax waivers or temporary tax breaks. Less in demand, but not least important are possible employment programmes (e.g. temporary employment programs or social security waivers).

Do you have any info or data about how Belgium companies in Serbia are affected by the crisis?

— From our recent survey we saw that 80% is moderately or strongly affected and saw revenues or sales slight-

ly or significantly down. No surprise that 50% of all respondents has affected investment plans.

As one of our members underlined; “we cannot anticipate the future situation, but we can make ourselves more flexible, what we did with respect to keep the quality of our services on high level”. We know that 80% applied the remote work modus and 50% increased marketing efforts, customised or developed new products.

Worth mentioning is that all of the responding companies were holding on to all staff without reduction in operational hours, shifts or wages.

What will be priorities of BSBA in 2021?

— This year should have been a celebration year, 10 years BSBA, which I proudly preside since its establishment. We are a voluntary association which is able to serve its members due to committed voluntary board members, representatives of members but also our Ambassadors, Heads and staffs of the Economic and Trade Office. Also, the BSBA developed its flexibility, seminars were transformed in online events; cooperation with other business clubs or chambers of commerce was very successful in this respect, all driven by a dynamic executive director. Even our board meetings went mainly online. So, if we talk about 2021, not knowing what the impact of the new wave will lead to, we will continue the work with and service to our members to the maximum, online, direct contacts and hopefully by mid of next year in a live event.

To this end we underline the use of safety measures, the attitude of respect for each and every one, and unity in this unfair battle. The Belgian moto is not in vain “UNITY MAKES STRENGTH“.

We Built Two Wind Farms and Started New Projects READ THIS ON WEB

licio is the only Belgian company in Serbia that generates electricity from wind energy. It has built two wind farms in Serbia - Malibunar (8MW) and Alibunar (42MW) and started developing new projects in South Banat area.

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As a Belgian company, are you satisfied with the investment environment in Serbia?

— Belgium has become one of the leading producers of renewable energy in Europe and worldwide. Last year, more than 1.34 million households were supplied with energy produced from wind. In Belgium, almost 4,000 MW of power has been installed in wind turbines onshore and offshore, which is 10 times more than in Serbia. We are glad that we have managed to transfer the knowledge in Serbia and to invest. Our two wind farms make up 12 per cent of the wind energy market in Serbia. We have invested more than 90 million euro. The World Bank’s IFC Group and several privately owned banks from Serbia have participated in the financing of the Alibunar WF project, which shows a lot about the quality of the project.

We have been operating in Serbia for more than 10 years. In the beginning, it was difficult, but with the adoption of contemporary Law on Energy and the Law on Planning and Construction, the investment environment has significantly improved.

Green energy is not an alternative.

It is the future. I think that both the authorities and people are aware of this fact.

Elicio has built two wind farms in Alibunar and announced new projects in South Banat area.

— We have started developing several projects in South Banat area, in the territory of the City of Pančevo. The total capacity of all projects

Serbia is a great place for investments. After the constitution of the new government, we expect continuity and even progress. Serbia must go green is over 200MW. We have cleared all legal and property issues and rented land plots from private owners. We are now waiting for the Assembly of the City of Pančevo to adopt a Decree on the Detailed Planning Regulation. We have already spent significant funds on preparing the relevant documentation.

In addition, we have not given up on Alibunar yet in sense of increasing our capacities and developing new projects.

What are the benefits for municipalities in which you develop and implement projects?

— The Municipality of Alibunar has received significant funds from the annual property tax. Also, we have started the implementation of the Profit Sharing Agreement, according to which the municipality receives part of the profit generated by WF Alibunar every year. Although 2020 has been difficult because no incentive measures were in place due to the pandemic, we still set aside almost 2.2 million dinars as a donation for heating in the school in Banatski Karlovac. In previous years, we donated a garbage truck, funds for medication to the health centre, schools, events, ceremonies, etc. That is how we operate in every municipality that treats us like a reliable investor.

What are your and Elicio expectations in the RES sector in Serbia in the next period after the constitution of the Government of the Republic of Serbia?

— We expect continuity, even progress.

The feed-in tariff period is over. We are pleased that a project has been launched with the EBRD aimed at adopting new regulation and introducing an auction system. Our company has projects in France and Belgium and we participated in auctions there. We are ready to help Serbia

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CHRISTOPHE BOLS Elicio, Country Manager, Serbia

We have started the development of several projects in South Banat area, territory of City of Pancevo.

The total capacity of all projects is more than 200 MW

with our knowledge and experience in auctions. Also, we believe that, in the future, it will be possible to implement projects without state incentives which are completely commercial. But we will need the state’s support in terms of faster adoption of planning documentation, grid connection approvals, possible tax relief, etc. In return, Serbia will get more green energy, which is a direct contribution to a healthy environment.

For 2020, Serbia had to comply with international regulation to produce and consume 27 per cent of the energy produced from RES. All European countries will have more demanding goals for 2030, so the expected target for Serbia is over 30 per cent. We, as serious investors, are ready to support Serbia with our projects in order for the country to fulfil its international obligations.

What distinguishes Elicio as a serious investor in the field of RES, in Serbia and generally?

— We have been operating in Europe for two decades, and we have been present in Serbia for a decade.

We trusted the state, invested money, and obtained bank guarantees even when the sector was new and unpredictable to Serbia. We have the knowhow for project development, construction monitoring and operation of wind farms in Serbia with the cooperation of our HQ in Belgium. We participated with 20 million euro of equity in the financing of Alibunar WF, while IFC and commercial banks allocated 60 million euro as a loan.

We manage and maintain our power plants. We are socially responsible to the local community. During development, construction and operation, we employed, directly or indirectly, a significant number of experts and workers. We fulfil all obligations towards the state and municipality such as paying tax.

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BELGIUM

Positive Trend in Mutual Trade We are very pleased to have been witnessing a positive trend in the volume of trade between Belgium and Serbia for several years now. Last year, the total value of exports and imports amounted to about 600 million euro I N T E RV I E W

elgian companies that have decided to invest in Serbia are active in various sectors such as the food, metal and IT industry and they are also quite active in the segment of renewable energy sources, construction and chemical industry. Economic relations between the two countries are developing steadily but there is still room for improvement.

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Economic relations between Belgium and Serbia are good and they are constantly progressing. What do you think of Belgian investments in Serbia?

— Many Belgian companies are present in Serbia through their long-standing local partners, who represent an important link in connecting the two business communities. Positive experiences of existing investors are crucial for attracting new investments.

It is always good news when Belgian companies, that have already invested in Serbia, inform us that they are planning to broaden their activities here.

It is very important that potential investors can count on a properly regulated, stable and predictable business environment. These are crucial conditions for making strategic decisions such as investing in a country.

Belgian companies in Serbia are generally satisfied with the business environment, and although Serbia has a lot to offer, the country still needs to work on improving the rule of law,

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MARIJANA MILOŠEVIĆ TUFEGDŽIĆ Economic and Trade Counsellor at the Embassy of Belgium

Serbian raspberries are certainly popular among Belgian consumers, because Serbia mostly exports food to Belgium, or more precisely agricultural products

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as well as raising the efficiency of the legal system and public institutions.

Is there room for improving economic cooperation and what is an opportunity for progress?

— Economic relations between Belgium and Serbia are continuously progressing, but there is always room for further advancement. The European Commission has recently presented the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, to accelerate the long-term economic recovery of the region, support the green and digital transition, connect the countries of the region and help them on their path to the EU membership.

