Diplomacy and Commerce No.47

December 2019 / January 2020 | ISSUE No. 47 | Price 350 RSD

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11 DEC

CONFERENCE WORLD IN 2020

MARATHON, NOT SPRINT AMBASSADOR SEM FABRIZI Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia

IS SERBIA THE TANGIER OF THE 21st CENTURY? Doha Forum in Qatar

GONE UNDERGROUND SINIŠA KOVAČEVIĆ

Theatre director, dramatist and screenwriter

CAN CITIZEN KANE BE SAVED?

World Media Congress in Las Vegas

“THE WORLD IN 2020” Gala Dinner

HIGH POTENTIAL FOR COOPERATION H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE Korean Ambassador to Serbia

France

H.E. JEAN-LOUIS FALCONI

Ambassador of France to Serbia

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

New Roaring '20s?

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Ambassador SEM FABRIZI

SINIŠA KOVAČEVIĆ

MARATHON, NOT SPRINT The US ambassador to Britain Robert Johnson has said the UK would enter the 'Roaring Twenties' after Brexit was delivered.

Is the US Ambassador's optimism applicable to the whole world, or can the Roaring Twenties happen only in the countries that made the former British Empire? What will the Roaring Twenties be like in our country?

In December, we published The Economist: The World in 2020 magazine in three countries - Serbia, Croatia and North Macedonia. Prime ministers, cabinet ministers, ambassadors and many other officials spoke at our conferences and gala dinners. While the gala dinner was taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, with over 30 ambassadors in attendance, news came that a businessman from Montenegro was wounded by a sniper at the same hotel.

This was the same place in which, 20 years ago, on January 15th, 2000 Željko Ražnatović Arkan was assassinated. Will the Roaring Twenties in Serbia resemble those in Chicago?

Analysts, who wrote for The World in 2016 edition, predicted that British voters would vote "remain" in the referendum and that the Americans would vote for Hillary Clinton as the next president. In 2016, Brexit and Trump received the vote of support.

After 2016, the forecasts are much more cautious. At a presentation of The World in 2020 magazine at the Faculty of Political Science a few days ago, I told students how Hong Kong looked to me when I was there two years ago, i.e. as a place that would not experience any major problems. Today, the streets of Hong Kong are in flames. In the summer of 2012, I was at the finals of the European Football Championship in Kyiv, which, at the time, did not show any signs that one year later there would be bloodshed on its streets. One of the students then asked had I been to Berlin recently?

Everything that seems untouchable to us and "built to last" can disappear in today's world at any given moment. So, be careful about New Year's wishes and forecasts.

I would like to wish all readers of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine a lot of health. When it comes to everything else - love, money, peace and happiness – they will have to create that for themselves.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia

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CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES IN 2020

THE FAIR IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE SERBIA IS DEVELOPING

H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE Korean Ambassador to Serbia

SLOBODAN CVETKOVIĆ

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MBA, Director General of Novi Sad Fair

THE WESTERN BALKANS IS NOT A SOLUTION OF MIGRANTS ALEKSANDAR SIMURDIĆ Vice President of the European Movement in Serbia

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SERBIA IS A FILM-FRIENDLY COUNTRY MILICA BOŽANIĆ and ALEK CONIĆ Serbia Film Commission

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Director

TANJA BANKOVIĆ

Editor in Chief

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

SANJA ŠOJIĆ Journalist

sanja.sojic@color.rs

CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

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

Theatre director, dramatist and screenwriter

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COMMENT

Marathon, Not Sprint For us, the real benchmark of the accession process is not in the opening of chapters, but rather closing them

Ambassador SEM FABRIZI Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia

Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, spoke at the opening of the World in 2020 Conference.

Here are some of the most interesting parts of his speech.

“As the EU Ambassador to Serbia, I wish to focus in particular on Serbia's path towards the European Union. What can we learn from the past year? Is there room for improvement? What is our homework for next year? I will reflect on two key points that seem to be most significant at the moment Serbia's achievements on the way to the EU and Serbia's European perspective.

Let me first start by stressing that 2019 has been an important year. Within the framework of the accession negotiations, Serbia has passed the magic halfway goal in terms of the number of opened chapters. As we have received good

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news from Brussels on 10 December – Serbia has opened a new chapter - Chapter 4 – Free Movement of Capital. Therefore, Serbia has opened 18 out of a total of 35 negotiation chapters.

With the opening of this chapter, the EU recognised the important progress Serbia made in the past year, including the de-listing from the Financial Action Task

this is not a sprint, but a marathon. Essentially, the rule of law remains a key indicator of genuine progress in the accession process. In that light, Serbia needs to invest significant efforts to accelerate the pace of all the necessary reforms in this segment, especially focusing on the independence of the judiciary, ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms, fight against corruption and the organised crime. In the past few years, I often got the feeling that Serbia is approaching the EU at two different speeds. While we need and want to see more in areas such as the Rule of Law, we have grounds for real optimism in the economic area. Of course, there is still some homework left, particularly in the area of structural reforms.

The recently adopted 2019 budget is expected to reach the planned forecast: a deficit of 0.5% of GDP. It also leaves an important fiscal space for capital investments that Serbia very much needs. Serbia has also considerably improved debt sustainability, with public debt moving down, towards 50% of the GDP. The inflation is low and stable, and the inflow of foreign direct investments simply impressive.

SERBIA HAS OPENED 18 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 35 NEGOTIATION CHAPTERS Force (FATF)'s black list. But, as I see that a lot of public attention is given to the opening of chapters, I wish to focus a bit on the significance of this process. For us, the real benchmark of the accession process is not in the opening of chapters, but rather closing them. We consider the opening as a strong sign that Serbia is on the right path as far as a specific sector goes, but the real work still needs to be done. As I often stress,

On the other hand, Serbia needs to accelerate the pace of major structural reforms: of public administration – this we also stress in both our Annual Report and the assessment of Serbia's Economic Reform Programme. The business environment needs to be governed by the principle of fair competition, and the implementation of big infrastructural projects and investments need to be more transparent.

SERBIA'S EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

When we move from the past to the future, let me be very clear: geographically, culturally, strategically, historically, politically and economically, Serbia belongs to the EU! I cannot deny noticing that the October European Council's delay in opening negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia has caused a lot of disappointment, concern, and even scepticism over the region's European path.

Therefore, I will use this opportunity to transmit a very important message to all of you - the EU's commitment to the European perspective of the Western Balkans remains unchanged.

This means that the EU integration of Serbia and the entire Western Balkans region remains an important strategic policy, in our mutual interest and our final goal.

This was very clearly confirmed by the newly appointed European Commission and the new Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi in his address to the European Parliament: "This region is an integral part of Europe and its accession perspective must be credible."

That is why the EU will revisit this issue before the EU – Western Balkans Leaders' Summit in Zagreb in May 2020. And this is why, it is extremely important for Serbia to continue the reform process, speed it up and do its best to convince all the sceptics of what we already know, i.e. that Serbia's place is within the EU. To conclude, it is clear that the rule of law and economic development go hand in hand, and that the enlargement is not just a technical process, but a major political project in the EU as well as Serbia. And while we see positive trends in economic figures, we wish to see the rule of law reforms matching the speed of the economic ones.

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CONFERENCE

Challenges and Perspectives in 2020 The topic ‘What awaits us in 2020’ discussed at the opening of The Economist: The World in 2020 conference

Regional Stability and Cooperation VLADIMIR MARINKOVIĆ Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament

Deputy Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Vladimir Marinković said, at the opening of the conference, that Serbia would persevere on the path to full-fledged membership in the European Union, but would, at the same time, continue to bolster

its strategic partnership with China and Russia and establish better political relations with the US. "Serbia is open for cooperation. The time has come to maximize political cooperation with the US. In terms of economy, we already have satisfactory results since the US companies have invested more than 4 billion dollars in Serbia," Marinković said at the opening of the conference.

He pointed out that Serbia’s economic growth in 2019 exceeded the plan and that the growth stood at 4.8 per cent in the third quarter.

Also, the value of the foreign direct investments exceeded 3.5 billion euro. "Increased employment, economic development and regional stability and cooperation are the goals for the coming period," Marinković concluded.

Countries in the Region are Not Our Competitors ZORAN DJORDJEVIĆ Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia

The conference was officially opened by the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Djordjević. “What are the global, local and economic trends and how will they affect Serbia? What is the future perspective? It is leaving the past behind, being creative, having a clear vision of the future,

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and defining how far we have to go,” the minister in his speech.

“The jobs of the future require higher education and a skilled workforce, and we will achieve this through the National Employment Service, retraining in the IT sector and the like. Labour shortages will certain reach a certain level in 2020 that could be problematic, but we do have regional integration to mitigate that. The only solution is free movement of labour,” he said. Technology poses another risk, the minister said and added:”Not only high

technology but also artificial intelligence.” He then cited accuracy of information as one of the problems for the coming year. “This is a global problem which can put both companies and the country in a serious situation. The inevitability of the economic crisis will happen to everyone,” he warned.

“We must learn and overcome all misunderstandings between us.

Our competitors are not countries in the region, our competitor is not the EU,” the minister concluded, encouraging everyone to be interested in business as well.

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Innovation Union NENAD POPOVIĆ The Minister in charge of innovation and technological development

The conference guests were then addressed by Nenad Popović, the Minister in charge of innovation and technological development.

He spoke of the need to get more and more young engineers, about artificial intelligence, particularly

robotics, and he mentioned that we should think all the way to 5G technology, which will surely bring about radical change and innovation. He has also not forgotten about new space exploration technologies. “There is no innovation without politics and political decision-making,” Popović said, adding that science should be pragmatized and

applied throughout society. He reminded that, next year, Europe is starting to implement a new innovation investment programme worth 100 billion euro, the biggest amount allocated to investing in innovation so far. Popović concluded that “innovation is a magic word for Europe’s future”, and added that “innovation is a key component of society.”

New Projects

Historical Year

GORAN VESIĆ

DUBRAVKA NEGRE

Deputy Mayor of the City of Belgrade

Deputy Mayor Goran Vesić said that Belgrade was rapidly developing and solving its ongoing problems. He reminded that Belgrade accounted for 40 per cent of Serbia's gross domestic product.

“The first thing we need to do is to deal with the problem of traffic infrastructure, because Belgrade can no longer function without a subway, which construction will start in 2020. The value of the subway project is around 4 billion euro. The first two subway lines will have a 42-kilometre-long network. At the same time, we are working on the extension of the city railway - BG train. We are working towards expanding the tram network by more than 40 kilometres, and then we can focus on environmental protection

and sustainable development,” said Vesić while also announcing the launch of three new electric bus lines. Another big challenge for Belgrade is, according to him, wastewater treatment, as well as the fact that about 30 per cent of citizens do not have functioning sewage. He added that the service and tourism sector is the pillar of Belgrade's development and reminded that the Serbian capital of generated close to a billion euro in tourism revenue.

In 2020, the City of Belgrade will open its representative office in Brussels so that the city authorities are present in the place where important political decisions are made and where development funding is approved – Vesić concluded.

Head of the Western Balkans Office of the European Investment Bank (EIB)

Dubravka Negre, Head of the Western Balkans Office of the European Investment Bank (EIB), addressed the audience with good news – the EU said that war against climate change started immediately and that a strategy covering that topic would be presented. “If I ask myself what the year 2020 will be remembered for in the history of the world, the answer is quite clear - it will be the year when the European Union turned the tide on the climate change policy forever and for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. This actually starts today, with the presentation of the European Green Deal, the new growth strategy for the benefit of the planet, people

and economy. 2020 will be the year when the EU will have the first-ever climate law in place, so that the road to climate neutrality by 2050 will be irreversible”, said Ms Negre. The new European Commission has called for the European Investment Bank to become a financial engine for green transition and climate change in Europe and the world.

To this end, the EIB has taken a final decision on the new climate policy. “Looking ahead to the years to come, I would like to mention our 50-million-euro investment, of which 10 million euro is a donation towards supplying the Serbian citizens with clean drinking water in 25 municipalities across the country,” Ms Negre concluded.

Fighting Violence and Discrimination as Priorities SUZANA PAUNOVIĆ Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights

Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights, Suzana Paunović, said that exploring diversity and combating all forms of violence and discrimination should be future priorities for

all countries. "A large number of people in the world are affected by inequality in relation to money, wealth, access to resources and justice. They feel excluded from the benefits of development and denied certain social rights," she said. Ms Paunović added that Serbia also faces a policy of double standards when it comes

to exercising human rights. "The lack of reactions in the world to Kosovo applying an additional tax on the goods from Serbia is just one example of this, as is non-compliance with the Brussels Agreement and violation of the rights of Serbs and other non-Albanian people in Kosovo," Ms Paunović added.

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CONFERENCE

The EU Must Bring Order JOAN HOEY The Economist’s regional director

The Economist’s regional director, Joan Hoey, talked about Brexit and 2020 projections. “It seems to me that the second phase of the Brexit negotiations could be even more brutal because the logic behind Brexit is that Great Britain is leaving to do something else

entirely. 11 months is not enough to negotiate,” she added. “When Great Britain leaves, the German economy will weaken and this is a real opportunity for France and Mr Macron,” she said and added: “The EU must bring order into its own house and its own backyard.” “There are also negative consequences for foreign reforms: avoiding negotiations will create additional pressure on the Bel-

grade-Priština dialogue and, of course, undermine the role and position of the EU. This creates room for China and Russia to strengthen and expand their role. I think it will force Western leaders to reflect on their national interests,” Ms Hoey said. “Britain has problems with economy which have been ignored by politicians for several decades.

I think this applies to the Western Balkans as well,” Ms Hoey added..

Deglobalization We Cannot Ignore and Consequences Each Other MARKO ČADEŽ

NEBOJŠA KATIĆ

President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS)

Economist

Economist Nebojsa Katić spoke, among other things, about globalization, which he said was not a new phenomenon, but has been known since the 19th century. “Globalization served some countries well, while some countries suffered for it,” said Katić, explaining that national GDP is an aggregate that

shows what had been created in a particular country. “When we examine the figures a little closer, we will see that we have no reason to be happy, and that only Asia has profited from globalization. All other countries are either in regression or in stagnation”, Katić added. “The West accuses China of expanding its ‘soft power’ through the Confucius Institute, and that it is doing exactly what Western countries have been doing for decades. China’s economy has grown at an average of 10% per year over the past 30 years.

That’s a growth that is unprecedented in human history,” Nebojša Katić concluded.

The CCIS President assessed that next year will mark the resolution of problems in the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, which are an obstacle to the development of the economy of Serbia and the region. "We cannot ignore each other, but if we want to have sustainable economies, then there is no alternative," he said at the con-

ference, underlining that Belgrade and Priština have to build a new relationship. He also said that the agreement between Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia on the free movement of goods, services, people and capital is already yielding results. "Businesses want the border crossings to be opened 24 hours to begin with. For now, the Preševo and Horgoš crossings are opened all day. They are now working non-stop, which is very important for all businesses, "said Čadež.

He added that out of the total investments expected to be made in the upcoming period 35 per cent come from German companies and that these companies already employ 60,000 people in Serbia.

Serbia, Equal for All BILJANA BAROŠEVIĆ Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Social and Veterans’ Affairs

Biljana Barošević, Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Social and Veterans’ Affairs, talked about people with disabilities

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and approaches to work that the Ministry has been focusing on, as well as the activities that have been implemented and those that are planned. In implementing activities, the Ministry will demonstrate that Serbia is equal for all – she said. “We have done a lot in 2019.

In 2020, we will continue working towards making Serbia equal for all. We plan to work on accessibility for persons with disabilities, reconstruction of relevant associations, procurement of equipment and on strategic documents,” concluded Ms Barošević.

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NATIONAL DAYS

in January & February

ARRIVALS

JANUARY

PATRIZIO DEI TOS New president of this business association Confindustria in Serbia

The General Assembly held on December 11, 2019, the members of Confindustria Serbia unanimously appointed Patricia Dei Tos as the new president of this business association for the term 2019 - 2022. Dei Tos succeeded Eric Cossutta, who has been at the helm of this association since its establishment in June 2012. Patrizio

Dei Tos, a businessman from Treviso, is the founder and CEO of Labor Legno and Itlas, a leader in the Italian market in the production of wooden floors and flooring. Under the name Labor SRB, the company has been operating in Serbia since 2015, when it opened its first plant in Sremska Mitrovica. In October 2018, it opened a second plant.

CUBA

Liberation Day

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SUDAN

Independence Day

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SLOVAKIA

Independence Day

MILORAD KRSTIKESKI New BAT Director for Serbia and Montenegro

British American Tobacco has appointed a new director for Serbia and Montenegro, Milorad Krstikeski, who will assume the position starting from 1st January 2020.

Krstikeski has rich and extensive experience in the tobacco industry, which is of great importance for the continued operation of the multinational company BAT, which is also the largest UK investor in Serbia.

New director of BAT for Serbia and

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Montenegro joined TDR in 2003., and since then he was in charge of developing tobacco industry markets of multiple countries in the region. Since TDR officially became part of British American Tobacco, Krstikeski has taken on the most responsible positions in the BAT system. Krstikeski will replace Sotiris Kosturos, who has been a major contributor to BAT’s strategic development since 2004.

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MYANMAR

Students’ Protest Day

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UKRAINE

ay of Unity of D Ukraine

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ROMANIA

nification Day of U Wallachia and Moldavia

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DEPARTURES

AUSTRALIA

GORDAN BAKOTA Croatian Ambassador to Serbia

After two years of being the Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Gordan Bakota will continue his diplomatic career in Germany.H.E. Gordan Bakota graduated from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Law in 1991. Following an internship at the State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia, he gained employment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and remained there as a career diplomat. He studied at Georgetown University in Washington.

HOSSEIN MOLLA ABDOLLAHI Ambassador of The Islamic Republic Of Iran To Serbia

H.E. Hossein Molla Abdollahi becam in 2016 a ambassador of The Islamic Republic Of Iran To Serbia. Hossein Molla Abdollahi graduated from the University of Teheran with an MA in International Relations. Before his appointment to Serbia he served as Director General for Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Abdollahi is married with five children

and speaks English and Arabic. During 2000 and 2001 he was Deputy Director of the West Asia Department of the MFA and from 2001 Director of ECO. In 2013. Mr. Abdollahi was appointed Ambassador to Vietnam also accredited in Cambodia, and from 2003 to 2010 he was Advisor to the Deputy Foreign Minister for Africa and the Arab countries.

H.E. FAKHRI HASSAN MAHDI AL-ISSA Iraqi Ambassador

Fakhri Hassan Mahdi Al-Issa becam in 2018 a ambassador of Iraq to Serbia. H. E. Al-Issa graduated from College of Agriculture, Baghdad University in 1976 holding a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture Engineering, and obtained his MSc title at the University College of North Wales, U.K, 1989. Prior to this post, he was ambassador of Iraq in India, Venezuela, and held positions of Ambassador – Head of Asia Department – Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador – Head of Policy Planning Department, Iraqi ministry of Foreign Affairs. He speaks Arabic and English.

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National Day

26

INDIA

Republic Day

FEBRUARY

11

JAPAN

ational Foundation N Day

11

IRAN

Islamic Revolution Day

11

VATICAN

oundation of Vatican F City

17

LIBYA

Revolution Day

24

ESTONIA

Independence Day

25

KUWAIT

ational Day and N Liberation Day

28

EGYPT

Independence Day

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INTERVIEW

Text: TANJA BANKOVIĆ

High Potential for Cooperation Korea’s investment in Serbia is expanding not only in terms of its volume, but also in terms of its scope H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE Korean Ambassador to Serbia

Last year was 30 years since the establishment of bilateral relations between our two countries. “1989 is the very first year when the Korean Government took its first step to establish diplomatic relations with East European countries after the emergence of new détente on the occasion of the fall of the Berlin wall.

Serbia, back then Yugoslavia, was one of the first countries with which Korea established bilateral ties in this region. Since then, the two countries have achieved significant development of bilateral relations in various fields, which we can be very much proud of” says at the beginning of the interview H.E. Hyoung-chan Choe, Korean Ambassador to Serbia.

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Are you satisfied with the bilateral cooperation so far?

— Firstly, we have seen a clear upward trend in high-level exchanges. Last June, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea visited Serbia for the first time in 29 years.

Serbian Speaker of the National Assembly to Korea. They took those opportunities to comprehensively review the current status of bilateral relations and share views on future development of friendship between our peoples and govern-

DESPITE THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTANCES, IT IS NOT HARD TO FIND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN KOREA AND SERBIA, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES AND GEOPOLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES In October, on the occasion of the 141st IPU assembly, the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly made an official visit to Serbia.

