D&C 56 by Diplomacy&Commerce magazine

October 2020 | ISSUE No. 56 | Price 350 RSD

24 SEP

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

THE CONQUERING FREEDOM AWARD

9772466380002

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT BUSINESSES AND CITIZENS FEEL THE PROGRESS MARKO ČADEŽ

President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

12 SEASONS ARE COMING! Almazian All-Stars Gesamtkunstwerk

CYBERSPACE IS ESSENTIALLY VERY VULNERABLE VLADIMIR RADUNOVIĆ DiploFoundation

Italy

H.E. CARLO LO CASCIO Italian Ambassador to Serbia

ONLY CRANES KNOW WHERE ARAČA IS Reportage by Robert Čoban

STEADY UPWARD TREND BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE Korean Ambassador to Serbia

THE SECRET FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION DUŠAN STOJAKOVIĆ President of the Serbian Public Relations Society (DSOJ)

The Pillars of Society cians, religious leaders and prominent businesspeople used as guidelines, at least formally, up until a few years ago. As we wait for the George Grosz of the 21 century, we can only hope that these “pillars of society” in our reality will not bring about another 1933.

WEB

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

TANJA BANKOVIĆ Editor in Chief tanja.bankovic@color.rs ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD Art director indigochild.ilija@gmail.com JOVANA MARKOVIĆ Advertising manager jovana.markovic@color.rs NATAŠA NEŠIĆ Advertising director

natasa.nesic@color.rs

DRAGANA RADOVIĆ Advertising manager dragana.radovic@color.rs JELENA RANDJELOVIĆ Advertising manager jelena.randjelovic@color.rs VANJA KOVAČEV PR&Event support Nord Communications vanja.communications @gmail.com

RUŽA VELJOVIĆ Magazine director ruza.ristanovic@color.rs ROBERT ČOBAN Director robert.coban@color.rs

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

hen I open a newspaper or watch the news, the famous German painter, George Grosz (18931959), whose canvases best describe the atmosphere of the Weimar Republic, the 1920s Germany and everything that eventually led to 1933 and Hitler’s arrival to power, comes to mind. Grosz's painting "The Pillars of Society" (1926) shows politicians, tycoons, newspaper publishers, generals and priests working together on the same goal - stealing money from the people. Almost a century later, I would add to Grosz’s painting a politically correct NGO activist who "fights" for an "open society", the rights of minorities or animals and who is no better than a general, a priest or a tycoon. We see scenes from Grosz's paintings today at press conferences of certain world leaders, whose countries, not so long ago, were proud to be called "the land of the free and the home of the brave" and the cradle of parliamentarism and modern democracy. The wave of populism that swept us in 2016 and mingled with the torrent of "fake news" phenomena, was joined by the tsunami called COVID-19 in 2020, which further relativized all ethical norms that world politi-

CONTENTS

MARKO ČADEŽ

VLADIMIR RADUNOVIĆ

President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

DiploFoundation

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT BUSINESSES AND CITIZENS FEEL THE PROGRESS

STEADY UPWARD TREND BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP ”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 TIN 107871532 Matriculation number 20887303 Phone: +381 21 4897 100 Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Vase Čarapića 3/IV/38, Belgrade Phone: 011 4044 960 CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno. ISSN 2466-3808 = Diplomacy & Commerce COBISS.SR-ID 303269895

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN MOVEMENT IN SERBIA

SERBIA GETS ITS FIRST LOBBYISTS SLADJANA ADAMOVIĆ ILIĆ

Korean Ambassador to Serbia

Registered lobbyist on behalf of the Republic of Serbia and the owner of Media Skills

H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE

FROM THE BERLIN PROCESS TO MINI-SCHENGEN LESSONS (NOT)LEARNED ALEKSANDAR SIMURDIĆ Vice President of the European Movement in Serbia

RECOVERY EXPECTED IN 2021, BUT SLOWER THAN ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED Analysis

SOMO BORAC WINNERS ARE REVEALED Region

WHAT HAPPENED TO ME IN BELGRADE IS UNIQUE AND BELONGS ONLY TO ME NEĆKO KRUPALIJA Husband of the Canadian ambassador to Serbia

12 SEASONS ARE COMING! Almazian All-Stars Gesamtkunstwerk

ONLY CRANES KNOW WHERE ARAČA IS Reportage by Robert Čoban

END OF THE ILLUSION

The Arab-Israeli Conflict is Fading But that will not resolve the one with the Palestinians even decades of official ostracism ended with a few strokes of a pen. On September 15th, at a ceremony in Washington (pictured), Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established formal diplomatic relations with Israel. They are the first Gulf states to do so. The documents they signed were thin: details of flights, commerce and the exchange of ambassadors must be worked out. Still, in one afternoon, Israel doubled the number of Arab countries with which it has official ties. It also has informal relations with at least five others, from Oman to Morocco. It was a genuine achievement for President Donald Trump, whose attempts at high-stakes diplomacy have been marked more often by stalemate than success. For Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, it validated a long-held belief that his country would not have to make peace with the Palestinians to enjoy better regional ties. (It was also a welcome excuse to get out of Israel, where covid-19 cases are surging and the public is furious about a newly imposed three-week lockdown over Judaism’s holiest festivals.) There was much talk of peace, as if a long, vicious war had finally ended. “It’s been blood all over the sand for decades and decades,” Mr Trump said. “That’s all they do is they fight and kill people.” In fact, Israel never fought Bahrain or the UAE; neither was even a sovereign state until more than two decades after Israel’s founding. They have been quiet partners for years, brought together by a mutual fear of Iran. The Emiratis moved first to make that partnership public, but Bahrain’s decision to follow suit may be the more interesting one. The UAE did not have to worry about whether normalisation would be popular. It is strong enough to brush off criticism from countries such as Iran and Turkey (which itself recognised Israel in 1949). At home there is little space for dissent. One prominent Emirati academic, known for past criticism of Is-

READ THIS ON WEB

rael, tweeted a tearful emoji when the UAE announced its decision last month. He has since reaffirmed his support for the country’s leadership. Bahrain, by contrast, has a history of protest. The Shia majority has long complained of discrimination by the Sunni royal family. Unrest peaked in 2011 during protests inspired by the Arab spring, which were crushed with the help of troops from other Gulf countries. Opponents of normalisation with Israel have more room to express dissent in Bahrain, although the most strident critics risk arrest. There was an outpouring of

old Arab orthodoxy of offering Israel full relations only if it withdraws from Palestinian lands. Bahrain and the UAE settled for much less. The Emiratis did extract a promise that Israel would shelve plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. In their telling, they now have more leverage to push for a two-state solution. “The policy of the empty chair has not served the Palestinians well, and indeed has not served the Arabs well,” says Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs. History suggests such leverage will count for little, though. Egypt