Despite its size, Belgium is a leader in many industries, and there are indeed many areas in which it is possible to improve or develop this cooperation. Environmental protection, water treatment, waste management and renewable energy sources are certainly some of the areas in which Serbia needs a lot of support. Also, areas such as IT, construction, smart city solutions, food industry and innovation in various sectors, provide an excellent basis for further cooperation, as well as for the transfer of technology and know-how between the two countries.

Both countries have introduced measures to combat the COVID-19-induced crisis. What kind of effect are they going to have on companies, including Belgian companies in Serbia, and the trade between the two countries?

— The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global crisis, affecting human health but also the international economy. Various lockdown measures around the world have almost stopped economic activity in some sectors, and in other sectors, they have extremely disrupted it. Although both countries have supported their economies through various mechanisms and aid packages, the consequences will certainly be felt. This is stated in the reports and forecasts of various institutions such as the WB, EBRD or IMF. The global projection says that the global economy will decline by around 4 per cent this year. The projected decline of the EU economy is over 8 per cent, while the decline in the Western Balkan region is expected to be around 4.8 per cent, which is 1.7 per cent lower than a preliminary assessment in April. We assume that COVID-19 will have consequences on the volume of the trade between our two countries but hopefully not for long.

Our office represents three Belgian regional agencies specializing in export promotion: hub.brussels https:// hub.brussels/en/, AWEX https://www. awex-export.be/, and Flanders Investment and Trade https://www. flandersinvestmentandtrade.com/.

We are trying to maintain and deepen the ties between the Belgian and Serbian business communities in these special times as well. Thus, we have recently organized quite successful virtual meetings between Belgian companies and their potential Serbian partners, as well as a very interesting webinar on the environmental sector in Serbia and the opportunities that open up in this area for Belgian companies. Simply, life must go on and the economy and international trade must function.

How can Serbian companies become more visible in the Belgian market?

— Serbian exports to Belgium have been growing year-on-year, but there is certainly still a lot of room for improving cooperation. The Belgian market is demanding and the competition is very strong, but I am sure that Serbian companies have a lot to offer. Serbian raspberries are certainly popular among Belgian consumers,

nies the opportunity to test Brussels as their business location for three months. By obtaining the right to the so-called "Welcome Pack", they also get access to office space, as well as a wide range of free services.

because Serbia mostly exports food to Belgium, or more precisely agricultural products. However, companies from many other areas, such as the furniture or machine-building industry, have also found their way to Belgian customers. Their experiences are valuable for those companies that would like to research the Belgian market. The programme devised by our agency hub.brussels Why Brussels (http://why.brussels/ try-brussels-for-free) is also very interesting, as it offers foreign compa-

The global projection says that the global economy will decline by around 4 per cent this year

What challenges do you expect to experience by the year-end given the ongoing crisis?

— The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global shock to the world economy. There was a simultaneous disruption of both supply and demand, considering how international economic flows are intertwined. It is difficult to predict what other challenges await us. All economies have been hit, and although the situation varies from country to country, the result will depend a lot on what the pandemic will cause in the last quarter of this year. However, we have all been gaining pandemic-related experience for months, so now we know better how to behave and what the effects of various economic measures and business decisions are. Business people are trying to adapt to the new circumstances as much as possible, as well as to think in the framework of the "new normal" and achieve as much as possible at this moment.

TerraCalco 95 is Now Available to Farmers Throughout the Balkans Company Carmeuse has continued to invest in agriculture sector on the Balkan.

As announced in previous year, Belgium company has completed a planned project, despite the global crisis caused by the Covid19 pandemic fter the completion of the investment in Serbia in 2019 and with a clear vision and desire to help farmers in the whole Balkans region, company Carmeuse has completed the installation of a new plant for production of new generation of soil amendment in Doboj B&H. What is TerraCalco 95? TerraCalco 95 is a product designed to modify and improve soil quality through many changes in physical and chemical soil properties, with a major impact on soil biological activity. It's eliminates the appearance of soil acidity, significantly improves soil structure, improves water-air potential, increases the utilization of mineral fertilizers, accelerates the mineralization of organic matter, promotes the development of bacteria.

The TerraCalco 95 is water-soluble, ap-

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plied in small doses - more than 98% of the active substance, it's granulated, so the application is simple and quick with the use of standard mineral fertilizer spreaders.

Now, TerraCalco 95 is widely on the Balkan market, it’s available to farmers in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. The first reactions of satisfied users are arriving.

“I visited the plots and I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. Sunflower is making great progress; the plants are more robust than on the neighboring plots, and despite the fact that they were all sown on the same day, the same hybrid, and the same agro-technical measures but only I used TerraCalco 95. I have never had a better crop”. Saša Grbić, Vlajkovac, Serbia. www.carmeuse.com

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BELGIUM

Great Potential for Better Cooperation There are currently 111 companies from various sectors operating on the Serbian market that were founded or have Belgian capital in them

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communication (10), real estate activities 8), construction (6), transportation and storage (4), accommodation and catering services (3), water supply and wastewater management (3).

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ccording to the latest available data from the State Statistical Office (SSO), in the first six months of 2020, Serbia’s trade in goods with Belgium amounted to 334.8 million euro and recorded a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the same period in 2019.

The value of our exports amounted to 96.8 million euro, which is a 4% decline relative to the observed period in 2019. The value of imports amounted to 334.8 million euro, a 4% increase. The export to import ratio until June 2020 was 40.7%.

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PRODUCTS THAT SERBIA EXPORTED MOST TO BELGIUM IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2020 Tobacco (completely cured), containers, frozen raspberries, iron or steel products, acetic acid, wooden furniture, medication, ignition conductor sets, other vehicle sets, tobacco and dried tobacco, fruit, cooked, without sugar (source: SSO) PRODUCTS THAT SERBIA IMPORTED MOST FROM BELGIUM IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2020 Unclassified goods in storage, other medication, tobacco cured and dried, tobacco, cured and lightly airdried, polyethylene, tobacco, oriental/sun-dried, trucks, diesel, over 20t, new, assembled, artificial filament cable of cellulose acetate, galvanized

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sheets, unclassified goods in free zones (source: SSO).

Based on the data collated by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia - Customs Administration, until 2019, 2,515 business entities in Serbia did business with Belgium.

• Number of business entities net importers from Belgium – 1,992 • Number of business entities net exporters to Belgium - 289 • Number of business entities that are both exporting from and importing to Belgium - 234 • Total number of business entities engaged in foreign trade with Belgium - 2,515

BUSINESS ENTITIES IN SERBIA THAT ARE MAJORITY-OWNED BY BELGIANS 109 active business entities were registered in Serbia which are majority-owned by Belgian nationals or companies registered in Belgium according to the data collated by the Business Registers Agency of the Republic of Serbia, on the territory Serbia, until June 3, 2020.

The largest number of business entities is registered in the following activities: Manufacturing (22), wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles (22), professional, scientific, innovation and communication activities (12), administrative and support service activities (11), information and

Belgium is a highly developed industrial country that imports raw materials and semi-finished products and exports finished products

POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING COOPERATION Belgium is a highly developed industrial country that imports raw materials and semi-finished products and exports finished products. Since Belgium has an open economy, finished products of good quality can find their place on the Belgian market, especially food products, clothing and footwear, sports products, cosmetics, furniture, interior decoration products, electrical appliances and toys.

Opportunities for industrial cooperation between Serbian and Belgian companies can be created in the metal processing industry, mechanical engineering, electronics industry, chemical industry and the agrifood sector.