It was reciprocated in December by the visit of the Speaker of the Parliament of Serbia, Madam Gojkovic, which was highly meaningful as it was the first-ever visit by a

ments. Secondly, high potential for economic cooperation has been proved. Korea’s investment in Serbia is expanding not only in terms of its volume, but also in terms of its scope. Since Korea’s first investment in Serbia in 11 years ago, number of Korean companies investing in Serbia or planning to

invest has significantly increased in various areas encompassing magnet wires, industrial gloves, and waste management facilities.

I firmly believe that these investments have contributed to steady economic growth of Serbia. Last but not least, cultural exchanges have also been expanding. Introducing Korean culture in Serbia and enhancing mutual understanding is a key mission of the Korean Embassy. With such aim, we have been putting our best efforts in organizing a variety of cultural events where people from Korea and Serbia can actively interact.

Last year was even more special since we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic relations.

Throughout the year, we presented various events including unique performances of Korean traditional dance and traditional music.

The Serbian national anthem played with Korean traditional

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musical instruments was greatly welcomed with loud applause. A group of masters of Korean martial art, Taekwondo, demonstrated jumping and spinning kicks with high speed and agility, which in particular fascinated Serbian children and young trainees of martial arts. We also had K-pop festival, K-food, K-beauty, K-movie, Korean language events. Based on such achievements, our journey together with Serbia for the cherished friendship and co-prosperity will continue in the next 30 years and beyond.

You have been an ambassador to Serbia for a year. What have you witnessed and what have you found for further cooperation between the two countries?

— It was a great privilege and pleasure for me to be a part of the process of dynamic transformation of Serbian society in its European path during my first year. I have seen positive energy directed to further advancement and better life of people. At the same time, I have also witnessed that while Serbia is doing its best to reform, there are rooms for further promotion of rule of law and freedom of media together with economic development in its path towards EU. However, Serbia is not the only country that has faced or is facing such challenges. Korea used to be one of the poorest countries in the world.

From the ruins of war, however, Korea has become the world’s 11th largest economy, which has global tech companies such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and SK. These companies are leaders in the fields of semi-conductors, 5G, shipbuilding, and so on. Korea has also strengthened a democratic society over the past decades. To support Serbia’s path to EU, Korean government has been in close cooperation with Serbian government especially in areas where we have comparative strength and experiences based on our trials

and errors. We believe that the digitalization and E-government can bring along multiple benefits such as more efficient public service, enhanced transparency and reduction of business costs.

How would you assess the situation in your country today and the situation on the Korean Peninsula in general?

— Last year, we have seen remarkable steps that will go down the history of peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

The leaders of two Koreas met three times and the first ever U.S.-DPRK summit was held in Singapore soon followed by the second summit in Vietnam. President Trump and Chairman Kim met for the third time even at the DMZ. However, everlasting peace and stability cannot be achieved by only a couple of meetings. Our goal is to achieve complete denuclearization and permanent peace

are dreaming of is a state where mutual inclusiveness and interdependence are enhanced, on which we can build up “peace economy” and co-prosperity. Peace and economic cooperation will work in a virtuous cycle reinforcing each other. The examples of how the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) contributed to peace and prosperity of Europe present a desirable model for us to emulate. The Korean Government will stay committed to the above mentioned principles as peace and progress on the Korean Peninsula can only be created through continued dialogue.

ground of Korea will be expanded as far as Russia and Europe northwards, and as far as ASEAN and India southwards. To this end, the Korean government is pursuing the New Northern Policy and the New Southern Policy at the same time to play a bridging role among countries in the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean. I believe that Serbia will play a central role in connecting countries in the Balkan region and beyond to bring along not only peace and stability, but also economic prosperity.

Both the Korean and Balkan Peninsula have experienced divisions for long periods of time.

What do you think Korea and Serbia can do to promote peace and prosperity in each region?

— It is evident that increasing number of Korean companies are expressing interests for new investment opportunities in Serbia.

Yura Corporation, the oldest and biggest Korean investor in Serbia, is successfully operating 5 factories with more than 7,000 local employees in Rača, Leskovac and Niš; Superior Essex, subsidiary of the LS group opened its first factory in Zrenjanin last year with the presence of President Vucic to the groundbreaking and building completion ceremony; Elias Eco, is exploring a new business in the field of eco-friendly industrial waste management facility; Auntex is planning to launch its production of industrial gloves in Serbia; and Hankook Tire, the biggest tire company in Korea, opened its marketing branch in Belgrade. However, we don’t see Serbia simply as a destination for investment or market where we can reap economic benefits. We see Serbia as a promising partner for co-prosperity. In pursuing future oriented partnership, there are rooms for further economic cooperation. In particular, while IT and E-government will continue to be the focus of our cooperation, beauty and cosmetic industry could be new areas of cooperation in coming years.

IT IS EVIDENT THAT INCREASING NUMBER OF KOREAN COMPANIES ARE EXPRESSING INTERESTS FOR NEW INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN SERBIA on the Korean Peninsula. In the course of resolving these issues, the principles that the Korean Government has firmly held on to remain unchanged. The first principle is zero tolerance for war. Korea is still in a state of armistice. With a firm conviction that the tragedy of war should never be repeated on the Korean Peninsula, we will exert our best efforts to put an end to the longest-running armisitice in human history and achieve a complete end to the War. The second is mutual security guarantee between South and North Korea.

All hostile acts must be put on hold while the dialogue is ongoing. Third one is co-prosperity. We don't simply pursue a state that is absence of conflict. Peace that we

— Despite the geographical distances, it is not hard to find similarities between Korea and Serbia, especially in terms of historical experiences and geopolitical circumstances. Since Serbia and Korea have long been situated among strong powers, we had to face neighboring countries’ invasions and occupations. Now, we share similar mission to pursue peace, stability and prosperity of the region with the involvement of countries concerned. As I mentioned earlier, the Republic of Korea intends to open a new era of peace economy where peace will be a new growth engine for economy, which in turn, will reinforce peace. Based on solid partnership with neighbors, the economic play-

Many Korean companies operate in Serbia. Are you satisfied with the economic cooperation between our two countries? Is there room for more progress?

TOURISM How interested are South Korean tourists in Serbia and vice versa?

— Tourism definitely is the area where we can work harder to achieve more. The number of Korean people visiting Serbia and vice versa is yet modest compared to other European countries. Less than 10,000 Korean tourists visit Serbia annually, which means, if we see it from a different angle, there is a big room for increase. It would be necessary to

promote the beauty of Serbia as much as possible as Serbia, located geographically far away, is not yet a widely known tourist attraction for Koreans.

I sincerely hope to see an increasing exchange exchange of people including tourists in the near future as people-to-people exchange is one of the best ways to enhance mutual understanding between the two countries whose language, culture, and way of thinking are not the same.

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POLITICS

Which Nation Improved the Most in 2019?

The winner is a place that abolished slavery Our annual “country of the year” award celebrates improvement. Each December, therefore, we give a hostage to fortune. The places that climb furthest are often those that started near the bottom: poor, ill-governed and unstable. Freshly won democracy and peace do not always last, as Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar (The Economists country of the year in 2015) ended up reminding the world when she appeared recently at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and glossed over the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority, by her country’s soldiers.

In 2019 the most striking political trend was a negative one: belligerent nationalism. India has been stripping Muslims of citizenship, China has been locking up Muslims in camps, America has taken a wrecking ball to global institutions. So strong was the global tide that it was a relief to see some countries paddling the other way.

New Zealand deserves an honourable mention for its response to a massacre in mosques by a white nationalist. Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister, put on a headscarf and declared that an attack on Muslims was an attack on all New Zealanders. Her government banned semi-automatic weapons and bought thousands of them from the public.

Even more impressive was North Macedonia, which changed its name to promote peace with its neighbour. Greece had objected that its former moniker, Macedonia, implied a claim to the Greek region of the same name. Greek intransigence prevented the Macedonians from joining nato or starting negotiations to join the European Union. So lawmakers in Skopje swallowed their pride and voted to rename their country; the change took effect in February. Relations with Greece are now much warmer. A source of discord has been removed from a tetchy region. North Macedonia is on track to join nato. Alas, Emmanuel Ma-

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THE PLACES THAT CLIMB FURTHEST ARE OFTEN THOSE THAT STARTED NEAR THE BOTTOM: POOR, ILL-GOVERNED AND UNSTABLE cron, the president of France (country of the year 2017) is blocking its candidacy for the eu, fearing that welcoming another Balkan state into the club would irk French voters.

Two countries became notably less despotic in 2019. In Sudan mass protests led to the ejection of Omar al-Bashir, one of the world’s vilest tyrants. His Islamist regime had murdered and enslaved so many black Africans that

a third of the country broke away to form South Sudan in 2011. Mr Bashir was convicted of corruption in a Sudanese court on December 14th (see article) but seems unlikely to be extradited to stand trial for overseeing genocide in Darfur. A new power-sharing government vows to hold elections in three years, is negotiating peace in Darfur and has eased the dress code for women. However, the risk that thugs from the old regime may

scupper democratic reforms is still worryingly high.

So the winner is a country Herman Cain, an American presidential candidate, once dismissed as “Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan”.

Three years ago Uzbekistan was an old-fashioned post-Soviet dictatorship, a closed society run with exceptional brutality and incompetence. Its regime allegedly boiled dissidents alive, and certainly forced legions of men, women and children to toil in the cotton fields at harvest time.

When Islam Karimov, the despot for 27 years, died in 2016, he was succeeded by his prime minister, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. At first, little changed. But after dumping the head of the security services in 2018, Mr Mirziyoyev began reforms that have accelerated over the past year. His government has largely ended forced labour. Its most notorious prison camp has been closed. Foreign journalists are let in. Bureaucrats are banned from calling on small businesses, which they previously did constantly, to bully them for bribes. More border crossings have opened, helping unite families divided by Central Asia’s crazy quilt of frontiers. Foreign technocrats have been invited to help overhaul the state-stifled economy.

Uzbekistan is to hold parliamentary elections before the new year. Although it is far from a democracy—all of the parties support Mr Mirziyoyev and some critics remain behind bars—some of the candidates have offered mild criticisms of the government, which would previously have been unthinkable. Ordinary Uzbeks, too, feel free to lampoon the campaign and grumble about the political class, without fear of being dragged off in the middle of the night. Uzbekistan still has a long way to go, but no other country travelled as far in 2019.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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CORPORATE

New EPS’ Investments for Modern Power Sector Accelerated Investment Projects in Electric Power Industry of Serbia Serbia’s largest power company, Electric Power Industry of Serbia, continues implementation of the great investment cycle with an increasing intensity, aiming at modernizing all parts of the system and improving business operation. The wheel of investment has been unblocked for the past three and a half years, since the inherited projects at a standstill or lacking proper documents and permits were initiated with a considerable effort of the management and experts from EPS. Thus, EPS meets the obligation of keeping and modernizing the existing capacities, but also ensuring energy safety of Serbia through construction of the new ones.

One of the most significant projects is the construction of a new 350 MW unit in Kostolac, worth $ 613 million. After almost three decades, EPS is building a modern, efficient unit that will meet all domestic and European environmental standards. The huge task of construction of the unit Kostolac B3 is divided into 14 phases and has a steady progress rate in cooperation with the partners from China.

The projects related to higher utilization of renewable energy sources have a significant share in the investment cycle. The largest new capacity among them is 66 MW wind farm that will be built in Kostolac. The project inherited without a single permit is now in the contractor selection phase of the tender applying international criteria. The project is estimated to be approximately € 100 million and a total of 20 wind turbines will be installed on closed mines and landfills of TPPs-OCMs Kostolac branch.

The expected annual generation amounts to approximately 150 million kilowatt-hours, which is sufficient to supply about 30,000 households.

EPS MEETS THE OBLIGATION OF KEEPING AND MODERNIZING THE EXISTING CAPACITIES, BUT ALSO ENSURING ENERGY SAFETY OF SERBIA THROUGH CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW ONES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ABOVE ALL Every EPS’ investment project includes environmental protection improvement measures as part of the responsible and sustainable business operation. EPS has invested about € 400 million so far into the projects for the improvement of air, water and soil quality, thus taking the leading position in Serbia. Additional investments of about a billion euro were initiated and planned.

Unit rehabilitation in the largest hydro power plant in Serbia, HPP Djerdap 1, will increase its capacity by about 10 percent and extend its life cycle by 40 years. The fifth rehabilitation phase was completed with the commissioning of the modernized unit A2 in the second half of November 2019, which increased the capacity of the power plant by 30 MW. The final sixth rehabilitation phase will begin in 2020, leaving HPP Djerdap with the total of 180 MW more than at the beginning of the power plant rehabilitation process. Simultaneously, the units will operate more efficiently and will generate more “green“ electricity. The plan is to initiate rehabilitation of all 10 units of HPP Djerdap 2 after rehabilitation of the first Djerdap hydro power plant, thus adding additional 50 new MW of capacity to EPS for electricity generation on the Danube.

An investment of about € 63 million includes the ongoing final works on rehabilitation of the last unit from the HPP Zvornik rehabilitation. With the completion of this task the capacity of HPP Zvornik will reach 125.6 MW, representing an increase of 30 percent. The entire technical documents for rehabilitation of HPP Bistrica, Vlasinske HPPs, HPP Potpeć, HPP Bajina Bašta were prepared.

EPS is investing approximately € 33 million in the reconstruction of 13 existing and the construction of two small hydro power plants on the existing dams. The reconstruction also includes the oldest small hydro power plants in Serbia, some representing a valuable industrial heritage being more than a century old.

EPS is facing years of development that will continue implementation of the initiated investment projects and the initiation of the new ones, securing the future of the company and development of the Serbian economy.

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CONFERENCE

The World in 2020

"Europe 2020: Are you hearing "Ode to Joy“ or Another Song?","Serbia’s economy in 2020: Sustainable Growth Imperative", "Value in Health Care - Transforming the Health System through Strengthening Private-Public Sector Collaboration", "Serbian Economy and Industry Development Domestic and International Business Companies in the Serbian market", and "Sport & Business - How to have successful and professional sports?“ were the conference topics

Panel I: "Europe 2020: Are you hearing "Ode to Joy“ or Another Song?"

The eighth conference "The Economist: The World in 2020" was held on December 11th at the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia. We bring you the most interesting parts of the conference and the views of its participants.

THE REGION NEEDS THE UNION

The ambassadors of the Western Balkan and neighbouring countries, who participated in a panel discussion at ‘The Economist: The World 2020 conference’ about the European integration, underlined that enlargement policy remains the most successful EU policy and that the Union needs the region as much and the region needs the EU. Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Gordan Bakota stated that in 2020, despite all circumstances, the EU enlargement policy will be one of Croatia's priorities, which will preside over the Union. He told the candidate countries that Croatia would do everything in its power relating to the enlargement policy so that it motivates the members who are not that fond of

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the policy at the moment. Stating that they hope to launch accession negotiations with both North Macedonia and Albania, he added that statements coming from the EU leaders indicate that the enlargement issue and the European perspective of the Western Balkans are priorities for the EU. Temporary Chargé d'affaires at the Slovenian Embassy in Serbia, Roman Veksler said that Slovenia was disappointed when negotiations the EU did not start accession negotiations

icy but rather of how it would be implemented.

"The new methodology will not lead to radical changes, but modifications," he said. Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Radko Vlajkov said that the region’s perspective is well known and that in 2020, the countries of the region will cooperate to achieve better economic development. He said that the EU accession process is not easy, as EU membership is not an end either, as well as that is not easy to main-

THE KEYS TO THE WESTERN BALKANS ARE IN THE HANDS OF FRANCE. WE EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENLARGEMENT AT THE ZAGREB SUMMIT with North Macedonia and Albania, adding that he believed the EU would assume a different position the Western Balkans in 2020. He pointed out that there was no room for pessimism in the nonEU countries of the region, stating that it was not a matter of saying “yes” or “no” to enlargement pol-

tain the criteria needed to reap the full benefits of the EU membership. Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Aida Smajić said that it was true that the countries of the region had not made progress in the process of European integration and pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina did not

fulfil any of the 14 conditions.

Ms Smajić said the wait and delay would make the Western Balkans countries embrace other countries for economic reasons.

"The keys to the Western Balkans are in the hands of France. We expect that there will be concrete recommendations for enlargement at the Zagreb Summit," she added.

Montenegrin Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Tarzan Milošević said that Montenegro, which is an EU candidate, is focused on substantive reforms, and that they, as well as the whole world, face important global challenges. He said that in 2017, when the country started accession negotiations about important chapters, gave them new lease energy and showed that they were on the right track and had accomplished a lot of things. "This was an extra wind in our sails. Serbia and Montenegro started negotiations about Chapters 23 and 24 from the same initial position and together, we got 83 benchmarks. It was quite difficult to implement them all that quickly," said Milosevic. President of the Steering Board of the Centre for European Policies, Srd-

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jan Majstorović said that the way French President Emanuel Macron views the EU reform represents France's vision for the EU enlargement and that that is still just one country's initiative. He underlined that he hoped that all 28 EU members would recognize the strategic importance of the Western Balkans for the future of the EU. THE IMPERATIVE OF SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

In order to improve the business climate in Serbia, it is necessary, among other things, to implement structural reforms, reduce tax levies for businesses, combat the shadow economy and corruption, simplify various administrative procedures and adjust the education system to the needs of businesses, it was said in another panel.

Ronald Seeliger, president of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, said he the number of people with qualifications leaving the country was frightening.

“The German Chamber of Commerce, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, launched dual education.

The qualifications, gained through dual education, are the same as university qualifications. Lifelong education and training is a must, otherwise, you will lose touch with reality and the market,” he warned.

“Unemployment rate is still high, and I don’t like that,” Ronald Seeliger added.

Yana Mikhailova said that Serbia is a magnet for foreign investments.

“What still needs to be done is structural reforms. We need to see that the economy is more efficient. We can see progress, as the reforms continue but those reforms must the priority,” Ms Mikhailova added.

Chairman of the Managing Board of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), Vladimir Novaković said that NALED's research showed that 55 per cent of businesspeople believe that business conditions in Serbia are poor. NALED members also believe, he added, that the state should continue working on improving the predictability of tax policy and collection of non-tax levies, for the business environment to be assessed as satisfactory.

Novaković went on to say said that, according to NALED members, the Government of Serbia should work on further combating the shadow economy, developing eGovern-

Panel II: Serbia’s economy in 2020: Sustainable Growth Imperative

ment, resolving property issues, reforming healthcare and focus on environmental protection in the coming year. Member of the Managing Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia (AmCham), Vladimir Čupić said that the Chamber’s members agreed that the business climate had deteriorated, primarily because of a series of reforms that

VALUE IN HEALTHCARE

‘Transforming the Healthcare System through Improving Collaboration between the Private and Public Sector’ was the topic discussed by a third panel under the auspices of The Economist - The World in 2020 conference.

Dr Marius Geantă, president and founder of the Centre for Innovation in Medicine, explained that

LIFELONG EDUCATION AND TRAINING IS A MUST, OTHERWISE, YOU WILL LOSE TOUCH WITH REALITY AND THE MARKET have long been announced but are not being implemented. He pointed out that improving the judiciary was crucial for AmCham members, which 76 per cent of respondents indicated as an absolute priority.

President of the Slovenian Business Club, Danijela Fišakov said that it was noticeable that Serbia had been making progress concerning the business climate and added: “In the last five years, we have seen an increase in Slovenian investments in Serbia. Business people will always insist on better transparency, fair treatment and principled implementation of the regulation.”

diseases generate huge expenses, while, on the other hand, investments in medicine are not that big.

He gave an example of a disease like cancer.

“Every cancer is different and that should be our initial stance.

We also need to deal with the molecular side of cancer,” he added.

Bakhuti Shengelia, Executive Director of Global Policy and Healthcare Systems at Novartis, underlined that the fact that patient should come first is often forgotten.

“Patient’s perspective is very important and not so different from

a social perspective,” said Bakhuti Shengelia.

Robert Čoban, President of the Color Press Group, said that people's attitudes and perceptions about health are changing.

“This topic used to be discussed behind the closed doors; now it has gone public. Today, patients have the right to know what these innovative methods are and they need to be available to them. The situation differs in rural areas relative to urban areas, where the awareness is higher,” Robert Čoban said.

