Diplomacy and Commerce 28

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June 2018 | ISSUE No. 28 | Price 350 RSD

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THE GOOD NEWS IS FOR EVERYONE

His Eminence The Most Reverend and Right Honourable

JUSTIN WELBY

Archbishop of Canterbury

01 NEW ITALIAN

PRODUCING QUALITY AND ORIGINAL CONTENT

JUN

AMBASSADOR @ NATIONAL DAY OF ITALY

BETTER SERBIA FOR ALL OF ITS CITIZENS URSULA LÄUBLI

Director, Swiss Cooperation Office, Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland

JASMINA KOPRIVICA

Head of Digital Department at Antenna Group

ABOUT “IDOLS” PHENOMENA IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC

EVER-GROWING RELATIONSHIP H.E. DAE JONG YOO

Ambassador of The Republic Of Korea

Netherlands The

Italy

IN FOCUS

SRĐAN ŠAPER

One of the founders and members of the band VIS “Idols”

H.E. CARLO LO CASCIO

Italian Ambassador to Serbia

H.E. HENK VAN DEN DOOL Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

ED ITO RI AL

CO N T E N T S

PC is the Dirtiest Word Dear readers, Recently, there was a lot of commotion on the social media when a white (Caucasian, European American, whatever you deem appropriate to call her) girl dressed in a traditional Chinese costume for her prom night. Countless Chinese Americans reacted along the lines: “My culture is not your prom dress!” while the Chinese Chinese (those from China) reacted positively like “the Chinese culture is so great and it should be propagated!” The keyword was “cultural appropriation” - i.e. you supposedly should not “appropriate” the other cultures' features in your own expression, since it constitutes an “insult”. Oh, what a lot of rubbish! Without “cultural appropriation” (CA) (opposition to which is, by the way, a purely apartheid racist thought which implies we should “stick to our own kind”) there would be no culture at all. Without “appropriation” of the white country music into Black blues there would be no rock'n'roll as invented by Robert Johnson (the one who sold his soul to the Devil), without “CA” there would be no Elvis, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones and pop and rock music in America and England. Can you honestly tell me that I should not make goulash, fisch-paprikas or play tambouritza in Pannonia because I am a Croat/ Serb/Romanian and not Hungarian? We cannot eat burek since it is a cultural appropriation from the Turks? We cannot play reggae or ska since we appropriated it from Jamaica? Yannis Varoufakis cleverly stated that, in the era of social media, we diminish our freedom first by creating “a network version of ourselves”, politically correct, with maximum “likes” and minimum backlash (like the dress backlash), and then, in our real life, we adopt this constructed fake social media image just to be PC-friendly. It seems that PC and CA are the dirtiest words nowadays!.

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URSULA LÄUBLI

Economy & Education

BETTER SERBIA FOR ALL OF ITS CITIZENS Director, Swiss Cooperation Office, Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland

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THE WESTERN QUESTION Politics

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EVER-GROWING RELATIONSHIP H.E. DAE JONG YOO

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

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THE GOOD NEWS IS FOR EVERYONE

ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Editor-in-Chief

His Eminence The Most Reverend and Right Honourable

JUSTIN WELBY

Archbishop of Canterbury

20 www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Editor in Chief

zikica.milosevic@color.rs

TANJA BANKOVIĆ

Editorial manager

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD Art director

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PR&Event support Nord Communications

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His Holiness

MOR IGNATIUS APHREM II

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of Universal Syriac Ortodox Church

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ABOUT “IDOLS” PHENOMENA IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC SRDJAN ŠAPER

One of the founders and members of the band VIS “Idols”

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PRODUCING QUALITY AND ORIGINAL CONTENT JASMINA KOPRIVICA

Head of Digital Department at Antenna Group

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VERY SPECIAL PHYSICAL THERAPY MILAN ILIĆ

Physiotherapist and owner of the Fizio Vračar rehabilitation clinic

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CHILD-CENTERED CSR IMPROVEMENTS Third UNICEF research

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YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, BUT YOU ARE NOT OF THE WORLD

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S A DR’ S S U CCE S S

A Cleric Who Once Tormented America Seems to Have Won Iraq’s Election But the Shia firebrand may not be able to form a government

MUQTADA AL-SADR is a master at tapping Iraqi discontent. The firebrand Shia cleric directed his supporters to attack the American troops who invaded Iraq in 2003. More recently he has led campaigns against corruption and foreign influence. His supporters ransacked government offices in 2016. And in the election on May 12th they gave his nationalist bloc, Sairoun (“Marching to Reform”), the most seats in parliament. Unofficial results put it unexpectedly ahead, with 55 seats.

The bloc led by Iraq’s mild-mannered prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, came second, with 51. A coalition led by Hadi al-Amari, the gruff commander of the Iranian-backed Badr Brigades, came third, with 50. The surprising result signals growing discontent with Iraq’s sectarian old guard. But it is unlikely to sweep it away.

It may yet take months to determine who has actually won the election. Claims of irregularities need resolving before results are final.

Parliament then has to elect a president, who must ask the largest bloc to form a government.

Then the real jostling for posts begins.

Mr Sadr, who cannot become prime minister because he did not run himself, is in a strong position to be kingmaker. Although his most ardent supporters are Shias in the shantytowns of Baghdad and Basra, he won by broadening his appeal. He joined up with communist and secular parties, wooed Sunnis

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by praying in their mosques and published a plan for reconciliation between Islam’s sects.

Last year he went to Saudi Arabia to meet Muhammad bin Salman, the Sunni kingdom’s powerful crown prince.

His bloc would need to form an inclusive coalition if it is to govern. In a post-election tweet, Mr Sadr named Kurdish, Sunni and Shia parties as potential allies. But he left two staunchly Shia parties with strong ties to Iran off his list: the Badr Brigades, which represents a coalition of Shia militias, and Dawa, a Shia Islamist party led by Nuri al-Maliki, a former prime minister.

They could yet spoil his chances.

MR SADR, WHO CANNOT BECOME PRIME MINISTER BECAUSE HE DID NOT RUN HIMSELF, IS IN A STRONG POSITION TO BE KINGMAKER Mr Amari may have failed to do as well in Iraq as his Iranian-backed counterpart, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hizbullah, did in Lebanon’s recent election. But he still wields a lot of clout. His Badr forces dominate the interior ministry and fill the ranks of the federal police. He is close to senior Iranians, who have in the past worked behind the scenes to cobble together a government. And he has hedged his bets by

meeting regularly with the American ambassador in Iraq.

Mr Amari’s natural ally is Mr Maliki, whose “State of Law” faction inside Dawa fared poorly, winning 25 seats. But Mr Maliki has influence over Mr Abadi, another Dawa stalwart. There are differences. Mr Abadi does not share Mr Maliki’s Shia chauvinism and has canvassed Sunni and Kurdish votes. Remarkably for a Shia, Mr Abadi’s list won Mosul, the Sunni stronghold once controlled by Islamic State (IS).

All this means that Mr Abadi may emerge as a swing player. By joining Messrs Amari and Maliki, he could restore the dominance of the fractured Shia house. However, if he teamed up with Mr Sadr’s Sairoun, he could put the country on a path towards less sectarian politics.

Both camps suggest they may back Mr Abadi’s bid for a second term.

In contrast to previous ballots, the election passed off without serious violence. For the first time since Iraq’s transition to parliamentary democracy in 2005, Sunnis voted in large numbers for Shias. Party leaders of all hues curbed their sectarian barbs. But Iraqis are disenchanted.

Only 44% voted, down from 62% in 2014. Their patience will be tested if their votes only perpetuate dysfunctional, corrupt rule.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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I NTERVIEW

Better Serbia for All of its Citizens

We must all envision a more inclusive world and a more inclusive Serbia for the benefit of all. Therefore, through the Swiss Cooperation Strategy Serbia 2018-2021, we particularly support the efforts of the Serbian government to increase economic growth, reduce poverty, inequalities and exclusion URSULA LÄUBLI Director, Swiss Cooperation Office, Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland

Since its adoption in 2015 and even before, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has driven Switzerland’s commitment for sustainable development both at home and abroad, says Ursula Laeubli, Director, Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO), Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland. In the Swiss Cooperation Strategy for Serbia 2018-2021, which the SCO implements in Serbia, SDGs are taken up in all fields - governance, economic development and employment and sustainable energies.

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“Switzerland has been highly engaged in the process of drafting the 2030 Agenda due its long lasting commitment for inclusive economic development at local and national level, for an inclusive society and environmental issues”, explains our interlocutor.

As a starting point, Switzerland has conducted a baseline and a gap assessment for all SDG’s and elaborated its first Voluntary National Review. Both will be presented at the next High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. “One lesson learnt for allowing a sound

THE MAIN GOAL OF SWISS COOPERATION STRATEGY SERBIA 2018-2018 IS TO GIVE SUPPORT TO CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT TOWARDS EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Despite of the fact that all 17 SDGs are equally important, Switzerland recognized water, health, gender equality and peace as crucial, altogether with some crosscutting issues such as sustainable consumption and production and reducing disaster risks.

implementation of the Agenda is the need for more cross-sectoral exchange and networks at different government level and stronger cooperation with all relevant stakeholders - citizens, civil society, private sector and the scientific community”, notes Laubli.

How do you see Serbian results in the achievement of 2030 Agenda so far and what is the framework of Swiss bilateral support to Serbia within the context of SDG?

— Serbia actively participated in the global consultative process and drafting the UN 2030 Agenda. The SDGs are generally well covered within public policies in the Republic of Serbia through strategic documents of the Serbian Government as well as sectoral strategies.

In our cooperation with Serbia we consequently incorporate the SDG agenda; our constitution lays the basis for the Swiss dedication to a world without poverty and in peace for sustainable development.

In the Swiss Cooperation Strategy Serbia 2018-2021, the SDGs are immersed in all fields. Within the

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field of governance, targets of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) are covered. Support related to economic development and employment incorporate targets of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), while the third field of Swiss Support - sustainable energies covers SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 as well (sustainable cities and communities).

Social inclusion and gender equality are cross-cutting policies that Switzerland tries to incorporate in all projects supported in Serbia. Inclusion is also at the core of the 2030 Agenda and reflected in the pledge to leave no one behind.

European accession is the priority of Serbian Government. How this process matches UN 2030 Agenda and what is the position of Switzerland as a partner of Serbian Government between these two policy directions?

— The Interministerial Working Group of the Government of the Republic of Serbia has identified the complementarities between

the SDG and the EU accession.

However so far there is no single national development strategy that could serve for an integrated approach to the 2030 Agenda.

The main goal of Swiss Cooperation Strategy Serbia 2018-2018 is to give support to citizens and Government towards European integration. In the same time, we are trying to cover some areas of SDGs that membership in EU

is not related with, even though there are many SDG targets sub goals interconnected with the negotiating chapters.

The most important area is certainly socio-economic development, which has been left to each EU member to deal with. The other important detail is that European integration process is oriented towards the public administration as a key stakeholder, while the SDGs are

WE BELIEVE THAT THE 2030 AGENDA IN SERBIA COULD SERVE TO ENCOURAGE A PUBLIC DIALOGUE ON DEVELOPMENT AND PRIORITIZATION OF SDG’S IN SERBIA WITH REFERENCE TO THE EU NEGOTIATION CHAPTERS

a multisectoral and inclusive topic.

In this perspective what do you see as a necessity for successful fulfilment of 2030 Agenda in Serbia?

— We believe that the 2030 Agenda in Serbia could serve to encourage a public dialogue on development and prioritization of SDG’s in Serbia with reference to the EU negotiation chapters.

A widespread consultative process with all actors – citizens, CSOs, young people, academia and all others could give strong support to policy decision makers.

The Global UN Agenda is dedicated to life with dignity for all – which is the vision Switzerland is also oriented.

Therefore, the concept of SDG itself is inclusive and based on partnership, contribution, commitment, and consultations upon global issues at national and local level. The main assumption of United Nations is that each individual has a responsibility for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Switzerland follows this idea and we want to share it with Serbian citizens and Serbian Government.

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PO LI TI C S

Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

The Western Question How to win over the working class again?

eral minds turn from that to this right-wing rhetorics? It is easy to say that Morrissey is like “a weird uncle we all love but who always says something terrible from time to time”, to quote Moby. This is something deeper, that coincides with the shift in the political allegiance of working class.

BLAME IT ON THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

Before every huge disaster come hints and signs.

Before fascism came protofascism. In this increasingly intolerent world, we have only few bright spots to focus on.

And in the end, the bitter question is, what's wrong with our world that we were reduced to populism?

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A LEFTIST REBELLION

When we were young, we had heros that exemplified the freedom of thought. The Smiths dared exclaim “The Queen is Dead” and “Margaret on the Gillotine”. Eduard Limonov took the post-Socialist countries by storm in 1992 with his book “It's Me, Eddie” which got transleted and published after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Limonov was a naturalist, rebel, bisexual, despising both the Soviet environment of censorship and the American consumerist anti-high-culture establishment. Morrissey was a rebel with a cause, leftist and the champion of working class Britain, sexually ambivalent, blatant in his showing of emotions. And we had Brigitte Bardot, the champion of the French sexual liberation in the 1960s, our teenage wet dream. And that was it! We were rebels together with the other leftist rebels.

THE 1990S AND THE U-TURN

All of a sudden, a few years later, Morrissey's controversial

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album “defending” the National Front members came out, but nobody cared too much, since he defended all sorts of hooligans and underdogs all the time. Limov was seen as firing at Sarajevo together with the Bosnian Serb Army, and Bardot stepped out as a defender of animals but staunchly against immigration, especially

When Margaret Thatcher came to power, she championed the rich in her attempt to revive the rotten British economy from the 1970s under the Labour. At the same time, Jimmy Carter (universally acclaimed as the best American president around the world) got replaced by Ronald Reagan.

Thatcherism and Reaganism, as well as neoliberalism, took over.

But it was natural they would do so. The trouble came after that!

When Bill Clinton came to power

THE EX-LEFTISTS HAVE TURNED RIGHT AND THE EX-RIGHT WING IS TURNING LEFT. TO QUOTE BOWIE: “I'M AFRAID OF THE WORLD” from Maghreb. Morrissey also came out as bisexual, veg(etari)an, animal rights defender, but a clear hater of immigration, longing for Britain from the 1970s and the 1980s. Limonov further supported all the possible secessions and paramilitaries in the post-Soviet area and even got convicted for terrorism. Morrissey showed his support of „For Britain“ (the right wing anti-immigration party), opponent of Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, and so on. The world was baffled. Why and how did all of this happen? How the lib-

in 1993 and Tony Blair in 1997, everyone expected the reversal of the neoliberal agenda to the classical social democratic agenda, defending the empowerished working class. But they did little!

On the contrary, they cemented neoliberalism, together with Gerhard Schröder in Germany, calling it “the Third Way”. When the disenfranchised masses finally, after Gordon Brown and even Barack Obama (a mixed-raced US president), realised that the Labour and Democrats don't actually support them, but the liberal elites of Wall

Street and London City, they rebelled with populism. We can see the result of it – Trump and Brexit!