There are currently 111 companies operating on the Serbian market that were founded or have Belgian capital in them. They are active in various sectors – retail, manufacturing, construction, real estate, innovation and technical activities, transport and storage.

Belgian companies interested in the Serbian market want to market their products, namely machinery and industrial equipment, chemical products, textile products, various finished products, but in the transfer of the know-how and technology.

Belgian companies usually enter a market through a local importer or distributor.

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BELGIUM

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Melt Into Their Chocolates

What could be more comforting than a wonderful piece of chocolate? The famous gastronomic guide Gault&Millau has highlighted the best chocolate makers in Belgium and Luxembourg once again this year he competition is tough among the 97 artisans in this selection. It is true that Belgium well deserves its international reputation when it comes to chocolate. But what are the criteria for deciding between them?

The guide jury simply relies on two essential criteria that combine appearance and taste.

As last year, three winners were nominated in Belgium, representing

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each of the country's regions. This year's 'Discovery of the Year' prize for 'Goût Fou' from Zele (East Flanders) is also worth mentioning.

The winner of this fifth selection for Brussels is Laurent Gerbaud, known for the quality of his cocoa beans, which come from Madagascar, Peru and Ecuador, and also for his pralines, which go beautifully with beer and wine.

In Flanders, the winner was Oliv-

T R A DI T ION

There are over 2,000 chocolatiers in the country, so anyone who visits Belgium shouldn’t hesitate to try this delicious treat

ier Willems from Ostend. Here, originality meets quality, with original designs combined with intense, balanced flavours, such as the 'James Ensor' praline with its mix of Earl Grey, fleur de sel and praline.

Lastly, in Wallonia, the winner is Benoît Nihant, from Awans in the Liège region. The cocoa bean lies at the core of his work, from its selection to his flagship 'Coeur de Samba' praline. The bean is roasted, crushed and transformed through a perfectly mastered technique that is already enjoyed by many connoisseurs.

These chocolate-makers are proud ambassadors of Belgian know-how, which can be enjoyed in many different ways and should be savoured without delay.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BELGIAN CHOCOLATE To understand why Belgian chocolates are so famous and deliciously addictive, it is important to know exactly how they are made. The secret to their success lies in the ingredients

used to make them and, of course, in the production process. A law created in 1884 states that a minimum level of 35% cocoa must be used, in order to prevent the usage of low-quality fat sources or other ‘hacks’ to modify the composition. Production starts in the early stages, which includes overseeing how the cocoa beans are planted, the way they are roasted, and which beans are used.

There are several laws and unspoken rules in the chocolate-making community, where traditional manufacturing is preferred. This explains

why there are so many small, independent chocolatiers throughout Belgium. However, even big chocolatiers like Neuhaus have managed to expand outside Belgium, but still continue to use only traditional recipes for their chocolates, many of which are still top secret.

If you’re in Belgium and want to learn about the chocolate-making process in more detail, it is worth visiting the MUCC (the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate), which is located near the Grand Place, Brussels’ main market square. A new

‘game’ the museum came up with, the Truck game, allows you to walk through the city center of Brussels while discovering the world of chocolate within the city.

Chocolatemakers are proud ambassadors of Belgian knowhow, which can be enjoyed in many different ways and should be savoured without delay

BELGIUM’S CHOCOLATE LEGACY The best known commercial brand of Belgian chocolate is Côte d’Or, which you can find in almost any grocery store in Belgium and in many places around the world. Côte d’Or was founded by Charles Neuhaus in 1870 , who opened a factory shortly after that. The name refers to the Golden Coast, now Ghana in Africa, where the cocoa beans first originated from. The brand is now part of the American multinational company.

Commercial brands are renowned for making delicious chocolates, and their regular chocolate bars, pralines and truffles are definitely a must try when visiting Belgium — but the products of local, independent chocolatiers are certainly worth sampling as well!

To d ay, B el g i a n cho col ate i s world-renowned and continues to play a strong role in the Belgian economy. Overall, there are over 2,000 chocolatiers in the country, so anyone who visits Belgium shouldn’t hesitate to try this delicious treat.

Historical connection Back in the 17th century, explorers brought cocoa beans from South America and introduced them to the Belgian community. At the time, chocolate was a sign of luxury and was mostly used to make ‘hot chocolate’ for nobility or to impress new visitors. King Leopold the Third then made Belgium the number one trader in cocoa and chocolate. It was Jean Neuhaus who first put Belgian chocolate on the map. In 1857, he moved into a pharmacy-cum-sweet shop in

the Galérie de la Reine in Brussels, where he sold plaques of dark chocolate.

Gradually, the apothecary transformed into a real sweet shop, and the first praline was created there in 1912. The hollow chocolate shell with a sweet filling was invented by Jean’s grandson (also named Jean) who also invented the Ballotin, the box in which pralines are wrapped. The Jean Neuhaus store still exists to this day, and is deemed a must-see when visiting Brussels.

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BELGIUM

A Country of Legends and Thrills Any attempt at a general overview of Belgian culture will fall short of the reality, due to the division of the little country into three linguistic groups and the cultural influxes seeping across its borders from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Luxembourg

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C U LT U R E

he official languages here are German, Dutch, and French, although 33 percent of the inhabitants speak the old tongue of Walloon and a variant of Dutch, Flemish, is spoken by at least 60 percent. Within the three regions of Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels-Capital, individual cultures flourish, each with their own traditions, folklore, gastronomy, and priorities.

Family values take a central position in the lives of most Belgians for whichever province they call home, as do the values of appearance and

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A small gift is expected when you’re invited to a Belgian home, and punctuality shows respect

cleanliness, both in personal and property matters. As a result, Belgium is a refreshingly tidy, clean country. Although friendly and welcoming, Belgians are somewhat formal in their greeting, with brief handshakes the norm until a friendship or business relationship is fully established.

A small gift is expected when you’re invited to a Belgian home, and punctuality shows respect. If a toast is given, stand up, and it’s polite to eat all you are offered, never mind how full your plate is. All Belgians are extremely proud of their local cuisine, making praising your meal a must.

Belgium’s incredibly rich artistic tradition extends from its artworks to its architecture, music, literature, and traditionally authentic folkloric festivals, with all forming a strong part of the people’s cultural awareness in the present day. Museum and art gallery visits are very popular, and the many medieval old towns are a great source of pride. Even the famous Belgian craft beers have a cultural identity, especially those from the six Belgian Trappist monasteries which are permitted to brew strong ale.

The constant contact with other peoples and cultures hasn't been

without its effects in terms of art and culture, both in the past and the present day. A true crossroads of the major influences of art, Belgium has always been home to a large number of artists and frequently establishes itself as the place for innovation for new movements.

Belgium has preserved much evidence of the greatest architectural and artistic movements. The Middle Ages saw cathedrals and belfries spring up, monuments that still grace the Belgian cities of art. Countless châteaux pepper the countryside and Belgium is the country with the

Belgium has preserved much evidence of the greatest architectural and artistic movements

most châteaux per km2. As for Brussels, in the 20th century, it became the capital of Art Nouveau. All this explains the country's incredible architectural wealth.

The splendid works of the old Flemish painters such as Pierre-Paul Rubens, Pierre Brueghel, Jan Van Eyck, Antoine Van Dyck, along with more recent artists like Paul Delvaux or René Magritte, are now exhibited in museums all over the world.