THE REACTION WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY IN SAUDI ARABIA. MR TRUMP HAS HINTED THAT SAUDI ARABIA COULD BE NEXT discontent on social media in the days before the ceremony. The reaction will be watched closely in Saudi Arabia. Bahrain relies on its larger neighbour for political and economic support. It would not have made such a consequential decision without the kingdom’s blessing. It may serve as a test run. Mr Trump has hinted that Saudi Arabia could be next. The crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, may see a way to polish his reputation in Washington, which has been blackened by the war in Yemen and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist. For now, though, King Salman sits on the throne. He hews to the

and Jordan signed peace treaties with Israel decades ago but have not brought the Palestinians any closer to statehood. The treaties that Israel signed with Bahrain and the UAE did not even include a nod to a two-state solution, only vague talk of a “just” resolution. The autocrats who gather at Arab League gabfests still recite paeans to the Palestinian cause. Out in the real world, though, the Arab-Israeli conflict has long since ebbed. Almost four decades have passed since a regular Arab army fought Israel. It is hard to say precisely how the Arab public feels, as dictatorships do not lend themselves to credible polling.

Most Arabs no doubt remain sympathetic to the Palestinians. But there has been a gradual softening of opinion. Most Arab states are suffering from political and economic crises, exacerbated by a power struggle between Iran, Turkey and the Gulf states; the Palestinian cause no longer arouses the passions it once did. Mr Trump thinks there will be more diplomatic announcements to come. “We’ll have at least five or six countries coming along very quickly,” he said. A bit of Trumpian exaggeration, perhaps, although others will surely follow and the Palestinians will find themselves ever more isolated. Yet the loss of Arab support will not compel them to abandon their demands. Strip away the façade of an Arab-Israeli conflict, and the problem remains what it always has been: a territorial dispute between two peoples that only they can resolve.

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

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

It's Important that Businesses and Citizens Feel the Progress This year's economic indicators, as well as excellent forecasts for 2021, which predict the growth of up to six per cent, speak of our success in responding to the crisis INTERVIEW

MARKO ČADEŽ President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

n an interview for the October issue of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), Marko Čadež, speaks about the economic environment in Serbia, the benefits that opening of a DFC office in Belgrade will bring to large and small companies in Serbia, the opening of a CCIS office in Jerusalem, putting a joint team with the Pristina Chamber of Commerce and the CCIS’ projects such as “Moja Prva Plata” and “Čuvarkuća”.

How important is DFC’s arrival in Serbia and the opening of their regional office in Belgrade? — The opening of the DFC regional office in Belgrade and an American delegation’s talks with the representatives of the business community and state institutions regarding very specific projects mean that the implementation of the so-called Washington agreement has practically begun at an unprecedented speed, i.e. only three weeks after signing a document that is important not only for Belgrade and Pristina but for the whole region. It is precisely the speed with which the implementation of what was agreed and signed began and which the business community always insists on, is what makes me especially happy and encouraged. It is up to us to make the best out of the opportunities that are open to us with this agreement, to prepare and implement projects as quickly as possible, so that businesses and citizens feel progress as soon as possible. What will all of this bring to the Serbian economy and in which areas do you expect the biggest

READ THIS ON WEB

WE HAVE PROPOSED A WHOLE SET OF MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY REDUCED DEMAND IN THE DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MARKETS investments to be made? — This will very quickly bring very concrete, visible and tangible benefits. Thanks to the guarantee scheme, the small and medium-sized enterprises will have better access to financing, i.e. to cheaper loans which will be more favourable than those granted for mitigation of the consequences of the pandemic. The possibility of granting a special credit line was also considered. The private sector, companies from production and service activities - from energy and security, through the food industry and logistics to IT and high technologies, can count on support in the implementa-

tion of their investment projects by applying for funding from the American Development Bank and its partners. Representatives of about 30 companies from Serbia talked about this with the representatives of American financial institutions during their visit to Belgrade. These are innovative, economically viable, profitable projects, strategically important for the economy, growth and connecting the entire region, on which the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been working for the past eight months while maintaining constant communication with companies and the DFC. Of course, the biggest invest-

ments are expected to be made in large-scale, infrastructural projects, such as the construction of the Nis-Pristina motorway, the construction and modernization of the railway on the northern and eastern branches in the direction of Pristina, and connecting it to the port of Durres on the Adriatic coast. These projects are important for the economy, because of all the benefits that infrastructure development brings is a prerequisite for stronger economic cooperation, greater competitiveness and more efficient business. They will also facilitate the formation of the so-called Mini Schengen, a common market and free movement of people, goods, services and capital zone of the common market which will be formed by Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

Will a new formed joint team for cooperation with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce. accelerate the development of the economy and exchange? — The projects envisaged by the Washington agreement that the DFC will support are important for our member companies, but also for the development of the entire region, as well as for stronger regional economic connections, which they are committed to and are already working on together. Our goal is for the joint team, formed by the two chambers, to actively involve the business community and to help all participants in the process of economic normalization with more efficient implementation of these projects. The team will work under the auspices of the two chambers, have offices in Belgrade and Pristina, and will be composed of business leaders and experts for economic normalization. Furthermore, special groups will be formed to consider, monitor and develop sectoral and individual projects. CCIS representative office is opened in Margalit Startup City in Jerusalem. What will be the focus of economic cooperation between Israel and Serbia? — This is a joint office of the Serbian government and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, which will focus on the development of economic cooperation with Israel, especially in the field of innovation. We highly value Israel’s experiences and guidelines as one of the most innovative economies, home to leading start-ups and most advanced technological nations in the world. Considering the know-how, skills and experience of Israeli companies and organizations such as Startup Nation, as well as their investment funds like Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), I am confident that all of it will contribute to the further expansion of the start-up community in Serbia while connecting our digital communities and developing innovative companies in Serbia. After the meetings I had in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with representatives of institutions, business organizations and companies, we are regularly communicating with Israeli partners to exchange the necessary information and define future joint activities. Of course, there is room for cooperation in other areas as well, for example in the food indus-

try, through investments in production with the view of jointly breaking into third markets, which is one of the possibilities we marked at the recent meeting with the Israeli ambassador in Belgrade. What are the goals of the “My First Salary” (Moja Prva Plata) project and what kind of response did the project get, considering that the application deadline was September 25th?

staff who will they train according to their needs and criteria for specific jobs and then hire all or the best of them thus obtaining needed workers and rejuvenating their work teams. Is the state planning to grant a new set of aid by the yearend considering that the previous two sets were well-received and preserved the health of the economy? — The first spring set of finan-