IT IS EASY TO MAKE SOCIAL CHANGES

The world today is politically overcorrect, respecting all the social changes, like introduciong the same-sex marriages, or immigration, but also defending “big money”. Even the laws regulating same-sex marriages are driven by government mercantilism - “pink pound”, “pink dollar”, “pink euro” and even “pink dinar” are strong enough that it is convenient to have LBGTQ money siding with the government and not the opposition. This is why the conservatives, like Tories, supported it. It is unfortunately all about money, even the women rights. They are rich enough now. Black lives matter? Well, they will matter when the liberal elites see them as rich enough and worth defending and even incorporating.

Until then, well, too bad! And the rebellions keep piling up with some strange alliances being formed. At the same timem, you can e rebel against immigration and champion sexual freedoms (Morrissey and Bardot) or vice versa, or whatever combination you deem appropriate. The ex-leftists have turned right and the ex-right wing is turning left.

Mira Furlan said recently that the today's young Americans are far more conservative than her grandmother in the 1940s. How, on earth, did the West come to this? The most powerful are the most responsible. Could life ever be same again? To quote Bowie: “I'm afraid of the world.”

IS ISLAMIC EXTREMISM A NEW PUNK? Islamic extremism is yet another rebellion against the West, just like a child who believed their parents and the parents (West) betrayed them. The world is full of angry people – some are angry because of their poverty, some because of the immigrants, some are for or against sexual minorities.

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NATIONAL DAYS

ARRI VALS & D EPAR T UR E S

in June & July

SONJA SARKÖZI

zi at the helm of Sberbank Europe, we will continue to further develop our European business”, comments Siegfried Wolf, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sberbank Europe.

At Sberbank Europe, Sonja Sarközi has started with the implementation of a group-wide retail strategy with a focus on retail lending products and digital banking services. Before joining Sberbank Europe in August 2017, Sonja Sarközi had been successfully leading easybank AG as CEO. As of 1 July 2018, the Management Board of Sberbank Europe will consist of the following members: Sonja Sarközi (CEO, Chief Retail Banking Officer), Arndt Röchling (Chief Financial Officer), Stefan Zapotocky (Chief Corporate and Investment Banking Officer), Alexander Witte (Chief Risk Officer), Aleksei Mikhailov (Chief Technology Officer).

The Supervisory Board of Sberbank Europe has appointed Sonja Sarközi, currently Chief Retail Banking Officer, as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sberbank Europe. She will succeed Gerhard Randa as of 1 July 2018.

Gerhard Randa, who has significantly contributed to the restructuring and positioning of Sberbank Europe in the past two years as CEO and formerly as Supervisory Board Member of Sberbank Europe, will retire by end of June 2018, with the expiration of his two-year contract. Sberbank Europe had a solid start into the year. All subsidiaries report a profit, contributing to the overall Sberbank Europe Group net profit of EUR 15.9 million as of Q1 2018. “I would like to thank Gerhard Randa for his strong contribution to the overall success of Sberbank Europe and its subsidiaries in the past two years. With Sonja Sarkö-

CEO of Sberbank Europe Group

JUNE

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RUSSIA Russia Day

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ICELAND Republic Day

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MALTA

ational Day N (St John the Baptist)

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CROATIA

Statehood Day

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SLOVENIA Statehood Day

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ANDREAS BRANDSTÄTTER

UKRAINE

Constitution Day

CEO UNIQA Group, New Chairman of Insurance Europe

Andreas Brandstätter, CEO of the UNIQA Group, was elected President of Insurance Europe, the Central European Insurance and Reinsurance Association at the General Assembly of this body in Madrid. Brandstätter, entrusted with the three-year mandate, pointed out that under-represented pension and insurance against natural disasters would lead to the inability of national governments to provide funds for pensions and compensation for damages.

Another key challenge for insurers and governments in Europe will be protection from cyber risks. "Due to accelerated demographic growth and life expectancy, it is expected

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that the deficit for the payment of pensions in state ticket offices around the world will soon amount to an incredible 59 trillion euros. On the other hand, due to non-insurance from natural disasters, only one third of the 280 billion euros in damages caused by these natural disasters was paid last year. Therefore, insufficiently represented insurance in these segments is a huge risk to local economies and a huge burden on our children and grandchildren" Brandstätter said, adding that one of the most important issues during his mandate will be global consumer protection and security of insured data, as the priority of the digital era.

VATICAN National Day

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THE CONGO

Independence Day

JULY

01

CANADA Canada Day

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BELARUS

Independence Day

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TIJANA TADIĆ

UNITED STATES

New HR manager of Pepsico for the Western Balkans

Tijana Tadić is a new member of the PepsiCo team, positioned as a human resources manager for the Western Balkans region, which includes business in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this position, Tijana will provide a futuristic support to the daily operations of the local business of Marbo Product, which has been operating as a part of global PepsiCo for ten years. Its task will be to ensure the implementation of standards and company goals in accordance with its expertise and experience. Tijana Tadić is an HR professional with more than

Independence Day

15 years of experience in various managerial positions in the field of human resources. She began her career at British American Tobacco, and continued in the companies Knjaz Miloš and Danube Foods Group as HR Director.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, she worked as a human resources manager at Karanovic & Nikolic's law office. Tijana Tadic graduated in Communication from the Faculty of Media and Communication, and she received her master's degree in business administration at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences at the University of Belgrade.

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ALGERIA

Independence Day

05

VENEZUELA

Independence Day

09

ARGENTINA

Independence Day

13

MONTENEGRO Independence Day

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FRANCE Bastille Day

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PO LI TI C S

Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Consciously Dellusional Little peoples, what now?

The 2018 Sofia Summit was supposed to be Thessaloniki 2003 Vol. 2 but it turned out it sowed the seeds of pessimism instead of optimism that was overspilling 15 years ago. The key question is: little peoples and states from the Balkans (and further East, like Ukraine, Moldova or Georgia), what are we going to do now?

MACRON THE CONSOLIDATING MAN

It is worth reminding that the United Kingdom, the leaving member of the EU, was the main proponent of the Eastward expansion, even endorsing Turkey's membership, let alone the Western Balkans. But, as we said, the UK is is at the exit door, and the leading power Germany, is traditionally sceptical about spending money even for the existing members (Remember Schäuble's rigidity over Greek debt?), and the new members are even less likely to get some cash from the Germans. French President Macron said something East Europe never wanted to hear – that the “enlargement fatigue” is prevalent, and the EU will not admit any new members until it is fully consolidated. Nobody knows when is this going to happen, but it is significant that the EU budget projected for the period until 2027 did not take into account any enlargement costs, practically signalling that there will be no Serbia & Montenegro membership (two memberships, of course) in 2025, and that it will probably happen in 2030, which is 12 years from now.

THE DOUBLE FATIGUE

As much as the West is fatigued

with the enlargement, the Western Balkan states and East Europeans are fatigued with the constant and everlasting reforms that don't produce nothing spectacular anyway.

So you have the similar situation like with the unification of Germany, but much worse. The West thinks it gave too much already, and the East thinks it did not receive enough. Some people in Moldova are even plotting unification with Romania as a shortcut to the EU, even if it means (inevitably) losing Transnistria and Gagauzia.

Albanians in Albania and Kosovo sometimes put out the idea of their unification, without any EU shortcuts (Edi Rama occasionally says something to that end), and Serbian and Montenegrin presidents are bragging that their countries are the first in line (according to Djukanović, Montenegro is even “firster” than Serbia). In fact,

ICELAND HAS DECIDED TO STOP ITS EU ACCESSION PROCESS, SINCE IT ASSESSED IT IS BETTER OFF TO BE OUT. BUT WILL EAST EUROPE BE ALLOWED TO MAKE THE SAME CHOICE? strange narratives are being repeated. In Serbia, the government keeps saying that if „the Kosovo issue is resolved, it will result in an expedited accession to the EU”. In Montenegro, back in 2006 it was all about independence, so now that is obtained, it is hard to think up a new motivation for the people, even with the highly unpopular NATO membership, figuratively likened to “the fast motorway to the EU”. Ask Turkey about that, by the way, not Bulgaria. Macedonia is convincing us that “once its name

HOW SOON IS NOW? As the inevitable (anti)hero Morrissey said: “Tomorrow, will it really come? And if it does come, will I stille be human? When you say it's gonna happen NOW, what exactly do you mean? See, I've already waited too long, and all my hope has gone.” How soon is NOW, ladies and gentlemen? How soon is tomorrow?

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is established, it will be alright”, Kosovo will of course, bloom and flourish once it gets its worldwide recognition, Bosnia will flourish once they get “functional” (whatever that might mean, probably ousting Dodik or something to that end) and so on. Even if the GDP of the Westen Balkan countries and their population accounts for only

1 percent of total EU GDP and the population, the chaotic situation here is what scares the Westerners.

Media, law, privatisations, corruption, organised crime, all of it is a bad sign for all of us.

I DON'T WANT YOU BUT DON'T GO TO HER

It can all be likened to a boy approaching a girl. She expresses no interest of hooking up, but when the other girl speaks to this boy, the first girl gets jealous, starts a conversation with him while flirting.

But wait! All of this takes place until the second girl leaves. Then the first chosen girl leaves too. The EU was the first choice for East Europe, but the second and third choices are Russia, Turkey, China... The whole EU policy for the Eastern countries is “hold on, wait, it will happen, just a moment, don't go anywhere!”. They praise the local leaders while the “good boys” are explaining the “good direction” for their countries to the public. But it seems that the public is not buying it any longer. It seems that all these meetings are organized for the elite - the EU elite is praising and the WB is being praised - and nobody really thinks it is more than a charade. Just like in 1985, when the people in Yugoslavia or Eastern Bloc organized protests and parades with Yugoslav (or other) flags and Tito's (Lenin's...) words and iconography, but nobody believed in it any longer. I am not saying the EU is going to fall apart in few years, because it does seem much more resilient than that. But what to do now with the rest of the Europe? Iceland has decided to stop its EU accession process, since it assessed it is better off to be out.

But will East Europe be allowed to make the same choice? Look what happened to Ukraine! Now Ukraine and Georgia cannot even revert their westward journey, because of Crimea, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. They are stuck. The year 2030 might even be OK, but how to survive and prosper until then?

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I NTERVIEW

EverGrowing Relationship Given the similar geopolitical situation, peace and stability in the region have been ultimate goals for both Korean Peninsula and the Balkans throughout the history. Every day we are discovering what we can learn from each other and how we can cooperate in politics, economy and culture

H.E. DAE JONG YOO Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

Korea and Serbia are enjoying an ever-growing relationship in all areas ranging from political, economic, cultural cooperation to IT and education, says H.E. Dae Jong YOO, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea. Although the two countries are geographically distant they share some similar paths and may learn from each other a lot.

“Today many Korean businesses are discovering Serbia’s potentials and building new ties between our two societies”, adds our interlocutor.

But before exploring the mutual relations between our two countries we took the opportunity to speak with Mr. H.E. Dae Jong YOO about the recent developments on the Korean peninsula.

How do you assess the potential impact of the dialogue with the North Korea on security and economic prosperity of the region?

What lessons we may draw from the possible positive resolution of this long standing conflict and

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how they might apply to other conflict resolutions in general?

— Recently, we have witnessed dramatic turnaround in Korean Peninsula with a flurry of diplomatic events aimed at securing peace and prosperity in the region.

We had two Inter-Korean Summits within one month; Korea-U.S. Summit was held; North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China; and now we are waiting for North Korea-United States Summit.

In the past 65 years of division, anxiety and fear about our security not only affected the economy and diplomacy but also the daily lives of people in Korea. So the impact of Inter-Korean dialogues will not

ty of the whole nation. Once again to quote President Moon’s address, “It will be a whole new beginning.”

However, long standing conflict cannot be resolved within a day.

Nor can be resolved by one man’s efforts. To ensure that the dialogues between two Koreas bear fruits and to realize our ultimate goal of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, close cooperation with the international community is needed more than ever. That is why we are hoping for the success of North Korea-United States summit. Korean government will continue close conversations with all the stakeholders and I hope Serbia as well to be a continued supporter for our journey for peace.

How in that respect you observe the Western Balkans? What the EU accession process may add to the overall security and prosperity in the region?

KOREA HAS SHOWN A CONTINUED SUPPORT TO SERBIA’S EUROPEAN PATH ESPECIALLY IN AREAS SUCH AS E-GOVERNMENT IT, EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENT be limited to political theatre but it will widely spill over to economy and overall lives of Korean people.

The “Panmunjeom Declaration” itself not only contains the agreements on denuclearization and alleviations of military tensions but also mentions promoting balanced economic growth and co-prosperi-

— Given the similar geopolitical situation, peace and stability in the region have been ultimate goals for both Korean Peninsula and the Balkans throughout the history.

All Western Balkans countries are putting their efforts to join the European Union, a component of which deals with overcoming the

tensions of the late 20th century.

Together with regional peace and stability, accession to EU is prerequisite for the prosperity of the whole region. I believe that Serbia has been firmly on the road to EU accession since the signing of the SAA, and especially after it opened negotiations with the EU. So far, Serbia has opened 12 chapters in the negotiations with the EU, which speaks enough about the direction and commitment of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. In addition, the Government of the Republic of Serbia is actively advocating for regional integration and stability, because it is clear that without it there is no economic progress or new investments, and any instability can only distance Serbia, just like all other countries of the Western Balkans, from European integration.

How do you perceive the impact of the EU accession and the reform processes in Serbia on the further potentials of cooperation between South Korea and Serbia?

— Korea has shown a continued support to Serbia’s European path especially in areas where Korea has comparative strength and experiences. Korean government has been in close cooperation with Serbian government on the E-government project which can bring along multiple benefits such as better and more efficient public services, enhanced transparency and reduction of business costs.

There are much more potentials

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for further cooperation between the two countries in many sectors but to list a few, IT, education and environment will be most attractive sectors.

Also, Serbia’s accession to EU sends strong and clear signal to investors that Serbia is now a stable and safe place for investments and this has been recognized by South Korea. Therefore, more and more Korean companies are now expressing their interests for investments in Serbia. Yura Corporation, already among the largest employers in Serbia with over 6,000 workers, is now constructing the fifth factory in Leskovac. Also, Superior Essex, an affiliated company of the South Korean renowned LS Group, laid corner stone for the new factory in Zrenjanin worth 30.4 million EUR. This will act as an additional incentive and opportunity for the progress of Serbia by attracting new capital, transferring knowhow and high advanced technology and hiring primarily educated workforce.

tinue our active cooperation in IT and digitalization. In the fields of E-government, we have worked on various cooperation projects such as e-archive and e-HR systems and this coming July, Korean Minister for the Interior and Safety, leading a big delegation for cooperation in public administration, will visit Serbia. I am confident that this will be an excellent opportunity

Which new areas of economic cooperation have emerged during the recent conference devoted to the ecology?