The ultimate hub for comics, Belgium is home to the largest concentration of comic book authors in the world. They continue the tradition of

Hergé (Tintin), Peyo (Les Schtroumpfs), Edgar P. Jacobs (Blake et Mortimer), Morris (Lucky Luke), Bob De Moor (Barelli, Cori le Moussaillon), Willy Vandersteen (Bob et Bobette) and many more!

Today, many Belgian talents are making a name for themselves. This is particularly the case on the international music scene with Angèle, Milow, Selah Sue and Hooverphonic. On the big screen, a new generation of directors and actors are frequently recognised with awards including the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Oscars in Hollywood.

History Belgium’s interesting, varied, and frequently violent history goes a long way to explaining the equally varied linguistic and cultural aspects of this small country. In spite of its troubled centuries, Belgium has influenced European art, classical music, literature, and the science of printing considerably, and its people’s pride in their country is well justified.

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BELGIUM

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TOURISM

The Canal, a Bridge Between the City’s Past and its Future How times have changed since Jacques Brel sang of the canal as a synonymous of grey sadness!

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enizens and authorities have been working hard to rehabilitate this special part of Brussels, crossing it south to north. More and more, this area is being seen in a more positive light, illustrating the diversity, history, and range of atmospheres that make up Brussels. And it’s also become a major environmental asset, as biodiversity has been making a comeback thanks to its waters the last few years…

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A link between the past and the future...

Like most major cities, Brussels sprouted from the banks of a river, the Senne. In the 16th century, the need for a stable and navigable waterway translated into the digging of a canal linking Brussels to the Escaut river, and thus the North Sea. In the 19th century, the canal was prolonged southward towards Charleroi and its coal mines. Both eras correspond to periods that saw Brussels flourish and prosper, thanks to the development

of commerce and industry that the canal contributed to boost. …and between the centre and neighbouring municipalities Long considered as a barrier, the Canal, as locals call it, is now turning into the bridge that reconciles the city centre with the rest of the Region.

Since the industrial era, residents have always kept its neighbourhoods and businesses alive. However, this space has struggled to recover from its deindustrialisation phase. But it has been recovering thanks to the valorisation of its industrial heritage, which has been converted into museums, festival sites and other commercial and residential spaces.

A creative hotspot that makes the most of the city's diversity In recent years, creators, artists and other entrepreneurs have contributed to the revitalisation of the central part of the Canal, located between the city centre and the mu-

A promising future From the residential districts in the south to the haven in the north of the city, this waterway is also the ideal axis for developing public transport and soft mobility: crossing the city via the Canal represents an effective solution to traffic issues, whether by boat or bicycle on the

nicipalities of Molenbeek and Anderlecht, from Tours & Taxis, which houses many shops as well as restaurants and a host of events throughout the year, to the abattoirs in Anderlecht where papilla celebrations are held, and to MIMA, the museum of modern art located at the former Belle-Vue brewery, rich in industrial and brewing history.

The Port of Brussels, a haven for businesses With the obvious advantage of direct waterway access, the vast available space managed by the Port of Brussels authorities offer logistic, productive and industrial businesses very interesting opportunities to settle in the Canal area. The central position of this long, city-traversing district make its banks easily accessible to many residential and commercial neighbourhoods, while goods being produced on site are offered easy access to Belgium’s network of canals and ports. No other district in Brussels connects so rapidly to so many other areas inside as well as outside the city.

quays. And ongoing efforts to ensure cleaner water have already led to an encouraging renaissance of biodiversity. All these sustainable development opportunities offer the entire Canal area a dynamic potential that both public authorities and the private sector have already begun exploiting.

No other district in Brussels connects so rapidly to so many other areas inside as well as outside the city

Capital of the kingdom of Belgium is also the capital of Europe A destination that's easy to reach and reasonable prices that won't strain its visitors' pockets, regardless of age.

This cosmopolitan city that loves good food lives life its way and expresses itself in a style very much its own.

Despite its European dimension and despite all the different languages spoken on the corner of every street, Brussels is still inspired by a very "village-like" spirit. Of course, it's well known for its Grand-Place, its Atomium, its Manneken-Pis, its Gueuze and its Kriek, its waffles and its chocolates... (don't miss them!). Take a stroll to Rue Dansaert, Halles Saint-GÊry and Place Sainte-Catherine. Head for Saint-Boniface, Châtelain or Flagey... You'll discover a Brussels that's in the spirit of the times, a capital that's relaxed and comfortable, as much in its history as in its present-day reality. Very fashionable. Very designer. Very creative. In other words, to put it in a nutshell, just relish Brussels, a fine and beautiful city to explore and discover...

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EXHIBITION

"One Painter, 12 Photographers, 24 Works of Art" Belgrade City Museum and Color Media Communications presented the exhibition "Paja Jovanović - One Painter, 12 Photographers, 24 Works Of Art" fter the exhibitions at the Sava Šumanović Gallery in Šid and the Milan Konjović Gallery in Sombor, an exhibition of photos by our most famous photographers was opened at the Museum of Belgrade, in Resavska Street, on October 15 this year. The exhibition, which was attended by both photographers and models, features photographs as a sort of "quotes" of paintings by the renowned Serbian painter, Paja Jovanović.

The exhibition "One Painter, 12 Photographers, 24 Works of Art" was conceived in such a way that selected oil paintings of Paja Jovanović were hung on the walls of the City Museum, while the photographs inspired by these paintings were exhibited in the same room, with specially designed decor to complement both the oil paintings and photographs.

Photographers Nebojša Babić,

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Portrait of Queen Marija Karadjordjević

Duška Jovanić, author of the exhibition, Dragan Filipović, General Manager of Generali osiguranje and photographers whose works are an integral part of the exhibition

Miša Obradović, Monika Pavlović, Miloš Nadaždin, Jelena Jovanov, Sever Zolak, Marko Krunić, Braca Nadeždić, Vladimir Milivojević Boogie, Vukica Mikača, Radivoj Hadžić and Jaroslav Pap exhibited their work following the invitation from Color Media

A Nude on a Red Robe (Mouny)

Communications.

Although most photographers opted for portraits (of Princess Danica Karadjordjević, Jelena Janković, Veselin Jevrosimović, Slobodan Antonić, Ashok Murti and others) some photographers picked the challenge to portray

the "still life" of the great painter, while the famous street photographer, Vladimir Milivojević Boogie, accepted the most challenging task - interpreting the iconic painting "Migration of the Serbs".

Thematic lectures were held as part of the exhibition with different aspects of Paja Jovanović’s art presented from different aspects by historian Predrag Marković, designer Igor Todorović, historian Tamara Ognjević and writer Nenad Novak Stefanović.

Duška Jovanić is the exhibition’s author, Igor Todorović is the art director, while Dragana Ognjenović is the costume designer.

The exhibition was opened to the public by 2nd November, while the official closing took place on 29th October.

Generali Osiguranje is the exhibition’s main sponsor, Telenor was its mobile partner while Blanc 1664 was the exhibition’s partner.

Portrait of a young woman in a pink dress

Migration of the Serbs

H.E. Ilir Boçka, Albanian Ambassador with his wife

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

10 OCT

CHANGES IN THE EAST. LIFE IS CHANGING

At the National Library, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Thomas Schieb, and a representative of the National Library of Serbia officially opened the exhibition "Changes in the East.

Life is changing. The exhibition is a presentation of the history of German unification and celebrates the 30th anniversary of the reunification of the two Germanys. The experience of the East German citi-

zens from 1990 until today is presented on 20 panels.