MORE THAN 10,000 COMPANIES HAVE APPLIED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAMME, WHICH HAVE ANNOUNCED ABOUT 17,000 AVAILABLE JOB POSITIONS — More than 10,000 companies have applied to participate in the programme, which have announced about 17,000 available job positions for more than 28,000 workplaces, for which young people will be able to apply from October 8th. The response of businesses, whether large companies, small business owners, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from all parts of Serbia, has far exceeded all expectations. This speaks volumes about their staffing needs but also about the importance of this project, not only for young people, who are given the chance to work for companies and have their first work experience but also for employers from the private, public and civil sectors. They now have the opportunity, with the help of the state which provides training compensation to young people during the project implementation, to hire educated, quality

cial aid and additional linear and sectoral measures implemented in July and August helped businesses to maintain their liquidity, to regularly settle other obligations, not to lay off workers, to keep their suppliers, to get new deals and be more financially relaxed. This year's economic indicators, as well as excellent forecasts for 2021, which predict the growth of up to six per cent, speak of our success in responding to the crisis. Investors, both domestic and foreign, who continued to invest in Serbia, have recognized that. The country’s credit rating was confirmed, with good pros-

pects that Serbia will be the first country in the region to cross the investment threshold and join the countries that are capable of attracting long-term investments oriented towards technologically intensive production, which brings higher added value. In the meantime, we have proposed and discussed with the line ministries a whole set of measures to alleviate the problems caused by reduced demand in the domestic and foreign markets, further relax the economy and provide companies with better access to finance. I believe this will be the first topic to discuss with the new government and that relevant decisions will be made very soon. The Čuvarkuća project has exceeded expectations. How important is this project especially in the current economic circumstances? — When we started preparing the Made in Serbia project at the end of last year, we could not even assume that the project would be so relevant this year, i.e. more relevant than ever before and that it would provide support to domestic production more than ever before. By giving the right to use the collective trademark Čuvarkuća, we support companies, regardless of domestic or foreign, which have production in Serbia, hire local suppliers and workers, make healthy and above-average quality products from domestic ingredients and use domestic intelligence and innovation. We reward producers who meet all of these criteria with the Čuvarkuća trademark and we encourage other companies to be the bearers of this trademark which is proof for customers that these products are of both domestic origin and above-average quality. So far, almost 360 products have been candidates for these trademarks, mostly from the food industry, but also from the metal processing, textile, construction material and pharmaceutical industry. A total of 268 products bear this label, and in the next month, we expect to decide on 90 more products.

DFC IN BELGRADE By supporting projects, fostering the economic approach to solving problems, showing readiness to help the processes of normalization of relations and the efficiency with which it has committed itself, the US administration has sent a great message to the American and the international business community that Serbia and the region are worth their investments.

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

The European Religions in Motion urope is the continent with the most religiously unaffiliated people in the world, which an be traced to the era of French Enlightment and Revolution and Socialism, so the highest number of atheists can be found in France, Estonia, ex-GDR, Czechia and Scandinavia, while the most religious people, as a boomerang, can also be found in the Eastern, ex-Communist, Europe. The religion which has the most tendency to disappear is Protestantism, since its followers are the most numerous in leaving the religion. In 2019, overall in Europe 47 percent of Christians were Roman Catholic, 18 percent were Protestants, and 35 percent were Orthodox. The Jews, decimated after Holocaust, live mostly in France, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia and the UK, while Muslims are present both in their “native” countries like Turkey, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Azerbaijan (majority), Serbia, Russia, N. Macedonia, Bulgaria, Georgia (mi-

NATIONAL DAYS

in October & November OCTOBER

CHINA

National Day

INDIA

ahatma Gandhi’s M Birthday

GERMANY

German Unity Day

IRAQ

Independence Day

nority) and the Western Europe, as the immigrants from the former colonies or in the case of Germany, the descendants of Gastarbeiters. Azerbaijan is the only predominantly Shia country, while Kalmykia in Russia is the only Buddhist territory in Europe. The influx of Hinduism is clearly visible in the UK (inheritance of the British Raj), while in Iceland and

Portugal there are a lot of people following the old, Pagan folk religions. In the end, Germany is the country most divided in religion: ex-GDR left East Germany almost religionless, while in West Germany religion has a solid ground. Albania has one of the most divided populations, with the Catholic north, Muslim central area and Orthodox south.

SOUTH KOREA

aecheonjeol, ancient G Korea founded in 2333 BC

HUNGARY

1 956 Revolution memorial day

24 UN

UN day

H.E. YAHEL VILAN New Ambassador of Israel to Serbia

Ambassador Vilan has a degree in Political Science from Tel Aviv University, where he also has M.A. in Security Studies. From 2017 he was at the position of the Director of East and Southern Africa Department, at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2015, he served as the Ambassador to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and Seychelles. Before that, he was on positions of Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission in India, Poland

and Hungary. From 2001-2003 he served as Consul of Public Affairs at Consulate in New York, and from 1998-2001 he was in Israeli Embassy in Vietnam as a First Secretary and Charge d’Affairs. Mr. Vilan worked as Charge d’Affairs at Embassy of Israel in Kongo, and as a Second Secretary of North-East Asia Department at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is married, father of four and he speaks Hebrew, English and French.

AUSTRIA

he Neutrality T Constitution of 1955

CZECHIA

I ndependence from Austria-Hungary

TURKEY

Republic Day NOVEMBER

H.E. SUSANNE SHINE New Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia H.E. Susanne Shine is newly accredited Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia. Prior she served as ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt (2016-18); Deputy Chief of Mission at the Danish Embassy in Washington, with the rank of ambassador (2012-14); Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand (2007-12). From 2014-16 she was Senior Advisor at the World Bank in Washington. Ambassador Shine joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 following three years with UNDP in Lesotho. She has held several high level posi-

01 tions in the Ministry, i.e. Head of Department in the Trade Council and Head of the Permanent Secretary’s Secretariat. She served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Danish Embassies in Canada (1997-2000) and Ireland (2003-2005). She holds a Master of International Business from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and a diploma in American Foreign Policy and Security from the American University in Washington. She is a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, and has two adult children.

ALGERIA

tart of the War of S Independence

ANGOLA

Independence Day

POLAND

Independence Day

BELGIUM King's Day

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

H.E. ALCINO DOS PRAZERES ISATA FRANCISCO DA CONCEICAO New Ambassador of the Republic of Angola H.E. Alcino dos Prazeres Isata Francisco da Conceicao has a degree in Economics and Finance from Jules Veme University, in Amiens, France. Between 2001 and 2002 he attended the International language school in Chichester, West-Sussex, UK. He started his professional career in February 2002 at the Financial Department (DF) of Elf Exploration Angola.