— In May, a delegation composed of 18 members from Ministry of Environment, Korea Environment Industry Association and business sector visited Serbia to further strengthen cooperation in the field of ecology. As Korea also

HIGH QUALITY LABOR FORCE, STRONG SUPPORT AND INCENTIVES FROM THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT, ARE THE MAIN REASONS WHY THE KOREAN BUSINESSES ARE ATTRACTED TO SERBIA

mainly discussed as possible areas for cooperation.

How would you assess the interest of the South Korean business for Serbian in general? Which sector of the Serbian economy are the most attractive for investors?

— High quality labor force, strong support and incentives from the Serbian government, wide FTA network encompassing EU, Russia, Turkey as well as location at the hub for transportation are the main reasons why the Korean businesses are attracted to Serbia. It is true that Serbia was not very well known to Korean business people in the past,

In which area do you see the potential for deepening the bilateral relations between our two countries? What the two countries can do to promote further cooperation in IT and Science?

— In these days, Korea and Serbia are enjoying an ever-growing relationship in all areas ranging from political, economic, cultural cooperation to IT and education and so on. Among various fields, I believe IT and education are key areas for further deepening our bilateral cooperation. These two areas are not only where Korea has comparative strength and its own experience, but also correspond to Serbian government’s top two priorities.

To promote cooperation in IT and science, the two Governments opened Information Access Center (IAC) in the heart of Belgrade last December. IAC, a fully equipped and refurbished IT center, was built with the help of donation worth 250,000 EUR from Korea and now it has proven itself as the very hub for IT education for Serbian people. Based on this, we will con-

for both countries to explore and expand further our cooperation in such field.

Cooperation in the area of education is also growing significantly. Serbian Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development visited Korea last year and this year the President of Korea Education & Research Information Service (KERIS) visited Serbia. KERIS will carry out various projects that can contribute to digitalization of education system in Serbia including a consulting on e-learning system and establishment of state-of-the-art ICT classrooms.

shares the experience of suffering and overcoming the serious environmental problems in the process of economic development, the delegation proposed cooperation in establishing a master plan for environment protection, conducting feasibility study for environment projects, inviting Serbian experts to training programs. Korea and Serbia also agreed to kick off the cooperation by signing an MOU between the two Ministries. During one-onone business meetings, water and waste management system and emission reduction projects on coal-fired power plant have been

but with the production cost in V4 countries constantly increasing, they started to recognize the value of Serbia as a production base for reaching out to other EU countries.

CEOs of big and medium-sized Korean companies recently visited Belgrade, Zrenjanin, Pozarevac, and Smederevo to experience in person and evaluate investment opportunities in Serbia for production base in Europe. Furthermore, keeping in mind that Serbia is now in the process of EU accession, Korean business sectors are also highly interested in seeking for various potential opportunities for infrastructure development projects.

KOREAN PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN BALKAN REGION How much are South Korean tourists interested for Serbia and vice versa?

— The number of Korean people visiting Serbia and vice versa is modest compared to other European countries but we need to focus on the fact that the

figure is growing. Serbia is not yet a widely known tourist attraction for Korean people but it is also true that more and more Korean people are interested in Balkan region. Thus, I expect to see continuous increase in exchanges of people from two countries.

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C O RPO RATE

Samsung Electronics

Customer Care is the Most Important According to our research, consumers really appreciate communication after the sale and this is one of the ways to minimize the impact of the grey market on the industry

MILAN VUJOVIĆ Marketing Director for Adriatic Region at Samsung Electronics

Samsung is one of the most famous brands in the world. Following the trends in the world, but also the wishes and preferences of consumers, we succeed to bring users to devices that can fully respond to all the challenges of the modern era and their needs.

You retained a leading position as a brand in the Adriatic region in 2017. How satisfied are you with the results so far?

— The Samsung brand is always causing great attention to consumers, our loyal users, but also those potential ones. The previous year was marked by the flegship Galaxy models. The new premium S-Series models were, and are still hit in 2018. These devices significantly change the way we communicate, share information and experience the world around us, at a time when users increasingly communicate through photos, videos and emoticon.

Also, for 13 years, Samsung is the world's leading manufacturer of TVs. We presented the new line of Samsung QLED TV in March this year at a great event in New York, bringing a whole new viewing experience. I am still fascinated by the fact that we have created such televisions, made real works of art in terms of design, image quality and the availability of smart features.

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What else can we expect from Samsung? What new devices and projects are being prepared by the end of 2018?

— For us, the year is just beginning. We expect more new devices and good projects in the months ahead. People follow technological trends, and we expect devices that suit their needs in everyday life, sensibility, and payment power.

We try to always be a step ahead, to think through research and development what is needed, implement, and offer to the market.

We expect an interesting premiere in our market, and A and J series devices for phones, which have great screens, good cameras, excellent battery autonomy. Also, in the coming period, our focus will be QLED series of televisions, but also new home appliances.

How much do you take on socially responsible business?

renovated and equipped with new devices, while deaf and hard of hearing people will be able to communicate directly using translation services for sign language and Samsung services, if they have any help or information it would be necessary. Such projects, as well as the ability to work on them, may be the most beautiful part of my work in the company.

How do you see the impact of the grey economy on the Samsung-based industry in Serbia?

— The grey economy is a topic that is important and a big challenge, not only for the industry in which we operate, but for the entire economy of each state. The grey market poses great problems for brand owners, their authorized distributors and consumers.

As a leader in the technology industry, the trust that consumers give us is really important to us.

WE PLAN TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PRACTICE BECAUSE IT IS OUR OBLIGATION THAT WE, DUE TO LOYAL USERS, DO NOT GIVE UP IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE GREY ECONOMY — Samsung's focus is on the community. Numerous projects in the fields of education, employment, health care, we are trying to help those who need it. I am proud of the project "Be Like Tesla", organized in cooperation with the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, as well as equipping schools and faculties with digital classrooms throughout the region.

Also, the premises of the Belgrade City Deaf Center, including the video relay center, have been

For this reason, one of our priorities is to educate our consumers and raise awareness about the importance of buying legal products, and to point out to them the potential problems that arise when purchasing a device without a warranty card.

Last year, for these reasons, we supported the campaign of the National Consumer Organization of Serbia "Beware of the cats in a jacket - buy it legally." What really excites me is the fact that the post-

sales support we are giving them to the consumers is important. This includes repairs in the warranty period, the provision of spare parts for devices and software accessories provided for our market.

How to solve the grey economy problem in this industry?

— The high level of tolerance that citizens have for the goods purchased in the grey market is somewhat understandable, given the lower prices of the device. We try to educate consumers through continuous campaigns and informative campaigns, pointing to the fact that the legally purchased product is in fact a product with a warranty card, which guarantees the safety and quality of the product to the customer, as well as servicing at an authorized service center. Certified engineers are employed in authorized services, whose quality of work is controlled by the manufacturer, so that operational errors are minimized.

The actions that give consumers some benefits when they buy our devices are a great tool in the fight against the grey economy. Recently, we had an action for the Galaxy S9 and S9 +, which showed great results, where by purchasing these devices with our official partners, every customer got the opportunity to additionally insure the device in case of screen damage, wireless charger, car phone holder and car charger. At the same time, we have a five-year warranty on all UHD, Premium UHD and QLED televisions, while for all QLED televisions purchased until June 30 we get a ten year warranty without a Burn-in effect.

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INTERVIEW

Text: ADRIAN KRANJČEVIĆ

ciety. The essential principle is that there are three particular principles: Around community and what binds us together, around courage and what drives us forward with aspiration and around resilience and what keeps us going when there are problems. The book asks fundamental questions about the kind of society we want to be in 10 to 20 years’ time. These are everyday questions that matter to ordinary people across our parishes in the Church of England – on educa-

Christ to inspire you to do so and make any sacrifice that is called that will improve the common goal, because in doing so we will build a new World. I refer myself to the wonderful sermon of Bishop Michael Curry at The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St. George's Chapel in Windsor, a couple weeks ago, actually fifteen days ago. There was an extraordinary sermon, unlike any other sermons I heard at The Royal event. He spoke about the power of

THE VALUES WE FIND IN OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE – COMPASSION, GENEROSITY, SOLIDARITY – OFFER A SOURCE OF HOPE AND WISDOM FOR BRITAIN IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The Good News is for Everyone The only people who are entitled to kick the ball are those who are on the pitch His Eminence The Most Reverend and Right Honourable

JUSTIN WELBY Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gives blessings to the Sovereign of the UK and this makes him astoundingly important. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2013 and has worked extensively in the field of reconciliation. Archbishop has three main priorities for his ministry – Evangelism and Witness; Prayer and the Renewal of Religious life; and Reconciliation. His book “Reimagining Britain- Foundations of Hope”, a kind of Christian perspective manifesto on the

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future life of Great Britain and its people, was published in March and in June he was a keynote speaker at the Novi Sad Conference too.

You have written a book „Reimagining Britain – Foundations for Hope“. What sort of concepts and principles are proposed in the book and what is „Re“ in the image of Britain according to Your point of view?

— In writing „Reimagining Britain – Foundations of Hope“ I've tried to make a personal contribution to the challenge I believe lies before us: reimagining our future at the critical time in the life of our country. It's my belief that the values we find in our Christian heritage – compassion, generosity, solidarity, to name a few – offer a source of hope and wisdom for Britain in the 21st century, even if we rightly embrace who we are becoming as a multi-faith and multi-cultural so-

tion, health, housing, the family, the economy, the world around us, the environment and more.

It’s about how we might identify and develop the values to help us reimagine a more hopeful future – drawing on the Bible, Britain’s history and its Christian tradition.

It’s not a complete list, and it certainly doesn’t try to set out any kind of political programme.

Instead it’s a contribution – from a distinctly Christian perspective – to the widespread, urgent and exciting debates happening all around us.

What is Your oppinion about Brexit than?

— We voted it in the UK. We voted it, not in huge majority, but clearly to leave EU. It is an encouragement that the vote has carried out. That is already an encouragement, that speaks to, I think all the generations... First, get involved... To use the phrase that maybe will be used a lot in next few weeks, the only people who are entitled to kick the ball are those who are on the pitch.

If you are not voting, you don't count. Second, unity with other human beings is the call of God in Jesus Christ. It is not set by politicians and treaties. It is far more profound than that. Find what we do to serve the needs of our World and look to the love of God in

love and quoted Dr Martin Luther King in speaking of the power of love to take an old world and make it new. That is an inspiration we have to follow.

Jesus Christ has said: „Querite et Invenietis“ or „Seek and find“.

Do we seek for God today and do we find Him in our neighbour and does God seek us even if we do not seek for Him today?

— There's a wonderful story in St. Luke's Gospel called „The story of a good Shepherd”which tells us that the nature of God is to go and seek for the lost. It is our call as human beings to turn to Him and let Him find us and then live in obedience to Him through Jesus Christ and in doing that we find our true purpose as human beings, we find love for one another and our eternal home and hope as human beings. We like the Angels proclaim good news and, like the Shepherds, we receive good news. The good news is for all people, whatever their situation is in life. It is good news for politicians and leaders but is also good news for the refugees and displaced persons who continue to flee from danger and seek safety and sanctuary. As receivers of the good news we are called to pass on the good news and to make real the promise of that good news to those in need.

THE QUEEN AND FAITH What is Your opinion about Her Royal Highness's dedication to faith? Considering Your position, I suppose that you have the opportunity to speak with Her about the faith?

— Her Majesty has shown the most extraordinary demonstration of a profound Christian faith over more than sixty six years as Queen and she speaks of it particularly clearly and with grace and eloquence each year in Her Christmas broadcast.

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I NTERVIEW

Text: ADRIAN KRANJČEVIĆ

You are in the World, But You are Not of the World

One of the most honourable guests and key speakers of the General Assembly of Conference of European churches His Holines Mor Ignatius Aphrem II spoke at the Master Centar and Hotel Park in Novi Sad. The event was organised and held from 31st of May to 6th June, His Holines was invited to attend this representative religious gathering to witness and speak about recent persecutions and attacks on Christians in Syria and Iraq

His Holiness

MOR IGNATIUS APHREM II Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Supreme Head of Universal Syriac Ortodox Church

His Holiness is the person containing all the answers to the truth behind the terrible events which overhit the Middle East. Throhgout his numerous travels he meets with church leaders, presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and other representatives in trying to discuss the current situation in his country. Unfortunately, only two years earlier His Holiness was also victim of an

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assessination attempt by a terrorist suicide bomber, blowing himself up in short ditance of the Patriarch. It took place on the occasion of the Memorial of the Armenian Christians, that where killed by Ottoman Turks during First World War. Fortunately, the

Your Holiness, I can not help but notice your radiant personality.

Does this state of being affect the comfortably on your people in Syria? What do they tell you when you talk to them, especially children?

— We have responsibility and

PERSECUTION AND OTHER DIFFICULTIES ARE PART OF THE CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIVING. MANY PEOPLE INSULT YOU AND YOU INSULT THEM BACK, AN EYE FOR EYE, AN TOOTH FOR TOOTH... THIS IS NOT THE WAY OF JESUS CHRIST State security of Syria and personal guards of His Holiness saved His life, but unfortunatly three personal guards where killed during the attack.

people expect us to serve and lead them in this difficult time, to give them hope. Often we are hurt inside, crying or in pain, but when we meet people we have to give them

the impression that there is still goodness in the World and that God will never leave Himself without witness. We have to be able to tell the children that they would have a future and would be able to grow up and live life as normal as possible, and to prepare them for their adulthood in the right way. The other thing is that when I am with people, especially kids I get positive energy and hope which makes me feel closer to them. I believe in the innocence of these children, and youngsters who are trying to live a better life . I believe that God will find ways for these people.

Christians all over the World are going through many challenges today, especially in the Middle East. Do you see this as a sacri-

fice or blessing?

— It is both actually. Persecution and other difficulties are part of the Christian way of living. Christ did not promise us joy and comfort in the World, rather, he promised us turbulations and persecutions. He said: „You will be persecuted for My name“. So it is very natural that Christianity is always the subject and the object of persecution and difficulties. A Christian should not expect otherwise. Not because we are bad people as Christians, but beacuse of our way of thinking and living is different then of the World and this is what the Lord talks about when He said: „You are in the World, but you are not of the World“. His ways are different and we as Christians have made the commitment to live faithfully to Gospel and to our faith. That means that we will be in clash with many people who do not agree with this principle or this way of living. Many people insult you and you insult them back, an eye for eye, an tooth for tooth... This is not the way of Jesus Christ. We see nowdays that the amount of problems facing Christians troughout the World can not be compared with what the church has done through back at the beginning.

The number of people who are persecuted or martyred is such a high number that probably is even higher than apostolic phase. That is reality we live in beacuse there is religious and ethnic extremism on the rise throughout the World and we are being persecuted beacuse those who are persecuting us do not see us as fellow humans. They think of us first as Christians, the non believer who is not comforted to their faith.

I am a human being before I am a Christian, a bishop, a clergy or a lay person. That is the problem that they do not see us in that way, but we as a Christians see everybody as brother and sister, as our neighbor.

Jesus said: „Love your enemies...“ (Matthew 5,44; Luke 6,35) Can we fulfill this today when witnessing the terrorist attacks, suicide bombings and other terrible events?