THE ECONOMY IN SERBIA – CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

The economy in Serbia and the development of industrial branches, as well as operations of domestic and international companies in the Serbian market, were the topics of the fourth panel discussion. Ognjen Kisin, from Konstruktor Grupa, Dragan Penezić, from British American Tobacco (BAT), Dragan Filipović, Chairman of Generali Osiguranje’s Executive Board, and Mihailo Vesović from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) spoke about the topic.

Ognjen Kisin, Managing Direc-

Panel III: Value in Health Care - Transforming the Health System through Strengthening Private-Public Sector Collaboration

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tor of Konstruktor Grupa, pointed out that there is a noticeable shortage of sufficiently qualified and skilled workforce in construction in Serbia. Dragan Penezić, Regulatory Affairs Director at BAT, underlined the importance of combating the shadow economy, which share in Serbia's GDP has been significantly reduced.

Dragan Filipović, Chairman of Generali Osiguranje’s Executive Board, spoke about the financial literacy of people in our country, stating that the share of the insurance sector in Serbia in the

national GDP stands at 2%, while the Europen average is 6%. Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Strategic Analysis Sector at the CCIS, said that dual education and economic integration in the region were the Chamber’s priorities.

“Economy is at the basis of any kind of development, and we develop it with knowledge and experience. We also must monitor

its effects,” concluded Mihailo Vesović from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

BUSINESS AND SPORTS

The last panel at the conference talked about which prerequisites had to be met in order to achieve top sporting results and how much money and support impact scoring top results in sports. Milan Djukić,

PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE IS VERY IMPORTANT AND NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM A SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

Panel IV: Serbian Economy and Industry Development - Domestic and International Business Companies in the Serbian market

MSc and President of the Vojvodina Handball Team, Dejan Kozlina, Marketing Manager of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, Nina Micić, PR and Marketing Manager of the Serbian Ski Association, and Biljana Barošević, Assistant Minister for Labour, Social and Veterans' Affairs, spoke on this topic.

Milan Djukić said that he believes that without money there would be no top sport, but that perseverance and luck also play a big role.

“I support the thesis that sport can be viewed from several sides: as an activity, a business and an industry. We need a completely different model of financing only for sport. Hungary is a good role model for us in this”, Mr Djukić added.

Dejan Kozlina, from the Olympic Committee, said that longterm cooperation with companies should be established.

"In 2009, we did an analysis and realized that we had to work long term and predictably, so we established Olympic funding categories on that basis," Mr Kozlina explained, adding that bigger the support, better the results.

Nina Micić said that the commercialization of sport is turning sport into a highly profitable activity, while Biljana Barošević spoke about people with disabilities who are involved in top sports.

TURKSTREAM

Dragiša Martinović, Gastrans Ltd., Novi Sad, Case Study on the topic of "TurkStream - cross section of the current status and expectations for 2020"

Panel V: "Sport & Business - How to have successful and professional sports?“

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The conference ended with a Case Study on the topic of "TurkStream - cross section of the current status and expectations for 2020", presented by Dragiša Martinović from Gastrans Ltd., Novi Sad. He presented the related projects and plans and said that the year ahead would be very significant for the Serbian leg of TurkStream gas pipeline.

“2020 will be the year when the Serbian leg of TurkStream will be completed and Serbia will start feeling the benefits of this international project. TurkStream’s capacity is 13 billion cubic metres of gas. Serbia will reap benefits from being transit country and we will generate revenue from that. This project also gives us energy security,” Mr Martinović added.

The following companies and organizations supported this year’s conference - Srbijagas, NS Seme, Energotehnika Južna Bačka, European Investment Bank, Coca-Cola, Novartis, Telekom Serbia, Heneken Serbia, Konstruktor Konsalting and Generali Osiguranje Serbia.

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CORPORATE

Science Will Save the World ALEKSANDAR JAKOVLJEVIĆ Managing Director of Philip Morris SouthEast Europe

New Year is the time of making new decisions.

However, regardless of how easy it is to put those optimistic plans on a list, it is very difficult to carry them out. It takes a lot of persistence and strength, as well as willingness to discover and accept new things, with no fear of losing our identity.

Aleksandar Jakovljević, Managing Director of Philip Morris SouthEast Europe, explains how a tobacco company’s activities fit into a New Year’s “I will quit smoking” resolution.

“When you enter the market with a product which is completely new and different from everything that exists, as well as from everything your company has ever done, it is expected to raise suspicion and lack of understanding by some people. Therefore, we worked for an entire decade on developing less harmful products before we launched the IQOS, our most advanced smoke-free product so far, first in Japan and Italy, and now in 52 markets worldwide.

We wanted to be sure of what we offered as a better solution than continued smoking, to have an answer to every question asked by a smoker ready to make such a change, medical doctor, scientist or decision-maker. In a word, to eliminate distrust and prejudice by allowing science behind our work to speak for us.

If you had to choose one thing, what would mark 2019 in Philip Morris?

— In 2019, we launched a campaign we believe can change “the course of history” and mark the future of both Philip Morris and

the whole world. As assessed in a one of studies, the last cigarette in the UK will be extinguished in 2050. We believe we have the way to make it happen sooner, not only in the UK, but also here, at the Balkans. The “UNSMOKE YOUR WORLD” campaign does not dispute that smokers will make the best possible choice if they stop consuming tobacco and nicotine products. At the same time, it does not turn a blind eye to the fact that a large portion out of 1.3 billion smokers, as the number estimated by the World Health Organization, will simply not do it. It is necessary to offer less harmful alternatives than cigarettes to them. And it does not matter whether those alternatives are produced by Philip Morris or some other company; what matters is that the product is scientifically proven to be a better option than cigarettes and that it is commercialized responsibly.

We want to change the world with this campaign, and that goes beyond narrow commercial gain.

But it also goes beyond capacities of one company, regardless of how

Photo: Đorđe Kojadinović

In 2019, we launched a campaign we believe can change “the course of history” and mark the future of both Philip Morris and the whole world

as from the category of alternative devices in general, which has already obtained approval of the US’ Food and Drugs Agency (FDA) for commercialization in the USA, in April of 2019. The FDA concluded that its commercialization under regulated terms is appropriate for the protection of the public health, and therefore media headlines calling this decision historical were not exaggerated, because that is what it really is. It took more than two years for the FDA to review all the scientific evidence about the features of this product,

JUST LIKE WE WERE THE LEADER IN THE PRODUCTION OF CONVENTIONAL CIGARETTES FOR A WHOLE CENTURY, TODAY WE ARE THE LEADER IN THE PRODUCTION OF SAFER AND VERIFIED ALTERNATIVES big it is, and that is why we want to ask media, expert public and regulators across the world for assistance in order to send cigarettes to history as soon as possible.

Is there still a commercial accomplishment that you will remember 2019 by?

— The IQOS is the first device from the heat-not-burn category, as well

which we had submitted before its experts decided that the evidence was solid and in accordance with the high standards. We believe that such forms of approval are the best way to avoid mystification and cut the Gordian knot of misconceptions and misinformation related to alternatives to cigarettes.

Not all alternatives are the same; the IQOS heats real tobacco sticks,

while e-cigarettes use liquids containing nicotine, but they all, if controlled and complaint with defined procedures, can be beneficial to smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke.

Will PMI’s operations continue to be focused on innovation?

— It would be illogical and irresponsible to simply halt that process of investing in innovation and better future after 15 years and more than 6 billion dollars invested in the innovative product that are less harmful. A lot of effort has been made to find a perfect proportion - a high quality product which is less harmful, and which will both satisfy needs of smokers and preserve a ritual which is very important for smokers in order to accept this alternative. If so many scientists from the areas of toxicology, pharmacy, medicine, biology and about 30 more scientific areas in Philip Morris work on developing better choice for smokers, I believe that our industry can also contribute to the improvement of quality of life for all of us. I will dare to quote a renowned Russian SF author and biochemist, Isaac Asimov, who said that “The salvations that may save the world, every one of them, can be trace back in science”.

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CORPORATE

We are the Best Platform for Dialogue Not only in Serbia but beyond, there is no organization that brings together all three key segments of a society within its membership on a voluntary basis – the private, public and civil sector DEJAN ĐOKIĆ President of NALED Executive Board and Director of Asseco SEE

For a reform to succeed, it needs to be free of any ideological prejudice or individual interests, it needs to be objective, measurable and sustainable. It should provide all stakeholders with equal opportunities to engage in a dialogue regarding the final reform course and contribute to shaping it. And lastly, the reform needs to have a long-term perspective.

This is the only possible recipe and the path NALED has been following for more than a decade. It is for this reason that, ever since our establishment in 2006, we have been a credible Government’s partner in devising and implementing the measures that improve the business environment in our country. From participation in drafting regulations, through development of procedures and software solutions to organization of trainings for civil servants implementing the laws, NALED can make this process happen.

Let me highlight the examples of construction permitting reform, the introduction of new procedure for registering property in the real estate cadaster, or the simplified registration of seasonal workers in agriculture. These are all major steps forward in a world of administrative procedures, where we were the ones that proposed the initiative, and where we had a key role in initiating a public-private dialogue, coordinating institutions to harmonize and draft regulations, ensuring donor support to ease the taxpayers of additional costs, and finally successfully implementing the adopted solutions.

Nowadays, there are not many independent business associations in Serbia that have the capacities to stand as a partner to state

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TODAY, NALED BRINGS TOGETHER NEARLY 320 MEMBERS, INCLUDING BUSINESSES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS institutions in this manner, from the beginning to the end. I am sure it was the quality of solutions we are proposing that made a difference. And this quality stems from NALED’s unique structure.

Not only in Serbia but beyond, there is no organization that brings together all three key segments of a society within its membership on a voluntary basis – the private, public and civil sector. We are a platform which can efficiently process every idea and initiative through a filter involving various different perspectives, and thus reach a balanced solution, which benefits the common interests.

Diversified membership ensures NALED’s neutrality. Together,

we identify the problems and obstacles standing in the way of development, propose practical solutions and help with their implementation. These solutions are based on thorough research and analyses, so they are endorsed with concrete facts and figures.

Who are NALED members?

— We can say we are the largest and most influential public-private association and think-tank in Serbia.

Today, NALED brings together nearly 320 members, including businesses, local governments and civil society organizations.

Our honorary members include the major faculties and research

institutions active in the fields of economics and law. Slightly more than a half of our members come from the private sector – although the big names of globally successful companies are probably more recognizable to everyone, in fact most of the business sector in NALED is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (54%), while large domestic and foreign companies account for 46%. With 130 cities and municipalities in our membership, we gather more than three quarters of local governments in Serbia, along with more than 30 CSOs, various associations of entrepreneurs, small producers, as well as a number of academic and independent state institutions.

Along with improving the business environment which is essentially important for businesses, I believe that NALED’s work is equally significant for the local governments. In Vojvodina municipalities only, over the past three years we have provided training

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for nearly 3,000 officers for implementing new legislative solutions, and we believe this support is very important for them. Additionally, the local governments involved in the Business Friendly Certification program in South East Europe (BFC SEE) implemented by NALED since 2012 with partners from Croatia, BiH, North Macedonia and Montenegro, are nowadays the champions of business environment, standing out by the quality of administration and services provided to businesses.

At the moment, there are 18 local governments in Serbia holding the certificate representing a seal of quality and the proof that they are business friendly or undergoing the certification process.

Further on, NALED members have the opportunity to participate in dozens of conferences, roundtables and expert conferences with decision-makers, use the exclusive right of access to our databases and analyses, participate in the design and implementation of reform projects supported by inter-

the path for stimulating a favorable business environment.

We have participated, or are currently a part of more than 50 working groups for drafting laws, by-laws or strategic documents.

Who can become a member of NALED?

Which key results that NALED achieved last year would you particularly point out?

Why is being a NALED member important and useful?

— An inevitable criticism highlighted by businesses or the civil sector is the lack of dialogue with state institutions. NALED is an organization that manages to overcome this problem and owe this primarily to our great persistence, and to the analytical approach to the evidence based reforms.

How does one influence the public policies through NALED? It all starts from taking part in the organization’s Annual Assembly, with members proposing activities and voting for the priorities NALED would further address. They can also join NALED’s theme working groups – the so-called alliances, currently focusing on six areas – fair competition, eGovernment, food and agriculture, healthcare, property and urbanism, and environment protection. Another good opportunity to influence the improvement of business environment is nominating recommendations for the Grey Book – NALED’s “regulatory Bible”, which provides institutions with a clear list of problematic procedures and proposed solutions.

can be found on our website, and after submitting the necessary documentation and verification, one becomes a full member, which, in addition to numerous rights and privileges, also carries responsibilities, primarily in the form of supporting the organization’s activities and advocating the mutual goals set by the members.

WE ARE VERY SATISFIED WITH THE PAST YEAR AS SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT REFORMS THAT WE HAVE INITIATED OR DESIGNED OVER THE YEAR HAVE BEEN SET IN MOTION AND IMPLEMENTATION national institutions and partners such as USAID, EU, GIZ, the British Good Governance Fund, the EBRD, the Dutch Embassy, the Norwegian Embassy, the World Bank and many others.

NALED has also made a significant step towards improving the dialogue between the state and businesses by initiating joint bodies, such as the Expert group for countering shadow economy or the Joint group for improving Serbia’s position in the Doing business list in which our members actively participate. These bodies are tasked with developing national strategies and plans, and they are the right place to directly impact

— Joining and participating in NALED¬'s work is done solely on a voluntary basis. Over a decade of work on building the organization’s integrity has given us the imperative of admitting only companies and organizations that meet a number of criteria. It is important to us that they understand and accept NALED’s Code of Ethics, that they are socially responsible and do business responsibly, meaning that they respect the laws and settle their tax liabilities. It is also important that their work does not adversely affect the business environment.

All the necessary information regarding membership in NALED

— We are very satisfied with the past year as several significant reforms that we have initiated or designed over the year have been set in motion and implementation.

By that I mean, first of all, the start of the implementation of a simplified registration procedure for seasonal workers in agriculture.

While we had 3,500 registered seasonal workers in the previous years, this year the number has increased to 27,000 thanks to the electronic registration procedure through a website. It is the first public service available in form of a mobile application. Also, we took the cadastral reform a step further by having our initiative to abolish tax returns in the property registration process accepted. And our third big win in 2019 is the introduction of a software for automatic and objective calculation of taxes for lump-sum entrepreneurs.

In addition, I would like to highlight our contribution to improving Serbia’s position on the Doing business list from the 48th to the 44th place thanks to the changes in the Law on Insolvency and the Company Law, we also should not forget our work on the abolishment of mandatory use of stamp, the introduction of tax exemption for start-ups through the Start legally campaign, and the development of a new Action Plan for countering shadow economy and eGovernment Development Strategy.

KEY PRIORITIES What are NALED’s key priorities for 2020?

— We have set the agenda for the new year very ambitiously and we would love to achieve significant results in the field of resolving property issues, and by that I mean above all the need for creating eSpace, a system for the development of spatial plans, as well as tackling the issue of conversion of land rights. Another important area of our work will be strong advocacy for reducing the tax burden on wages, regulating new forms of employment, as well as expanding the scope of electronic registration for seasonal workers in agriculture to other fields of work as well.

The third focus will be on the further development of eGovernment, that is, the launching of the eAgrar system for registering agricultural households and the allocation of subsidies in agriculture, the introduction of eMailbox, electronic document submission system, eBulletinBoard and eAuctions.

We will work to eliminate para-fiscal charges through the development of a public registry of non-tax levies, and we will also focus on countering shadow economy, with particular importance placed on expanding the scope of fiscalisation and developing a system for more efficient reporting of illegal businesses practices through the establishment of a single contact center.

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ECONOMY

The Ceasefire in the Trade War Between America and China is Fragile New American tariffs have been cancelled in a “phase one” trade deal American trade deals typically stretch to thousands of pages.

The new “phase one” trade deal between America and China takes up only 86. Wang Shouwen, the Chinese deputy representative of international trade negotiations, described a text with nine chapters, including ones on intellectual property, technology transfer, financial services and dispute settlement. Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative (ustr) gave journalists a glimpse of it on December 13th, hours after it had been agreed. It is due to be signed by both sides in the new year.

Mr Lighthizer said that American tariffs on around $120bn of Chinese imports would be reduced from 15% to 7.5%. Fresh tariffs due on December 15th were cancelled.

In return, he said, China would ramp up imports of American agricultural products, manufactured goods, energy products and services by $200bn over two years. Negotiators had set targets for various categories of commodities, so that agricultural purchases would rise from a baseline of $24bn in 2017 to at least $40bn in 2020 and 2021.

The exact figures would be secret to avoid influencing markets.

These arrangements are sure to attract criticism. It is hard to see how China will meet its targets while sticking to the World Trade Organisation’s principle of non-discrimination. Joe Glauber of the International Food Policy Research Institute, formerly chief economist of America’s Department of Agriculture, warns that other countries, in particular Australia, Brazil and Canada, may have objections. He also questions the secrecy regarding the targets, asking “how else would producers get signals on what to plant?”

China, for its part, does not like the idea of becoming so reliant on America for imports of commodities such as soyabeans. It had long insisted that it was unrealistic for President Donald Trump to demand that it double its purchases of agricultural products

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from America. Intriguingly, after the new deal was announced it refrained from mentioning any numerical targets. Whether that is because it is embarrassed about having been forced into such a concession, or because the purchase agreements are not as solid as American officials suggest, will become clear only when the text is eventually published.

nationals to hand over technology as part of the process of securing a licence to do business—an issue central to America’s first tariff action in the trade war. Jake Parker of the us-China Business Council, a lobby group for American companies operating in China, notes that such tech transfer was the biggest concern for many of his group’s members.

THE CHINESE, FOR THEIR PART, INSISTED THAT THEIR PROMISES WERE IN LINE WITH THEIR BROADER ECONOMIC STRATEGY OF OPENING UP, AND WOULD IMPROVE THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT The Chinese do, however, seem to have made some welcome promises. Mr Lighthizer boasted of commitments on intellectual property similar to, albeit narrower than, those in the usmca, a recently agreed trade deal between America, Mexico and Canada.

He also said the Chinese authorities had agreed not to ask multi-

The Chinese, for their part, insisted that their promises were in line with their broader economic strategy of opening up, and would improve the business environment. Indeed, cynics will note that many of the reforms being chalked up to the deal had already started, raising questions about whether the nearly two-year-long trade

battle has made much difference.

Until the deal is signed, the threat of renewed trade hostilities remains. And even then, the enforcement rules will cause anxiety. Mr Lighthizer, hardly an independent arbiter, will have the final say over whether China has broken its commitments. He will be able to consider anonymous complaints

by American companies. This fixes a real problem—fear of retaliation that leads executives to hold their tongues. But it also risks the Chinese feeling that they are being accused of misdeeds they can neither verify nor easily fix.

Both sides said that the success of the first phase of talks would determine success in the second, which would presumably unlock further tariff cuts. Mr Lighthizer spoke of climbing a mountain a bit at a time. But the summit is still distant.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

CORPORATE

NIS Recipient of the National Volunteer Award Volunteers are not people who just have time, but a lot of heart too

Nowadays, charitable involvement of companies through donating funds and sponsoring institutions has become a common occurrence. However, there are only a handful of companies that go a step further and engage in philanthropic work. As it has a significant impact on the development of corporate culture, volunteerism is slowly but surely becoming a more prevalent practice in the most successful socially responsible companies around the world.

In addition to fostering solidarity, tolerance and cohesion among employees and encouraging employees to develop and nurture good relationships, volunteer work has a positive effect on their satisfaction and loyalty to the company.

On the other hand, volunteerism, as a practice, reinforces the good image of a company in the market and communicates the values it stands for. All these factors are, at the same time, in the service of the company as well as the community in which the company operates, which makes corporate volunteer work a key segment of successful operations of contemporary companies.

In our country, the development of volunteerism is in its infancy, but there are also companies whose employees are actively involved in humanitarian campaigns. One such company is NIS, which, as one of the leading social investors in the country, encourages employee volunteerism, in addition to supporting projects of wider social importance. Accordingly, in 2018, the NIS Volunteers Club was formally established, bringing together a large number of employees working together to plan, design and implement volunteer campaigns.

The focus of NIS' corporate volunteerism is assistance to the socially disadvantaged categories, children and youth, renovating children's hospitals and envi-

THE FOCUS OF NIS' CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM IS ASSISTANCE TO THE SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED CATEGORIES, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, RENOVATING CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ronmental protection. So far, NIS' employees have implemented several campaigns involving almost 900 volunteers.

The fact that NIS has won the National Award for Volunteering in the Step Forward of the Year category, traditionally given by the Forum for Responsible Business and the Smart Collective, is recognition of humanity at work. This recognition went to NIS and its volunteers for their distinguished contribution through a competition called “Make it beautiful!