In 2003, he joined the Ministry of Planning as senior officer of the National Directorate of Studies and Planning (DNEP). He worked as a professor at a private university in Luanda, between 2004 and 2008. In August 2010, he joined the Board of Directors of the IMF in Washington, DC, as an Advisor to the Executive Director. In January 2014 he joined the cabinet of the

Vice President of the Republic of Angola as Advisor (Vice Minister) for Economic and Business Affairs. In June 2018 he was appointed Secretary (Minister) for Economic Affairs of the President of the Republic, a position he held until August2019. On l6th September 2020 he was accredited as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to Serbia.

MILOŠ DJURKOVIĆ New Managing Partner in Amrop Serbia Prior to joining Amrop, Miloš Đurković accumulated over 20 years of leadership experiences in Serbia and neighboring countries. His professional experiences include GM role at Hewlett Packard and IBM as well as Head of the Representative Office role at CISCO Systems, responsible for the markets of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. He started his professional career

in research & development and manufacturing before he specialized in sales and leadership. Miloš Djurković graduated from University of Belgrade, Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Between 2011 and 2014 he was President of AmCham Serbia. He was a member of The Board of Directors at Piraeus Bank Serbia. He is also active member of Association of Serbian Corporate Directors, SAM and VP of the

Rowing Club “Red Star”. Amrop is one of the leading global Executive Search partnerships, with 700 professionals active in 73 offices across 52 countries. Amrop is present in Adriatic region since 2005 with offices in Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade, offering top executive search and leadership services to international and local clients across all sectors.

MEMBERS OF THE NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GERMANSERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (AHK SERBIA) APPOINTED At its regular annual assembly meeting, AHK Serbia has elected eight new members of its Board of Directors. In the next two years, the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce will be led by a new Board of Directors, headed by Udo Eichlinger, CEO of Siemens Serbia, during his two-year term as the Chairman of the Board. In addition to the new president, the AHK members companies also voted to appoint Dijana Peškir from Stihl and Milan Grujić from ZF Serbia as Vice Chairwoman and Vice Chairman respectively, as well as five board members: Ronald Seeliger, Hemofarm, Ivan Smiljković, ProCredit Bank Serbia, Bojan Predojević, Profine, Christian Braunig, Confida Consulting, and Dragan Simović, M&M Militzer & Munch. "The Chamber will be focused on effectively

representing the interests of member companies before governmental and non-governmental institutions, as well as in the public sphere. We will be a stable partner of the Serbian economy, as before, with a view of making a

quality contribution to improving the business climate in the country, "said the newly appointed President of AHK Serbia, Udo Eichlinger, while thanking the Chamber members for giving the new management a vote of confidence.

MIRJANA BOGIĆEVIĆ New President of the Executive Board of Sava neživotno osiguranje The Executive Board of Sava neživotno osiguranje a.d.o. Belgrade has on 28th September 2020 appointed Mirjana Bogićević, a former member of the Executive Board, as the new President of the Executive Board. During her professional career, Mirjana Bogićević has acquired vast experience in corporative management and leadership while occupying

various position in insurance sector, including the position of the President of the Executive Board of an insurance company. She is a holder of an international professional qualification for the authorised internal auditor and risk specialist, obtained from a global professional organization “The Institute of Internal Auditors”, USA. She has published papers

in the field of corporate management, risk management and internal control, and is frequently invited as an educator and lecturer at local and international conferences in these areas. The continuity of successful development in line with the defined strategy and vision shall continue to be the focus of control of the Sava neživotno osiguranje’s Executive Board.

Steady Upward Trend Based on Mutual Respect and Friendship Having overcome long geographical distance, Korea and Serbia have achieved a lot in our bilateral relations in various fields INTERVIEW

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

e spoke with Korean Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Hyoung-chan CHOE about economic and bilateral relations between our two countries, battling the coronavirus pandemic and his views about boosting our cooperation. “Last year, we celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Korea. The jubilee was not just a symbolic year, but will also serve as a beacon for what direction we need to go in the coming years”.

South Korea is often in the news as an example of a country that is successfully battling the coronavirus epidemic. What is the key to this? — Korea was hit early by COVID-19 pandemic with the first case confirmed on January 20. The corona situation in Korea was worst at the end of February with a peak of 909 new cases. But, we succeeded in flattening the curve in late March-early April and for some time, the number of daily new cases quickly went down and was kept low, recording only two new daily cases at its lowest. Since then, we have also experienced sporadic cluster infections cases, but have managed to put the virus under control. Therefore, Korea is widely recognized and lauded as one of the best cases in effectively tackling COVID-19 pandemic. Central to this has been our three T strategy that consists of robust TESTING to confirm positive cases; rigorous TRACING of their contacts to prevent further spread; and TREATMENT of those infected at the earliest possible stage. With these kinds of active measures together with great contribution of frontline health workers who spared no efforts to save lives of the infected, the fatality rate in Korea has been kept relatively low at 1.6-1.7%.

READ THIS ON WEB

FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, KOREA HAS BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION WITH SERBIA Through the whole process of implementation of the three T’s, the Korean government has worked in close concert with civil society, keeping principles of openness, transparency, and civic participation. It has been fully sharing information on developments in the COVID-19 situation in a prompt and transparent manner, because public trust and voluntary civic cooperation is essential to effectively fight against the virus. What will be the consequences of the epidemic for the Korean economy? How successful

has Korea been in fighting the coronavirus? — As noted, the COVID 19 has wreaked severe damage on the global economy. Recently the OECD put out a record that shows the world economy is suffering an average of 4.5 % recession by the pandemic this year. Korea is not an exception in this regard. But, the OECD evaluated Korea’s economy as less contracted than other OECD member countries thanks to the prompt and effective reaction of the authorities to contain the spread of the virus and to wide ranging government sup-

port to households and businesses. Up to now, the Korean government has injected around 14% of GDP to support particularly the SMEs, unemployed, and low-income households that are suffering the most. But, it wouldn’t be enough to be fully prepared for post COVID-19, because the pandemic is expected to change people’s behaviors and perceptions, and ultimately, bring structural changes to economies and societies. These structural changes include a rising demand for ‘untact’ services, a growing call for an environmentally friendly economy, and rapid labor market changes that widen polarization. Against this backdrop, the Korean government recently come up with the socalled ‘Korean New Deal,’ a pack-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