— Jesus's theachings are not human theachings, they are divine.

Yes! It is possible and it has been done throughout our Christian church where we always loved our enemies. Yes, it is not easy to do that. Yes, they hurt us..., but... we have to forgive. That is the basis of Christianity, the basis of our Lord Who came in flesh and became human being like us in everything exept in sin, in order to forgive us

and to give us back that dignitiy of being a children of God. If we are serious Cristians we have to do that, even if we fail in doing it, we have to try to do it again and God will help us.

There are many number of religious monuments that are ruined or gravely damaged in the Middle East. Is it possible to restore them and who can help and how?

— It is not easy to restore them. We

here in the West. We want diplomats and polititcans to try to see what is happening and they would come up with the ideas how to help us to spread the truth, but also those who are able to help us rebuild our lives, wheter we are talking about a personal life, or a community life, which includes also the rebuilding of churches, monasteries, schools and sponsoring projects that will help people to find their job and take care of ther families. This is all

WE DO NOT BELEVE THAT MEDIA IS DOING A GOOD JOB IN TELLING THE PEOPLE WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE AND WE DO NOT BELEVE THAT SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS WELL KNOWN HERE IN THE WEST are doing our best in that matter, but for me it is more important now to restore the lives of people. To help people to regain their humanity and there lives. We will rebuilt our monuments, but so far we do not know who will help us with that. No one has offered, but they will be rebuilded beacuse where is faith there is possibility to do everything. We do not beleve that media is doing a good job in telling the people what is happening there and we do not beleve that situation in the Middle East is well known

very welcome and we as Churches of the entire East can cooperate with this organisations, beacuse the reality is that many churches and organisations are helping the refugees, but outside of Syria and Iraq, very few are working inside these countries. Therefore churches have many difficulties in solving the demands of the people and to respond to their crisis. We as Churches are here for hundreds of years. I think we can provide good partnership with this people and organisations to try to help the situation there.

Syrian Ortodox Church is known for its dedication to ecumenical activities all over the world.

What is in your opinion the current state of that matter and what has to be done in the future?

— We are present in most of the World and for the last hundred and fifty years we are spread troughout, especially after the Saiffo-slaughter of Christians by the Ottoman Turks of 1915.

In Deir ez-Zor, the largest city in East Syria. So our people spread throughout the World and we have churches that are established in beginning of the XX century in USA, Europe and India. Being in all these countries gives us the opportunity and obligation to have relationship within the neibouring and our local churches. We continue to be very active now and Syrian Ortodox Parish is opend also in Latin and Central America. So we have new opportunities, first of all to share our faith with the locals and to show them what we beleve in and how we practise our faith that is very important and second to learn from those around us and to try to adopt certain things that will help us remain as a community faithfull to our Lord and to our traditions and values.

RELATIONS WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH How can you describe your personal relationship with „Santa Sede“ His Holiness Pope Francis I and what is his attitude toward the church leaders in the Middle East?

— First of all I have great admiration to His Holiness Pope Francis and I see Him as the man of the people who is in touch with the reality and who is trying to make the church accesible, especially to the young and those who are marginalised. I find sometimes that my mind is very simmilar to His and also some of the activities that I do I later discovered that He is doing it also. He is a great man and I love Him and I can say that He is a good friend, also. We have met in several occasions and we will meet next month and I thank God for His ministry and His presence in this time in the life of the Christians and Christian church all over the World.

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EC O NO MY & ED U C AT I O N

WTO Conquering Belgrade Students assemble the first ever WTO simulation in the region HOW DOES IT WORK?

Students of the University of Belgrade (UB) decided to bring a few changes to their surrounding. By spreading their knowledge and interest in the subject, the students organized the first ever in the region and second on the planet “World Trade Organization” simulation, in their home town, Belgrade.

Behind every successfully executed idea there is a group of ambitious people with the same vision. The organizing team of “Model WTO Belgrade” consists of 12 members of the biggest and most proactive student organization based at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Economics, named “Grupa za SPEKOF” as well as members of partner organizations (BEUM, OFA..). The aim of their projects is to build young, and capable future leaders. Everything started with an idea that came to one of the organizers Ms. Ksenija Ivanović who contacted the team from the first ever simulation of the World Trade Organization, which is organized annually in Switzerland. This event has been taking place since 1997 and from its first edition in Serbia in 2018 it set its new roots in Belgrade, as a second simulation ever.

Ms Ivanovic then contacted people from many different international conferences and simulations such as Model United Nations, Belgrade Security Forum, Business forum etc.

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The Model WTO Belgrade 2018 edition took place at the Chamber of Commerce and Faculty of Economics in May. In this edition participants had a chance to discuss and negotiate the creation and development of new or existing regulations, to adapt current inter-

Students represent 10 nations in groups of three delegates. Each of them takes part in a committee focused on a specific topic E-commerce, Development and Dispute Settlement. In total, three committees engage students to actively debate on trade related issues through various perspectives.

While delegates defended their national interests, two chairpersons in every committee guide them towards an agreement by specifically set rules of procedure which are used at the WTO itself.

Students from Belgrade had a chance to have their committees chaired by key chairpersons who have received specific training during a year by a WTO counsellor at the University of St. Gallen prior to

THE CONFERENCE IS CONSTRUCTED AS A SIMULATION OF WTO’S WORK WHERE STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT WTO national trade rules to SME needs where necessary. The conference is constructed as a simulation of WTO’s work where students have the opportunity to get to know everything about WTO and its rules of procedure, they are able to work on their diplomatic skills and learn through practical knowledge of what it looks like to be a delegate/an ambassador to the World Trade Organization.

the negotiations. Co–chairs were students from UB who gathered knowledge from St. Gallen chairs and they will use that knowledge so they can be the key chairs to the Model WTO Belgrade 2019 edition.

Special guests were experts in this field from the IDEAS Centre Mr Josip Pervan who participated in completion of Croatian WTO accession negotiations and Mr Nicolas Imboden, who was previously Senior

Vice President of SGS, a Swiss Government trade and aid official with the rank of an ambassador, Governor of the regional development banks (ADB, AFDB, IDB) and Executive Director at the EBRD. They contributed to the event on a high level by giving advice to the delegates and directing them during the negotiations. They said: “IDEAS Centre is proud sponsor of the Model WTO Conference held in Belgrade in early May 2018. We are currently implementing a project, financed by a Swiss Government, of assistance to Serbia in its WTO accession process.

We were impressed with the quality of the organization of the Conference: from logistics, to venues and the quality of materials produced prior to the Conference- everything was at a very high level. We also found that the students were well prepared and engaged during their simulation exercises, and were glad to contribute with our presentations to the positive outcome of this Conference.”

One of the main guests was Mrs. Olivera Jocić, deputy minister at the Ministry of Trade Tourism and Telecommunications, one of the partner institutions, who had a lot of impact for the event. Many other institutions supported this project, Embassy of Mexico in Serbia, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, IDEAS Center Geneva, Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade, Chamber of Commerce, ISAC fund, Model WTO Switzerland, BEUM, OFA etc.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT — Two of the best delegates from the Model WTO Belgrade Mr Dusan Brujić and Mr Miodrag Andrijević will be going free of charge to the next edition of Model WTO Switzerland while 3 delegates with the best policy paper will be getting the cash prize for their effort provided by ISAC Fund. The organizing team is more than welcome to announce that they will be organizing Model WTO Belgrade annually.

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H E L P IN G T H E P O O R

How Ethiopia is Building a Social Safety-Net If it succeeds, it could be a model for national welfare systems in poor countries

TSIDE ZEWIDE has lived in the shadow of the national palace in Addis Ababa for more than fifty years. Since her husband died four years ago the 73 year-old has cared for three orphans, the grandchildren of her late sister, alone in a rundown government-owned shack.

She has no pension, and, until recently, had no income. “I relied on the kindness of my neighbours,” she sighs.

Last year Mrs Zewide’s fortunes changed.

She and some 80 of her neighbours rise at dawn to sweep the streets of the Ethiopian capital for three hours a day. For this she is paid 1,200 Ethiopian birr ($44) a month, a fifth of which she must put away in savings. “It’s good for me psychologically,” says. “It keeps me busy, and now at least I can tell people I have a job.” Her teammates nod in agreement.

They are participants in Ethiopia’s Urban Productive Safety Net Project, which launched in 2017 and is among the largest social programmes in sub-Saharan Africa (outside South Africa) designed specifically for urban areas.

About 400,000 poor Ethiopians in 11 cities are already enrolled, and the government hopes it will eventually help 4.7m people in almost 1,000 towns. Beneficiaries are selected by a neighbourhood committee which chooses the poorest or most vulnerable. In addition to the paid work, they are also giving training. Those who want to start their own businesses are given grants.

Safety-nets in one form or another have proliferated across Africa in recent years. Spending on them in sub-Saharan Africa now amounts to about 1.5% of GDP (see chart). In Tanzania 10% of the population is covered by its safety-net (though at a cost of just 0.3% of GDP). Most schemes in Africa are focused on rural people and many are temporary, often implemented by donors in response to natural disasters or conflict. Few are designed to help households manage the private misfortunes—like illness or the death of a family member—that can tip them into destitution. And very few are designed to reduce the chronic unemployment that has taken root in many African cities.

Ethiopia’s programme is a step towards building a national social-security system that will, in time, replace a hotch-potch of small ones. It builds on Ethiopia’s flagship rural safety-net, which is the largest of its kind on the continent and covers some 10m poor people in the countryside. The government has

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committed $150m to fund the new scheme and the World Bank has stumped up the remaining $300m needed for the first five years. Ethiopia hopes that within 10 years it will not need help financing the programme.

For years the Ethiopian government had flinched at terms like “social protection”. But donors are hopeful that it now considers the safety-net a long-term policy rather than “than a sticking plaster that won’t be necessary once industrialisation takes off,” says Tom Lavers of Manchester University. But, he notes, antipathy towards Western-style welfarism remains strong.

THE BIGGEST DILEMMA LIES IN THE FACT THAT EVEN THE BROADEST SAFETY-NETS IN AFRICA ONLY COVER A SMALL PORTION OF THE POOR

The government flatly rejected the idea of nostrings cash handouts, which are popular among donors and development economists, partly because they are cheap to administer. “People can’t expect a free lunch,” says Belynshe Regassa, the head of Mrs Zewide’s local committee Ethiopia’s rural scheme, which helps about 10m people (in a population of about 102m), is widely regarded as a success. It has reduced rural poverty and helped the poor buy food during a drought in 2016 that might have led to famine.

But towns and cities are a different challenge altogether. It can be hard to know where and who are the very poorest. Applicants must have lived in the district for at least six months to be eligible, so transient urban folk may slip through the net. Mrs Regassa says locals complained to her when they were not selected by the committee. Critics complain that supporters of the ruling party are more likely to get picked.

Despite such gripes, Ethiopia’s experience suggests that even poor countries can start extending social safety-nets. If Ethiopia is to achieve its goal of weaning the scheme off donor support, it may have to make cuts to other social programmes, which would be politically painful.

The biggest dilemma lies in the fact that even the broadest safety-nets in Africa only cover a small portion of the poor. Mrs Regassa of the local committee is not eligible for help because she owns her own house. But as a single mother with four children—she hopes the programme will one day include her, too.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

SRD JAN ŠAPER’S ST O R Y

About “Idols” Phenomena in the History of Music When we leave this planet, we will be remembered as something beautiful, like members of “Idols”. That will be the point defining our existence on the Earth “Love Has No Beginning”, says Ana Marija Grbić (1987) in her book “Idols and the Last Days” where she compiled the interviews with all relevant actors of the love association, star-high rise and painful decline of one of the most important phenomena in the history of our music - VIS “Idols”.

The book is given a special appeal by the story of Srđan Šaper, one of the key members of the band, and here are several excerpts from it.

write that we had run out of money and couldn’t go back home. Our songs were mainly in Serbian and Macedonian and not in English because we found it more attractive.

Vlada Galić would pass by and put some coins into the box in order to encourage others. We found it really interesting to make enough

a lot again and visited fifteen European countries. Once again we carried our guitar and played and sang something all the time.

DEFENCE

“Defence” is an unusual experiment with a ritual dimension which involved the whole story.

We would sit down, put something for money in front of us,

Photo: Goranka Matić

WE REMAINED WELL-KNOWN FOR OUR LAST ALBUM AND THE BEST ONE – THAT’S HOW PEOPLE SEE “DEFENCE” money for dinner by playing and singing for an hour or two – a pizza and Coca-Cola for each of us.

We were sixteen but our parents allowed us to spend a month travelling around Europe because the world used to be a much safer place than today. We had a backpack and a guitar. In any case, we travelled

We wanted that album to be something between heaven and earth, just like our lives. That’s why most of our songs were immersed in a form of spirituality, and some others seemed to be ordinary and simple. Many people said the album gave them a mental freedom and enabled them to think differently

LAST DAYS

Personally I think that the end was good for us because, in my opinion, we couldn’t keep the same quality and innovation.

Some things changed and we were definitely different. We remained well-known for our last album and the best one – that’s how people see “Defence”. We remained a famous band after four years, maybe a little longer.

When we leave this planet, we will be remembered as something beautiful, like members of “Idols”.

That will be the point defining our existence on the Earth.

ABOUT THE VERSE “HE’D LIKE TO BE THAT GIRL”

Photo: Goranka Matić

FIRST GIGS IN LONDON UNDERGROUND PASSAGES

Photo: Goranka Matić

BEFORE IDOLS

After the second grade, in the summer of 1974, Vlada Divljan, Vlada Galić, and I went together to London’s suburb Croydon for a month. I remember that it was the time when David Bowie’s album “Diamond Dogs” came out. As time passed by, Vlada and I formed a kind of a singing duo. I always wrote poetry and I wasn’t bad at singing either. Vlada was becoming a better player and we particularly liked old Macedonian folk songs, Simon & Garfunkel, Korni Group, Time... Vlada Galić didn’t have a talent for music. The three of us began performing in the underground passages when we were only sixteen years old.

and search the limits of freedom at a time when music, even rock music, was rather utilitarian and reduced to several clichés.

We tried to open up many other topics and that was the essential idea of the new wave – a sort of freedom to be yourself. I loved writing songs but Vlada didn’t. He liked to write several verses and then just repeat them. That’s why we have a lot of songs which were made as a sort of patchwork; I wrote a few lines, Vlada wrote several others, and so did Krle. I wrote the lyrics for “Kenozoik” but the tune is composed by all of us. There are so many different associations there, including the blessed hand of Saint Sava and pubes lux. Those two ideas are there side by side.

The song “You’re Mine” was my lyrics while we all wrote the music.

That’s a song about a hero, actually a hero archetype from the mythical Balkans, the way you see it at the age of 22. The verse “He’d like to be that girl” doesn’t mean that he would like to change his sex; I think it’s a bit more complex. He may be striving for Plato’s equality of the sexes.