Teach! Rejoice!' during which the employees of this company had the opportunity to create volunteer

campaigns themselves to help and support children and adults from socially disadvantaged categories.

Speaking about the development of volunteerism in the company and the importance of the award, Milena Spasić, the director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Division at NIS, said: "The 'Make it beautiful! Teach! Rejoice!' contest is only part of the volunteer projects that the members of the NIS Volunteers Club have implemented. We have reaffirmed our commitment to the community with over 1,770 volunteer hours so far. The National Volunteer Award is an acknowledgment that we are

heading in the right direction and it gives us an additional incentive to invest the effort, knowledge and time to benefit the community in which we operate. "

GIVING IS A JOY FOR EVERYONE

In addition to all these campaigns, this year, NIS' employees also prepared holiday gifts for children who are celebrating upcoming holidays in social welfare institutions throughout our country. Gifts, prepared following the wishes of the little ones, expressed through acting, drawing, singing and reciting at creative workshops organized by NIS' volunteers are novelty this year. Thus, the gifts were sent to the orphanages in Subotica, Kruševac, Negotin, Pančevo and Niš. The children's smiles will be, as always, the best holiday gift to NIS' employees.

Let's hope that there are plenty of smiles next year too.

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COMMENT

The Western Balkans is Not a Solution of Migrants If attempts are made to accommodate them in a planned fashion in Belgrade or its surroundings, the economic destiny of refugees from the Middle East, or even Asian and African ones, would be uncertain providing that these persons were not granted EU residence

ALEKSANDAR SIMURDIĆ Vice President of the European Movement in Serbia

The refugee crisis, in fact, uncontrolled economic migration, became an obvious problem for Europe in 2015; a problem that has since turned into a constant political and security challenge. It is true that the populous countries, i.e. the "old" EU members, give the impression that their political and economic establishment can, at least for the time being, cope with such an enduring challenge of the migrant wave. On the other hand, in Central and Eastern European countries, the new EU member states are not even trying to create any, let alone temporary, illusion, and especially not a real possibility of immigration, under the guise of defending universal human rights and humanity.

It seems that the so-called Western Balkan countries are currently providing the most sincere assistance to the tides of people coming from even more miserable parts of humanity, in line with their rather most financial capabilities.

Although, and due to their own,

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quite recent experiences with refugees, their support for migrants has been sincere, that very support comes with a certain rationale.

Namely, there is a general opinion in the region that refugees will use this part of the world solely as a transit route to the west of Europe, therefore have no intention of settling here, especially not permanently. The rational basis for this belief lies in the fact that the Western Balkan countries are so

equally characteristic of the EU's marginal members, Croatia and Bulgaria, could be a long-term solution for the accommodation of refugees, that is, uninvited economic migrants, who were not allowed to move into the EU territory. Such opinions are based on an estimate that demographically depopulated areas and the ageing population would particularly affect parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, but also Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and even Kosovo, which is very significant since this area had the highest birth rate in Europe in the last fifteen years.

All these areas could be economically revitalized by the prolonged or even permanent settlement of non-European refugees.

While assessing whether there is a realistic basis to opinions about a permanent solution of the refugee problem, we would like to point out to a few more or less known facts. Let's talk first about the size of the population in the Western Balkans, and in the countries that refugees are usually coming to. The total population of the Western Balkans is about 18 million and is currently the same as the total population of Syria.

MIGRANTS IN THE BALKANS, THEREFORE, CANNOT BE SUCCESSFULLY SOCIALIZED AND PRODUCTIVELY EMPLOYED IN AGRICULTURE economically devastated and their populations are largely impoverished so that refugees will not enjoy much better living conditions than those back at home. The dayto-day increasingly alarming data on the mass economic migration of the Western Balkans population in the direction of the EU seem to validate the unattractiveness of countries in the region for non-European migrants.

However, some think that the accelerated demographic depletion of the Western Balkans, which is

Iraq's population is double that about 38 million people. According to data from November 2019, the outflow of the population from Serbia is approximately 140 persons a day; that is 50,000 people annually. At that pace, Serbia could have lost close to 400,000 people in the past eight years, not counting the natural demographic influx and outflow, which has been disproportionate in Serbia for quite some time.

Let's start with an imaginary assumption that the population of

Syria and Iraq has been declining since 2011 at the same rate that is happening in Serbia today due to economic emigration. The population decline in Syria alone would amount to over 1 million people, and together for Syria and Iraq, to nearly 3 million people, almost 50% of the total current population of Serbia, or close to 20% of the total population of the Western Balkans. We have taken into account only a minimal estimate, with no refugees actually emerging from the Syrian civil war and only the two smallest and most common countries of origin of migrants coming to Europe. If we consider other countries where refugees and migrants are coming from, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, then it is significant to note that their total population is around 300 million. If only 5% of their population ended up as refugees or economic migrants in 2011, and if all of them headed for Europe, that would constitute a group of 15 million people wanting to enter Serbia and other Western Balkan countries.

In doing so, we did not take into account Egypt, which has been suffering from a perpetual political crisis and which still has a permanent, albeit, for the time being, and fortunately, still latent conflict between the military-political establishment and the opposition that is the Muslim Brotherhood. The question, however, is whether open clashes between the two groups can be avoided in the future, which would result in a massive refugee tide. Egypt currently has about 95 million inhabitants, with 95% of them living in the area stretching from the mouth of the Nile to the Mediterranean and upstream along the coast. Egypt's average population density of 1540 people per square kilometre is higher than in Bangladesh, where the population density is 1252 per square kilometre.

In the desert part of Egypt, the

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population is much smaller and amounts to 96 people per square kilometre, but only 5% of the total population lives there. If you think that that is not such a densely populated area, think again - it is almost the same as the average population density in Serbia; close to 90 people per square kilometre.

At the same time, Serbia is the most densely populated country in the Western Balkans, except for Kosovo (if viewed separately).

It is quite telling that Bosnia and Herzegovina has an average population density of 66 people per square kilometre.

The percentage of the urban population in the countries that usually produce refugees is not smaller but is often even higher than in the Western Balkan countries. Thus, the share of Syrian urban population in the total population is about 58%, which is the same as in Albania (58.38%), or even more than in Serbia, where the urban population makes up about 56% of the country's total population. In Iraq, this percentage is higher and stands at 69.97%, which is higher than in Montenegro, where the percentage of urban population is the highest in the Western Balkans and stands at 64.20%. If we assume that Bangladesh, with only 38.6% of the urban population, or Pakistan, with 39.22%, are countries with the pronounced rural population, we should bear in mind that the percentage of the urban population in Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost the same and it stands at 39.9%. The data on percentages of the urban popula-

tion cited here, which seem modest for our region, is based on the World Bank's estimates.

With all this in mind, it is wrong to think that massive domestication from the war and/or poverty-stricken countries of Asia and the Middle East would be possible, in that the refugees/migrants would settle in the desolate rural parts of the Western Balkans. As we have shown by statistical facts, the refugee-migrant population is, on average, even more urban, or in any case not more rural than the Western Balkans average. It is hard to expect, therefore, that the average migrant from Syria, Iraq,

considering the religious context of the societies from which they came. It is unlikely that they were breeding cows that require a lot of water and vegetation, precisely what is lacking in the Middle East or Central Asia. If some migrants were livestock breeders before, they are more likely to have been sheep or goat farmers, which is the kind of livestock that is relatively underrepresented in most Western Balkan countries.

We should especially bear in mind the following information the average age of the population in Egypt is 24, in Syria the same, and in Iraq, the average age is just

IT SEEMS THAT THE SO-CALLED WESTERN BALKAN COUNTRIES ARE CURRENTLY PROVIDING THE MOST SINCERE ASSISTANCE TO THE TIDES OF PEOPLE COMING FROM EVEN MORE MISERABLE PARTS OF HUMANITY or Pakistan would be able to permanently and successfully settle in the desolate villages of Serbia or Bosnia, even if they received substantial financial assistance from the EU to engage in agriculture or food processing. Refugees have a completely different social background. They are former shop owners, administrative workers, police officers, soldiers, intellectuals or students, and may even come from urban slums, but they are certainly not farmers. Even if they are farmers, they are certainly not growers. Provided that they had cattle, then it is safe to assume they were not pig farmers,

above 20. In Pakistan, it is 22, while in Bangladesh, the average population age is only 26, which is considered the oldest. In Serbia, the average age is close to 41. In rural areas, the population is even older and it cannot be the demographic basis for the socialization and integration of young migrants.

It is quite impossible for the extremely young migrants, whose age is well below the population's average in their respective countries, to voluntarily agree to live in abandoned rural areas in the Western Balkans.

Therefore, migrants in the Balkans cannot be successfully

socialized and productively employed in agriculture. Massive and successful permanent housing and relatively successful socialization of migrants outside major cities are not possible. Large cities, with their demographics and economy, provide an opportunity for economically meaningful employment of refugees, at least in perspective. However, there are simply no such cities in the Western Balkans. Belgrade is an exception, but the capital of Serbia, with its unstoppable internal migration, is rapidly showing all signs of overpopulation. If attempts are made to accommodate them in a planned fashion in Belgrade or its surroundings, the economic destiny of refugees from the Middle East, or even Asian and African ones, would be uncertain providing that these persons were not granted EU residence. At the same time, there would be an increased possibility of social conflict with the indigenous population, which is in the majority and in an unfavourable economic situation.

Nobody should entertain an illusion that the Western Balkans is the solution to the migrant crisis; unless we view this problem in an isolated manner, that is, the same as the Pacific Islands that accommodate those who have been unlucky in life. In the countries of our region, and political and social space in general, there is no readiness for such an approach, except for certain corrupt individuals who will not be able to successfully implement the project that is to isolate and quarantine migrants in the Western Balkans.

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CORPORATE

Innovation in Customer Service Continues in 2020 To date, UNIQA has sold more than three million insurance policies for over 550,000 people of all ages UNIQA, one of the largest insurance groups in Europe, is celebrating its 20th anniversary of this brand. In Serbia, the company has achieved significant results in the second decade of its operations.

From the very beginning, UNIQA has had one of the leading marketing positions. Today, the company is three times bigger than it was at inception, with total investments in Serbia exceeding RSD 13.4 billion.

“The fact that we have paid over RSD 20 billion in damages speaks volumes about our trustworthiness and uncompromising attitude, namely that we always keep our word. Thanks to a good strategy, we have seen steady growth in the past years in segments that provide stability for both clients and business partners. As a result, the total profit we generated in the previous year amounted to 308.2 million dinars, of which 126 million dinars were generated by the life insurance segment,” said Gordana Bukumirić, Chairwoman of UNIQA’s Executive Board.

While listening intently to the needs and desires of our clients, who are our main roadmap, UNIQA has sold more than three million insurances policies for over 550,000 people of all ages from the beginning of its operations in Serbia to the present. In order to be closer to our clients, we have expanded our sales network to 43 branches, 8 general agencies and 15 mobile offices across Serbia.

IN LINE WITH THE CLIENT’S NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS

UNIQA Insurance has made significant progress in all types of insurance. UNIQA's travel insurance recorded the most substantial growth, with more than 200,000 Serbian citizens buying our travel health insurance during the summer season alone, as well as home insurance. We are also leaders in bank insurance and individual health insurance, where UNIQA cooperates with the biggest network

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of over 800 specialist doctor's offices, polyclinics, health centres and hospitals throughout Serbia.

UNIQA offers customers different insurance packages, where the client chooses the time of the appointment, facility, and physician. The wait time for a scheduled appointment is no more than 15 minutes. Thanks to the MedUNIQA

service and the desire to always be one step closer at any time are always priorities for UNIQA. We are proud that this has been recognized by our clients, but also through the numerous awards we have received. Last in the series of awards is the Customers' Friend certificate and gold medal, which we received for excellent customer

TODAY, UNIQA IS THREE TIMES BIGGER THAN IT WAS AT INCEPTION, WITH TOTAL INVESTMENTS IN SERBIA EXCEEDING RSD 13.4 BILLION Contact Centre, where physicians work 24/7, clients can receive medical advice and assistance in choosing a healthcare facility and scheduling an appointment.

Listening intently to the interests and needs of our clients, we expect to see the biggest growth in property insurance, small and medium-sized business insurance next year, but also in household and private health insurance.

FOCUSING ON CLIENTS

“Satisfied client is the best reference in the insurance world.

This is why impeccable customer

service from the prestigious international organization ICERTIAS," Gordana Bukumirić says.

A LEADER IN INNOVATION

It is imperative for UNIQA that to continue to evolve in line with trends and align its business with customer needs, in which time and comfort occupy an important place today, in addition to taking good care about the impeccable quality of service that permeates a long tradition, The constant pursuit of innovation has enabled UNIQA to set trends in the digitization of its operations, such as

online sales, damage assessment via video, online payment of insurance policy instalment and a free Viber number.

“The best example of digitization we strive for is our latest innovation: damage assessment via video with UNIQA being the first in region to provide such innovative service to its customers Thanks to this service, users can record property and vehicle damage during one video call with an appraiser and exchange all the necessary documentation, which is why the process of payment of damages takes up to 48 hours,” said Gordana Bukumirić.

Thanks to its achievements so far, the company holds several prestigious titles such as Corporate Super Brands and Top Serbian Brands. Our joint results have been recognized beyond the borders of Serbia. In recent years, the company has won prestigious international awards, including the award from the London-based magazine World Finance, followed by the European Business Awards, which declared UNIQA the best company in Serbia in terms of growth strategy and customer service two years in a row.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

27

INTERVIEW

Gone Underground

Text: SANJA ŠOJIĆ

Art is obliged to bear witness to its time, to leave traces of its feet or its own heart in the dust of its homeland

SINIŠA KOVAČEVIĆ Theatre director, dramatist and screenwriter

From „Hotel Evropa“ (Hotel Europe) to „Srpska Drama“ (Serbian Drama), but definitely „Bolje od Bekstva“ (Better than Escape)... This how the titles of Siniša Kovačević's dramas portray his approach to life and politics. Hardliner but dedicated to the right political option, as the only true political direction for him while contesting leftist ideas as relevant political values are the principles on which our distinguished novelist and screenwriter bases his position on the most important social topics.

Under new circumstances, he became a novelist, so in 2019, he published his second novel „Osvajanje Zavičaja“ („Conquering Homeland“), for the Vukotić Medija publishing house. The novel's

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topic is familiar to readers, as Kovačević returns to the story of the Vučić family and „Velika Drama“ (The Great Drama). This anthological piece is translated into a novel. In an interview for Diplomacy&Commerce, Siniša Kovačević talks about why he became a novelist, the heroes in his books and plays, future novels and how does all of that tie in with the present moment.

amount of pleasure. Creating on its own is about solving technical and creative problems and concerns that you encounter. Nobody has ever solved any problems by ignoring them, hence the satisfaction of solving a problem in a way that you are comfortable with. There was no rational reason for ‘disrupting’ „Velika Drama“ in any way. This is one of the few best plays written in the Serbian language which

THOSE WHO DO CREATE HAVE, FOR THE MOST PART, BEEN KISSING THE SULTAN'S FEET, SO TO SPEAK "Osvajanje zavičaja" is, in fact, a romanticized version of "Velika Drama." How difficult was it to translate such a timeless piece into a novel?

— It was difficult as writing a new novel from scratch. Of course, these difficulties include a certain

has been staged at the National Theatre for over twenty years. Besides dramatic component, it also has a romantic structure, which was well-spotted by the publisher Manojlo Vukotić who insisted that I make a novel out of it. I am grateful to him for doing so. It was nec-

essary to write and describe in the novel what was not mentioned in the drama, to compensate for the beauty of performing arts with other literary means, to deal with time, landscapes, inner states of main characters and to apply restrictions on the dialogue. It turned out well.

You said that, at first, you wanted to write something completely different - a novel about a person who came back from Canada. Will this novel see the light of day, too?

— Of course, it will. We are healthy and of course, alive. Art is obliged to bear witness to its time, to leave traces of its feet or its own heart in the dust of its homeland. Considering that our diaspora is bigger, better and more educated than the homeland, in a phantasmagoric sense, I am interested to see how would someone, who returns from a regulated political, economic and ethical value system, function in

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this 'septic tank'. We are used to this 'mud' and are no longer bothered by muck or faeces, the stench of ammonia and false diplomas and doctorates, autocracies, crooks in the government... The bottom line is that the system determines the quality of life and the behaviour and moral principles of an individual. It forms a person and their worldviews. Of course, the family does that too, but there's a slight oxymoron there. Naturally, the family shapes its members, but we should not neglect the influence of socio-political contingent on the family.

honour existed? Do you think that the owners of „political slaughterhouses“, so to speak, would advocate veganism if there was honour while, in doing so, they are still binging on lamb chops in secrecy?

Honour is not lost; it's is slowly dissipating. If you lose something, it means there is a chance you can find it very soon. If something has been dissipating over a long period of time, one or two generations, it will take the same amount of time for it to become whole again.

Thank god, that germ, that embryo from which honour will grow again, is guarded by rare individuals. I am pleased that I can call some of them my friends.

A few years ago, you applied to the Serbian Film Centre for funding to make a movie "Osvajanje Zavičaja". You also said in interviews that you were banned from Belgrade theatres. How did that come about?

— The script, which is based on „Velika Drama“, was offered repeatedly and was always rejected.

During that time, certain people's school buddies and friends from the neighbourhood were approved funding. I hope that this does not sound like lamenting. As civil servants, they are just doing their job which is censoring. I have my job so we'll see who lasts longer.

One of the dominant themes of your body of work as a playwright is the destiny of an ordinary person in a war situation which is also the theme of both your first and second novel.

What particularly inspires you about this topic?

— War is a constant companion to humanity. Don't ever think that Europe and the more sophisticated segments of humanity will never be engaged in war again. War is destiny in unfortunate parts of the world, like the one we are living in.

We had six wars here in the 20th century alone. Nobody of us got to know our fathers well, or sit in their lap when we were little while inhaling the scent of tobacco from their moustache. Here, grandfa-

You are very active on social media. Are they the only space where freedom reigns today?

IN A PHANTASMAGORIC SENSE, I AM INTERESTED TO SEE HOW WOULD SOMEONE, WHO RETURNS FROM A REGULATED POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND ETHICAL VALUE SYSTEM, FUNCTION IN THIS 'SEPTIC TANK' thers are not tied to memories or emotions. They are just a noun. Of course, I am not interested in the destiny of Francis Joseph, Kaiser Wilhelm, Stalin or Churchill. By default, their destinies are not tragic at all. Even if a certain leader is doomed in a way, that’s not a tragedy, but rather deserved justice. It is the ordinary people's destinies that are tragic. While they are freezing in trenches, the powers to be are drinking champagne in Vienna. It is the people who are stabbed by a bayonet while defending their own country who are tragic; not Roosevelt and Stalin who were busy with dividing humanity with their buddy Churchill. I am talking

about those people who will die from typhoid or hunger, the postwar hysteria of the victors, those who burn their parquet floor to keep their children warm. Ultimately, I am talking about those people who, if they were not already slaughtered by ‘the canines’ of the war, would die under its ‘hoofs’ as it is leaving.

Can we say that the given word and honour still exist in our society or are they lost forever?

— Honour as an ideal, as a sacred word, as a general place, as an oath, no longer exists. Do you think that braggers would adorn themselves with bought or stolen diplomas if

— Twitter, until they abolish it, is that figurative caisson on the bottom of the sea that contains a precious amount of oxygen. Remember that we can maybe do without oxygen, although we have never tried it, but as people, I am sure we cannot do without freedom. Some have tried it and those empires are now long gone, as are individuals who had the same intention. Take my freedom and there is nothing left. Freedom is conquered and defended, it is nurtured and protected. Even if all hell breaks loose.

You wrote the following on Twitter – „I live in a country where the authorities cannot distinguish between a character from an art form and an actor who interprets it or a writer who creates it”. What is it like to create in Serbia today?

— Well, you would have to ask those who are creating in Serbia today. What I do is underground work; valuable but not sufficiently influential. Those who do create have, for the most part, been kissing the sultan's feet, so to speak.

You see, I have a hard time being spineless. Also, my late father and mother would be furious with me if I were spineless.

ARTIST IN POLITICS How do artists find their way in politics?

— By having a lot of experience in both segments. Artists find their way in politics in the same way as doctors, lawyers or industrialists do. If they have sufficient talent and charisma, they will leave a legacy like Vàclav Havel, Árpád Göncz and Ronald Reagan did, or maybe Zelensky will do in Ukraine.