Along with numerous photographs and accompanying captions, this exhibition illustrates solidarity and readiness to help at the very beginning of the unification process. Historian and publicist, Stefan Wolle, is the exhibition author. Wolle grew up in East Germany and was a first-hand witness to this era. After Belgrade, the exhibition will tour other Serbian towns.

H.E. Thomas Schieb

16 OCT

PROMOTION OF SERBIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

Following the signing of a cooperation agreement, DDOR Osiguranje and the Matica Srpska Gallery are continuing their successful joint activities on promoting Serbian cultural heritage and fostering a responsible attitude towards the local and wider community. The leading insurance company in Serbia and the leading museum institution got together because they both

have a very developed awareness of cooperation and mutual support aimed at creating and improving the quality of living and working conditions for people in Serbia. The cooperation agreement was signed by the Director of the Matica Srpska Gallery, Tijana Palkovljević-Bugarski, PhD, and the Chairman of DDOR Osiguranje’s Executive Board, Giorgio Marchegiani, PhD.

Giorgio Marchegiani and Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski Signing of a cooperation agreement

17 OCT

ARTLINK’S VIŠEGRAD BALKAN YOUNG TALENTS PROJECT

After 16 months of intensive cooperation among partners from Višegrad and Balkan regions, a concert was held at the Princess Ljubica Residence, the first royal residence in Belgrade, on October 17. The concert was hosted by the Ambassador of Poland to Serbia, H.E. Rafal Perl on behalf of the Polish Presi-

dency of the Višegrad Group. The famous Czech soprano, Patricia Janeckova performed at the concert, as did the Polish violinist, Filip Cwizowicz, who was the concertmaster of the ArtLink chamber ensemble, the part of Camerata Balcanica. The conductor was Maestro Benjamin Haemhouts from Belgium.

Patricia Janeckova and H.E. Tomáš Kuchta, Ambassador of the Czech Republic

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

17 OCT

YEOL EUM SON IN BELGRADE FOR THE SECOND TIME

The South Korean classical pianist, the celebrated Yeol Eum Son first attracted international attention when she performed as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Lorin Maazel in 2004. Her awards include the Silver Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition 2011, at which

H.E. Choi Hyoung Chan, Korean Ambassador with his wife

29 OCT

ODE TO BEETHOVEN

H.E. Gilles Beschoor Plug, Ambassador of the Netherlands with his wife

Yeol Eum Son

The 3D light installations exhibited at the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade every evening from October 29 to 31, marked the Austrian National Holiday, 25th anniversary since Austria's accession to the EU, and 250 years since the birth of Ludwig Van Beethoven. On the occasion, H.E. Nikolaus Lutterotti, the Austrian Ambassador to Serbia, Adrian Feix, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum, Branko Sujić,

Associate Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDA), and Pavle Dinulović, Assistant Professor at the FDA, spoke at the press conference. “At a time when social distancing is always underlined, through art we want to preserve physical distance as an important thing, as well as to contribute to the preservation of social contacts with this cultural content, " it was said at the conference.

Branko Greganović, Chairman of the Executive Board of NLB Banka Beograd

Adrian Feix

29 OCT

THE JOVAN ĆIRILOV AWARD

she also received the Best Chamber Concerto Performance Award and the award for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work. This is Ms Son’s second concert in Belgrade after her amazing performance with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2018, conducted by Maestro Howard Griffiths.

In the presence of numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps and journalists, the Belgrade Dance Festival gave out the Step Further - Jovan Ćirilov Award at the Atrium of the National Museum. The jury decided that Jacopo Godani, director of Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, was awarded for his choreographic work at the last Belgrade Dance Festival. The Belgrade audience knows Godani as one of the most striking Euro-

H.E. Thomas Schieb , German Ambassador, H.E.Kathleen Csaba, Canadian Ambassador, Zoran Djordjević, former minister and Aja Jung, Director BDF

Zoran Djordjević and Jacopo Godani

pean choreographers of contemporary dance, but also a frequent guest of the Belgrade Dance Festival. We also remember him for the seven-day installation he created and performed with dancers from Frankfurt and Belgrade, on the occasion of the opening of the reconstructed Museum of Contemporary Art in Ušće. Godani is the fifth laureate of the Jovan Ćirilov Award, after Jiri Kylian, Dimitris Papajoanu, Sharon Eyal and Marie Chouinard.

Jacopo Godani and Aja Jung

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by Žikica Milošević

An Indonesian in the Banat Paradise A smile that conquered the Pannonian plain and Neuzina (which is populated partly with the Hungarians).

INTERVIEW

FATHER ELIAS OHOILEDWARIN

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How did local people react?

— I was in Zrenjanin for the first time in 2010 on a Mission Sunday programme. Then I came back here again in 2012 on the same mission programme. Finally, I arrived in Zrenjanin in the end of 2016. I did not speak Serbian when I came here, there for, in the first six months I took Serbian classes with a private teacher.

During that times I used to go to Mihajlovo to celebrate Holy Mass.

They pray that I become their priest. People in Mihajlovo were so excited when I became their priest. I love them all. Most of them are farmers; simple but very kind people.

Catholic priest from Banat

rather unusual priest lives in Zrenjanin. You can often see him in the town centre, around and about the St. Ivan Nepomuk Cathedral.

He is an Indonesian, who holds service in the Hungarian language in the villages of Mihajlovo and Neuzina. His name is Father Elias Ohoiledwarin. In his Episcopal court, where he lives, we talked about the unusual destiny that brought him here, while sipping on the Indonesian coffee and tea.

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You come from Indonesia, which is mostly a Muslim country but is also home to Buddhists, Hindus and Christians. In which part of Indonesia do Christians mostly live?

— Hindus mostly live in Bali, Buddhists in Java, and Christians are located mostly in East Indonesia, like Timor, Flores, the Moluks and the north of Celebes. I am from a small island called Kei (Kai). Jakarta is very crowded and one of the strongest Catholic communities is in Java.

The Christians in Indonesia are mostly Catholics and Protestants since the country was a Dutch colony. When did Christianity come to Indonesia?

— They are mainly Lutheran Protestants. Christianity came to Indonesia for the first time in 1511, then in 1534 by portuguese missionaries. The Protestant Churches (Lutheran and Calvinist) and the Catholic Church came to Indonesia with the Dutch missionaries when Indonesia was colonised by the Dutch in 1800 – 1942.

When did you decide to become a priest?

— I grew up in a traditional Christian family where faith and God take a central place in our family life. I was an altar boy and every Sunday we helped our missionary priest. I saw there were no original Indonesian priests as all of them were missionaries. They

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FEEL HEAVENLY IN BANAT. IT'S PEACEFUL, QUIET, MULTICULTURAL, OPEN lived a very deep Christian life, so it was then that I decided I want to be like them.

Since you attended a seminary in Indonesia, how, on earth, did you end up in Hungary, studying at the Theological University in the complicated Hungarian language? Why didn’t you choose Latin America or Italy? Their languages are much easier to learn.

— It was a boy-only seminary where I started preparing to become a priest. As for the Faculty, it wasn’t my choice. I was sent to Hungary in 2002 by the Society of the Divine Word. Today there are 400-500 missionaries, working all around the world, most of them in South America, Asia and Africa.

When we completed our education, we had to prepare ourselves to be missionaries abroad. Each person had to choose 2-3 countries they preferred to serve in. I never dreamt of coming to Hungary. I preferred Brazil or Africa because I liked the climate which is almost the same as the Indonesian, and the culture. In 2002, they asked me to go to Hungary.