The verse “For the Moon the mandolins are dying” means a thousand years of poetry preceding our time; the verse “Mothers and fathers take turns” is our long-lasting duration, the heritage carried by everyone. As for the verse “His skin resembles hyacinth”, many people used to think that it referred to Tito. It is an ancient exchange of tragic and comic opinions.

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I NTERVIEW

Producing Quality and Original Content A mix of interesting, quality and authentic content, coupled with the constant technological improvement of digital products, is a good direction for web publishers to take

JASMINA KOPRIVICA Head of Digital Department at Antenna Group

As a very strong trend, digitalization also brings changes in Serbia, primarily in the habits of people who are becoming increasingly oriented towards information found on domestic websites and mobile applications, social networks, blogs, etc. Antenna Group in Serbia has a wide range of media outlets and is focused on producing quality and original content.

How did digital change the media image of Serbia?

— The media scene in Serbia underwent several changes over the past ten years, with one of the most pronounced being a decline in the readership of printed media, the rapid growth of the Internet usage and obtaining information through desktop and mobile devices. As a very strong trend, digitalization also brings changes in Serbia, primarily in the habits of people who are becoming increasingly oriented towards information on domestic websites and mobile applications, social networks, blogs, etc.

Television is still a very powerful medium in Serbia, but the continuous increase in the use of the Internet and the online consumption of news and video undoubtedly shows that in the future,

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web platform will dominate and that various portable screens, that we are already surrounded with, are going to become broadcasters of television content too.

How have digital trends shaped Antenna Group's portfolio in Serbia?

— Antenna Group in Serbia has a wide range of media outlets, which includes two television stations with national coverage (TV Prva and TV O2), Play radio, six cable channels, and a group of websites and mobile applications. There are also one of the the most visited information sites in Serbia and the region - B92.net and TV website Prva.rs - specializing in broadcasting premium video content with web rights for the local audience.

We have a large group of readers

urban audience that is interested in politics, business and sports. With a daily production of 400 news items, a loyal user base and a strong presence on social media, B92.net continues to implement its business vision while following in the trend of users increasingly switching to mobile devices and optimizing their platforms for small screens. The same trend can also be seen from viewing video content on the Prva. rs website, which is why Antenna Serbia has been implementing the mobile first concept for years.

Do you think that the traditional print media have managed to successfully transfer to the online sphere and do you expect some of the dailies to go completely online? How did online format affect content change?

WE PAY A GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTION TO THE SELECTION AND PREPARATION OF CONTENT THAT IS SAFE, WHICH IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE FOR THE COMMERCIAL CLIENTS WITH WHOM WE COOPERATE in Serbia and the diaspora, which is why our focus is on the production of quality and original content. All digital products of Antenna Group are commercially oriented and serve a large number of ad formats - from local desktop advertising and programming to more advanced video and mobile advertising.

B92.net has been broadcasting news for 22 years now and is distinguished on the domestic market as having a highly educated and

— For several years now, domestic press has been carrying the intensive digitalization of its core products in order to respond to the ever-increasing demands of the market for web content. The decline in sales of printed editions has further prompted local publishers to invest heavily in digital development.

I think it is still early to expect that the print media will completely switch over to web publishing,

because there is a part of a loyal readership in Serbia who has the habit of buying newspapers, and there is the need to further develop the online advertising market so that it could support such business solutions. In Serbia, readers are still not accustomed to paying for access to news on sites, but following the trends in the US and the EU, where major newspapers such as the New York Times or the Financial Times collect a significant portion of their revenue through a digital subscription, it is expected that such changes will take place here in the near future. Content quality and advanced user experience will be of crucial importance for developing these subscription formats.

Could you tell us what is the financial formula for the survival of new and classic media on the web? Does the secret lie in content or in the comprehensive knowledge of technology? How does this change affect advertising revenue?

— I think that a mix of interesting, quality and authentic content, coupled with the constant technological improvement of digital products, is a good direction for web publishers to take in order to maintain the existing and generate new and younger audience. Also, ease of use of websites, as well as transparency of content extends the time spent on the website or using an application. These are all important prerequisites for boosting the brand on the Internet and raising the quality that is needed for generating revenue

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from digital advertising.

The recently presented results of the IAB AdEx research for 2017 show that the value of digital marketing amounted to as much as 29.4 million euros, which is a 25 percent hike compared to 2016, which is encouraging to digital publishers and clearly shows a change in trends in the redistribution of annual advertising budgets.

It is especially important to mention the value of mobile advertising, which in 2017, amounted to almost 13 million euros. The use of mobile devices and access to media content via these devices is in the expansion in Serbia, and it is necessary to constantly educate clients and decision makers ion terms of redistribution of the budget for advertising, educating them that mobile advertising is very direct, because we are talking about showing advertisements on the device which is used, on average, four hours per day, and that mobile advertising is very effective as it provides the opportunity to serve many types of creatives.

In digital advertising campaigns, it is important that ads are served on the content that is checked and secure.“Brand safety" is a benchmark

against which the client will decided wheter to market or not market their campaign, which requires a constant investment in quality text and video content. In my daily work, I pay a great deal of attention to the selection and preparation of content that is safe, which is of great importance for the commercial clients with whom we cooperate and whose campaigns we broadcast.

Would more media freedom result in less fake news or are fake news a products(s) of a number of other factors that have nothing to do with the media situation?

IN DIGITAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ADS ARE SERVED ON THE CONTENT THAT IS CHECKED AND SECURE

Subscribe NOW!

— Production of fake news directly damages the society, media freedom and the right to objectively inform the audience about real events. The fight against fakeews must be managed in several ways - media professionals should improve their control over the sources and credibility of information they place, limit and restrict as much as possible the copy / paste way of reporting, and work on educating citizens about how to identify fake news, which is a process that requires engaging both the media and the education system at an early age.

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

09 PROMOTION MAY

OF THE BOOK ”I, THE TYCOON“

Autobiography "I, the Tycoon" by Miroslav Mišković, published by "Laguna", was promoted at the Crown Plaza Hotel. The author was interviewed by journalist Voja Žanetić, director of the publishing house "Laguna" Dejan Papić, economic analyst and author Miša Brkić, and the extracts were read by actor Tihomir Stanić. I did not want to get Serbian business history out of the tabloid. It was my obliga-

tion to the family, "Delta", and Serbia to write the truth as a participant in the economy - said Miškovicć. - This is only the first reason, the other is to point out that operational business is different from theory, and the third, and the smallest, to give details of personal life. Promotion was attended by representatives of the media, business and political communities, personalities from Serbia’s public and other eminent guests.

Miroslav Mišković

14 THE MAY

AFRICA DAY

On the occasion of the Africa Day and the Serbian-African friendship Day, a group of African ambassadors organized a formal reception, urging the continent to move through progress, peace and stability, and Serbia was invited to build strong partnership relations with Africa on the basis of this agenda. The Day is celebrated in memory of May 25, 1963, when the Organization of African Unity was established, as an instrument for achieving the aspirations of the African people for freedom, independence and progress. At the reception, H. E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub recalled Yugoslavia's support for the liberation and development of Africa.

Sanda Savić, Ronald Seeliger and Suzana Đorđević

H.E. Emilio Jose de Carvalho Guerra, Ambassador of Angola, H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco and H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub, Algerian Ambassador

15 25 YEARS OF THE HEMOFARM MAY

Ambassadors of African countries

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FOUNDATION

On the occasion of 25 years of existence and successful work, the Hemofarm Foundation has established an excellence award that will be given annually to individuals, institutions and organizations. The first winner of this prize is Vigor Majić, director of the Petnica Research Center, to which the CEO of Hemofarm presented Ronald Seeliger. "The statue in the form of a trunk, as a symbol of perseverance and longevity, brings all our ideas into one: the improvement of the entire society through raising the quality of life, encouraging personal responsibility for one's own health and solidarity with others. said Ronald Seeliger. Guests at the Gala evening in Hilton were representatives of the diplomatic and business community as well as the personalities of the public and cultural scenes of Serbia.

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17 EUROBANK: MAY

15 YEARS OF BUSINESS

Eurobanka celebrates 15 years of successful work in Serbia. At the ceremony marking the anniversary, Slavica Pavlović, President of the Executive Board of Eurobank, welcomed the representatives of Eurobank Group and guests: We are proud of the fact that we are the bank of the first choice of our clients. Over the past years, we consolidated our operations, continued with moderate growth and placed in top 10 banks, Pavlovic said. A gala dinner was attended by a large number of officials from the diplomatic, economic and cultural milieu.

H.E. Ricardo Fernando Fernández with his wife and Andrea Orizio, Ambassador of the OSCE Mission to Serbia

18 ARGENTINA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY MAY

Slavica Pavlović

19 NORWEGIAN MAY

CONSTITUTION PARTY IN BELGRADE DOWNTOWN

CELEBRATION IN METROPOL HOTEL

With the reception at the Metropol Hotel in Belgrade, the Embassy of Argentina celebrated 208 years since the May Revolution, marking the first government that was established on May 25, 1810 in Buenos Aires, which is celebrated as the Independence Day of Argentina. The guests were greeted by Ambassador of Argentina to Serbia Ricardo Fernando Fernández. The celebration of the National Day of Argentina was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, religious communities, personalities from public life of Serbia and other eminent guests.

The Norwegian Association in Serbia and the Norwegian embassy in Belgrade have again celebrated the Norwegian Constitution Day “big style”. With cheerful music, waving flags and a parade with some even wearing traditional costumes

called "bunad”, Norwegians in Belgrade and friends celebrated their most important day - the Constitution Day. Waving Norwegian flags, few hundreds of people happily marched Janne Knutrud, Deputy Head of the Mission, officially opened the celebration.

H.E. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, Ambassador of Norway with guests

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

19 ROYAL WEDDING MAY

PARTY

The edition of the "Daily Mirror: Harry & Meghan Royal Wedding Issue" magazine, was promoted in the beautiful ambience of the House of King Peter I. Representatives of the diplomatic corps, public figures, guests from the region and a large number of media, followed the live broadcast of the royal wedding, and the spring rain brought Belgrade the real spirit of London.

The officials chose elegant spring dresses, and there were no fascinators, just as it suits the royal wedding.

The guests watched the transfer via VOX TV, enjoying the new Somersby taste, the new Smart Water and the new line of sparkling wines of the Kovačević winery.

H.E. Denis Keefe, UK Ambassador and Robert Čoban

Daniel Berg, EBRD with spouse

CMC and Diplomacy&Commerce team

26 DAYS OF MONTMARTRE MAY

IN SKADARLIJA

Color Media Communications, with the support of City Manager Goran Vesic and the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, renewed the cooperation between Montmartre, the most famous Bohemian district in the world, and Skadarlija, started in 1977. The initiative for the re-twinning of Skadarlija and Montmartre was initiated by Milovan Ćirovskiiz, Cultural Center of Serbia in Paris, Robert Čoban, President of the CPG and Alan Kokar, President of the Republic of Montmartre.

"Days of Montmartre in Skadarlija" lasted from May 26th to May 29th, and the opening was in front of the House of Djura Jakšić, in the presence of, French Ambassador H.E. Frédéric Mondoloni, City Manager Goran Vesić, Robert Čoban, President of the CPG, President of the Republic of Montmartre Alen Kokar and other guests from Montmartre, representatives of the Skadarlija association and many other public figures.

During their stay. the guests from Montmartre visited the Ethnographic Museum, St. Sava Temple, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the City Assembly and the Embassy of France.

Alain Coquard and H.E. Frédéric Mondoloni

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Alain Coquard and Goran Vesić

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24 THE MAY

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING COCKTAIL

In the organization of eleven bilateral chambers of commerce in Serbia, in the restaurant-raft "Vizantija” a big business meeting was held- The International Networking Cocktail ".

This is an annual meeting of foreign chambers of commerce in order to network members and strengthen traditionally good cross-border cooperation.

Representatives of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Italian-Serbian businessmen,

Martin Knapp, managing director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Serbia with his wife

the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic Economic Association, the Nordic Business Alliance, the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Slovenian Business Club, the Croatian Business Club, the Belgian-Serbian Business Association and the Japanese business the alliance in Serbia and CANSEE Canadian-Serbian business association have enabled members to present their companies in a pleasant and informal environment, gain new business contacts and exchange their professional experiences.

Representatives of foreign bilateral chambers of commerce

29 DR ZORAN DJINDJIĆ FOUNDATION MAY

RECEPTION

On the awarding occasion of scholarships to the 15th generation of recipients of the “Scholarship Programme” of the German Economy, Dr Zoran Djindjic Foundation, in cooperation with the German Embassy in Belgrade and the German Academic Exchange Service in Belgrade (DAAD), organised a formal reception at the German Ambassador's Residence. The participants were addressed by H.E. Axel Dittmann, Ana Brnabić, PM, Michael Harms, Director of the German Eastern European Commission (OA) Board of Directors and Dr. Simone Heine, Director of DAAD in Belgrade.

Miodrag Kostić and Ana Brnabić

Ana Brnabić, Ružica Djindjić and Zoran Djordjević, Minister of Labour, Employment and Veterans and Social Affairs

31 THE FIRST SHERATON OPENED MAY

The scholarship winners

IN SERBIA

Guests from the elite circles of the business community and numerous public officials attended the ceremonial opening of the first Sheraton hotel in Serbia. Novi Sad has thus stood side by side with world capitals and Serbia has been placed on the map of this famous chain.

In the largest congress hall, an official part of the event was organized for about 500 guests, where the guests of the event were welcomed by the President of MK Group Miodrag Kostić, and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, who also atedned the ceremony.

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47

PEO PLE & EVENT S

01 NEW ITALIAN JUN

AMBASSADOR @ NATIONAL DAY OF ITALY

The Italian Embassy in Belgrade organized a reception in the name of the “Day of the Republic of Italy,” last Friday, who’s ceremony was attended by Speaker of the National Assembly, Maja Gojković, the Prime Ministers of the Government, and the Serbian Armed Forces, religious communities and diplomatic corps.

Italian Ambassador of Serbia H. E. Carlo Lo Cascio

expressed his satisfaction that it was his first time in Belgrade, celebrating the national holiday, stressing that, often since he returned to Serbia as a diplomat, he wondered what had changed in our country. He announced that Italy was among the first to talk about the European perspective of Serbia and welcomed the fact that our country started the negotiation process with the EU.

H.E. Philippe Gérald Guex, Ambassador of Switzerland with his wife and Brankica Janković, (right) Commissioner for the Protection of Equality

H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio

31 SONJA LIHT AWARDED THE GERMAN MAY

ORDER OF SPECIAL MERIT

German Ambassador H. E. Axel Dittmann hosted a reception on the occasion of the awarding of the Bundesverdienstkreuz to the president of the Fund for Political Excellence Sonja Liht, who pointed out that she was proud as the only Serbian woman recognised as part of a society that nurtures the same values. Sonja Liht is the first Serbian woman and one of the few foreigners who received a high recognition by the German president. At a ceremony at the residence of the German ambassador, Dittmann said that Sonja Liht had an enthusiastic human rights movement and created a democratization force in the region.