If you don't have the talent or at least a little bit of

historic luck, your profession will not help or hinder you, even if you are a schooled politician. Unfortunately, there are no schools for successful leaders.

It's all in God's hands. Either you are or you are not one. In my case, I never saw myself as a politician.

My existence in politics was either fleeting or forced.

When your ship is sinking, no amount of prayers will help. Trust in God, but hop in a boat and row.

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CORPORATE

The Fair is Successful Because Serbia is Developing The President of Serbia, the Government of Serbia, the Vojvodinian Government and the Mayor of Novi Sad have created the conditions in which it is possible to plan and achieve success SLOBODAN CVETKOVIĆ MBA, Director General of Novi Sad Fair

For the fifth consecutive year, the Novi Sad Fair has achieved record financial results.

In an interview for our magazine, the Fair’s Director General, Slobodan Cvetković explains the Fair’s business strategy that led to the financial and business ascent.

“Since the new management, with me at the helm, took over the biggest trade fair company in Southeastern Europe, we have generated more than three billion dinars of revenue. More importantly, every year we have achieved better results and increased revenues, relative to the previous year. I would like to underline one thing. This year, we managed to surpass the 2014 financial results

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by as much as 152 million dinars.

This means that the city of Novi Sad has earned more, that Serbia has earned more, that our business people have made better business contacts and improved business through good contracts, ” says Slobodan Cvetković, Director of the General of the Novi Sad Fair.

business and economic environment was significantly improved.

The Novi Sad Fair is developing because Novi Sad is moving forward and because Serbia is developing.

The President of Serbia, the Government of Serbia, the Vojvodinian Government and the Mayor of Novi Sad have created the condi-

THE NOVI SAD FAIR IS NOW A STABLE COMPANY THAT CONTRIBUTES TO SERBIA'S BUDGET. THIS YEAR ALONE, WE HAVE PAID OVER 188 MILLION DINARS IN TAXES What is an explanation for all of that?

— Success never comes on its own. The Novi Sad Fair’s business success is directly linked to the growth of the Serbian economy.

Progress was possible because the

tions in which it is possible to plan and achieve success.

All this has led to the Novi Sad Fair becoming a completely different company today compared to the period before 2014. The Fair is now a stable company that con-

tributes to Serbia's budget. This year alone, we have paid over 188 million dinars in taxes.

We are proud of this information, as well as the fact that, in the last five years, the Fair has generated over € 25 million of revenue.

The fair has always been considered a successful business.

What has specifically changed?

— The number of fairs increased by 40 per cent and the number of trade fair days by nearly 50 per cent. Instead of 14, we are now organizing 19, which together last for 74 days, which, in turn, is a fantastic improvement from 33 fair days in the previous period. Besides, 218 congresses were held, lasting a total of 270 days. But the big improvement in our business comes from the fact that the area of rented space has increased by about 70 per cent, from 66,000 to close to

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109,000 square meters.

So, in addition to the incredible growth in E-commerce and business networking going online, we have been able to fully engage all our capacities throughout the year and assure our partners that cooperation with the Novi Sad Fair will give them an additional advantage and create opportunities for a more competitive market appearance and increase in operating income.

Continuous modernization is a major asset of modern business.

Did you do anything about that?

— Financial growth has allowed us to invest significant funds in assets and improve our business capacity. In doing so, we have increased the company's market value and secured a competitive market presence. Most of the money has been invested in developing our facilities and equipment, to organize fairs more effectively. At the same time, we have aligned our business with the needs of the modern market. By purchasing state-of-the-art presentation screens, along with other technical equipment, we gave our Congress Centre comparative advantage over other similar venues in the country thus meeting the highest

standards for event organization.

Thanks to the investment in the halls, the Fair's grounds and the rest of the infrastructure at Manjež, the 2020 National Livestock Exhibition will be held under much better conditions. Also, we have the best infrastructure equipment in Serbia to host international equestrian competitions. We are planning significant investments in improving energy efficiency.

we have introduced the institution of a Friend Country of the Agricultural Fair. Increasing international activity is also reflected in the presence of exhibitors from countries that have returned to the Agricultural Fair after a long absence, such as Spain, Poland, Israel, Tunisia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Indonesia, Egypt, China and the United Arab Emirates. Our concept of organizing fairs and

FINANCIAL GROWTH HAS ALLOWED US TO INVEST SIGNIFICANT FUNDS IN ASSETS AND IMPROVE OUR BUSINESS CAPACITY Does it seem that more and more foreign companies and diplomats are participating in the fairs organized by your company?

— By improving our internal operations, we have also been continuously working on improving our position as ambassadors of the economies of Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia. It is important to note that, every year, we have a Partner Country for the International Agricultural Fair, which is the most prestigious and largest event of its kind in this part of Europe. Also,

related events is based on the idea that Novi Sad and the Novi Sad Fair should be a point of connection between the East and the West and the North and the South, namely a centre for networking and exchange of ideas between businesses, banks, industry, agricultural producers and governments. This idea is one of the reasons why we have become a leader in the trade fair industry in Southeast Europe.

And we plan to maintain that position in the future too.

What are your plans for 2020?

— Through its core activity, the Novi Sad Fair links economy and society, science and experts, tourism and the wider community, but also labour market and economic development, both domestic and international. Partnerships built over the years, through cooperation in the joint promotion of the domestic and international companies and the organization of top-notch trade fairs have made the Novi Sad Fair one of the leaders of the trade fair industry.

In 2020, we are continuing to offer quality events and varied content. The biggest exhibition and the most important event in agriculture and business in this part of Europe, the 87th International Agricultural Fair, which will take place between 16th and 22nd May, occupies a special place in our event calendar. The Czech Republic will be the Partner Country of the 2020 Agricultural Fair. I would like to use this opportunity to invite the representatives of embassies and consulate offices in our country to talk to us about the possibility of becoming the Friend Country of the 2020 Agricultural Fair. We firmly believe that 2020 will bring even more success both to us and Serbia as a whole.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

05 FAREWELL LADIES LUNCHEON DEC

AT THE RESIDENCE OF THE IRAQI AMBASSADOR

Farewell lunch

05 THE ITALIAN SERBIAN DEC

Wives of two departing ambassadors, Mrs Fareda Kadum Mahmoud, wife of the Ambassador of Iraq, and Mrs Zahra Molla Abdollahi, wife of the Ambassador of Iran,

Beatrice Grozdanić, Mrs Zahra Molla Abdollahi and Mrs Fareda Kadum Mahmoud,

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CELEBRATES THE TRADITIONAL GALA NIGHT

The Italian Serbian Chamber of Commerce, one of the leading bilateral business associations in Serbia, celebrated the traditional Gala Night at the residence of H.E. Italian Ambassador Carlo Lo Cascio, in the presence of 250 members, friends and support-

Mirjana Kojić, CCIS, H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, Italian Ambassador, Andrea Valentinis CEO Yugotub and Dr Giorgio Ambrogio Marchegiani

06 EU AMBASSADOR DEC

WELCOMES FIRST EU MILITARY ATTACHE

ers. The Italian Ambassador to Serbia, Carlo Lo Cascio, warmly welcomed all the participants and underlined the importance of the role that Chamber carries out together with Italian and Serbian companies in strengthening excellent economic relations between Italy and Serbia.

Marija Antić, Marija Injac , CCIS,Dr Giorgio Ambrogio Marchegiani, President of CCIS and Director of “DDOR Novi Sad” and Mirjana Kojić, CCIS

Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi hosted a reception in honour of the first Military Attache of the European Union to Serbia, Colonel Pero Mostard. Ambassador Fabrizi

Colonel Pero Mostard, Military Attache of the European Union to Serbia, H.E. Sem Fabrizi ,Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia with his wife

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hosted a farewell lunch for wives of other ambassadors and their friend from Serbia Beatrice Grozdanić. At the lunch, the ladies enjoyed the traditional food of Iran and Iraq.

addressed the guests and said that security and defence have become an integral component of the EU Delegation. Serbia is the first country out of 142 in which the EU Delegation has its military attaché.

H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, Italian Ambassador to Serbia, Mr Colonel Pero Mostard with wife, Mr and Mrs Fabrizi and Mrs. Alessandra Scalici Gesolfo, wife of the Italian ambassador

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06 UKRAINIAN NATIONAL DEC

DAY CELEBRATED IN BELGRADE

H.E. Philippe Gérald Guex, Swiss Ambassador and Mr. Hans Friedrich Schodder, UNHCR

09 EMBASSY OF DEC

CANADA AND CANSEE HOST CHRISTMAS RECEPTION

The National Day of Ukraine (and the Armed Forces Day) was solemnly celebrated on December 6th in Courtyard by Marriott Belgrade City Center. H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, the Ambassador of Ukraine, gave a

H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, the Ambassador of Ukraine

H. E. Subrata Bhattacharjee, Indian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych with their wives

Ambassador of Canada H.E. Kati Csaba and Canadian-Serbian Business Association (CANSEE) hosted traditional Christmas reception at Canadian Residency. CANSEE Managing Director Mirjana Dončić Beaton welcomed the guests and said that 2019 was very successful for CANSEE. She proudly announced that the successful cooperation with the prestigious Canadian Ivey

School of Business of the University of Western Ontario will continue in 2020 and that Belgrade will host the 5th LEADER project from 4-15 May 2019. She also announced the upcoming, and second in a row, Serbian Ministerial delegation from the Ministry of Mining and Energy visit to PDAC 2020 in March – the world’s premier mineral exploration & mining convention.

H.E. Kati Csaba,Ambassador of Canada , Mirjana Dončić Beaton,CANSEE Managing Director, Mr. David Sproule, Director General from Global Affairs Canada

09 NEW YEAR'S COCKTAIL DEC

RECEPTION OF THE CROATIAN CHAMBER OF ECONOMY IN BELGRADE

welcome speech. The Armed Forces of Ukraine celebrate the Armed Forces Day on December 6th, with fireworks displays and gun salutes nationwide. This holiday was established in 1993 by a resolution passed by the Verkhovna Rada.

Daniel Berg, H.E. Kati Csaba wwith her husband and Mirjana Dončić Beaton

A New Year's cocktail reception was held in a pleasant atmosphere on the last floor of the Ušće business centre in Belgrade in the company of about 200 guests – business people and friends of the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian Business Club. The representative

of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Serbia, Mr Stjepan Glas, welcomed the guests, while the hosts - the President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Mr Pero Mijakić, and Vice President, Mrs Marija Radulović - wished them success in the years to come.

Marija Radulović, Director Croatian Business Club and Pero Mijakić, Director Croatian Chamber of Commerce to Belgrade

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

09 QATAR DEC

NATIONAL DAY

H.E. Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Al Thani,Ambassador of Qatar in Serbia

H.E. Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Al Thani, Ambassador of Qatar and Rasim Ambassador of Qatar in Serbia and H.E. Ljajić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Anthony Godfrey, US Ambassador to Belgrade Telecommunications

10 AHK DEC

bin Hamad Al Thani and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić as the main contributors to the excellent relations.

Qatar marks its national day in remembrance of December 18th, 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani founded the State of Qatar.

At the celebration of the National Day of Qatar, Ambassador of Qatar in Serbia, H.E. Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Al Thani underlined in his welcoming speech the importance of friendly relations between Serbia and Qatar. He mentioned Emir of Qatar Tamim

CHRISTMAS PARTY

The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK) held its traditional Christmas Party at the Just Lobby venue. President of the AHK, Ronald Seeliger, greeted the representatives of the German companies

and associates and invited them to enjoy the party which marks a very successful year for AHK. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Germany to Serbia, H.E. Thomas Schieb and many friends of the AHK.

President of the AHK, Ronald Seeliger and H.E. Thomas Schieb, Ambassador of Germany to Serbia

10 KAZAKHSTAN DEC

OPENS ITS EMBASSY IN SERBIA

Along with numerous public figures, representatives of the diplomatic corps and religious communities celebrated the Independence Day of Kazakhstan and the opening of the first Embassy of Kazakhstan in Serbia at Villa Jelena in Belgrade. The Ambassador of Kazakhstan, H.E. Gabit Sizdikbekov, Serbian MP and Honorary Consul

Dragomir J. Karić, Milanka Karić, Tamara Vučić, frst lady and H.E. Gabit Sizdikbekov,Ambassador of Kazakhstan

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of Kazakhstan and President of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Kazakhstan at the National Assembly of Serbia, Milanka Karić, and a member of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Kazakhstan at the National Assembly of Serbia and a Serbian MP, Dragomir J. Karić welcomed the guests.

H.E. Gabit Sizdikbekov,Ambassador of Kazakhstan

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11 SAM ANNUAL DEC

AWARDS PRESENTED

For the eighth consecutive year, the Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) presents the SAM Annual Award. The award ceremony was attended by the prominent business figures from Serbia. Recognized inside and outside his company as a person of integrity and reputation, and based on the achieved business results, the 2019 Manager of the Year Award went to Mihailo Janković, CEO of Nectar. Microsoft won the 2019

Mihailo Janković, Nectar

12 BSBA’S DEC

END-OF-YEAR RECEPTION

Tijana Koprivica, Delta Holding

SAM winer 2019

The 9th Annual General Assembly meeting of the Belgian-Serbian Business Association was held on December 12th, 2019 at the Residence of the Ambassador of Belgium. The Assembly gathered the representatives of the member companies and was honored with the presence of H. E. Koenraad Adam and Ms Marijana Milošević-Tufegdžić, Economic and Trade Counsellor at

DEC

COCKTAIL – SLOVENIAN BUSINESS CLUB

the Embassy of Belgium, honorary ex-officio members of the BSBA. An annual activity report and financial report for 2019, as well as an activity plan for 2020 were unanimously adopted. After the formal part, the members of the BSBA gathered with the Association’s friends, partners and associates at the End-of-Year reception hosted by H. E. Koenraad Adam.

H. E. Koenraad Adam, Belgian Ambassador and Hugo van Veghel, President of the Belgian-Serbian Business Association (BSBA)

Djordje Petrović, Director of the Dutch-Serbian Business Association

12 NEW YEAR’S

Employer of the Year Award. According to the SAM members, in 2019, this company provided the best conditions for work and development of professional managers. Aleksandar Vučić, CEO of CarGo, is the recipient of the 2019 Young Manager of the Year Award as an example of a contemporary young leader who, with disruptive innovation and business approach, raises the quality of life of people in Serbia.

The Slovenian Business Club (SPC) has celebrated 16 years of operations in Belgrade. The SPC is trying to build a business relationship as close to friendship as possible with its members. The SPC ends this year with 161 members with whom it has held as

The board of directors of the Slovenian Business Club

many as 30 successful events. Also, over 100 meetings have been organized and dozens of conferences supported. On December 12, 2019, the SPC marked 16 years of successful operations and continuous and steady growth at the Hyatt Residence Hotel in Belgrade.

Danijela Višakov, President Slovenian Business Club

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

12 UNICEF BUSINESS DEC

COUNCIL ESTABLISHED IN SERBIA

The strength of the business sector, know-how, innovation and communication channels can make a significant contribution to the greater well-being of children and families through exerting influence and practising socially responsible business.

UNICEF Serbia has established a Business Council that, in cooperation with the business community, will work on implementing and promoting greater respect for children's rights through business. These are the members of the UNICEF Business Council in Serbia: Vesna Bengin, BioSense Institute, Jelena Bulatović, the Serbian Association of Managers, Marko Čadež, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Robert Čoban, Color Press Group, Jelena Drakulić Petrović, Ringier Axel Springer, Draginja Djurić, Banca Intesa, Nebojša Djurdjević, Digital Serbia Initiative, Dragan Filipović, Generali Insurance; Milana Jević Gledović, Delhaize Serbia; Neven Marinović, Smart Kolektiv; Mike Michel, Telenor; Jovana Milutinović, Nordeus and Milica Soćanac, Nelt Group.

Members of the UNICEF Business Council in Serbia

18 CONCERT BY VUK DEC

AND UKI OVASKAINEN

On the occasion of the successful completion of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a concert, organized by ArtLink in cooperation with the Embassy of Finland and the EU Delegation, was held tonight at the Princess Ljubica Residence. The concert featured Finnish-Serbian artists Vuk and Uki Ovaskainen, who live in Serbia. They played compositions of Brahms, Schumann and Sibelius. Ambassador of Finland to Serbia H.E. Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta and, on behalf of ArtLink, Ms. Jovanka Višekruna Janković, pianist and founder of the association which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, addressed the audience.

H.E. Gordon Bakota, Croatian Ambassador to Serbia with his wife and H.E. Kati Csaba with husband

Finnish-Serbian artists Vuk and Uki Ovaskainen, H.E. Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta,Ambassador of Finland to Serbia and Jovanka Višekruna Janković, ArtLink

18 FAREWELL RECEPTION DEC

FOR GORDAN BAKOTA

Canadian Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Kati Csaba held a farewell reception for Croatian Ambassador H.E. Gordan Bakota at her residence. After two years of being the Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Gordan Bakota will continue his diplomatic career in Germany. Mr Bakota graduated from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Law in 1991. Following an internship at the State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia, he was employed at the Croatian Foreign Ministry and continued working there as a career diplomat.

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www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

CORPORATE

Booming With New Projects The Balkans Property Forum 2019 event held at the Hilton Hotel in Belgrade

Belgrade is booming with development projects, from suburbs to downtown. This is mainly true for residential and office space, with retail space lagging behind a bit. These trends were the main topic of discussion at the Booming with new projects – Belgrade development panel at the Balkans Property Forum 2019 event held at the Hilton Hotel in Belgrade on December 3rd, which was moderated by Mia Zečević, CEO of Novaston.

Goran Živković (CBRE) and Jovana Martinović (Merin Holdings) discussed relevant current projects in Belgrade, from the phenomenon of rise in demand

of residential space even with the prices of m2 constantly on the rise, through Belgrade Waterfront buyers (domestic vs foreign), to active and future projects of Merin Holdings in the region.

petition, as well as the position of Erste Bank as the leader in real estate investement sector.

Katarina Gajić (Delta) continued the discussion on expansion and future plans of Delta company, from

BELGRADE HAS PLENTY OF INVESTORS WHILE THE REST OF SERBIA HAS POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH Claus Graggber (Erste) held a discussion on office space, details of the Project Sirius 2 in New Belgrade, expected finish date, and potential tenants. The discussion continued with the focus on how to position yourself towards com-

Delta House project which is to become the new HQ of Delta, plans and adaptations of Sava Centar, opening of Delta Planet shopping centar in Banja Luka and Varna, why Delta Planet Autokomanda didn’t open in 2019. and others.

Joško Piteša (Immofinanz) extensively explained how retail sector may yet thrive in Serbia in years to come. STOP SHOP as the leader in Serbia and Slovenia and planned expansion in Croatia was also the topic of this panel, as well as future acquisitions in the region.

Joško Piteša explained how strategy isn’t to enter the already crowded market in larger cities with BW, MPC, Nepi, Delta, GTC or BIG CEE, but force expansion in smaller cities with the retail park format. „Belgrade has plenty of investors while the rest of Serbia has potential for growth. The focus should be on enterprises that bring success“ Piteša said, answering why their focus isn’t on Belgrade.

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EVENT

“The World in 2020” Gala Dinner The third “The World in 2020” Gala Dinner was held on December 10th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel

Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Belgrade

The Gala Dinner has become a traditional event where political, economic, diplomatic and society’s leaders in Serbia gather to talk about the results accomplished in 2019 and the projections for 2020. The guests were welcomed by Ruža Veljović, Director of Diplomacy and Commerce magazine. She said that, three years ago, she wished the “The World in 2020” Gala Dinner would become a traditional event, adding that she was happy that it had become one.

Dubravka Negre, Head of the Western Balkans Office of the European Investment Bank (EIB),

Dubravka and Christophe Nègre, EIB

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H.E. Jean-Louis Falconi, Ambassador of France to Serbia

Živorad Vasić, Senior Vice-President of Delta Holding, Françoise Jacob, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belgrade, Jean-Louis Falconi, Ambassador of France to Serbia, and Kati Csaba, Canada’s Ambassador to Serbia addressed the esteemed guests.