I asked where Hungary was and why were they sending me there.

It was the Hungarians who asked for someone to go there. At that time, the Internet was slow, so I

tried to find out more about Hungary. All I knew it was an ex-Communist country. They were in a bad situation after Communism, they didn’t have enough young priests and they wanted to rejuvenate the community. So I went there, attended a language course for 1 ½ year and started my Theology courses. It was one of the most difficult times of my life.

Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages, and I struggled a lot learning it. I had a culture shock. Everything was different than in Asia. The food was very different, and then there was the climate. In Indonesia, we never have winter and snow. The first three years in Hungary were hard.

You started your service as a priest in Hungary and they moved you to Mihajlovo and Neuzina in the Serbian Banat.

— I started my language course in 2002. I took my Theology classes from 2003-2007 and I was ordained to be a priest in Budapest. Later, I was sent to do service in Esztergom for about a year and a half and Kőszeg, on the border with Austria for 4 years. After that, I was sent to continue my studies in Chicago for a year and a half and later I was appointed priest in Mihajlovo (only Hungarian population lives here)

What is life in Zrenjanin, Banat, Vojvodina, Serbia like for you?

— This is a very nice country. It is so quiet. I was in Jakarta for 6 months before coming to Zrenjanin to practice, since I have never been a priest in my country. It was very strange. I asked to be a priest and preach in my language. I lived in a very crowded area. Every Sunday, we had 400 people at the church. I always held service in big cities – Jakarta, Budapest, Chicago... Zrenjanin was heavenly.

I kept praying to God to send me to a quiet place, and God repeatedly failed to answer my prayers until I came to Serbia. This country is beautiful, and the people are very open. I think there is a difference between the people in Hungary and Serbia – they are much friendlier here. We have a multicultural society in Indonesia with more than 400 different ethnic groups and languages. Here, it is also multicultural, multiethnic, open. I feel fantastic. All the nations are represented here, the government recognises that and they all have their representation in the parliament. As a foreigner, I have no problems here. Also, people are used to different nationalities here. In Neuzina, mass is held in both Croatian and Hungarian, and in Vršac, mass is held in German since there is a small German community living there. It's wonderful.

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THE SACRED RIGHT TO OFFEND

A Jihadist Beheading Spurs the French to Defend Secularism President Emmanuel Macron praises an assassinated teacher n a courtyard at the Sorbonne, the paramount French symbol of learning, President Emmanuel Macron on October 21st paid homage to a teacher slain “for embodying…the freedom that is transmitted and sustained at school.” Samuel Paty was a middle-school history teacher in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, a genteel town north-west of Paris. Earlier this month he had shown pupils caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad from the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo during a class on freedom of expression. Those pupils who might be offended, he suggested, could choose not to look at them. On October 16th, after threats against him by a parent and on social media, Mr Paty was beheaded in an attack that police are treating as an act of terrorism.

Shortly before Mr Paty’s class discussion, on October 2nd, Mr Macron had given a speech not far from Conflans in which he warned the French about the rising threat of “Islamist separatism”. This is a radical political project, he declared, which is testing the resilience of the secular French republic, and menaces “freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and the right to blaspheme”. Mr Macron was accused in some quarters of cynically chasing the far-right vote, in others of stigmatising Muslims.

Mr Paty’s beheading has rendered his analysis less extravagant than prescient.

France’s tolerance for ridiculing religion is often difficult for outsiders to understand. The land of Voltaire protects the right to believe, and not to believe, as well as the right to treat any sacred belief with irreverence. It also attempts to banish religious affairs from official public life. A law in 1905 entrenched laïcité, a strict form of secularism designed to protect private religious expression but also to keep religion out of state institutions, after an anti-clerical struggle with the Catholic

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THE LAND OF VOLTAIRE PROTECTS THE RIGHT TO BELIEVE, AND NOT TO BELIEVE, AS WELL AS THE RIGHT TO TREAT ANY SACRED BELIEF WITH IRREVERENCE church. It is buttressed by another law that protects the right to blaspheme, which dates to 1881.

For secularists this requires constant vigilance. France’s blasphemy law has protected the publication by Charlie Hebdo of satirical caricatures of the Prophet (the ones Mr Paty showed his pupils) against charges of incitement to hatred. Under French law it is legal to denigrate a religion, but not to insult or incite hatred of any individual on the basis of that religion. The overall effect, critics claim, is to legitimise Islamophobia. Defenders of the law note that a religion is an idea, and ideas should be open to debate and mockery. They add that mocking Jesus is equally protected.

Since he was elected in 2017 Mr Macron has found it awkward to talk publicly about all this. Five

years ago, when he was economy minister and France was battered by terrorist attacks, including one at the Charlie Hebdo offices, he sounded more laissez-faire about secularism. As president, he seems to have had second thoughts. He is now convinced that the “soft” signs of Islamism— such as a bus driver who refuses to take female passengers dressed “unsuitably”—may mask a more sinister political plan, which can supply recruits to violence. Since 2017 anti-terrorist police have thwarted 32 attempted attacks in France.

“The problem,” Mr Macron said in early October, “is an ideology which claims its own laws should be superior to those of the republic.” Hugo Micheron, author of a book on jihadists in France, says it is no coincidence that a teach-

er was the target. “Education in France represents the transmission of the principles of the republic,” he says, and today’s generation of jihadists are “waging an ideological war to counter that transmission, and in which France is seen as the factory of Western ideology.”

The government has responded with a clampdown. It has outlawed one Islamist association, and the police have raided others. Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, has ordered the closure of a mosque on the Paris fringes, and wants to expel 231 Islamist radicals and shut down aid groups he deems fronts for radicalism. He also wants better control of hate speech on social media. Before Mr Paty was slain, a parent denounced the teacher on Facebook for “Islamophobia”. Another radical known to the French intelligence services also mobilised against him. This amounted to what Mr Darmanin called a “fatwa” against Mr Paty. The perpetrator himself—an 18-yearold refugee of Chechen origin, who was shot dead by the police—posted a photo of the decapitated head on social media.

Addressed to Mr Macron, it boasted of the killing of “one of your hell dogs who dared to denigrate Muhammad”.

As France tightens up, this will doubtless embolden those critics who accuse the government of “weaponising” secularism against Muslims. For his part, Mr Macron says he wants to avoid being trapped by those who seek to portray the combat against political Islam as one that “stigmatises all Muslims”. It is, rather, about the French state’s ability to educate children, believers or non-believers, as free-thinking citizens. The struggle, said Mr Macron, is nothing less than “existential”.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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by Žikica Milošević

Gala Čaki: Nero and the Phoenix With a Brush in Hand Painting that follows a philosophy INTERVIEW

GALA ČAKI Artist

— They are all constantly present and range from the most positive to the most negative on a daily basis. I would say that they are all dramatic. Drama triggers a range of other emotions, and as such is great for quickly perceiving a particular person or situation in which we place ourselves, or are placed in.

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ala Čaki is one of those artists who did not compromise her artistic direction and yet has gained academic recognition and commercial success. This is an almost impossible mission for many people who want to make a living from their work and not having to betray their ideals in the process. How do her paintings change with the emergence of each new love, and how Nero, who burns everything down, and the Phoenix, who rises from the ashes, merge into artwork that screams with its own voice?

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How do you manage to make a living from your work? You are the Depeche Mode of the art scene in Serbia, as you are both commercial and of high quality.