H.E. Jan Lundin

PM Ana Brnabić, Sonja Liht and H.E. Axel Dittmann

05 NATIONAL DAY OF SWEDEN JUN

Tanja Miščević, Head of EU negotiating team, Sonja Liht, Ružica Djindjić, Ivan Tasovac, Ana Brnabić and H.E. Axel Dittmann

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MARKED IN BELGRADE

The Embassy of Sweden marked the National Day of Sweden with a cocktail outside the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, which opened the Adhoc Serbian-Swedish Quartet of Friendship, which sang the anthems of Sweden and Serbia. Ambassador of Sweden H.E. Jan Lundin reminded the officials that last year, 100 years have passed since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Serbia. “The goals of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda are now in focus. We chose 'New time' for our project”, he pointed out.

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14 INTERNATIONAL MAY

DINNER AT CREDO RESTAURANT

A number of public figures and celebrities gathered on the first floor of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in downtown Belgrade to enjoy the beautiful ambiance of the Credo Restaurant, its new menu and gastronomic delicacies prepared

by Chef Nenad Jovanović, who was also the chef at two- and three-Michelin-star restaurants in Kopenhagen.

While sipping on the Chichateau wine from Šišatovci, surrounded by an abundance of good energy and chit-chat in six languages, actor and TV personality Sloba Stefanović, TV personality Snežana Dakić, singer Ivana Jordan, basketball player Marko Kešelj and his wife designer Jovana Petković, the First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade, Matthias Kleva with his girlfriend Tamara Seres, project manager at NIS, the Economic Ataché of the Dutch Embassy, Oliver Sarov and his girlfried Ana Heras del Arco, a consultant at PwC, blogger Maja Petrović, Iva Djordjević, Commercial Director at Niva, Milovan Ristanović from NCR, Ruža Ristanović, Director of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine, and Ivana Karić, an representative from PSP Farman Group, enjoyed the gathering.

The Credo Restaurant, located in the Marriott Hotel, is widely recognized for its excellent food and atmosphere, as well as the favourite spot of many public, culture and diplomatic figures.

The fantastic wine selection, acoustic bands that contribute to the relaxing atmosphere while engaging all five senses, and a rather special interior make the Credo so popular, while their Five Senses of Credo menu, made from the top notch homemade ingredients, has already won over the guests.

Ivana Jordan

Snežana Dakić

Marko Kešelj and Jovana Petković

Matthias Kleva

Ana Heras del Arco and Oliver Sarov

Milovan Ristanović and Iva Djordjević

Snežana Dakić, Ivana Jordan and Ruža Ristanović

Maja Petrović and Sloba Stefanović

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B USINESS NEWS MORE THAN 30,000 EUROS COLLECTED

Confindustria Serbia

A DELEGATION OF YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS FROM ITALY VISITED SERBIA The Italian business association Confindustria Serbia hosted a delegation of 12 young entrepreneurs from Udine, who visited Belgrade on May 10th and 11th, 2018. The aim of the mission was to get acquainted with the trade and investment opportunities in Serbia.

Thanks to the presentations of Simone Apolloni, coordinator of the newly formed group of young entrepreneurs of Confindustria Serbia and CEO of Aliquo Group, Vlatko Sekulović, managing partner at Sekulović law office and Luciano Bellan, Head Of International Department at UniCredit Bank Serbia, the twelve young entrepreneurs got detailed information not only about the

opportunities that Serbia can offer to their businesses but also about the fiscal and legal context. The delegation then joined the Italian business community in a reception organized by the Italian Embassy in Belgrade. The second day the delegation visited the Belgrade Science Technology Park and Confindustria Serbia’s member companies BUCK Lighting and Engineering Balkan.

UniCredit Bank

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around the world, with a fee of $27 per use.

Food and drinks, services such as free internet and magazines are also included within the program. The VP card guarantees the lowest price for over 200 hotels within the Luxury Collection program, as well as opulent rooms without any additional fees. Visa Platinum Card is an internationally valid card, allowing users to pay for goods and services on all POS terminals and to get cash at all ATMs where the VISA logo is highlighted. VP card users have a Contact Center for all emergency services at their disposal, such as emergency blocking of a lost or stolen card, emergency card replacement, information service etc. A request for issuance can be submitted in all branches of UniCredit Bank throughout Serbia.

Wellport

NEW ISRAELI INVESTMENT IN SERBIA The official ceremony marking the beginning of construction of the very first condominium in New Belgrade, bearing the name Wellport, was held in the premises of the Yugoslav Film Archive. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Serbia H.E. Madam Alona Fisher-Kamm. This project, which aims to fulfill all the needs of modern families today by providing a number of family-friendly amenities, is developed by the esteemed Israeli company Shikun & Binui Group, known to the local public for its

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condominiums Central Garden and Duke's Gates. More than 400 guests from the world of business, culture and the media had the opportunity to get acquainted with this project worth 130 million Euros.

According to the latest data, more than 30,000 euros were collected through the campaign "Let's open together the National Museum", within which HEINEKEN in Serbia donated specially designed cans for Zaječarsko beer with which one can donates one dinar for the opening of the National Museum in Belgrade .

"This campaign has shifted the boundaries of the conventional approach and experience of art in Serbia and I hope that in future there will be places for cooperation between HEINEKEN in Serbia and the National Museum. After many years, from June 28, citizens will be able to enjoy the setting of the National Museum, whose opening is helping through this action, "said Bojana Borić-Brešković, Director of the National Museum. The campaign will last until June 15th, after which representatives of the National Museum will officially be presented with funds donated by citizens by buying cans of Zajecar beer, especially illustrated by the works of great Serbian artists such as Nadezda Petrovic, Dimitrije Avramović, Sava Šumanović and Paja Jovanović.

BIS BRINGING BACK THE 70’S!

On Saturday, 19 May, the BIS community held another successful charity bazaar event entitled “Seventies Disco Party”. Old gramophone records and disco balls greeted the visitors at the entrance to the school and in the main stage area. The event included a fashion show featuring seventies-style costumes. Although the event started with a sunny cool morning, the weather turned, when a heavy shower threatened to interrupt proceedings. This sudden weather change however didn’t stop the enjoyment as the BIS students, parents and staff all started singing and dancing to disco music on the central stage in the rain (see the BIS facebook page for videos)!

The visitors at the event enjoyed stalls selling food of international cuisines and various international souvenirs.

In addition, there were numerous stalls with activities for children such as a bouncy castle, face painting, and other games. As in every year the highlight of the bazaar was the raffle draw with many valuable prizes including weekends at exclusive hotels, dinners at fine restaurants, spa vouchers, as well as themed gift baskets prepared by each one of BIS classes.

The proceeds of this most successful BIS bazaar will be donated to the University Children’s Hospital in Tirsova (Department for Hematology and Oncology).

We look forward to seeing you all next year…

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Coca-Cola Serbia

UNFORGETTABLE TASTES OF SERBIA The company Coca-Cola Serbia presented traditional, undiscovered dishes from rich culinary tradition in Ljubice through a unique project "Unforgettable tastes of Serbia" Desiring to preserve traditional forgotten dishes from all over the country and bring them back to modern dining. Authentic dishes such as sarmas with trinket, urda, and many others were re-discovered with the help of the culinary enthusiast Ivan Marković, followed by the radio host Filip Ugrenović, Coca-Cola Company did not only keep on forgotten dishes but also found inspiration in old crafts. Thus, for the first time numerous visitors could see unique knit billboards made by women from different parts of Serbia.

A great diary of adventure quest for forgotten foods has been translated into 12 episodes, which can be viewed on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of the company.

The Serbian Association of Managers

FULLY-FLEDGED MEMBER OF CEC EUROPEAN MANAGERS The Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) became a fully-fledged member of CEC European Managers, at a regular Annual Assembly Meeting in Mainz. Stanka Pejanović, SAM President, was elected a member of the CEC Executive Board for a three-year term at the same meeting. “The fully-fledged membership provides the SAM with an opportunity to regularly participate in CEC’s activities and use the organisation’s platform for strengthening external ties and better connection with professional

managerial associations, with more than a million members across Europe. This is also a platform for joint projects within CEC’s main objectives in this three-year term“, noted Stanka Pejanović, SAM President, who participated in the Annual Assembly meeting in Mainz.

NLB Group

PROFIT IN THE FIRST QUARTER IS 57,7 MILLION EUROS

2 TRADITIONAL CANSEE SALMON DINNER nd

On June 4, 2nd Traditional CANSEE Salmon Dinner was held at Moj Prostor restaurant. Around 80 people attended the event, including the guests of honor H. E. Kati Csaba, Ambassador of Canada to Serbia, H. E. Pertti Ikonen, Ambassador of Finland to Serbia, H. E. Jan Lundin, Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia, H. E. Anders Christian Hougård, Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia, Nordic Business Alliance members and CANSEE members and business partners. Mirjana Dončić Beaton, CANSEE Managing director, thanked the guests for coming and pointed out the significance of business networking and cooperation between the two chambers. H.E. Kati Csaba stressed out the importance of networking, not only among the companies, but the countries as well. This year CANSEE has established an annual award “Person of the year” for outstanding contribution to CANSEE association.

The award’s first laureate is Goran Obradović, CEO at Dominion Voting Systems and former CANSEE BoD president. Goran’s continuous support and dedication to further development of CANSEE.

A member of the NLB Group in Serbia, NLB Bank Belgrade in 2017, realised a profit of 3.8 million euros and benefited more than EUR 220 million in loans to citizens and businesses. The growth trend continued in the first part of 2018, during which a profit of 1.5 million euros was recorded. Branko Greganović, President of the Executive Board of NLB Banka Beograd, stated that "NLB Bank

Belgrade has achieved good business results in the past three years and has laid a solid foundation for successful, viable business operations for the first quarter of 2018." Over the first three months we invested over 60 million euros, 22 percent more than in the same period last year. At the same time, we achieved a 25% growth in deposits, which confirms the strengthened confidence of our clients. I would especially like to point out that this year we joined the programme of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, to help our clients improve their farms with financing at the most favorable conditions."

SBC

INDUSTRY 4.0 SLOVENIA-SERBIA DIGITAL ECONOMY TRANSFORMATION Within the 62nd International Fair of Techniques and Technological Achievements in Belgrade on May 22, the Slovenian Business Club and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Serbia organized a panel discussion on the topic "Industry 4.0 Slovenia-Serbia Digital Transformation of the Economy". The panel was opened by Mr Danijela Fišakov, President of the SPK, and Goran Križ, Economic Advisor at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, addressed the audience.

Participants at this year's panel discussion were representatives of successful companies in Serbia: Eti B, Tehnoplast, RLS Measuring Technique, Resalta, Grah Automotive and Serbian Blockchain Initiative. The panel talked about whether

the state is following the economic trends of Industry 4.0, as well as the potential for Serbia to become a significant exporter of software solutions and technically demanding products, how active we are in the digital transformation of the economy and how people in companies accept new technologies in this case, Industry 4.0.

The conclusion of this year's panel is that it is certainly necessary to enter the process of digitization, but also that it is possible only step by step, as it is a long process to complete digitization of one company.

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B USINESS NEWS MK Group

THE DOMINANT PERFORMANCE AT THE NOVI SAD AGRICULTURAL FAIR MK Group has won over fifty awards at this year's Novi Sad Agricultural Fair, the most important agribusiness event in Central and South-Eastern Europe. MK Group Financial Director Dušan Radičević said that it was again shown that the experience of the agrarian company, transferred to the food processing sector in the MK Group, shows the best results.

"We are proud of the awards we received at the Novi Sad Agricultural Fair and they are a sign that we are on the right track," said Radičević.

By the decision of the expert jury, MK Commerce, a member of the MK Group, was declared the largest exporter of cereals from Serbia for 2017. Four products of Granexport - corn, ghee, palenta, and corn flour were awarded with a large golden plaque, as well as the company being the winner of top quality posters and assortment for maize products from corn.

MULTIMEDIA EXHIBITION Multimedia exhibition "Development and importance of the institution of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data" was organized in the National Library of Serbia. Visitors until June 2, until the exhibition lasted, had the opportunity to even get acquainted with certain cases that in the previous years caused great public attention. They could also be informed about the realization of their rights and get closer and closer to the institution of the Commissioner in Serbia.

At the opening ceremony, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Rodoljub Šabić, said that the start was very difficult in that his most important task was to create a quality and efficient team, and that he was proud that he fully succeeded.

The head of the EU Delegation to Serbia,

H.E. Sem Fabrizi, assessed that the functioning of independent regulatory bodies is crucial for the healthy functioning of the society. The Ambassador of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Andrea Oricio, also pointed out that strong independent bodies are needed for strong democracies. Belgrade's Center for Human Rights Director Vesna Petrović said that the civil sector will try to give Šabić a successor in the role of someone similar to him, in the commitment human rights.

FRANCE – BALKAN 2018 BUSINESS FORUM

Audiovox doo

THE LATEST PREMIUM TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER HEARING Believe it or not, people listen with their brains, not ears. The brain gives meaning to the sounds entering the ears. In order to support people who do not hear well, Oticon OPN is the first discrete hearing aid designed to work in harmony with the brain and to function by the reputation of natural hearing. The benefits of this hearing aid are shown by the research, Oticon OPN increases voice understanding by 30% and reduces listening effort by 20%. Since less energy is spent to understand the speech, people who wear Opn are able to remember 20% more. Opn offers various advanced features such as internet connection, wireless connectivity with smartphones, application management, and so on. An important feature is Opn's ability to mask tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and before using this function, the expert locate the tinnitus, by providing the diagnostics to their customers.

Oticon Opn is a smart choice for a better and more natural hearing , using less effort, for more information, see www.audiovox.rs or call 011 / 26-21-071.

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The 3rd International Business Forum 'France-Balkans', gathering over 400 participants from France, Serbia and several other Southeast European countries, took place in Belgrade from 30th May to 1st June. The Republic of Serbia's Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić officially opened the Forum, with an assistant to Director General of Business France, Frédéric Rossi, Director General of the National Committee of Foreign Trade Advisers of France, Emmanuel Montanié, and a special adviser to the French Foreign Minister in charge of

economic diplomacy in the Balkans, Alain Richard giving welcome speeches.

The Forum was organized by the French state agency for investments and development Business France, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Foreign Trade Advisers of France, with the support of the French Embassy, the regional French chambers of commerce, as well as the chambers and development agencies of the countries in the region.

During the three days of the Forum, there were two panels, six round tables and close to 550 B2B meetings. The Forum was held at the Metropol Palace Hotel, and in addition to Serbia and France, the following countries also took part in the Forum - Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia and UNMIK Kosovo.

Uniqa

VIBER NUMBER FOR REPORTING DAMAGES UNIQA travel insurance users will now have a special Viber number in the event of a sudden illness or accident abroad, through which they will be able to call the Help Centre from any part of the world. By activating the new service, UNIQA has become the first and only insurance that enables clients to report damage incurred overseas in this way. "The users of our travel insurance during the summer season refer to around 3,500, and at the year-end and more than 6,000 calls to the Centre in Serbia. The largest number is from Greece, then Montenegro, Germany and Egypt, countries where talks with Serbia can cost several thousand dinars.