age of polices and projects that aims to structurally transform Korea’s economy around technology and digitalization while reinforcing social safety-nets and promoting low-carbon green growth. This fundamental reshaping of the economy for the post COVID-19 era will be supported by investments of some 133 billion USD starting now until 2025. The relations between the countries on the Korean Peninsula have had many ups and downs in recent years. How do you see the further development of the situation in your region? — There have been ups and downs in the negotiation process to bring about complete denuclearization and permanent peace regime on the Korean peninsula for the past three years. On the occasion of the Winter Olympic Games in February 2018, South and North Korea had high level contacts, which further made possible subsequent summit meetings between South and North Korea as well as the United States and North Korea. The engagement with North Korea, however, has been stalled in the past year. The deep distrust that has separated all sides for decades could be the biggest obstacle that we have to overcome. Deeply conscious of the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the Korean government has been consistent in seeking inter-Korean cooperation and reconciliation, while fully implementing the Security Council resolutions. President Moon recently emphasized the necessity of inter-Korean cooperation in the field of epidemic prevention and control, healthcare and medical services in this new security environment caused by the pandemic. North Korea has not been responsive so far, but my government remains steadfast in our efforts to advance inter-Korean cooperation and dialogue, which could build trust and find agreed paths to the shared goals as de-

clared in the summits. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Serbia. How significant is this jubilee and what does it mean in terms of our relationship? — Last year was special for us because we celebrated the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations by exchanging most frequent high level visits including the Foreign Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly, recording the highest level of economic cooperation, and holding numerous dynamic cultural events. 30 years is rather short a period of time especially from the point of view of Serbia, which keeps many more years of deep diplomatic relations with countries in this region. Having overcome long geographical distance, Korea and Serbia have achieved a lot in our bilateral relations in various

istry of Health in 2016, we have expanded the areas of cooperation to ICT, broadcasting, and health care sectors. This year, our cooperation will help expand Serbia’s criminal investigation capacity by providing digital forensic equipment. Our humanitarian cooperation includes migration relief assistance fund that the Serbian government needed to deal with the influx of migrants back in 2015. Furthermore, the Korean government has extended humanitarian assistance to Serbia, donating medical equipment for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, such as latex gloves, RNA extraction machines and test kits, which are on the way to be handed over to frontline health workers. Over the years, an increasing number of Korean companies have come to Serbia, or shown interest in investing here. How can we improve and increase mutual trade?

two countries stood at close to $400 million in 2019, and for the first time, the volume of export from Serbia to Korea exceeded that from Korea to Serbia. It is interesting to see that there is an ever-increasing demand from Korea for agricultural products of Serbia. I think there is more room to increase the volume in both ways. Korea is said to be successfully graduated from its previous developing country status and joins the world leading economies. Korea is also said to have launched programs sharing this development experience with many other developing countries. Can you tell us about your development sharing experience in Serbia? — Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world after the Korean War. However, through international aid and its own efforts to build a sustainable foundation for growth, it has achieved a re-

THE KSP PROJECT WITH SERBIA BEGAN IN 2018 AND IT WAS FOCUSED ON DIGITALIZATION AND E-GOVERNMENT POLICY WHICH ARE ONE OF THE PRIMARY GOALS OF THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT fields. Our steady upward trend in development based on mutual respect and friendship over the past 30 years laid a strong foundation for further bilateral development of another 30 years and beyond. The cooperation between Serbia and the Republic of Korea is on an upward trajectory in all segments. What do you think of the current economic and overall bilateral cooperation between the two countries? — The overall bilateral relations between Korea and Serbia couldn’t be better. As I mentioned earlier, we are enjoying steadily increasing economic cooperation. On top of that, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance are also on the rise. For the past five years, Korea has been actively engaged in development cooperation with Serbia. Starting with the donation of medical equipment to the Min-

— Since 2011, when the Yura Corporation first came to Serbia, five more Korean companies made entry to this country, some of which are already operating and others having prepared for their businesses. Most recently, Kyungshin Cable, a company manufacturing motor vehicle parts, joined here for their new business even under this difficult situation caused by the pandemic. Korea’s investment into Serbia has been expanding not only in volume but also in scope. I strongly believe that as far as Serbia remains one of the favorable destinations of direct investment, more Korean companies will continue to look for opportunities of investment in Serbia, which will generate jobs for the Serbian people and help boost Serbia’s sustainable socioeconomic development capacity. With regard to the trade, twoway trade volume between the

markable socioeconomic development. Korea has transformed from a recipient country of official development assistance to one of the significant donor countries, and launched the Knowledge Sharing Program (or KSP) in 2004 as we believed that our development experiences with trials and errors contain some practical solutions for developing countries. The KSP project with Serbia began in 2018 and it was focused on digitalization and e-Government policy which are one of the primary goals of the Serbian government. We are very much satisfied with the whole procedure and outcome of the projects comprising series of seminars, training, and policy recommendations. I hope the KSP projects will continue with Serbia in the years to come in more diverse areas of mutual concern.

UNIQUE AND INTERESTING After living for two years in Serbia, what are your impressions of Belgrade and our country? — As a matter of fact, it is my first posting in Europe in my 30 years of diplomatic career during which I’ve been posted overseas to Asia, North America, and Middle East. Therefore, everything I faced in Serbia was unique and interesting. I was also so pleased to be greeted with big smile and warm welcome by Serbian people wherever I visited. Last year, we celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Korea by holding quite a few cultural events including traditional dance and music performances with a large crowd of Serbian people. My wife and I also enjoyed many excellent Serbian concerts and performances at the National Theater, Kolarac and other concert halls. I miss them a lot and hope that we will be able to get back to normal as soon as possible.

How Digitalization is Changing Business in Serbia By using virtual reality equipment and 3D modelling technology, NIS strives to improve the training of engineers to work in oil fields, the ability to maintain equipment and reactions in case of unplanned events

CLICK ON ICON 

CORPORATE

NIS

ecently, the news that The Pančevo Oil Refinery is becoming "digital" and that, as reported, "there is now technology that recognizes failures before they happen," was all over the Serbian media. The news aroused great interest since it talks about technologies that are little known to the general public. This reminded us that we are living in a time when, faster than ever before in the history of mankind, science, and with it everyday life of people, is changing, pushing the boundaries of the possible and creating a new reality in which we live. Let us remember that the First Industrial Revolution brought very significant changes in the whole world with the mechanization of production, while the Second Industrial Revolution, with the help of electricity, enabled mass production and reform of the global market. With the help of electronic and IT technology, the Third Industrial Revolution brought automation of production and paved the way for another milestone, which we are witnessing today. According to the World Economic Forum, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is characterized by the fusion of technologies and the merging of the physical, digital and biological, which is the core of modern innovations. Modern infrastructure and innovation are so important in today's world that their availability worldwide has become one of the 17 global goals of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Our country is also a part of this process to a large degree, and we have pioneers who stand out. The NIS stands out as a company that nurtures an innovative approach to business and actively promotes sustainable development. The company states that,