— The paintings are the ones that find customers. People know what constitutes a good painting and that's why they spend money on my work. Some spend money to enrich their spirit, home or daily life, while others invest to get rich later. I am Gala, the one who knows exactly why, where and when. The time has come to make changes in artistic creation.

We see neo-expressionism in your work. What do you see?

— I would not classify my paintings as belonging to an art direction that was dominant in the 1980s which touched upon the art of Grosz and Munk. My artwork is connected to characters from philosophy, not from the painting world. The essence of my paintings is emotion, not reason. And as my paintings are a journey I take towards myself as the ultimate goal, my art is a representation of my life, and as such it is authentic.

You have spent a lot of time in Asia. How different is our art

NEW MAN - NEW COLOUR. EMOTION CHOOSES THE COLOUR ITSELF and pop culture compared to theirs?

— These are two different worlds – spiritual and material. Asia has archetypes, antiquity, spirituality; basically, all that Europe is currently lacking. The art scene is rich there because Asia today is a meeting place of culture, power and innovation. It abounds in extraordinary creators: authentic personalities in the painting world and followers, i.e. creators of perfect copies of existing artwork. I am impressed by their work and the respect they have for painting.

Why do you use so much red and burgundy in your paintings?

— I don’t always use red when painting. Each phase and the colour that dominates during a given phase is connected to the man I am with at that time. New man new colour! Emotion chooses the colour itself. One colour is never dominant, but rather it is the atmosphere that one colour creates with other colours. Just as a certain man ennobles my creativity and is included in a game that he

plays with me so does one colour also play with other colours. Relationships are crucial.

Does that mean that your men and past loves remain forever in your paintings? You did not tuck your past away? You are both Nero and the October Revolution in one – first you ‘burn’ everything down and then you bring about revolutionary justice and start fresh.

— They don’t remain forever in my paintings – I sell them, or burn them, or paint them over, or just throw them away. Men are my means for creating paintings.

When they serve a series of paintings, their name doesn't matter anymore, so I replace them with others. Until I find the right one.

It will be interesting to look at this phase of development with the last man in my life. The Nero in me each time ‘gives birth’ to a new world, the Phoenix-like world. My strength is of that colour and the way of surviving.

What is your dominant emotion when painting?

Why do IT people love you so much? Are they screaming inside too?

— Everyone loves me. Everyone who has emotions. A soul, if you will. I love the diversity of my collectors in the setting of my profession and that similarity in emotion. Very few people can feel it. I am grateful that they come to me; that my pictures bring them to me. They enrich me in a way. They open many Bergson's drawers, thus establishing relationships for life; special relationships.

What music do you like the most?

— I don’t have music favourites.

Some sounds drive me to think, some to suffer, some to work, some to muster my strength, some to clear my mind. They are different, depending on the condition I am in. A couple of months ago, I only listened to Vivaldi's "Storm", without being aware of why. Now I like Janice Joplin. I wondered if her work would have been so powerfully woven with emotion, had she not had an abundance of suffering. And I suffered, with her, through her and her music. I don't listen to anything at the moment. I paint without the sounds of other creators, deeply influenced by the sound of my paintings.

So what is the soundtrack to your opus like?

— Cage-like. I would like to translate 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence, into infinite silence, letting my artwork scream with its own sound. Everything has sound. Every colour has it, but not everyone hears it.

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Aksentije and Janoš's Friendship as a Guidepost Cycling through Vojvodina: Novi Bečej, Arača and Novo Miloševo (part 2)

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REPORTAGE

By ROBERT ČOBAN

he castle, currently the largest in Vojvodina, was built in 1857 by lord László Karácsonyi. Today, it has the status of a "cultural monument of great importance". When you see what condition it is in presently, you start to wonder what cultural monuments that are not "of great importance" look like in our country. As the pastor told us, there was another castle in Beodra, at the entrance to the village, even bigger and more beautiful than this one. It was built by László’s brother and demolished after the Second World War. László’s great-grandson, Aladár Karácsonyi abandoned the smaller castle just before the end of the First World War. In late 1918, during the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a mob stormed the castle, looted it and threw out the inventory. The following year, 1919, Mikhail Rodzianko, a Russian immigrant and former president of the Russian Duma who lived there until he died in 1924, moved into the castle.

In 1938, the castle was sold to the municipality of Belgrade, which used it as a primary school. During the Second World War, when Banat County was under German occupation, a mental hospital was located here. After the war, it was a home for the children of fallen soldiers, after which it served

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Castle, hospital, school, home, factory, a ruin the Karácsonyi castle is waiting for better days

as "a home for young boisterous girls" (whatever that means), and since 1960, it housed the Miloš Popov primary school, as evidenced by drawings of children's motifs on the wall next to the central staircase. In 1980, according to someone's nutty idea, the chemical company, Hinom moved its offices into the castle and remained there until 2000, when it went bankrupt. After that, the Karácsonyi castle serves no purpose and is in bad condition. We found the remains of the chemical company in

most of the rooms - large chemical tanks, scattered equipment and documentation, and a freight elevator which was installed at the back. It is interesting to note that the director’s office has a perfectly renovated wooden ceiling, with a varnish that is still glossy to this day, i.e. twenty years since the castle was abandoned.

Locals say negotiations are underway with a Turkish company that will reportedly transform it into a luxury spa hotel.

The Kotarka Museum is right

BOGDAN KARÁCSONYI BOUGHT THE LARGE ESTATE OF BEODRA, TODAY PART OF NOVO MILOŠEVO, FROM THE VIENNESE COURT IN 1781, FOR 105,000 FORINTS

"Catholic and Orthodox Priest in Beodra", Đorđe Pecić, 1878.

across the castle. The museum is housed in the Karácsonyi family's grain warehouse. "Bogdan Karácsonyi bought the large estate of Beodra, today part of Novo Miloševo, from the Viennese court in 1781, for 105,000 forints,” says Iskra, the museum's curator, who kindly shows us the exhibits and warns us of freshly painted thresholds and doorframes. Iskra looks and talks as if she works in a New York museum and not in a museum in a forgotten town in Banat. She shows us a large stone sculpture of a lion that was located at the entrance to the other, demolished castle of the Karácsonyi family. The museum's collection currently numbers over 4,500 exhibits, and I am especially attracted to the collection of black-andwhite photographs depicting life in the village fifty or more years ago. In one of the pictures - a village vet, who is now retired, as they told me - is standing on the back of a horse.

Hanging on the wall, I recognize a copy of an interesting oil painting that I saw at the exhibition European Phenomena at the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad. The painting depicts two priests, Orthodox and Catholic, shaking hands and posing for the painter.

There is an interesting story about the painting’s protagonists.

Janoš Boćan was a parish priest with the longest tenure in the Catholic Church in Belgrade. During his service (1828 - 1878), a new church was built and it is considered to be one of the most important periods in the two-century-long-life of the parish. His close friendship with the Orthodox priest, Aksentije Joanović, the grandfather of Dr Đorđe Joanović (one of the founders of the Medical Faculty in Belgrade), lasted for several decades. Priest Boćan had lunch every day at the corner inn, near the Catholic Church, and when he was widowed, the elderly Joanović also had lunch there regularly. On one occasion, the painter Đorđe Pecić, a student of Konstantin Danilo, happened to be at the inn, so the two great friends were immortalized on a canvas. On the back of this oil painting, it says that the work was completed on February 24, 1878, when

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Boćan died, while Joanović died the following year. The friendship and brotherhood of Orthodox and Catholic priests from the middle of the turbulent 19th century, who were deservedly commemorated at the European Phenomena exhibition, can be an important ‘guidepost’ for their contemporaries at the beginning of the 21st century.