These costs can be far higher when it comes

to distant destinations. It is precisely for this reason that it is estimated that the introduction of Viber will bring significant savings to users on telephone calls. By activating Viber the number of UNIQA wants to make sure that its clients travel carelessly, not thinking about the costs of reporting any damage" says Gordana Bukumirić, president of the UNIQA Insurance Executive Board.

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REPO RTAGE DANUBIUS FOOD PLANET: THE CITIZENS OF NOVI SAD ENJOYED THE FOOD AND CULTURE OF 23 COUNTRIES The second edition of the National Cuisine Festival "Danubius Food Planet" was held from 11th of May until June 3rd, at Sqr. Slobode. 23 countries of the world were presented to the citizens of Novi Sad as well as tourists.

The hosts of their countries were: Miodrag Kankaraš, Consul General of Montenegro in Serbia, Jan Lundin, Ambassador of Sweden, Gordan Bakota, Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, Alona Fisher Kamm, Ambassador of Israel, Radko Vlajkov, Ambassador of Bulgaria, Predrag Tomić, Honorary Consul of Armenia, Nik Ady Arman, Charge d'affaires, Embassy of Malaysia, Edson Santiago, First Secretary of the Brazilian Embassy in Serbia, Bill Henderson, Ambassador of Culture of the US Embassy, Natalija Markević in front of the Embassy of Ukraine, Melinda Ladišić, Member of the Hungarian National Council and Mirjana Kojić, Secretary General of the Italian-Serbian businessmen.

The general sponsor of the festival, Danibus company for the production of flour and pasta, which celebrated a significant jubilee, it’s 100 years of existence, with all the visitors of the festival. Ambassadors from 23 countries of the world and their chefs prepared their traditional dishes in Gorenje kitchen using their kitchen supplies.

Danubius Food Planet is organized by Color Media Communications, Ninamedia, Subsidium and HBO Color Media Events, supported by the City of Novi Sad. Friends of the festival are: Danubius, Gorenje and HEINEKEN Serbia.

H.E. Alona Fisher Kamm

Predrag Tomić

Nik Ady Arman

H.E. Gordan Bakota

Maja Gojković, President of Serbian Parliament Mirjana Kojić

Edson Santiago

Natalija Markević

H.E. Jan Lundin

H.E. Radko Vlajkov

Miodrag Kankaraš

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T RA M P L IN G O N T H E F IRS T A M E N DM E N T

Donald Trump and the NFL Why did the league change its anthem rules?

LAST week, the National Football League, a powerful organisation overseeing 32 teams worth a combined $80bn, announced that it would bar its employees from engaging in a peaceable and silent protest at work: kneeling during the pre-game national anthem. If they wanted to stay in the locker room “and out of sight during the anthem” that was fine. But “if they are on the field, they must stand”. The NFL also asserted its commitment to “advance social justice” and “promote positive social change” —precisely the goals of the kneeling protests. This is only the first of several contradictions inherent in the policy.

Roger Goodell, the NFL’s commissioner, rued the effect of the protests on the image of players.

“It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic,” he said in a statement. “This is not and was never the case.”

But if the players weren’t unpatriotic then and still are not, why the major change in between?

In 2016, during the summer before the election of President Donald Trump, Colin Kaepernick was the first not to stand. A quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Mr Kaepernick explained that his gesture—sitting and later kneeling—was a protest against the treatment of black Americans and specifically what he called the “murder” of minorities by police.

“There are bodies in the street,” he said.

Then Mr Trump was elected. In 2017, in a speech in Alabama, he expressed a desire, referring to a hypothetical kneeling player, to “get that son of a bitch off the field right now.” The president continued to harangue the league and its commissioner in the months that followed, sending dozens of aggrieved tweets that alluded to “respect”, insisted on anthem-standing and badgered for a stricter policy. He even threatened to “Change tax law!” in order to punish the league, which benefits from its tax-exempt status. Mr Kaepernick’s idea spread: during one week in 2017, over 150 players protested.

But Mr Trump got his wish, at least in part.

After the new policy was announced, he told an interviewer on Fox that he approved, even suggesting he wished the rule were stronger.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country” if you don’t “stand proudly” for the anthem, he said. Upon learning of the rule Mike Pence, the vice-president, simply tweeted “#Winning”, with an emoji of the American flag. It is unclear what exactly he thought he had won.

None of this has anything to do with football, of course. This is a symbolic debate about sym-

54

bolic gestures toward a symbolic object hung in the stadiums of a symbolic sport. Before 2009, it wasn’t standard practice for players to be on the field for the anthem at all. But it has sharply divided American opinion. A recent poll found that 53% of American adults believed it was “never appropriate” to protest by kneeling during the national anthem. (Among Republicans, that number was 86%; among Democrats, 29%.)

Some 42% thought it ever appropriate. For some, standing is an obviously required gesture of respect, a gesture part and parcel with “America First” and making the country great again. For others, this sort of forced patriotism and slavish

53% OF AMERICAN ADULTS BELIEVED IT WAS “NEVER APPROPRIATE” TO PROTEST BY KNEELING DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM “respect” smacks of dictatorships rather than democracies and the short shrift given to the real problems being protested smacks of racism.

Whatever the political calculus for Mr Trump or the teams’ owners, this ban may crumble under its own contradictions. Benjamin Sachs, a Harvard Law professor, has argued that the NFL’s new policy is “flatly illegal”. First, he says, the league adopted the policy without bargaining with the NFL Players Association, the players’ union, violating its duty to negotiate in good faith. Second, the policy violates the National Labour Relations Act. Third, it violates the players’ First Amendment rights.

This is perhaps the greatest contradiction: to put your patriotism eggs in a basket that denies what is probably the most famous, and arguably the most important, right guaranteed to Americans by the country’s constitution: the freedom of speech.

No one has a constitutional right to play in the NFL, of course. The league can for the most part make its own rules. The First Amendment applies to censorship by the government and not, Mr Sachs writes, to private employers like a football league. But Mr Trump may have scuttled his own ship. He and his administration have been so heavily involved on Twitter and elsewhere— Mr Pence once walked out of 49ers game, his own silent and contradictory protest—that the constitution probably should speak. It seems likely that the league implemented its policy in response to pressure from Mr Trump. And what is that if not governmental censorship?

Sports have intense candle power, and have as a result been host to closely examined, and occasionally punished, speech. Some has been offensive, some coarse, and some political. In 2014, a number of NBA superstars wore shirts reading “I Can’t Breathe” during pre-game warmups, a reference to the last words of Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by a police officer. That league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, decided not to punish the players, expressing his support for the expression of their personal views. He did, however, wish they would wear their required pre-game apparel, provided by Adidas.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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CO RPO RATE

The International School of Belgrade

The Celebration of 70th Anniversary The International School of Belgrade Announces Brand-New Premises

The International School of Belgrade (ISB) and Avala Studios, on May 19th, signed a Declaration of Intent regarding construction of a new campus and facilities for ISB, which will make ISB the biggest school of this kind in the region. The school is expected to move to these brand-new premises in the next 3-5 years.

Rob Risch, Director of ISB, said that this is great news for all current students as well as future students as the new school will have state-of the-art facilities and

provide additional opportunities for all.

“The new school will offer purpose-built, modern facilities and spacious grounds, and ensure that our facilities match the high quality of our educational programs for the long-term fu-

ture. In addition, the new ISB will contribute to Belgrade, because foreign investors, the diplomatic community, and local families interested in an international education will all recognize the added value that our school will provide for their children’s ed-

THE NEW SCHOOL WILL OFFER PURPOSE-BUILT, MODERN FACILITIES AND SPACIOUS GROUNDS, AND ENSURE THAT OUR FACILITIES MATCH THE HIGH QUALITY OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE LONG-TERM FUTURE

ucation. ISB is celebrating our 70th anniversary of successfully providing strong academics, delivered by an experienced international faculty using extraordinary teaching methods, and our students' commitment to service.

Our school is proud of our diversity and international outlook where students perceive themselves as citizens of the world,” said Dr. Risch.

The Declaration of Intent was signed at the ISB Spring Fair, an annual celebration of the multi-cultural community of ISB.

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C O RPO RATE Fizio Vračar

Text: RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ

Very Special Physical Therapy Fizio Vračar’s motto is “first in everything”, both in terms of the latest equipment used in physical therapy and in the application of new methods and concepts of treatment

MILAN ILIĆ

Physiotherapist and owner of the Fizio Vračar rehabilitation clinic

I never really thought about physiotherapy, and I somehow always hoped that it would bypass me. But I had an accidental fall which resulted in an injury, and I sought help from a rehabilitation clinic. I thought that this was a clinic like any other when I came in for my treatment. I spent in Fizio Vračar a few hours a day, and met people with incredible energy, dedication, knowledge and experience. On the last day of my therapy, I came to a conclusion that this was not an ordinary practice, but a very special one.

I talked with Milan Ilić, physiotherapist and owner of the Fizio Vračar rehabilitation clinic, about this very special facility, advanced methods of rehabilitation, importance of education and prevention, innovation, physical therapy, and the clinic’s dedicated team, but also about why we view Fizio Vračar as our second home.

You have been practicing rehabilitation and developing unique treatment concepts for 25 years now. What sets you apart from other such facilities, and what makes Fizio Vračar so special?

— It’s been 25 years, but it seems like it was only yesterday. What makes us special is our staff, the people who make Fizio Vračar’s team, and who make our way of conduct so special. I have been developing this concept for 25 years which is based on having

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good physiotherapists who invest in themselves. These are not therapists that have only completed formal education; they went through further education to improve their knowledge and are strong team players. They make up the backbone of Fizio Vračar and we could have never achieved these results without them.

The whole concept came from the Partizan basketball club where everything is based on teamwork.

The team of players is backed by a support team made of doctors, physiotherapists, fitness trainers, procurement staff and masseurs. I started implementing this concept when I founded Fizio Vračar. We are one team, consisting of associate doctors, physiotherapists, masseurs, and fitness trainers, with all of us working together in order to provide patients with the best possible service and to be the number one in our business.

How important is education for the team and all employees, and providing further training in this field?

ing your knowledge with further training is very important. It is necessary that therapists continue improving, upgrading, and attending additional courses and seminars. The line ministry has even adopted regulation by which every therapist must collect a certain number of points through attending courses and seminars in order to renew their work license.

This is exactly why we founded the school, and why we are holding seminars and training sessions so that therapists can collect these necessary points. In this way, we are raising the level of the knowhow in application of the latest technologies and techniques in our work, with the goal of providing the best possible service for patients.

How rapidly is technology used in physical therapy developing and how much do you keep up with this development?

— 20 or 30 years ago, when we studied interference currents, we had rotary phones. As technology is continuing to develop in IT industry and telephony, so it does

PREVENTION - THIS IS THE KEY WORD THAT IS MORE VALUABLE THAN ANY THERAPY, INCLUDING PHYSICAL THERAPY — Education is one of the most important aspects of our work.

Several years ago, we started getting involved in education by opening a school for sports physiotherapists. We now hold various seminars and courses at which we educate and train therapists about the implementation of state-ofthe-art technologies, methods and concepts of treatment.

Of course, formal education is a good foundation, but upgrad-

in medicine. Technology has made a great progress, but unfortunately we are operating in an environment that has resistance to new things and has a lot of trouble accepting new technologies and new concepts of treatment in therapy.

In these past 25 years of my career, I have always tried to bring new methods of physical therapy and modern technology to Serbia.

We were the first to apply HILT lasers, first to apply shock waves,

first to introduce TECKAR and ARP therapies to patients in Serbia, and now first to use percutaneous electrolysis.

This is what makes Fizio Vračar unique, namely we are continually using the latest technology and the latest rehabilitation methods. As soon as these new methods appear in Europe and the world, we are the first to start implementing them in Serbia and to train our physiotherapists for their implementation, all with the aim of benefitting the patients.

What are novelties in Fizio Vračar? What can the patients expect?

— The latest product that we use is percutaneous electrolysis – the application of galvanic current and needles for therapeutic purposes.

This is a completely new method of treatment, and I would like to underline that Fizio Vračar is the first clinic in Serbia to use it.

The method came from Spain, and we are the first therapy centre, from Spain all the way to the East, to use percutaneous electrolysis.

This is what makes us unique. I have just completed additional training in Spain and we are going to hold the first seminars in autumn when we will introduce this new technique to our colleagues.

There are no secrets in our business. We are continuing to educate ourselves and we have an obligation to share knowledge with our colleagues as health workers - first of all with the people who work with me and then my other colleagues.

I have always tried to raise this profession to a higher level, where a physiotherapist can be a creative person who will constantly improve his or her knowledge, rather

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Fizio Vračar team

than work as a ultrasound-operating-robot. They need to be creative and observe the problem from more than one side, to come up with a healing concept, to administer therapy to the best of their abilities and to make sure that all of the aforementioned results in patient's improved health.

Why is physical therapy in Fizio Vračar really "a very personal therapy"?

— When you have a good team, great employees and a large number of patients, it was not that difficult to create this particular concept.

You can always apply tried and tested therapy methods on patients in order to achieve the desired results.

We work mostly with top athletes, but also with people who do sports recreationally, professional athletes and foreign nationals.

Very personal therapy is an experiential therapy. It doesn’t just boil down to "hello" and "goodbye".

We talk with our patients about all the details - not just about their injury, but also their way of life, habits, and needs. On the other hand,

we present ourselves to them by revealing our little secrets that they find interesting. This is a cause and effect relationship - patients believe us and we trust them. There is no success without trust. And this is why the therapies in Fizio Vračar become “very personal”.

What kind of health problems do your patients usually have?

have back problems.

It is because of this very personal therapy that we try to teach them prevention to the best of our abilities. Everything starts with devising a pain relief therapy and eliminating the inflammation of the nerve. After that, we are continuing with the therapy. We talk to them about future prevention, I show them the exercises that they

THERE ARE NO SECRETS IN OUR BUSINESS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO EDUCATE OURSELVES AND WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AS HEALTH WORKERS — With athletes, we are talking about injuries to the hocks and knees, which are the most vulnerable regions. Others have trouble with their back. Almost all men age 30 and over have problems with their back. The modern life, lack of physical activity and sitting long hours at work all lead to serious problems with the back. The biggest number of our patients come here because they

will have to and that they will have to continue doing. We also encourage them to check with us regularly so that we can be up to date with their condition. In this way, we are building a pyramid of trust.

What are the further development plans of Fizio Vračar and what can we expect in the upcoming period?

— Prevention - this is the key word that is more valuable than any therapy, including physical therapy. By administering therapy, we are preventing future injuries or a bad condition.

We have already started with the prevention part. We are working together with children from Vračar on the project called "Vrtić Sportić" which is being implemented in all nurseries and where we are cooperating with fitness trainers and physiotherapists on preventing bad posture, scoliosis and other conditions. We want to engage in prevention activities in a wider area, and not only for children, but also for young people, active athletes and senior citizens.