READ THIS ON WEB

in order to keep up with global trends, their team of experts works tirelessly on implementing digital projects in all areas of business. "These projects are based on the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and processing of large databases. Thus, in 2019, NIS made a significant step

training of experts, as well as the application of modern technologies that promote making the best possible business decisions. „By using virtual reality equipment and 3D modelling technology, NIS strives to improve the training of engineers to work in oil fields, the ability to maintain equipment and reactions in case of

THE SERVICES THAT NIS PROVIDES TO ITS CUSTOMERS MAKE SHOPPING EASIER AND ENABLE CUSTOMERS TO PAY VIA DIGITAL CHANNELS forward in the process of digital transformation at all levels and defined 50 promising digital projects that will contribute to further modernization and improvement of the consumer experience ", the company states and adds that digitalization represents a chance for improvement and

unplanned events. The utilization of machine learning in the exploration and production of oil and gas stands out among the numerous activities improved by the application of digitalization, which makes the search for these energy sources more efficient, " NIS explains. NIS adds that improving the

environmental protection and the safety of all employees are important goals of the implementation of digitalization in the company. Also, the application of new technologies and new business challenges is extremely important for connecting with young professionals in the labour market, as future leaders in the development of NIS. In terms of retail, NIS continuously strives to improve the user experience and enable its customers to use the latest global trends in the domestic market, in addition to the top quality products. The services that NIS provides to its customers make shopping easier and enable customers to pay via digital channels. The Drive.Go application is one of these services, which allows customers at NIS petrol stations to pay for fuel without having to go to the cashier.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

by Žikica Milošević

ANALYTICS

Belarus in the West What if there are two winners of the US presidential election? ven in the worst of times and in the most uncertain presidential races, there has always been something gentlemanly about the American presidential elections, and that is to admit defeat. Situations like in Belarus or Venezuela, where noone is willing to admit defeat and everyone claims that they are legitimate winners, have not been possible in America until now.

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN LAST TIME? The last time when it happened that nobody could tell who was the elected president was in 1876, but that was immediately after the Civil War and the feelings between the North and the South were still negative, strong and vehement. Even in the year 2000, Bush Jr. won in the entire state of Florida by just 537 votes, thus securing presidential win against Al Gore. In 1876, the Republican, Rutherford Hayes and the Democrat, Samuel Tilden clashed over who had conquered the four key states - Florida, Louisiana, Oregon, and South Carolina. To make matters more complicated, 3 out of 4 of these states, except Oregon, sent two electoral delegations each that is, all three were Southern. It was not clear who the Congress would deem as legitimate – the Democrats argued that Tilden's electoral votes were "the real ones" and the Republicans claimed that Hayes' were “the real deal”. As a result of the 1877 compromise, Hayes was appointed president, but had to order the withdrawal of the army from the former Confederacy, which exposed black people to attacks from white militia and slowed their integration. But no war erupted! WHAT ABOUT 2020? The Americans were divided into two large factions four times in their history. In 1776, some Americans wanted independence, and some were loyal to the British crown. As a result, a revolution happened. In 1861, the North and the South clashed and the Civil War broke out. During the 1960s, there was no war, but the conflict over integration in the South

READ THIS ON WEB

IN THE UNITED STATES, OVERWHELMED BY THE CORONAVIRUS, BLM PROTESTS AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS, WE COULD WELL SEE THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENING; THAT IS THE SAME SCENES FROM THE STREETS OF BELARUS OR VENEZUELA reached a boiling point with the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Still, there was no civil war per se, although white supremacists and Black Panthers paraded through the cities. But in today's America, plagued by the coronavirus, a great dark cloud is hovering over democracy, which has been an example at least in that sense, and that is voting by mail. Because of the coronavirus, a large number of people asked to vote by mail. Postal services in America are feeble and neglected. Secondly, in some states, the Democrats have already managed to send ballots en masse to voters’ home addresses, even to those people who did not ask to vote from home. The possibilities for abuse are becoming enor-

mous. Trump has repeatedly underlined that the results must be declared on the election night and has reiterated that in several of his threatening tweets. Hillary Clinton said she had advised Biden not to admit defeat on election night in any way and to wait for the postal votes to be counted. But Trump intends to declare himself the winner based on the votes counted on the election night, which will probably be the case in several so-called "swing states". He will also consider all changes made in the days after the election night as illegitimate. But as the votes received by mail in the swing states are counted, the result can turn in Biden's favour. If that happens, Biden will be declared the winner and we will

have two self-proclaimed winners. The atmosphere will probably reach the boiling point. WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION SAY? Since the Republicans will win big in some states and the Democrats in others, the composition of the electoral delegations of those countries will not be questioned. But in the states where there has been a change in the period from the election night to the final count of votes received by mail, these states can send two electoral delegations to a session at which the president is elected. On January 6, 2021, the session will be chaired by Mike Pence, and he will convene the electoral votes to count. If there are two delega-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

arises, because, on January 20, the US army will not know who has the nuclear codes and who is the supreme commander. STALEMATE IN THE MAKING If Trump loses the total number of votes and wins 270+ electoral votes, 40% of the Democrats have said that they would reject the election results. If Trump has the lead after a direct vote count on the election night, and then loses it when the postal votes are counted, 30% of the Republicans have said that Trump should stay president. White supremacists, extreme Christians, the WASP elite, and various armed formations are avid Trump supporters, while Biden is supported by the BLM activists, leftists, and the liberal elite. The possibility of conflict is plentiful. And that gentlemanly quality of the US election we talked about earlier will evaporate. In the United States, overwhelmed by the coronavirus, BLM protests and economic crisis, we could well see the unthinkable happening; that is the same scenes from the streets of Belarus or Venezuela. And that is unimaginable. For now!