Walking through the park in the village’s centre, on our way to the famous Žeravica Museum, we pass a monument that is erected in honour of the locals who died as soldiers on the Salonica front, as well as those who lost their lives as Partisans in the Second World War, some 25 years later. Several decapitated pedestals clearly show that some people care more about earning money from scrap metal than appreciate history and tradition. I was never a fan of tractors and other agricultural machinery, perhaps because I drove and repaired them until I was 19 (or rather before I served a mandatory military service at the Yugoslav People’s Army and later moved to Novi Sad) with my father, who was a farmer and had three tractors, two combines and a large number of auxiliary machines. My father had quite odd methods, for lack of a better word, when it came to raising us and work. However, when I entered the yard of the Žeravica Museum and a few minutes later the museum itself, I was sorry that my father was not alive to see this.

Kotarka Museum

A stone lion from the entrance to another, ruined castle, today sits in the Kotarka Museum’s yard

THE OLDEST PRESERVED TRACTOR IN SERBIA AND THE REGION, THE AMERICAN HART-PARR 30" FROM 1920, OCCUPIED THE CENTRAL PLACE IN THE COLLECTION I have been to similar museums from Manchester to Venice but the museum collection of this village in Banat is so abundant and well-arranged that is fitting of any big city in the world. Touring this museum should be mandatory for all school children in Vojvodina.

It all started in the late 1970s, when Milivoj Žeravica (1931-2009) had an idea to buy a Fordson 10-20 HP tractor from 1924, the one just like his father Milorad (1909-1968) had. This tractor was the first of its kind in the village and Milivoj grew up with it. Having a tractor in the countryside was a real

rarity and a kind of attraction at that time. Quite by accident, he learned from a friend that there was such a tractor for sale in the vicinity of Kragujevac. He went to see it and was surprised when he found several similar tractors from that time there. At that moment, he came up with the idea to buy them all and thus somehow save them from becoming obsolete in this part of the world.

Milivoj Žeravica was the founder of the current standing exhibition at the museum, while his son, Čedomir, completed it. The exhibited tractors came from all over Serbia. The collection was

open to the public in 1991 in a purpose-built facility. The oldest preserved tractor in Serbia and the region, the American Hart-Parr 30" from 1920, occupied the central place in the collection. Then there are numerous specimens from the interwar and post-war period produced in European and American factories. Furthermore, the museum has a segment with an ethnic exhibition with old crafts, as well as a larger collection of old radios and cameras.

The Popov’s family house is next door to the Žeravica Museum. This is a childhood home of Duško Popov, a man whom Ian Fleming based his famous character on – the well-known secret agent 007. Duško Popov was born in Titel in 1912, by coincidence, while his origins are from Karlovo, i.e. today's Novo Miloševo. As we fight the wind on the way back to Novi Bečej, I am contemplating how Novo Miloševo could become the Karlovy Vary of Vojvodina. The village has so many attractions and so much potential that it could make a living from tourism and employ the locals from the surrounding villages and towns.

If the Karácsonyi castle does get renovated and transformed into a spa hotel, if a James Bond theme park was created, with the Žeravica Museum, the Kotarka Museum and the village churches, Novo Miloševo could set an example of how the glorious past is put in the function of a happier future.

Karácsonyi castle

Impressive collection: Žeravica Museum

Duško Popov's childhood home: big tourist potential

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CULTURE NEWS

05

NOV

GABRIEL FELTZ TIJANA MILOŠEVIĆ, VIOLIN Belgrade Philharmonic Hall, 20h

KOLARAC

Programme November

J. Sibelius: Valse triste, S. Barber: Adagio, A. Vivaldi: The Seasons.

12 NOV

13 NOV

CHAMBER CONCERT – PICCOLO & FRIENDS Belgrade Philharmonic Hall, 20h BEMUS FESTIVAL HANS GRAF Kolarac Hall, 20h

W. A. Mozart: Le nozze de Figaro, overture, W. A. Mozart: Symphony KV 201, W. A. Mozart: Symphony KV 504 Prague.

19 NOV

CHAMBER CONCERT – OPERA ARRANGEMENTS FOR WIND ENSEMBLE AND DOUBLE BASS Belgrade Philharmonic Hall, 20h

W. A. Mozart: The Magic Flute, F. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

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NOV

CHAMBER CONCERT Belgrade Philharmonic Hall, 20h

L. van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, Eroica, arrangement for chamber ensemble

The Second Week of BEMUS Festival

Thursday, 5th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS

Dénes Várjon, piano, Hungary Programme: Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, Bartók Production: CEBEF & Piano Land

Friday, 6th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS

DELAYED - RTS BIG BAND Peter Reiter, piano, arranger, band leader Francesco Santucci, saxophone Samuel Blaser, trombone Martin Auer, trumpet Programme: Giacomo Puccini

Saturday, 7th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS Soyoung Yoon, violin Mario Haring, piano Programme: A. Dvořák, L. van Beethoven, B. Bartók

Sunday, 8th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE'S PROM CONCERTS The World remains on the young people, Andjela Josifoski, Anja Ovaskainen, Katarina Vailjević, violins, Smilja Josifoski, Vuk Ovaskainen, cellos, Uki Ovaskainen, piano Programme: E. Bloch, L. A. Beethoven, A.S. Vujić, G.F. Handel

The 52nd Belgrade Music Festival – BEMUS has proven that, despite the pandemic, it is possible to organize concerts of international music stars in a safe and respectful manner. The second week of the festival presents well known names and firm favourites of the Belgrade music audience, at the Kolarac Hall. November 10 marks an encounter with the flute virtuoso Irena Grafenauer and the Zagreb Soloists with the violinist Sreten Krstić.

The next day, Vienna-based pianist Jasminka Stančul performs with the RTS Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Bojan Suđić. The festival closes with the performance of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra with the conductor Hans Graf on November 13.

Synday, 8th at 20.00 Concert Hall BROTHERS TEOFILOVIC Serbian folk & secular music

Monday, 9th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS NOMUS QUINTET

Rita Kinka, piano Sanja Romić, oboa Nikola Ćirić, horn Nemanja Mihailović, bassoon Programme: Mozart, Beethoven

Wednesday, 10th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS ZAGREB SOLOISTS

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Artistic Leader Sreten Krstić, violin Irena Grafenauer, flute Programme: Frano Parać, Mozart, Barber, Boccherini

Wednesday, 11th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS RTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conductor: Bojan Sudjić Jasminka Stančul, piano

Thursday, 12th at 18.00 Concert Hall BEMUS/ OPERA GALA NIGHT

Serbian National Theatre`s Orchestra, Novi Sad José Cura, tenor & conductor Constantine Orbelian, conductor Marija Jelić, soprano Mikael Babajanyan, bariton

Friday, 13th at 20.00 Concert Hall BEMUS BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conductor: Hans Graf Programme: Mozart

Sunday, 15th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE'S PROM CONCERTS Viktor Radić, piano

Thursday, 19th at 20.00 Concert Hall CHAMBER ORCHESTRA MUZIKON Production: Level up

Sunday, 22nd at 11.00 Concert Hall

142 ANNIVERSARY OF KOLARAC FOUNDATION Ceremony and Annual Awards The best young artist in 2019, in collaboration with UMUS Jovana Stošić, violin

Sunday, 29th at 11.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE'S PROM CONCERTS

Student`s Concert/ Faculty of Music

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