In 25 years, I see myself working under a big umbrella called prevention. Unfortunately, in Serbia, people are not aware of the importance of prevention and we are trying to raise the awareness and teach them how to take care of themselves, how to move and put their shoes on, and how to protect themselves from possible injuries and unwanted influences.

Momčilo Radojičić, physiotherapist with patient

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C O RPO RATE

Watch Pickbox, Anywhere and Anytime One of the most viewed content segments on Pickbox are Disney's animated movies as the perfect escape from reality both for children and adults and adults. Take a break from your schedule and choose one of the many absolute classics available on Pickbox.

THE INCREDIBLES

This Disney family of superheroes will take you into the world of crime fighters, and the film was awarded an Oscar for best animated film and for the best sound editing, and will give you an incredible animation experience proving why it was one of the biggest grossing films of the 2000s.

MARY POPPINS

Over 3000 hours of series, movies and Disney animated classics, translated into four regional languages - Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian and Macedonian - Pickbox has been available online in six countries of the region from May 8 2014.

The only requirement for viewing Pickbox content is an Internet connection, and you can watch it on Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, and computers.

The content Pickbox supplies follows global trends, and the goal is to introduce programming that is not available in the stand-

58

ard offer of television series and other platforms. Another special feature are "hot" series, series that are available just a few hours after their world premiere.

Pickbox does not contain commercials, users are not under any contractual obligation, and packages are available for 1, 6 or 12 months and include various privileges and capabilities.

For Pickbox's fourth birthday we also changed the visual design of the platform and its functionality.

One of the most viewed content segments on Pickbox are Disney's animated movies as the perfect escape from reality both for children

The 1964 American musical with Julie Andrews starring as a

any mother who in her childhood did not want to be like Cinderella and find her prince to love and be loved for the rest of her life?

On Pickbox you can watch three Cinderellas: Cinderella, Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True and Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time.

TOY STORY 1, 2, 3

Toys who feel, talk, have problems, dreams - and a soul. The three installments of this legendary animated movie franchise are waiting for you at Pickbox, where your kids, watching Woody and Buzz Lightyear learn what true friendship really is and how to appreciate and care about

THE CONTENT PICKBOX SUPPLIES FOLLOWS GLOBAL TRENDS, AND THE GOAL IS TO INTRODUCE PROGRAMMING THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE STANDARD OFFER OF TELEVISION SERIES AND OTHER PLATFORMS nanny with magical powers, who has become a symbol for the ideal baby-sitter/governess and will transport both you and your child back to more nostalgic times.

CINDERELLA

Is there any child who has not heard of Cinderella, and is there

toys, even those that have been forgotten ....

Other memorable animated movies are also available on Pickbox: Home On The Range, Up, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats , Ratatouille and other classic Disney movies, so check out the offer and sign up at www.pickbox.tv.

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RESEARC H

Child-centered CSR Improvements Third UNICEF research on the implementation of the Principle of Business and Children's Rights in Serbia The results of the research on the Principles of Business and Children's Rights in Serbia have shown that for most businesses, children's support is an important segment of their socially responsible business (CSR).

The research involved 42 companies of different sizes and from different sectors.

The survey also makes recommendations that companies, in addition to supporting activities that improve the position of children, need to analyze and improve the overall impact of business on children's rights, including recruitment procedures, salary setting, marketing activities, product quality control, relationship to natural resources.

The business sector has a direct and indirect impact on children, as a user of products and services, the employment of parents and family members, through a community in which children live and exposure to promotional activities.

In order to provide a framework for understanding and improving the impact of the business sector on children and devoting greater attention to the link between business and child rights, UNICEF, Save the Children and the United Nations Global Compact have developed Principles of Business and Children's Rights. Structured in ten areas, Principles urge the business sector to recognize children as equal actors and promote a comprehensive approach that companies should apply to ensure respect for and support for children's rights in the workplace, the market, the community and the environment.

The survey, conducted at the end of 2017, is part of UNICEF's efforts to support the implementation of the Principle in Serbia, examining areas where positive changes and those requiring improvement have been made. The results of the survey indicate that in 2017, only one third of the management (29%) considers CSR to be as equally important as other areas of business. Nevertheless, for most research companies (82%), child support is an important segment of socially responsible business, and

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PRINCIPLES URGE THE BUSINESS SECTOR TO RECOGNIZE CHILDREN AS EQUAL ACTORS AND PROMOTE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT COMPANIES SHOULD APPLY TO ENSURE RESPECT FOR AND SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS for one third (38%), children are a priority of CSR: - in relation to the research from 2015, the scope of CSD-focused activities for children is increased, and for these activities an average of 42% of the total CSD budgets is allocated; - the most supported areas are the promotion of children's edu-

cation (79%), support for childcare services (71%), health promotion / healthy lifestyles (68%) improving living conditions in the community and investing in local infrastructure (64%) , and awareness raising on ecology (64%); - In addition to financial support, the business sector actively supports children with donations

of goods and equipment (48%), organizing volunteer activities (24%) and providing professional support to organizations dealing with children (17%); - the largest number of companies (88%) heard about the Principles of Business and Children's Rights, and close to half (46%) are well acquainted with them; - as examples of good practice in 2017, Telenor, Knjaz Miloť, Telekom Srbija, Vojvođanska banka and VodaVoda stand out, who, apart from the perceived individual projects, also worked on the strategic implementation of the Principle of Business and Children's Rights.

Based on the findings of the survey, a key recommendation to rising companies, which is that in the forthcoming period of business, in addition to supporting activities that improve the position of children, it is necessary to analyze and improve the overall impact of business on children's rights, including recruitment procedures, determining salaries, activities marketing, product quality control, relationship to natural resources.

Enterprises in Serbia see UNICEF as an important player in the promotion of CSR-oriented CSR, where the vast majority (92%) think that the organization has an important role in raising awareness of the business sector. Due to the fact that most of the companies that participated in the research (87%) expressed the desire to procedurally implement the Principles of Business and Rights of the Child in their business, UNICEF will, in the present period, in cooperation with business and associations promoting CSR in Serbia, promote the ten principles business and rights of children in the business sector, with the aim of supporting their systemic introduction into strategic documents through partnership, training and providing professional support. Special attention will be paid to inform executive executives that will be mobilized in Advocating for the Principle, to support companies already reporting on achievements in CSR, and to cooperate with the Forum of Business Leaders about the inclusion of the Principle in the Serbian "CSR Index".

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C O RPO RATE Danubius

Time Flies, Quality Remains The Novi Sad-based flour and pasta company Danubius celebrates 100 years of successful operations this year

PREDRAG MARKOVIĆ Director of Danubius

Danubius celebrated this great and significant jubilee with the citizens of Novi Sad and their guests as the general sponsor of the national cuisine festival, Danubius Food Planet.

During the 25 days, at the Liberty Square in Novi Sad, visitors had the opportunity to enjoy the specialties from 23 different national cuisines.

Following the official opening of the festival, Director of Danubius, Predrag Marković, who, age 26, is probably one of the youngest executives in Serbia, said the following: "It is a great honour to be part of Danubius in the year when we celebrate centennial of our operations. In the 101st year, we are continuing with a long tradition of successful and stable business operations, with the intention of retaining the leading market position. To this end, we are planning investments of close to 4 million euros and to expand our portfolio

in the upcoming period.“ Danubius flour (in 1kg packaging) has a 34% market share, while the company's vitaminized pasta's share is 35.6%. The company has a modern computer-operated mill that can grind up to 300 tons of wheat daily, and produce various types of all purpose flour. Silos for storage and drying of cereals have a total capacity of 65,000 tons. The pasta factory can produce 15,000 tons of pasta per year.

The last two festival days, symbolically called "Danubius Days", were the most popular among the festival goers. On 2nd June, the fa-

marked by amateur cooks who had signed up for the "Favourite Danubius Recipe" competition via social media. They demonstrated their culinary skills to curious visitors, and won valuable prizes. A panel photograph of Danubius' history was displayed during the Danubius Food Planet festival, at the Liberty Square.

Merchant Franjo Lovreković built the first pasta factory in Radnicka Street in Novi Sad a hundred years ago. A couple of years later, Josip Lovreković became the proprietor of Danubius, then the first biscuit and dough factory in Bačka County, and until the beginning of the Second World War, the company was managed by Ludvig Frank and his sons. Following the liberation of Yugoslavia from the Nazi forces, the factory was nationalized and became socially owned.

IN 2006, DELTA HOLDING RECOGNIZED THE HUGE POTENTIAL OF THE FACTORY, AND SINCE THEN HAS INVESTED ALMOST 13 MILLION EUROS IN DANUBIUS mous chefs from the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belgrade, Jovica Nešković and Stambol Geštamov, prepared various dishes with Danubius pasta and revealed their culinary tricks. On this occasion, they cooked over 300 delicious free meals for the citizens of Novi Sad. The end of the festival was

In the 1970s, Danubius was relocated from the the city centre to a new, very attractive location at the estuary of the DTD channel on the Danube. The mill and part of the silo were already built on this site, and the foundation for construction of a large industrial cereal complex was laid. The fact that

Josip Broz Tito came to see the site in late 1976 testifies about the importance of this event, not only for the then industry in Novi Sad, but also for the entire country. Shortly thereafter, Milorad Sredanović, the deputy chairman of Delta Holding, came to work for the factory. For many years, Sredanović was at the helm of this milling / pasta giant. „Back in the day, we used to have an army of people at the factory, working on packaging flour and pasta“, Sredanović reminisces and adds: „Today, we have modern packaging machines, robots and computers. In this way, the quality and quantity of flour and pasta packaging has been significantly improved. The market is merciless, the competition never sleeps, and we cannot survive on old glory alone. We need to keep on moving and continue winning in the market. That is why our slogan – 'Time is running, quality remains' - has remained the same all these years."

In 2006, Delta Holding recognized the huge potential of the factory, and since then has invested almost 13 million euros in Danubius. The investments ensured modernization and reconstruction of the flour silo, packaging machines and robotic palletization cells, which, in turn, created the conditions for additional expansion of the portfolio and penetration into new, demanding European and global markets.

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KOLARAC

C ALEND AR & NE W S

Concert hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

01

JUN

20:00

THE FIFTH 4

CONCERT PROGRAMME June 2018

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Daniel Raiskin, Soloists: Vadim Gluzman, violin Evgenija Jeremić, soprano, L. Bernstein: Serenade G. Mahler: Symphony No. 4 Vadim Gluzman

As the season draws to a close, we have finally reached the skies. In the heavenly clouds of Gustav Mahler, where the angels bake bread and sing in choirs.

07

JUN

20:00

Eiji Oue

PHILHARMANIA(C) 5 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Eiji Oue, Soloists: Simone Rubino, percussion Academic Choir Collegium Musicium, T. Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, A. Dorman: Frozen in Time, G. Holst: The Planets

“The intensity prevailed from beginning to end, throughout this milestone account [of Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder] conducted by Eiji Oue. His musicians were absolutely devoted, producing the highest standard of execution that we can recall from the Orquesta Simfonica de Barcelona. He conducted this extremely complex music from memory and interpreted it with great power.” (El Mundo Cataluña)

08

JUN

20:00

Simone Rubino

EARTH 5

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Eiji Oue, Soloist: Simone Rubino, percussions Academic Choir Collegium Musicium, T. Takemitsu: Requiem for Strings, A. Dorman: Frozen in Time, G. Holst: The Planets

Yes, our Earth is just one of the myriads of planets. Nobody succeeded in translating this fact into music better than the British composer Gustav Holst.

15

JUN

20:00

John Axelrod

THE FIFTH 5

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: John Axelrod, Soloist: David Guerrier, trumpet and horn, J. Williams: Star Wars, suite, C. M. von Weber: Concertino for Horn and Orchestra, H. Tomasi: Trumpet Concerto, R. Strauss: Thus Spake Zarathustra

Friday, 1st at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor:Daniel Raiskin Vadim Gluzman, violin Evgenija Jeremić, soprano Programme: L. Bernstein, G. Mahler Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra More information – 0112630744 Sunday, 3rd at 11.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Faculty of Music/ Piano Department Production: Music Centre Admission free Wednesday, 3rd at 18.00 Music Gallery

PRODUCTION: MUSIC WORKSHOP

Dusa Jovanović, cello Jovana Đorđević, piano Gusets: Maja Jovanović, flute, Dunja Kalamir, violin, Sofija Miahilović, flute, Sofija Stojanović, cello, Bojana Sudjić, piano Production: Music Workshop Admission free Thursday, 7th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor:Eiji Oue Simone Rubino, percussion Academic Choir Collegium Musicium

Programme: T. Takemitsu, A. Dorman, G. Holst Production: Belgrade Philharmonic More information – 0112630744 Friday, 8th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor:EijiOue Simone Rubino, percussion Academic Choir Collegium Musicium Programme: T. Takemitsu, A. Dorman, G. Holst Production: Belgrade Philharmonic More information – 0112630744 Tuesday, 12th at 18.00 Music Gallery Magic Flute Children`s Concert 300 Wednesday, 13th at 18.00 Music Gallery

STRING QUARTET

O. Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time Luka Cubrilo, piano, Aleksandra Milanović, violin, Rastko Uzunovic, clarinet, Aleksandra Bengin, cello Production: Music Centre Admission free Thursday, 14th at 20.00 Concert Hall

FILIP BULATOVIĆ TRIO

Filip Bulatović, piano Milan Pavković, bass Pedja Milutinović, drums

Friday, 15th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor: John Axelrod David Guerrier, trumpet and horn Programme: C. M. von Weber,H. Tomasi, R. Strauss,J. Williams, Production: Belgrade Philharmonic More information – 0112630744 Saturday, 16th at 18.00 Music Gallery

CHILDREN`S CONCERT

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Sunday, 17th at 11.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Piano Ensemble D-Art Programme:Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Liszt, Khachaturian Production: Music Centre Admission fee Thursday, 21st at 18.00 Music Gallery

CYCLE: LECTURES

Prof. SanjaGrujić Vlajnić/ Mongomery College Adjunct Faculty Serbian Music in USA Production: Music Centre Admission free Thursday, 28th at 20.00 Concert Hall

TRADITIONAL MUSIC - GUSLE

In the portrayal of Nietzsche’s superhuman, embodied in Stanley Kubrick’s evolution scene in his legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey, a thousand times used and abused by the marketing industry, one cannot miss Strauss’ exquisite artistic thought. Unfathomability is guaranteed here. Our soloist, equally brilliant with a trumpet and a French horn, also seems quite unreal.

21

JUN

20:00

Felix Mildenberger

DIRIGENTENFORUM

Closing concert - Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Conductors: Felix Mildenberger, Natalija Mićić, Olivera Sekulić-Barac, Valentin Egel, Alexander Sinan Binder, Soloist: Emily Newton, soprano, R. Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and lsolde, W. A. Mozart: Symphony KV 504 (Prague), M. Ristić: Symphony No. 2, M. Ravel: La Valse

The Conductors’ Forum – final concert At the Conductors’ Forum final concert, all five candidates will conduct the Belgrade Philharmonic, including two candidates from Serbia who took part at the master class held by Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz.

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