HILLARY CLINTON SAID SHE HAD ADVISED BIDEN NOT TO ADMIT DEFEAT ON ELECTION NIGHT IN ANY WAY AND TO WAIT FOR THE POSTAL VOTES TO BE COUNTED

w PA w Y w. M di E pl N om T ac IN C ya ST Em al l nd R ai us co UC l: p or / su mm TIO Ph ret se bs e N on pla nd cr rce S e: ta us ip .r : +3 -d re tio s 81 c@ qu n 11 c es 40 ol t o 44 or n: 96 .rs 0

N co ews S Se mm , an co ubs v co rbi en aly b us er crib En mm a, in tary sis, in ag e in es e no gl ish unit dipl on ter s a of w Re , d y. E om eve vie nd dip fo ire v pl liab so lom r co er atic nts w a c a cie a m tly y n o us tfo le a a ty cy pre to mo nd ccu d re efu rm nd r b in , p he n y i l g n o u t e o op io inf Se oli n ffe ffi ur hs, sin g i n o c rb tic siv de in es n rm rin ie up po al ia s, e n s r a g s da tu a t n k . te nit d f tion div info er s a ie or r nd s, t eig abo se ma r n tio u re en t i n se ds nv loc e ar , le s al t ch , m es gisl at ent . io n

T IN E. PR LIN IN N O D N A

SU N B O S W C ! RI BE

tions, say, one sent by a Democratic governor, in line with the total number of votes in the end, and the other sent by a team of Republican lawmakers, based on the election night results, then both Congress and the Senate must decide which delegation is "the right one." If the Congress and the Senate disagree, the Senate can annul both delegations from that state, and if there are more such delegations, then neither Trump nor Biden could reach the required 270 electoral votes. If this happens, the "how many states did each candidate win" approach will be used. Currently, Trump is leading against Biden with 26:22, which would suffice for him to win. If the Democrat-run Congress says it will accept only those electoral votes confirmed by the governors, and the Republican-controlled Senate rejects that option, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, automatically becomes acting president. However, this decision must be confirmed by the Supreme Court, in which the Republicans will have a 6:3 majority, so the decision will be annulled. When that happens, a real constitutional crisis

ONLY

34â&#x201A;Ź

PER YEAR!

CSR is an Integral Part of Our Business Strategy Since arriving in Serbia in 2003, Eurobank has been striving to establish strong ties and provide support to the community in which it operates

CLICK ON ICON 

READ THIS ON WEB

favour of that. During this year, we participated in numerous initiatives aimed mostly at supporting the health system of Serbia. At the invitation of UNICEF, we set aside six million dinars for the purchase of required health equipment, and we additionally provided 1.2 million dinars for the purchase of oxygen flow meters for the Clinical Centre of Serbia and clinical centres in Niš and Kragujevac. Also, we are continuing to implement the School designed for You project to help modernize and equip computer rooms in four high schools in Serbia.

sible in various ways. The club decided to come to Serbia beacuse of a large number of its fans and followers in the country, and Eurobank was chosen as a business partner among other interested participants in the domain of co-branded Eurobank Manchester United payment cards that provide many benefits, including the opportunity to attend matches at the Old Trafford. Since the Bank and the club share many values, our partnership and cooperation

Does community support also depend on the individual who heads the company? Are you also committed to doing business in a socially responsible way? — We pay special attention to socially responsible business, which we consider an integral part of our business strategy. That is why we have defined strategic areas of community support - education, culture, environmental protection, equality and health - in which we have so far invested more than 4.5 million euro

CORPORATE

SLAVICA PAVLOVIĆ President of the Executive Board

urobank is a multiple winner of numerous awards in the segment of socially responsible business and has been a recipient of the prestigious VIRTUS Award several times. This year, the bank received the award for the Manchester United Football School project. We talked with Slavica Pavlović, President of the Executive Board of Eurobank, about what the awards mean to the bank and how the cooperation on this project came about.

This year, Eurobank is the recipient of the VIRTUS award given by the Trag Foundation for its contribution to the local community through the implementation of the Manchester United Football School project. Congratulations on the award! Could you tell us more about the project? — We have been carefully preparing to implement the Manchester United Football School project for a long time and we are proud of it since this is a unique project for our country. It is always an honour and a great pleasure to be among the winners of the Trag Foundation's VIRTUS Award again, especially since the award recognizes the value of this project. Our main motive and desire were to allow the kids to gain knowledge about football and practical experience from renowned and experienced Manchester United coaches who rank among the best in the world, as well as from Manchester United's legend Wes Brown, who became a great player, at their football school. During the week, the children stayed in the Football Association of Serbia's camp and in addition to practical classes during which they practised their football skills, they also attended theoretical classes where they learned the

basics of football strategy, tactics and teamwork. Young talents from all over the country under the age of 11 and the coaches, who will continue to pass on their knowledge to the generations to come, were given the unique opportunity to participate in the Manchester United Football School. In addition to these young football players, the children of employees, children of clients and partners of Eurobank also got to share in this val-

WE HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY PREPARING TO IMPLEMENT THE MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL SCHOOL PROJECT FOR A LONG TIME AND WE ARE PROUD OF IT SINCE THIS IS A UNIQUE PROJECT FOR OUR COUNTRY uable experience and we are especially glad that the children from homes for children without parental care from SOS Children's Village in Kraljevo and Children's Village from Sremska Kamenica also participated. Many would argue that the cooperation between a bank and a football club is incompatible. How did it come about? — Manchester United is the most recognizable as a football club, but it is much more than that. It is a global organization that strives to convey the love for sports and football to as many people as pos-

developed over the years and that is how the the football school for children was organised. Eurobank is the recipient of many CSR award. It seems that helping the community is Eurobank's lasting commitment. — Since arriving in Serbia in 2003, Eurobank has been striving to establish strong ties and provide support to the community in which it operates. We are glad that our commitment to contibuting to better life of people in Serbia has been recognized by the public over the years, and the awards we have received speak in

through various initiatives and projects. Eurobank employees, and I personally, strive every day to improve cooperation with colleagues and clients, as well as with the local community, business partners and associates, and we also strive to launch projects that will have long-term value. I believe that Eurobank's employees have a developed awareness of the importance of providing support to the community in which we operate, as evidenced by the volunteer campaigns in which we have participated over the years, both as individuals and as an organization.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

From the Berlin Process to Mini-Schengen - lessons (not)learned If European history, especially in the past seven decades, has taught us anything, it is that peace and reconciliation will not happen until people truly get to know each other and develop a basic dialogue that leads to tolerance, understanding, mutual respect and respect for ethnic and national differences