The Gala Dinner was attended by numerous guests; representatives of the diplomatic corps, economy, business and state including the UK Ambassador to Serbia, Sian MacLeod, Andrea Orizio (OSCE), Francine Ann Pickup (UNDP), Mateja Norčić Štamcar (the Delegation of the EU), Sebastian Rodolfo Sosa Ravello (IMF), Stephen Ndegwa (WB), the

H.E. Kati Csaba, Canada’s Ambassador to Serbia

Montenegrin Ambassador to Serbia, Tarzan Milošević, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador, Aida Smajić, the Austrian Ambassador, Nikolaus Lutterotti, the Israeli Ambassador, Alona Fisher-Kamm, the Cypriot Ambassador, Constantinos Eliades, the Indian Ambassador, Subrata Bhattacharjee, the Romanian Ambassador, Oana-Cristina Popa, the Mexican Ambassador, Marco Antonio García Blanco, the Egyptian Ambassador, Amr Aljowaily, the Spanish Ambassador, Raul Bartolomé Molina, the Pakistani Ambassador, Shehryar Akbar Khan, the Qatari Ambassador, Sheikh Mubarak Fahad J.M.

Al-Thani, the Cuban Ambassador, Gustavo Tristá del Todo, the Moroccan Ambassador, Amine Belhaj, the Turkish Ambassador, Tanju Bilgiç, and the Palestinian Ambassador, Mohammed K. M. Nabhan.

The partners of this year’s Gala Dinner were the European Investment Bank, Telekom Serbia, Heineken Serbia, BMW Serbia, Coca-Cola, Generali Insurance Serbia, the Crowne Plaza, the Forbidden Garden brandy and liqueurs, the Quet Winery and Fruška Gora Vineyards.

The Color Media Communications Company was the event’s organizer.

Robert Čoban and H.E. Sian MacLeod, UK Ambassador to Serbia

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H.E. Jean-Louis Falconi, Milan Antonijević, Director Open Society Foundations and Vlatko Sekulović, Attorney at law

H.E. Subrata Bhattacharjee, H.E. Amr Aljowaily, H.E. Raul Bartolomé Molina, H.E. Gustavo Triestá Dr Giorgio Ambrogio Marchegiani, Director of del Todo and Žikica Milošević, Editor in Chief of Serbian edition The Economist “DDOR Novi Sad” and Robert Čoban

H.E. Nikolaus Lutterotti, H.E. Aida Smajić, H.E. Tarzan Milošević, H.E. Constantinos Eliades and Oliver Šarov, Embassy of the Netherlands

Ruža Veljović, Diplomacy&Commerce and Yana Mikhailova, FIC President

Vladimir Čupić. Atlantic Group and Jasmina Knežević, Bel Medic

Dragan Penezić, BAT, Andrea Radonjić, Coca- Cola HBC and Nataša Nešić, Diplomacy&Commerce

Mihailo Janković, Nectar

Brankica Janković, Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Vladimir Marinković,Vice President of Serbian Parliament and Biljana Barošević, Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Social and Veterans’ Affairs

Mateja Norčić Štamcar, EUDelegation, Sebastian Rodolfo Sosa Ravello (IMF) and Stephen Ndegwa (WB)

Mirjana Dončić Beaton, CANSEE and Tanja Banković, Diplomacy&Commerce

Danijela Fišakov, President of SBC

Zoran Djurić, Mielle and Miloš Jelić, NELT Group

Petar Popović, Jelena Petrović, Zoran Milošević and Katarina Djordjić, Telekom Srbija

Katarina Pajović UDI Services and Sanja Radan Media Rush

Mirjana Kojić, CCIS and Nataša Djurdjević, Generali osiguranje

Andrea Orizio, OSCE

Ruža Veljović and Dragan Filipović, Generali Osiguranje

Maja Sudjicki Trzin, SAMER & CO. Shipping Serbia

Vladimir Novaković, Apatinska pivara, Danica Stević, Ninamedia, Jasmina Knežević, Bel Medic, Dušan Mihajlović, Euro Banka, Miloš Vujnović, JubmesBanka and Zoran Petrović, Raiffeisen Bank

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BUSINESS NEWS

Sheraton Hotel in Novi Sad

WINNER OF THE GOOD SERVICE AMBASSADOR AWARD

The Sheraton Hotel in Novi Sad, which has been operating under MK Group since 2018, is the recipient of the Good Service Ambassador Award in the Most Successful Hotel Team in Room Sector category in 2019. The jury, helmed

by Professor Slobodan Unković, gave the Sheraton Hotel in Novi Sad the highest

marks for hygiene, staff, teamwork and cooperation with other sectors, as well as for boosting knowledge, creativity, monitoring and adhering to company performance and guest satisfaction.

General Manager of the Sheraton Hotel in Novi Sad, Novak Bojanić accepted the award on behalf of the hotel.

SPORTS CHAIN DECATHLON OPENS ITS FIRST STORE IN SERBIA

Decathlon, a French sports chain with a tradition of over forty years, is opening its first store in Serbia. In more than 150 countries, Decathlon is synonymous with sports equipment being available to everyone – all age groups, recreational athletes, beginner athletes, as well as ambitious and passionate indoor and outdoor sports enthusiasts.

For many of them, Decathlon is a favorite

destination for purchasing sports equipment, which is why they often travel to Szeged, Timisoara, Budapest and other nearby cities or inevitably include a visit to Decathlon during their trips. That is why they will be happy to hear that, as of December 12, they will no longer need a passport to go to Decathlon, but they will be able to make their purchase in Belgrade whenever they want. In addition to top brands of sports equipment, Decathlon also offers a wide range of sports equipment at affordable prices. In its stores, Decathlon offers the largest number of own brands gathered under the common name of Passion brands, which is why it can offer affordable sports equipment with equal quality.

THE BEST WINES IN SERBIA IN 2019

The most influential wine-related website in the region, Vino.rs, has selected the best wines and wineries in Serbia in 2019, according to local wine experts, winemakers, enologists, caterers, sommeliers, wine merchants and wine journalists. Tri Morave Rezerva Crveno 2016¸ produced by Temet winery, a blend of the indigenous Prokupac and Cabernet varieties, which won a gold medal and 95 points at this year’s Decanter in London, was declared the best red wine. The best white wine in Serbia in 2019 is Onyx Belo 2017, made by the Cilić winery, a Sauvignon Blanc from a vineyard in the vicinity of Jagodina, matured in Serbian oak barrels. Rosé Premium 2018 Vista Hill is the best rosé. The wine comes from a young winery from Šid, co-owned by Slobodan Boba Živojinović. Zanos 2017, produced by Ivanović winery from Župa, was declared the best sweet wine. As for wines from indigenous autochthonous varieties, which are becoming increasingly popular with wine lovers in Serbia, Radovan 100% Prokupac 2017, from Čokot winery, based in Župa topped the red wine list. As for the autochthonous white wines, Temet winery is the winner again with its Tri Morave Rezerva Belo 2016 wine, made from the Tamyanka variety. According to the achieved results, Temet winery from Lozovik was declared the best winery in Serbia in 2019, Vista Hill was named the best young winery, and Bikicki the best small winery.

INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY AWARDS IN LONDON AWARDED AFI EUROPE SERBIA

Henkel Kruševac

BUSINESS LEADER CHARTER 2019

At a solemn session of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, held on December 9th in Belgrade, annual awards were presented to the most successful companies and individuals who, through their engagement and results, made a strong contribution to strengthening the Serbian economy and its recognition world wide. At the awards ceremony, Plant Manager Henkel Kruševac, Mr. Dušan Antonijević addressed the attendees on behalf of all the winners saying: ”The 2019 Business Leader Award is a great honor and an obligation to push the boundaries and create a new, even better environment for economic development and business in the coming years. Today’s business brings numerous

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and complex challenges on a daily basis, and it is certainly an immense joy to witness the successes that you achieve with your team. Personally, I believe that with every successful leader there is a successful team, and that human potential is one of Serbia’s most important strategic strengths, because our people are endowed with innovation, dedication, speed and resourcefulness.”

For twenty years now, International Property Awards have been held in London, an event that presents awards to professionals in the field of investment and construction projects around the world. This year, AFI Europe-Serbia won 4 awards for it’s projects in Belgrade as a part of the 2019 Award Winners European Contest.

Skyline Belgrade has won two awards in the categories it has applied for – Residental High-rise Architecture and Mixed-use Development. Airport City Belgrade, the first business park in Serbia, won awards for the best project in the category for office space architecture, as well as Office Development in Serbia. The International Property Awards brings together companies operating in all sectors of the real estate, and awards have been allocated to all parts of the world – Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, United Kingdom and United States.

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Sport brings them closer to each other. Frequent sports activities and events will always motivate employees to socialize, talk, develop better relationships and share good energy in the work environment. Over time, new tasks will be seen as challenges and coming to work as a kind of personal and professional satisfaction. No matter how’s yours condition, there are no excuses for avoiding training.

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Serbia Equal for All International Human Rights Day marked in Novi Sad On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the Office for Human and Minority Rights of the Government of the Republic of Serbia held an event titled "Serbia Equal for All" on December 9, 2019, at the Liberty Square in Novi Sad. „Until now, the marking of Human Rights Day always took place in Belgrade. This year, we wanted it to be in another city and we chose Novi Sad, as a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional territorial autonomy of all its citizens.

We will strive to make this celebration a practice. Next year, we are going to pick another town in Serbia to mark this day. This is an excellent opportunity to point out the necessity and importance respecting human and minority rights not only on December 10, but throughout the year. The Government of Serbia is committed to the continuous improvement of the human rights situation, but we are also aware of the fact that there is more work to be done on this path.

There is a need to continue promoting the status of women, persons with disabilities, the elderly, children and members of the Roma national minority, and these topics are extremely important to the Government. We will continue to work together with civil society organizations to better implement the relevant laws, combat discrimination and im-

prove the human rights situation. It is important for civil society to view the Government as a reliable partner and to recognize their willingness to hear and put their proposals into practice.

Together, we have an obligation to continue improving the human rights situation in our country. Education of children, as well as the media, play a very important role,“ said Suzana Paunović, Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights.

Ms Paunović also called on all cities and municipalities in Serbia to join in the celebration of the International Human Rights Day and to mark this important date in their communities.

The event "Serbia is equal for all" featured a show of folk costumes that occupy a prominent place in the culture and tradition of each nation, as their role throughout history is very important as a symbol of ethnic identity. The folk costume show highlighted the beauty of Serbia's diversity and multiculturalism. In addition to the show, ISON, the first inclusive choir in our country the region, which brings together children with physical and mental disabilities, performed on the occasion. Also, promotional videos on human and minority rights were screened, plus, an exhibition of posters called "Tolerance 2" by Mirko Ilić was staged. This is a travelling collection of posters that celebrates and promotes tolerance among people.

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INTERVIEW DOHA FORUM IN QATAR

Is Serbia the Tangier of the st 21 Century?

While talking to Ivanka Trump, our Foreign Minister compensates for the lack of English language skills as always with a surplus of charm and social intelligence. However, while his colleagues Igor Crnadak from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Miroslav Lajčak from Slovakia participated in the panels, Dačić’s broken English prevented him from speaking at the forum and he left Doha the same day.

That afternoon, Ivanka spoke at the Forum about the importance of female entrepreneurship and other things you should know if you are a woman and your dad is not Donald Trump

Hassan Al-Thawadi is 38 years old and holds a law degree from the University of Sheffield.

Hassan is in charge of the infrastructural and logistical preparations for the 2022 Doha World Football Cup. While sitting on the Doha Forum stage, he speaks excellent English and when asked by CNN's Becky Anderson if there would be alcohol for fans at the World Cup, he replies with a smile: "Alcohol is not part of our culture, but hospitality is. That is why I can say that there will be alcohol in certain areas". Asked about the deaths of foreign workers employed on major construction projects such as stadiums and subways, he responds with a lot of seriousness

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and empathy: "Each such case is a great tragedy and we approach each of them with the utmost seriousness in the investigation. " Not a word about how things like this happen everywhere in the world and how frequent is for a construction worker to die on a building "because it’s not a catwalk."

Hassan's father and grandfather were from the Al Tawavid tribe and until just half a century ago they rode camels and lived in tents.

The state of Qatar, independent of

Great Britain since 1971, realized the importance of education and educated its "best sons" at prestigious universities in Europe and the US. "Oil and gas will not last forever and education is the most important as it will bring further progress to the country," one of the hosts tells me. As someone who comes from a country that prides itself on the myth that Serbs ate with golden cutlery in the Middle Ages and the fact that the children of the most prominent Serbs went to school in

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT POWER IN THE MODERN WORLD IS AGAIN VIEWED AS VERY VALUABLE BY ALL NATIONS WISHING TO SPREAD THEIR INFLUENCE

Paris 150 years ago, I feel ashamed of the current state of affairs in my country – many government members having fake doctorates and numerous ministers graduating or attending classes at a private university that is now the protagonist of a rather bizarre scandal.

SOFT POWER CHAMPIONS

In addition to the importance of education, the rulers of the State of Qatar also realized the importance of expanding "soft power," perhaps they understood this best out of all rich oil monarchies in the Gulf.

Back in 1996, they launched what is today the globally influential Al Jazeera TV station, and since 2000, they have been organizing the Doha Forum, attended by states-

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men, scientists, security and geopolitical experts, as well as communications professionals from around the world. The organizers cover all expenses for 3,000 selected participants who come from every corner of the planet (not just for the presenters) - registration fee, airline tickets, accommodation, meals and transportation.

While we were at the Doha Forum, the Qatar Live music festival featured Katy Perry and Maroon 5, among others.

A few weeks ago at ‘The World in 2020’ conference, held at the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, I memorized the words of Nebojša Katić, perhaps one of our best economists.

"Western countries accuse China of spreading 'soft power' around the world through the Confucius Institute. But that is exactly what they have been doing for decades!”

Indeed, understanding the importance of soft power in the modern world is again viewed as very valuable by all nations wishing to spread their influence, as big as the Americans, Russians and Chinese, or as small as the Qatari and even the Albanians, who skillfully use the fact that five Albanian women - originally from Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo – top the global pop charts at the moment.

A small team of reporters from Serbia landed at Doha airport, flying directly from Belgrade. I shared the car that drove me to the hotel with two other forum participants - a girl from Turkey who worked at the embassy in Sarajevo for four years and speaks solid Serbian and Stephanie Walters from South Africa, an expert on conflicts in Africa, from the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. She tells me that Rwanda being called "the Switzerland of Africa" is a great deception because the ruler of this country, Paul Kagame (otherwise one of the participants in the Forum), has been forging statistical data relating to the country's economy for years, while implementing the so-called creeping dictatorship, stifling media freedom and favouring minority Tutsi population to the detriment of the majority Hutus, which was the same thing that led to one of the greatest genocides of the 20th century in 1994. We are also chatting about an article about Madagascar published in the New York Times which talks about a team of Russian ‘election experts’ going there a year ago, renting rooms at a seaside hotel and from there working on spinning the

news, bribing the media and printing leaflets and other propaganda material for the benefit of the incumbent president. When, a few months before the election, they realized that despite their ‘help’, the president stood to lose the election which led him to subsequently change sides, they began to favour an opposition leader who eventually won and became the new head of state. Lots of interesting stories from Africa as they provide stunning coincidences and lessons for us in the Western Balkan region…

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU ARE NOT THE DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP?

The Emir of the state of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al

Thani (age 39) officially opened the Forum.

As he walked into the huge convention hall of the Sheraton Hotel, all 3,000 participants stood up.

After the Emir's welcome speech, Mahathir Muhammad, the current Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Malaysia, took to the stage. The Emir handed him a medal and the Malaysian Prime Minister told the moderator the story of his incredible political career. The creator of the Malaysian economic miracle ruled this country in Southeast Asia from 1981 to 2003. When the countries that were dubbed the Asian Tigers were hit by a major economic crisis in 1997, he managed to get Malaysia out by refusing to follow the advice of the IMF and the World Bank. In 2003, he completely withdrew from

"Alcohol is not part of our culture, but hospitality is" - Hassan Al-Thawadi

THE FACT THAT TRUMP SENT HIS DAUGHTER TO THE DOHA FORUM AS AN ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS OF THE DESIRE OF THE CURRENT US ADMINISTRATION TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH QATAR

Youth and Experience: Emir of the State of Qatar and Prime Minister of Malaysia

Youngest President in El Salvador's History: Nayib Bukele (age 38)

public life. But, after 15 years of retirement, he was urged to make a comeback. He subsequently won the election and in 2018, he was re-elected prime minister.

Mahathir Muhammad is 94 years old, the oldest government head in the world. At the Forum, he spoke about Malaysia's development plans by 2030, when he will be 105 years of age.

Before the Forum began, I bumped into Ivica Dačić at the entrance who was accompanied by his Cabinet Chief Jasminko Pozderac, also the Serbian ambassador to Doha. A few minutes later, Dačić was already engaged in a cordial conversation with his old acquaintance Ivanka Trump.

While talking to Ivanka Trump, our Foreign Minister compensates for the lack of English language skills as always with a surplus of charm and social intelligence. However, while his colleagues Igor Crnadak from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Miroslav Lajčak from Slovakia participated in the panels, Dačić’s broken English prevented him from speaking at the forum and he left Doha the same day. That afternoon, Ivanka spoke at the Forum about the importance of female entrepreneurship and other things you should know if you are a woman and your dad is not Donald Trump.

The fact that Trump sent his daughter to the Doha Forum as an adviser to the President speaks of the desire of the current US administration to normalize relations with Qatar after the 2017 crisis when this Gulf state was accused of sponsoring Islamic terrorism, after which Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and many other Arab countries broke off the diplomatic relations with Qatar thus completely isolating it from the mainland.

Until then, Qatar relied on its only mainland neighbour, Saudi Arabia, but the country then turned to its remaining friends - Iran, the Sultanate of Oman and Turkey - for food, medicine and other products.

Qatar Airlines also had to change its flights as the Saudis, Bahrain and UAE closed their skies for this airline. In one of the panels, we heard that Qatar's national airline stopped flying to 16 destinations, but gained 20 new ones.

In 2018, the Saudis unveiled a plan that would make Qatar practically an island. The project is based on a 61-kilometre-long Salwa Canal that would physically separate the two countries, and on which shores the Saudis plan to

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stockpile nuclear waste. The precision with which they got rid of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi leaves no doubt as to the effectiveness of this Saudi plan, providing the Big Brother, namely the one who sent his daughter to Doha, allows it.

SERBIA AS THE 21ST CENTURY TANGIER

The most diligent of all our colleagues, RTS reporter Mira Adanja Polak had already started interviewing many interesting individuals from all over the world in the hotel lobby, while I kept company to Nataša Ivanovski, Milan Ćulibrk and the rest of the crew who were smoking on the terrace. There is always plenty of interesting people among smokers.

The Doha Forum has partnered with some of the largest media outlets on the planet - CNN, Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News, the Financial Times, and of course, Al Jazeera. The prestigious institutions responsible for creating the programme are listed as ‘content partners’ - Chatam House, Munich Security Conference, McCain Institute, International Crisis Group, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Aspen Initiative for Europe.

As I am waiting for the rain to fall (the second this year in Doha), I am talking to a representative of one of these institutions: “Today’s Serbia is something like the 21st century Tangier. Between 1924 and 1956, the city of Tangier in Morocco had the status of an 'international zone', which was jointly governed by superpowers. It was not divided into zones, such was Vienna from 1945 to 1955 or Berlin until the fall of the Berlin Wall. At that time, Tangier was a gathering place for spies from all over the world - Americans, Britons, Soviets, Nazis... This is where arms traders and big Hollywood stars came.

Things that were not allowed in other parts of the world were allowed in Tangier. Today, Serbia is like this - you are neither American, European, Russian, nor Chinese, and in fact, you are a bit of everything and everyone sees you as a training ground for their intelligence work, arms trade, etc. You belong to everybody and nobody.

This could be good, but not under certain historical circumstances.”

As I think of Serbia as the Tangier of the 21st century, I am walking into the National Museum, a spectacular building which opened earlier this year. The French architect Jean Nouvel designed it, inspired by the mineral crystal called "The

44

Old acquaintances: Ivanka Trump and Ivica Dačić

Inspired by "The Desert Rose": National Museum of Doha

TODAY, SERBIA IS LIKE TANGIER - YOU ARE NEITHER AMERICAN, EUROPEAN, RUSSIAN, NOR CHINESE, AND IN FACT, YOU ARE A BIT OF EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE SEES YOU AS A TRAINING GROUND FOR THEIR INTELLIGENCE WORK, ARMS TRADE, ETC

Souq Waqif, the old part of Doha: Boy in police uniform in front of photos of the members of the ruling family

Desert Rose". For the most part, I stayed in a segment of the museum dedicated to the first half of the 20th century when Qatar was going through its hardest period.

Many epidemics decimated its population at the beginning of the century, ending with the global pandemic of the Spanish Flu in 1918-1919. When the country recovered a bit, a new coup ensued.

Plus, a large hurricane killed 8,000 people in one hour in October; mostly fishermen and pearl hunters. At that time, pearl harvesting was the country's main economic branch. 80% of the ships that Qatar owned were sunk. Then came another tragedy - the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the ensuing economic crisis which drastically reduced the demand for luxury goods, including pearls. At about the same time, Qatar's final blow came from the other end of the planet - Japan. The inventor Mikimoto Kokichi managed to advance commercial pearl harvesting under controlled conditions, which has further knocked down its price on global stock exchanges.

In the 1950s, crude oil exploitation dominated the country’s economy. In 1974, three years after Qatar declaring independence, the national company Qatar Petroleum took over all oil wells in the peninsula and in 1976, the North Field was discovered, along the coast of Qatar, which turned out to be the largest natural gas source in the world. The rest is history!

At the very end of the Forum, a very interesting statesman addressed the participants. If the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the oldest Prime Minister in the world, then Nayib Bukele (age 38) is one of the youngest Presidents.

His name would suggest that he comes from an Arab country, but he doesn’t. Bukele is the newly elected president of El Salvador, a Latin American country that has been suffering under the civil war for decades. Bukele, a child of Muslim migrants from Palestine, has become the president of this largely Catholic and until yesterday, very conservative state.

He talked about the benefits of a new networked world, about how we produce more food more than humanity needs for the first time in the history of civilization and how political will is the only thing lacking in order to feed everyone on the planet. It's a shame that the politicians who were in charge of making such decision were not in the audience.

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CORPORATE

Direct Media Donated a Modern Diagnostic Device to the Mother and Child Health Care Institute On behalf of the company, the donation was presented to the Director of the Institute and the Head of the Department by Deputy CEO of DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions Jasna Dugalić

DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions donated a diagnostic instrument worth RSD 1,1 million dinars to the Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia ˝Dr Vukan Čupić˝ in Belgrade. The contemporary diagnostic device located at the Department of Pathology will significantly improve and expedite diagnostic procedure for toddlers suffering from cancer.

On behalf of the company, the donation was presented to the Director of the Institute and the Head of the Department by Deputy CEO of DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions Jasna Dugalić. ˝We are all aware of importance of this Institute as an instance in treating children. Employees of the Institute and of humanitarian organizations such as NURDOR bring smiles back to children’s faces every day, and they do that with dedication, responsibility and without reservation. We are glad if we were able to help them with this donation and facilitate this human job. We have been try-

MOTHER AND CHILD HEALTH CARE INSTITUTE ˝DR VUKAN ČUPIĆ˝ IS THE ONLY PLACE IN SERBIA TO PERFORM PATHOHISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ALL SICK CHILDREN ing to help those who need help the most for nearly twenty years, as long as the companies exist, and we are glad that NURDOR, with whom we have been cooperating for a long time, has helped us find the right address, ˝ said Jasna Dugalic.The Mother and Child Health Care Institute is the largest children’s hospital in this part of Europe and the largest number of children from Serbia and neighboring countries who have a malignant tumor are treated there.

The Institute is also the only children’s hospital to have a Clinical Pathology Service, whose experienced pathologists diagnose tumors and other diseases to Institute patients coming from other hospitals in the region. There is no suc-

cessful team treatment of children in the most difficult condition without modern devices in microscopic diagnostics.˝Since the

Mother and Child Health Care Institute ˝Dr Vukan Čupić˝ is the only place in Serbia to perform pathohistological analysis of all sick children, it is very important that medical devices and conditions in which these brilliant and dedicated doctors and medical staff work are contemporary and precise. Accuracy and promptitude of medical diagnosis depends on that, and therefore the successful treatment of sick children. One of such devices is the one we are donating to the Institute today. We are happy to continuously improve standards in diagnosis and treatment, aimed to improve the conditions of treatment and life of sick children, and what is especially important to reach higher cure rate of children from the territory of the whole Serbia. In this way we say a big ˝Thank you˝ to DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions, as well as to all our donors who believe in NURDOR and in importance of our Mission – do know that we work every day to build and cherish this trust,˝ said the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of NURDOR Joland Korora. Funds for the purchase of the device were provided by DIRECT MEDIA United Solutions, which waived the proceeds from the fee for the Direct Media Academy educational conference. .

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CULTURE

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Gives the Fans What they Want J.J. Abrams takes few risks in the final instalment of the Skywalker trilogy. That is no bad thing There is no better way to understand the uniqueness of the “Star Wars” franchise than the adage: “no one hates ‘Star Wars’ like a ‘Star Wars’ fan”. The first entry in George Lucas’s space opera had its premiere in 1977 and became the highest-grossing film in nearly 40 years. Mr Lucas’s second trilogy of films, released from 1999 to 2005, helped make “Star Wars” the most valuable franchise in the film industry at the time.

Still, many fans had begun to turn on Mr Lucas. In the 1990s he had made a number of edits to his original films that some argued “ruined” their childhood memories.

Some fans resented the prequels for their determination to explain the mysterious “force” through science, a slavish devotion to computer-generated imagery and poor creative decisions, including some that seemed motivated by a desire to sell toys (see: Jar Jar Binks).

When Disney announced in 2012 that it had acquired Lucasfilm and would produce a new trilogy, many fans were elated. Under Disney, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had thrived (in fact, Mr Lucas was so impressed with Disney’s stewardship of the comic-book company he solicited no other bids for his). And early results were tremendous. Disney’s first “Star Wars” film, “The Force Awakens” in 2015 (“Episode VII” of the Skywalker saga), delighted fans and became the third-highest grossing film in history. In 2016 “Rogue One”, a spinoff film, became the second-biggest film of that year.

But over time a resistance formed. In 2017 the eighth Skywalker film, “The Last Jedi”, divided fans. Rian Johnson, the film’s director, chose to subvert much of the mythology of “Star Wars”. Mr Johnson’s Luke Skywalker was a cynic who disdained the force and the ideology of the Jedi. In the film the Disney trilogy’s antagonist, Kylo Ren, urges the hero, Rey, to “let the past die. Kill it, if you have to”—an apparent meta-commentary on the restrictive tropes of the

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MANY HAVE HOPED THAT “THE RISE OF SKYWALKER”, WHICH BRINGS TO A CLOSE THE STORY MR LUCAS CREATED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO, WOULD REDEEM THE MISTAKES MADE OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES “Star Wars” narrative. It was daring film-making, and many fans loved it. But many also loathed choices that upended their conception of the “Star Wars” universe.

This included some who were involved in the franchise. Mark Hamill, the actor who plays Luke, registered his disapproval of Mr Johnson’s story choices in some interviews and on social media.

During the media tour for the ninth Skywalker film, “The Rise of Skywalker”, J. J. Abrams, who directed the film as well as “The Force Awakens”, praised the “bold choices” of “The Last Jedi”, but also said he didn’t think “Star Wars” fans want to be told, “this doesn’t matter.” Over time, even Mr Lucas, who had initially resisted commenting on the new films, began to publicly express disappointment with Disney’s creative decisions. (He did not like, for example, the fact that “The Force Awakens” repeated many of the ideas of his first “Star Wars” film, though he has given no indication that he liked Mr Johnson’s choices, either.)

Many have hoped that “The Rise of Skywalker”, which brings

to a close the story Mr Lucas created more than 40 years ago, would redeem the mistakes made over the past two decades. This was probably impossible. A franchise as beloved and long-running as “Star Wars” will always struggle to match the expectations of its deepest fans.

But “The Rise of Skywalker” mostly feels like what “Star Wars” should be. The film is joyful, epic and ultimately moving, specked with moments of humour and humanity. It renders its universe with beautiful visual images, from glaciers and desert planets to violent seascapes and lush forests. The heroes move through the terrain in an inelegant hurry, as the plot too often relies on their racing against the clock (or, in this case, against Ren and the evil First Order) to find the next thing (a common device in Mr Abrams’s films). But in the pivotal lead roles of Kylo Ren and Rey, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley deliver the most complex emotional performances of the entire nine-film saga. Their intertwined character arcs serve as the core of Disney’s trilogy—narratively, the-

matically and emotionally—and together they deliver a richly satisfying conclusion to the story.

Fans will notice the repercussions of Disney’s creative choices, including hiring different directors and writers for each film (and then firing the original director of “The Rise of Skywalker”).

The story created by Mr Abrams will be seen by most as conflicting with Mr Johnson’s, but they are not wholly incompatible. Mr Abrams plays his choices against Mr Johnson’s in ways that cast important aspects of “The Last Jedi” in a new light, without necessarily invalidating (all of) them. The two directors are engaged in a dialogue with each other, a struggle for the soul of “Star Wars”.

There is little doubt that Mr Abrams wins that struggle in “The Rise of Skywalker”. Where Mr Johnson pushed boundaries and challenged viewers, Mr Abrams takes few risks. Where Mr Johnson rejected “Star Wars” nostalgia, Mr Abrams unabashedly embraces it. He continues to remix plots, themes and visuals from Mr Lucas. In so doing Mr Abrams risks retroactively diminishing the stakes of earlier films; the return to the screen of Emperor Palpatine, whose death in “Return of the Jedi” delivers redemption for Darth Vader, is the most obvious example. But the reward for fans is an entertaining finale. And Mr Abrams gives the audience plenty of fan service on the way to a feelgood ending.

That may be just what “Star Wars” needed. At one particularly delightful moment during the premiere screening, an audience member yelled, “Yeah, J.J!” in gratitude to the director. The crowd laughed and cheered in agreement, and applauded many more times as Mr Abrams delivered what they wanted. In the end, no one loves “Star Wars” like a “Star Wars” fan.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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CONFERENCE

Text: BOBAN SPASOJEVIĆ

'The Economist: The World in 2020' in Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Joseph Johnson, ambassadors and regional business leaders as speakers

parliamentary election in the United Kingdom were due to take place, the conference welcomed a special guest, Joseph Johnson, the former minister in the last three British governments who resigned from his government post in November due to disagreeing with his brother Boris Johnson over Brexit. He said that Brexit caused the deepest political crisis on the island in the last 300 years. „Since the UK should leave the EU during the Croatian Presidency, I can hardly imagine a better place to part with the EU than Zagreb. You even have the Museum of Broken Relationships,“ joked Joseph Johnson.

President of Color Press Group and Director of Color Media Com-

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Mr Andrej Plenković

Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Mr Boris Vujčić

Photos: Josip Regović (Pixell) Davor Puklavec (Pixell), Tomislav Smoljanović

ZAGREB, 9th December 2019 – The Economist conference 'The World in 2020' was held for the first time in Croatia. The leading political and business figures gave their views of global trends in international relations and certain economic sectors in 2020 at the event which took place at the Croatian National Bank. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, officially opened the conference. In his speech, he underlined that Croatia, as the only successful EU accession project from the region, was ready for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins on 1st January. "We want a Europe that will tackle the problem of migration, terrorism, climate change and human rights, but also create global trends,“ said Prime Minister Plenković.

The event's host and the Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić further noted that the activities regarding Croatia joining the ERM II exchange rate mechanism would be another important step to mark 2020. „This is certainly a turning point in Croatia's path towards the introduction of the euro. Croatia hopes to join ERM II in the second half of 2020,“ Governor Vujčić said at the 'The World in 2020' conference.

Just a few days before the snap

Mr Ivan Vrdoljak, Mr Robert Čoban, PM Mr Andrej Plenković, Governor Mr Boris Vujlić, Minister Predrag Štromar

Mr Gordan Markotic, Head of the EU 2020 Council Presidency Sector, H.E. William Robert Kohorst, US Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Mr Alosno Dezcalar, Ambassador of Spain to Croatia, H.E. Ilan Mor, Ambassador of Israel to Croatia, H.E. Diana Helen Madunic, Swedish Ambassador to Croatia

munications, the company that holds The Economist’s license for the region, Robert Čoban talked about what awaited us in 2020, which is also covered in the magazine ‘The World in 2020’ which will be available on Croatian newsstands from mid-December.

Mr Čoban said that the global geopolitical and economic topics that the world population would have to face in 2020 include the possible slowdown of the global economy, climate change and China’s global influence.

Ambassadors of the USA, Israel, Spain and Sweden spoke in the first panel, as did Gordan Markotić from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which is in

Croatian Chamber of Commerce President Mr Luka Burilovic

charge of Croatia's six-month EU presidency starting on 01.01.2020.

The second panel featured business leaders from Croatia and the region, including the top executives from Fortenova Group, INA, Uber, HUT and Janaf.

In addition to the conference, ‘The World in 2020’ magazine will have its worldwide launch in late December, and for the first time, some of the magazine’s content this year will be published in the Croatian language.

Color Media Communications was the conference organizer and the holder of The Economist’s license for the region, while the Livit Company was the project’s partner in Croatia.

Joseph Johnson, the former minister in the last three British governments

Mr Fabris Perusko, CEO of ForteNova Group, Mr Niko Dalic, Member of the Management Board of INA, Mr Davor Tremac, Director of UBER Croatia, Mr Veljko Ostojic, Director of the Croatian Tourism Association, Mr Ph.D. Dragan Kovacevic, CEO of Janaf

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INTERVIEW

Text: SANJA ŠOJIĆ

Serbia is a Film-friendly Country Foreign productions find us interesting as a nation who has a long history in filmmaking, quality staff and because we all speak English

MILICA BOŽANIĆ AND ALEK CONIĆ Serbia Film Commission

Serbia Film Commission (SFC) has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Immediately after, the Commission's representatives met with Netflix, Warner, Paramount and CBS in Los Angeles.

These were just some of the reasons why we wanted to talk to Executive Director and Vice President of Serbia Film Commission, Milica Božanić and Alek Conić respectively.

What did SFC achieve in the last ten years? What has changed since then?

Milica Božanić: When we

launched the Film in Serbia brand, it was important for us to have a unique voice at the international level and to position ourselves on the map of film destinations by unifying the entire film infrastructure (film studios, locations, equipment, top professionals...) in one place. After that, it was also very important for us to lobby for economic incentives for foreign films, without which it is impossible to compete with the other 96 countries that offer different incentives to film crews today. Collaborating with the public sector on mapping the locations and creating an online database of over 600 film locations is the next big result we have achieved. Providing 40 different sessions for film professionals in the past period is another aspect that we care very much about

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as want to allow our people to constantly perfect their work and to involve new people in the industry.

A lot has changed in the whole film environment over the last ten years. Film reels have been replaced with digital cameras. The funding of domestic filmmaking has increased, which enabled our film workers to transfer the knowledge and experience gained in service jobs to domestic projects that are becoming increasingly ambitious and better. Our set designers, costume designers and even film directors, directors of photography and editors are involved in foreign projects, whether they are filmed in Serbia or abroad.

os which make it possible for them to play hosts to film projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Croatia is also an attractive location that is host to 3 to 5 top-notch film projects annually. The attractiveness of making films in Eastern Europe helps us to bring some of these projects here, but we need bigger studio capacities, more permanent film sets and more film crews to do that.

Alek Conić: On the other hand, foreign productions find us interesting as a nation who has a long history in filmmaking, quality staff and because we all speak English, which is our huge advantage over Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and

WE RECENTLY HAD A MEETING IN LOS ANGELES WITH NETFLIX WHOSE FIRST QUESTION WAS NOT "WHAT ARE YOUR INCENTIVES" BUT "WHAT IS YOUR COUNTRY'S MEDIA STRATEGY" Hollywood has long since begun relocating part of its production to Eastern Europe due to more favourable conditions. The Czech Republic was the first to recognize this trend back in the mid-1990s when the first part of Tom Cruise's „Mission Impossible“ was filmed there. Where are we in relation to the countries of the region and this part of Europe?

Milica Božanić: In terms of mon-

ey and the scope of film projects implemented in Prague or Budapest, we get only 1/10 of films that are made in the mentioned film centres. Budapest has 4 film studi-

even the Czech Republic. On top of that, every foreign production that comes here brings and leaves in our country new knowledge and new technology. By working on foreign films, our filmmakers acquire new knowledge that they can later apply in domestic cinema and boost the quality of national film projects.

Apart from incentives, what else can Serbia offer to film productions and filmmakers?

Milica Božanić: We can offer

them top-notch production and partnership with all government levels in the implementation of projects. In early December, a dele-

gation of cabinet of Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and her team for creative industries and IT organized a visit to major Hollywood studios - Warner, Paramount, Netflix and CBS. Their studio executives told us that Serbia's positive attitude towards film and the willingness of the country's government to cooperate at all levels give Serbia a great advantage. The quality of work of all our filmmakers, from set designers, lighting technicians, camera assistants to screenwriters and production team. Of course, as a new tourist destination, Serbia is an equally important factor which, in turn, affects the appeal and the desire of foreigners to come here, work and spend time aside from long days of filming.

What do you think about the new Law on Filmmaking?

Milica Božanić: The new Law on

Filmmaking is an indispensable umbrella law that, in addition to film, should provide guidelines and frameworks for regulating a wide range of audiovisual production. We recently had a meeting in Los Angeles with Netflix whose first question was not "what are your incentives" but "what is your country's media strategy". The world of film and consumption of audio-visual content are changing so the law needs to be far-reaching enough to allow the development of new formats that go beyond the traditional film concept. We have been involved in consultations about foreign productions coming to Serbia when the law was being drafted, but its scope is far greater and more significant for all people

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involved in film, TV, animation and even VR and gaming.

How do world trends affect film and TV production in Serbia?

Milica Božanić: The worldwide

trend we are seeing is the outbreak of streaming platforms and the need to fill the time with content. Mass production has broken all historical records, which exerts pressure on existing production facilities, filmmakers around the world and quality of work. On the other hand, there is a very interesting trend that comes from the development of new technologies, mainly influenced by the gaming sector and the emergence of terms such as virtual production, game engine, real-time rendering, virtual scouting, etc. This is a very interesting space in which Serbia can find its place, given that we have

an excellent young gaming sector, film tradition and knowledge.

It is necessary to bring these two worlds into contact with each other so that we can be the threshold of the next revolution in film development.

more, we are a "film-friendly" state, which is a very important prerequisite for high budget films to come to our country in the coming period.

What can we expect from SFC in the coming period, and what is

OUR SET DESIGNERS, COSTUME DESIGNERS AND EVEN FILM DIRECTORS, DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND EDITORS ARE INVOLVED IN FOREIGN PROJECTS, WHETHER THEY ARE FILMED IN SERBIA OR ABROAD Alek Conić: Serbia has incredi-

ble natural resources and is appealing to foreign productions because of the country’s interesting geography since we have three very different scenic locations located at a distance of 350 kilometres. Further-

your view of the Serbian film industry in the next five years?

Milica Božanić: SFC will contin-

ue advocating the improvement of the production environment and collaborate with the public sector to coordinate filming, as well

as on improving the incentive programmes. Our main activity is the international promotion of Serbia, so we will continue improving the location database, as well as create a freelancer database to have a better insight into the size of the film industry in Serbia. We have recently completed an analysis of the economic results of the incentive programme that will become the industry's economic barometer for each coming year.

In the last three years, we have been focusing a lot on post-production and visual effects in which Serbia has abundant talent both here and abroad. Boosting this sector with the help of the CGA Belgrade conference, which we have launched, and collaborating with the design and gaming community is a new venue that carries a lot of potential for success.

OUTDOOR STUDIO How did Serbia become a big outdoor studio?

Milica Božanić: Serbia earned this designation thanks to the willingness of public services such as the Transport Secretariat, public enterprise Gradsko Zelenilo, the Emergency Situations Secretariat, the Interior Ministry, the Defence Industry and the Insti-

tute for the Protection of Monuments to cooperate.

These are all institutions whose support is needed to film on public surfaces. Thanks to their film-friendly policies, film productions in Belgrade can shoot in the National Assembly, the City Hall (Stari Dvor), Belgrade Fortress, downtown streets, bridges, the Belgrade Fair and many other attractive locations.

'The Economist: The World in 2020' Promoted in Macedonia A special annual issue of the British magazine, The Economist: The World in 2020 was promoted for the first time in Macedonia this year. Color Media Plus is the publisher of this magazine in Macedonia. The company also publishes popular magazines such as “Ubavina i Zdravje”, “Homestyle”, “Ruski Doktor” and “Dobra Hrana”.

On the occasion of the magazine’s launch in Macedonia, the magazine was presented on December 17th at the residence of the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to North Macedonia, H.E. Ms Rachel Galloway. Top businesspeople, notable experts and media representatives attended the promotion. Project Editor and Director of the Color Media Plus Company, Aleksandar Nakov and the British Ambassador welcomed the guests at the British Embassy’s residence.

The Economist: The World in 2020 magazine in the Macedonian language can be bought in all major supermarkets in North Macedonia. The Economist is ranked as the fourth-best media brand in the world. In the annual edition of The Economist: The World in 2020, you can read forecasts from the experts about what awaits us in 2020 in the economy, business and technology.

Besides, the magazine contains interviews with distinguished Macedonian experts from various fields.

Anna Mitrova(left), Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Macedonia

Daniela Ademovska, owner of the Hilton Hotel in Skopje in the company of Kurtan Apadin, Director of Limak Macedonia

H.E. Rachel Galloway - British Ambassador

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CONFERENCE

Nordic Model for More Efficient Serbian Healthcare Innovations and Digitization in Serbian Healthcare conference held in Belgrade

The promotion of health policies and the health system is one of the goals that can only be achieved through cooperation and constructive dialogue between the representatives of state institutions, the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Fund (RFZO) and the business sector.

The Nordic Business Alliance, or rather its Healthcare Committee, introduced the concept of value-based healthcare, which would allow more patients to be treated with innovative therapies, while at the same time, the state would only finance value-adding therapies for patients, the state and society at large through the National Health Insurance Fund. The proposed model is applicable in the Nordic countries, but for Serbian

healthcare it would mean greater efficacy in treating patients, more available innovative therapies and better real-time budget control.

The new model of value-based healthcare was the topic of a conference called "Innovation and Dig-

itization in Healthcare", at which the participants agreed that the Ministry of Health and the RFZO have made progress in recent years after a long period of stagnation in introducing new innovative therapies. The state is making signifi-

cant and visible efforts to make innovative therapies more accessible to patients. In order to introduce the new concept, it is necessary to establish a system where treatment outcomes are monitored and the medical procedures and therapies that produce the desired results are identified, while those therapies that do not justify their cost and effort are no longer funded by the state.

The conference was organized

by Color Media Communications and Flagship Public Affairs & Strategic Communications, with institutional support from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia, the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia and the Nordic Business Alliance. Diplomacy & Commerce magazine was the conference's media sponsor.

Israel's Ambassador Lights Menorah During the Hanukkah, which usually falls in December, every night one candle is lit on a menorah, one on the first day and all eight by the last day Traditionally, under the auspices of the Novosadski Winter Fest, there is a menorah in the town’s central square which is lit (one light a day) during the Jewish holiday of the Hanukkah. This year, Hanukkah lasted from December 22 to December 30. On December 25,

H.E. Alona Fisher Kamm, Israel's ambassador to Serbia, lit one light on the menorah. On Thursday, December 26, Mirko Ĺ tark lit one light on behalf of the Jewish Municipality of Novi Sad and the Hashir Choir, after which the choir performed on the Singing Christmas Tree.

Menorah is a multibranched

candelabra, used in the religious rituals of Judaism, which candles are lit one by one during the Hannukah. This is Jewish holiday of light, marked in remembrance of the miracle of 164 B.C. during which the candle light in the Temple of Jerusalem burned eight times longer than was possible

when it was most needed.

During the Hanukkah, which usually falls in December, every night one candle is lit on a menorah, one on the first day and all eight by the last day. The middle candle (ninth, centre holder) is only used as an auxiliary candle to light the remaining eight.

H.E. Alona Fisher Kamm, Israel's ambassador to Serbia

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TRAVELOGUE

By: ROBERT ÄŒOBAN

WORLD MEDIA CONGRESS IN LAS VEGAS

Can Citizen Kane be Saved?

The Vegas Congress was interesting in many ways - starting with a rather bizarre interior for a congress at the Planet Hollywood Hotel with hallways between conference rooms decked in photographs, sculptures of zombies and similar creatures. Some people commented that Zombieland as the best allegory of the media industry today

The ten-minute walk took us from our Flamingo Hotel on the Strip to the Planet Hollywood Hotel which hosted the World Media Congress organized by the FIPP, the global magazine publisher association. At the Paris CafĂŠ under the Eiffel Tower, drowsy gamblers, who spent all night in casinos inhaling the pumped-in oxygen that kept them awake, were having breakfast. Girls with feather dresses were taking pictures with passers-by on the sidewalks, and I occasionally ran into an Elvis impersonator. The younger ones, who had been clubbing until dawn, sit in Oxygen Bars, popular new spots in Vegas,

in which they treat a hangover by inhaling oxygen with spicy fruit flavours instead of having coffee and squeezed orange juice.

500,000,000,000 dinars and the war raged in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vegas and all of America seemed like a dream.

THE FIPP CONGRESSES, THAT TAKE PLACE EVERY OTHER YEAR IN ANOTHER CITY, ARE A GOOD TESTAMENT TO THE DYNAMIC AND DRAMATIC CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY In February 1994, Las Vegas was one of the 7 cities that hosted the US Embassy's International Visitors Program that I attended.

The last issue of Svet magazine, before my trip to the US, cost

Then, in 2004, I went there with Sandra while our daughter Elena, who was a four-month-old baby at the time, stayed in Novi Sad. Fifteen years later, all four of us are in Vegas and it seems to me that

the whole world has changed over the decades, only this city has remained the same.

Looking at the architecture of the hotels on the Strip (the central Las Vegas Boulevard), we can match the tastes and economic opportunities of various decades in Las Vegas, from 1946, when the Flamingo was built, to the present. The Flamingo is inspired by Art Deco and Miami. Then came the Sahara in 1952, the Tropicana in 1957 and the Linq in 1959. The 1960s were marked by the Planet Hollywood in 1963, the Caesars Palace in 1966 and the Circus, Circus in 1968. In the 1970s, came the Harrah's and the Bally's (1973), the Casino Royale (1978) and the

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Cromwell (1979). For ten subsequent years, there was no new hotel on the Strip, until 1989, when Polynesia-inspired Mirage opened, followed by the Excalibur in the 1990s, inspired by the Middle Ages, and three new large hotels, that were built in 1993, the Luxor (Pyramid and Sphinx), the Treasure Island and the MGM Grand (back then the largest hotel in the world, with over 4,000 rooms). The Stratosphere and the MGM Park were built in 1996, the New York, New York in 1997, the Bellagio in 1998, the Mandalay Bay, the Venetian and the Paris in 1999. The hotels built after the year 2000 no longer had special themes – the Wynn (2005), the Encore (2008), the City Center (2009) and the Cosmopolitan (2010), all featuring modern designs, simple and clean lines.

Bugsey Siegel and Meyer Lansky, two Jewish gangsters from New York, are credited with making Vegas what it is today. In 1946, they built the hotel Flamingo, the oldest on the Strip. Siegel was killed a year later in LA, while Lansky lived to the ripe old age in Miami, where he regularly went to the synagogue on the corner of the 3rd Street and the Washington Avenue. The city in which the Mafia has played a significant role has also been given the National Organized Crime Museum, the famed Mob Museum, one of Vegas' major tourist attractions.

The fact that I'm in Vegas with my family and that my daughters are underage, so they can't even stay in the casino and watching their parents play the roulette table and they can’t swim in the pool because it’s too cold in November, in the Nevada desert, I decided to listen to the advice of the US ambassador in Zagreb.

He told me, on the eve of my trip to the United States, at the party apropos the 2nd anniversary of the Croatian edition of the Diplomacy & Commerce magazine at the Mimara Museum, told me that spending seven days in Vegas with my family while attending a three-day congress was utter nonsense and that we must go to see LA or San Francisco. So, we took a two-day trip to San Francisco while being accommodated in Vegas and that turned out to be a smart decision. Delighted by the sight of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we returned to Vegas where the World Media Congress took place from 12th to 14th November.

I remembered writing an article from New Delhi for Novi Magazin

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after the 2011 congress in the Indian capital. The FIPP congresses, that take place every other year in another city, are a good testament to the dynamic and dramatic changes that are happening in the media industry.

The first FIPP Congress I attended was in 2005 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on New York’s Park Avenue. Three years before the global economic crisis and two years before the first smartphone appeared, it was the Golden Age of publishing: circulation figures ran

into hundreds of thousands and millions of copies and earnings were in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars. The welcome reception was held at MoMA, we had dinner under Monet's "Water Lilies", there were bowls with lime on the tables and it seemed as if the Golden Age would last at least another 50 years. However, even in such an atmosphere, there were "voices of common sense" that pointed to a potential problem in the industry (the economic crisis and dramatic technological

Descendants Did Not Appear: William Randolph Hearst and Orson Wells as "Citizen Kane"

THE STATE OF THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY IS ALSO EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT, EXCEPT FOR A FEW PEOPLE WHO WERE ALSO IN NEW YORK IN 2005, ALMOST NO-ONE IS IN THE SAME MEDIUM ANYMORE, NOT EVEN IN THE SAME INDUSTRY

changes were not yet mentioned by anyone present). So Jonathan Newhouse, CEO of Condé Nast ("Vogue", "Vanity Fair", "Glamour") gave a presentation called "Branding is not enough" at lunch, citing a dozen examples of major magazine brands that have failed in certain markets. Newhouse also explained the reasons why these magazines were extinguished in some countries: from the concept of the magazine digressing too far from the original and vice versa, i.e. the concept was not sufficiently adapted to the local market, to too much competition or the wrong partner.

Three years later, two more were added to the aforementioned ones - the economic crisis and smartphones. Thousands of magazines and dailies around the world have been shut down over the past 11 years. After New York in 2005, the next conference was in Beijing in 2007, the Golden Era was still going on, but numerous indicators were already heralding its end. Two years later, in 2009, the congress took place in London and the media industry was already on its knees. The year 2011 and New Delhi… Some publishers set out to recover and find new revenue models while others failed. In 2013, we were in Rome and 2015, in Toronto, Canada.

The 2017 congress was supposed to be held in Warsaw, but recently the decision was made to change the location because of the suppression of media freedoms in Poland, so the congress returned to London.

The Vegas Congress was interesting in many ways - starting with a rather bizarre interior for a congress at the Planet Hollywood Hotel with hallways between conference rooms decked in photographs, sculptures of zombies and similar creatures. Some people commented that Zombieland as the best allegory of the media industry today.

Some major publishers we work with on issuing licensing magazines in our region have not participated in the FIPP Congress for the first time; like The Economist and Hola! / Hello!, for instance. The reasons? Economic hardship or Brexit or something else? We can only speculate. I did not even meet the descendants of the famous William Randolph Hearst of the Hearst Company, whose character was an inspiration behind Orson Welles’ "Citizen Kane" from 1941.

The state of the publishing industry is also evidenced by the fact that, except for a few people

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who were also in New York in 2005, almost no-one is in the same medium anymore, not even in the same industry. It always makes me happy to meet Alfred Heinze and Eckard Bollmann, the doyens of the Hamburg media industry who, in 2002, gave us a license to publish Bravo magazine, our first franchise, without even seeing us.

At the time, Heinze and Bollmann worked for Bauer. Now Alfred is in Burda and Eckard has his own consulting firm. Over lunch, we talked about how was everyone coping with the fact that Google and Facebook spend almost 90% of their money on online advertising.

This year's conference used the Deal Room app to schedule meetings, which was convenient, but the slots were 20 minutes each, so a delay of 5-10 minutes led to the chain change in the time of meetings. Many conversations I had with people we already work with, as well as some companies that will become our licensed partners in the future, prevented me from attending all the presentations and panel discussions I wanted to see and hear.

"How the Brand Saved Playboy" reads the headline of a presentation by David Israel, CFO and COO of Playboy, which has suffered severe blows in the years since the founder's death and massive online content migration: many issues around the world have been

How the brand saved Playboy: The magazine’s first issue with Marilyn Monroe on the cover (1953)

Changed sources of revenue: Forbes Magazine

THE DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF FORBES' REVENUE FROM PRINT, ONLINE EDITIONS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES CAUSED THE COMPANY TO RADICALLY CHANGE ITS ORGANIZATIONAL CHART AND INTRODUCE NEW PROFESSIONS closed, including Playboy in Serbia. I commented with a colleague sitting next to me that only someone with such a biblical name can talk about "saving Playboy" because such an operation must have required the rod of Moses to separate the Red Sea. David Israel was not that convincing, although he talked about how they were no longer a classic media company and that, apart from the content, they also sold various branded

products, including condoms, among other things.

Another major magazine brand also introduced its "rescue model".

Mike Federle, CEO of Forbes Media, talked about the company’s new business models. I was particularly interested in the chart showing Forbes' 2010, 2014 and 2019 revenue structure.

In 2010, print at Forbes accounted for 62% of revenue, online 30% and "other" (conferences, licenses,

syndication) for 8%. Just four years later, in 2014, the print dropped to 52%, online grew to 35% and the rest to 13%. This year, the structure of Forbes' revenue will be as follows: print 21%, online 52% and the other 27%. These are dramatic changes that led to the need to completely change the organizational chart of the company, and for some professions to disappear completely and others, nonexistent only until yesterday, to be crucial for the survival of the company.

I ended my participation in this somewhat surreal FIPP Congress in a fitting manner - with David Copperfield's show. We went to see Copperfield who, after Houdini, is probably the most famous magician in the world. The 63-year-old illusionist, with his raven-black hair and the skin on his face stretched like a drum’s batter head, performed his stylized tricks while toying with the emotions of the audience by frequently mentioning his late father, whom he was obviously very attached to.

Copperfield has been topping the list of the highest-paid celebrities for three decades now, and it's a shame that I didn't see many of my fellow publishers in the audience. I am sure that some of David's tricks would help them to save their companies until Lisbon and the next congress in September 2020.

DIMITRI'S TORMENT During a taxi ride, a driver in his late thirties heard our conversation in the Serbian language and asked us where we were from. When we answered, he opened his soul.

Dimitri was a Russian from around Moscow and had been working in Vegas as a taxi driver for seven years. He has his say on almost all geopolitical topics and in the 20 minutes, which is how long our ride the Flamingo Hotel to Vegas Airport, lasted, I learned many things: • "You have to wait for America to become weak (!?), and then take Kosovo back."

• "In recent years, there haven't been many tourists from Russia in Vegas, since America imposed the sanctions. Many wealthy people have become impoverished so they no longer come."

• “The Ukrainians are to blame for everything; they start the war, but we get the sanctions.

Everyone knows that Crimea has always been Russian and that there are many Russians in the eastern part of Ukraine."

• "There are Russians in Vegas, but they live in other parts of America, especially the Russian Jews. We, in Russia, do not like Jews, they are to blame for the October Revolution."

• " Stalin was cruel but did many good things for Russia."

• " Here, in America, I cannot always say that I am Russian. When I see that someone is Trump's voter, I can reveal where I come from. They love us. But these shitty Democrats, they hate the Russians.“ If I had closed my eyes for a moment, I could have well been in a Belgrade taxi that was taking me from the airport to the city. I could imagine an almost identical conversation.

It is quite clear that this is the ideological and mental matrix that was fed both to Dimitri from Russia, who has lived and worked in the 'despised' America for seven years, and many other „Dimitris“ in Serbia who curse America and the

West. They are almost identical. They curse Gorbachev and the fall of the Berlin Wall but send children to schools in Europe and the USA. Their women shop in Milan and London, and they, when they have money, fill the coffers of football clubs from Manchester, Barcelona, Madrid or Munich. When playing in Kazan or Tiraspol, they always have some important business obligations in Belgrade.

Although Moscow and St. Petersburg have great universities, imagine a proud dad/patriot having to inform guests at the Slava about his child studying in Moscow. What will neighbours and relatives say?! Mothers would have nothing to upload to Instagram if their daughters and their girlfriends were studying at the University of St. Petersburg, knowing very well that the green in Switzerland is much greener and the sky over the US campuses much bluer than in Russia so that no filter is needed.

Others, „the poor“, share the same views, but do not send their children to school, but rather to work in the West – from construction work to waitressing on cruisers and in pubs. Some also drive taxis, like the poor Dimitri, and talk bitterly, in front of carefully chosen people, about the imminent demise of the corrupt West.

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KOLARAC

Concert hall

CALENDAR & NEWS

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

17

JAN

20:00

#DRAMAQUEENBEETHOVEN 2

CONCERT PROGRAMME January 2020

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Jun Märkl Soloist: Robert Lakatoš, violin Jun Märkl

Conductor Jun Märkl is recognized as a devoted advocate of both symphonic and operatic Germanic repertoire, and as a rare specialist for his idiomatic explorations of the French impressionist composers. His long-standing relationships with the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera Munich and the Semperoper Dresden led to his being offered the Music Director posts of the Orchestre National de Lyon, the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig and the Basque National Orchestra.

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JAN

20:00

#DRAMAQUEENBEETHOVEN 3 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: John Axelrod Soloist: Benedetto Lupo, piano Benedetto Lupo

Hailed by international critics as one of the most superb and interesting talents of his generation, Benedetto Lupo gained worldwide recognition in 1989 after winning – as the first Italian – the bronze medal in the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. His success immediately led to critically acclaimed debuts with several major American and European orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Baltimore, Symphony, etc...

Sunday, 5nd at 11.00 Concert Hall

NEW YEAR’S PROM CONCERT

The Most Promising Young Musician in 2019 – ArtLink Award Vladimir Aćimović, piano Production: Music Centre & AltLink Admission free

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20:00

#BEETHOVENONTIMELINE 2 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz

Friday, 17th at 20.00 Concert Hall

Production: Serdar Janko Vukotić's Guslar Association

Conductor: Jun Märkl Robert Lakatoš, violin Programme: G. Rossini, E. W. Korngold, F. Mendelssohn Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra More information – 0112630744

MOJKOVAC BATTLE ACADEMY

Saturday, 11th at 19.00 Concert Hall

SERBIAN ORTHODOX CANTORS

Concert of Serbian Traditional Music

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Temple of Saint Sava`s Choir/ Mokranjac Production: Music Centre Admission free

Wednesday, 15th at 18.00 Music Gallery

MINA MENDELSON

Revolution is the theme of this concert. Haydn’s Symphony No. 85 has also been called La Reine (the Queen), because it was the favorite work of French Queen Marie Antoinette. That is why this work is on our program, as a representation of a time that ended with the French Revolution, a key event in the development of European democracy. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 describes the events of the Russian Revolution of 1905, but in fact refers to events in connection with the Hungarian uprising in 1956, when the Russian Army killed demonstrators in Budapest.

More information – 0112630744

Wednesday, 8th at 20.00 Concert Hall

Sunday, 12th at 11.00 Concert Hall

JAN

ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Jun Märkl Robert Lakatoš, violin Programme: G. Rossini, E. W. Korngold, F. Mendelssohn Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra More information – 0112630744

violin Natalija Mladenović, piano Programme: S. Prokofiev, S. Frank Production: Music Centre Admission free

Thursday, 16. u 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Wednesday, 22nd at 19.00 Music Gallery

PIANO DUO METROPOLITEN

Vanja Šćepanović & Marija Timotijević Production: Music Centre Admission free

SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON/HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC

The Bestbeat Production: Music Centre

Saturday, 25th at 20.00 Concert Hall

RTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Production: RTS Music Production

Sunday, 26th at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

String Orchestra Vollmond Programme: V. Mokranjac, V.A. Mozart Production: Music Centre Admission free

Wednesday, 29th at 18.00 Music Gallery

ZUZANA ZAMBORSKA

From 23rd to 26th 2020.

VOICE COMPETITION LAZAR JOVANOVIĆ

Admission free

Friday, 24th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Saturday, 25th at 11.00 Concert Hall

piano Ana Vyparinová Krsmanović , accordion Production: Music Centre Admission free Friday, 31st at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor: John Axelrod Soloist: Benedetto Lupo, piano Programme: J. Brahms Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Programme: J. Haydn, D. Shostakovich Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra More information – 0112630744

Novi Sad Among the Top 10 Christmas Markets in Europe

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among the three best Christmas markets.

The Singing Christmas Tree, the Children’s Hay Room and riding in a horse-drawn carriage are rated as the most interesting attractions at Novi Sad Winterfest. A total of 289,714 voters from 116 countries cast their votes on www.europeanbestdestiantions.com .

Thanks to the votes it got, the Novi Sad Winterfest is now automatically competing for the title of the Best Christmas Market in Europe in 2021.

Photo: Aleksandar Milutinović

Novi Sad, which for the first time participated in the competition of the 24 best Christmas markets in Europe, received 11,556 votes and won 10th place thus making it to the list of the Top 10 European Christmas Markets. Novi Sad is ahead of the popular destinations such as Prague, Bratislava, Cologne, Bath…

Novi Sad got 78.4% of votes from 88 countries of the world and 21.6% of votes from Serbia. The website visitors from the UK, Russia and Brazil voted the Novi Sad Winterfest

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

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