READ THIS ON WEB

ANALYTICS

ALEKSANDAR SIMURDIĆ Vice President of the European Movement in Serbia

ince the first conference on the Western Balkans under the auspices of the so-called Berlin Process, took place in the summer of 2014, the circumstances in which Europe finds itself have changed significantly. The years behind us have shown that the certainties that have been considered absolute for decades have suddenly been called into question. "Eternal peace on European soil" and "Europe without alternatives" are no longer valid. Undoubtedly, the Western Balkans is not currently at the top of the EU's list of priorities. Expected but not justified. A selective approach to problem-solving while constantly putting out figurative fires, as a consequence of the absence of timely decision-making mechanisms, has put the Union in a situation where the existing socio-econom-

ic and political differences, augmented in times of crisis, are difficult to cope with, let alone reduce. Furthermore, leaving the Western Balkans on the European periphery for an extended period of time, under the pretext of first stabilizing conditions on European soil, can be both dangerous and counterproductive. Because the idea of the EU post-1989 was conveyed to the countries of Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans as "only one option, without alternative" (a slogan originally used in Great Britain by Mar-

internal problems, which could point to close regional co-operation in overcoming them, bilateral relations are burdened by inherited unresolved issues of the past. The obsession with the past, spontaneous but also imposed, blocks the region so much that the wise words from almost two centuries ago are simply forgotten - "It is not crucial where we are but where we are heading and in which direction we are sailing", obviously referring to the ancient slogan of "we must sail". The past should not be discarded or forgotten, as looking back and looking in the rearview mirror is necessary for safe driving. However, standing still and waiting is disastrous. Excluding the other and failing to see the perspective of the other, is a pattern of behaviour so common in the WB region. And when precious steps are taken towards normalization, the infamous generators of yesteryear rear their ugly heads. The train to Brussels goes through the neighbour’s yards, through Sarajevo, Priština, Podgorica, Skopje and Tirana. The establishment of mini-Schengen and mini-EU should not be questioned. It is very important to create a climate of trust and awareness of common regional destiny. Stereotypes, prejudices, nationalist myths, closedness, ethnic and other intolerance, xenophobia, but also economic crisis, social misery and brain drain as the most tragic occurrence, in the

gion are the strongest pillars of renewed trust. The Berlin Declaration, adopted at the 2014 Summit, was expected to give a strong new impetus to the regional cooperation process. The eighteen points of the declaration define a policy framework and guidelines aimed at "strengthening regional economic co-operation and establishing a basis for sustainable economic growth", building better connectivity and improving the business environment for faster and more functional EU integration of the Western Balkans. Despite clearly stated wishes, more concrete results were lacking. The 2014 Berlin summit predicted "four years until real progress is seen". Progress, six years later, is modest, almost invisible. The process brought a breath of fresh air to the enlargement debate, complementing the narrative of normative negotiation and chapter-based methodology, with much-needed debate on its results in the segment of local infrastructure, position of young people, market integration, emigration, inequality and more. The results of the BalkanBarometre, an annual survey of the Regional Cooperation Council, have been indicating identical challenges for citizens in all countries in the WB year-on-year - unemployment, poor economic situation, high corruption, etc. In that light, regional processes can offer a lot - one region, one economy,

THE SUSTAINABILITY OF REGIONAL INITIATIVES IS NOT POSSIBLE IF THE PROCESSES ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY A BROADER SOCIAL CONSENSUS. THE CONSENSUS IS POSSIBLE ONLY IF THE PROCESSES ARE INCLUSIVE garet Thatcher) with the belief that nationalism and real politics were defeated and that the time had come for Europe take responsibility for itself in political, value-related, security and economic terms. While all Western Balkan countries are facing almost identical

long run, are all strong enemies of trust. Democratic institutions, an open society, a responsible press, a changed attitude of intellectual elites, a tolerant atmosphere, lively human communication, developed cultural cooperation and constant dialogue in the re-

one investment space, one information space. Roads, bridges, railway and energy grids are not only symbolically important but are the basis for economic development and boosting the competitiveness of the region, economies and companies individually. For this rea-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

son, the public's focus on infrastructure is understandable, at the same time, expectations can never be met, as such projects are complex prerequisites that require coordination between national actors on the one hand, and countries and international financial institutions on the other. Transport, energy and, more recently, digital connectivity projects have received the necessary impetus and rank at the top of regional investment priorities and EU financial support. The agreed infrastructure projects, combined with progress in establishing a regional economic area, will result in the creation of interdependence, which would undoubtedly reduce tensions in relations between Balkan societies. It is to be expected that there will be no enlargement during the current mandate of the European Commission, so it is crucial that the regional leaders commit themselves to reforms that will identify structural problems. Initiatives such as the mini-Schengen, as well as the creation of a Regional Economic Area, can accelerate regional development and bring the countries of the region closer to the EU membership. These initiatives pave the way for goods, services, capital, people and labour to flow among the countries of the region before they join the EU, thus increasing the competitiveness of the regional market. The current sectoral division of the Western Balkan economies is very similar - the services sector is dominant at has close to a 60% share in GDP, the agricultural sector accounts for between 9-14% of GDP, while industrial production accounts for between 17% and 25% in all countries in the region. With this in mind, a regional approach to trade and the creation of a type of a Regional Economic Area would have several positive effects on regional development – the increase in the size of the available market, the transition from (mostly) agricultural

trade to trade in services, and better industrial connectivity. It is of great importance to increase the competitiveness of the region and to be able to attract better quality foreign investments that would enable the transfer of new technologies and innovations. Currently, the gap in digital transformation seems to be the easiest to bridge. Digital transformation can help expedite economic growth and achieve higher

new members. The spillover effect in cooperation in these areas would positively reflect on security cooperation and the creation of a kind of regional security framework, i.e. the abolition of internal borders implies control of entry and exit of people and goods at external borders, so the necessity of security cooperation is unquestionable. With this in mind, future processes, frameworks or platforms

members, and to introduce public indicators of the implementation process, which should be published at a six-month level within the region. In order to be useful in the future, regional processes must adapt to new circumstances. In cooperation with the European Commission, they should find tools aimed at helping the implementation of the six main initiatives of the EC Strategy for the Region (2018), but also to of-

IN THE COMING PERIOD, IT IS UP TO US TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO CROSS THE WELL-TRODDEN PATH TO EUROPE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS JOURNEY, DURING WHICH WE WILL CHANGE OURSELVES, IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FINAL DESTINATION employment rates, have a positive impact on reducing the scope for corruption by reforming administrative practices, increase regional connectivity and make life easier for citizens and domestic businesses. Moreover, regional cooperation in these areas requires a high level of administrative cooperation and integration of public administrations in charge of trade. This practically prepares the region for cooperation within the EU and sends a positive signal to member states that there is no reason to fear the integration of

need to be developed in a way that limits and sets clear priorities when it comes to the number of aspects they cover. On the example of the Berlin Process, it is obvious that the initiative was positive, but it was not strategically planned, which resulted in poor implementation, which yielded poor and unclear results. It is therefore crucial that the Member States undergo institutionalization, as well as set tangible results that are visible and measurable. In this way, there is a chance to further clarify the responsibilities and expectations of individual

fer a framework for initiatives that the strategy did not envisage. Therefore, in the coming period, it is up to us to do everything possible to cross the well-trodden path to Europe as soon as possible, to impose ourselves as an organized, stable, democratic and economically successful Western Balkan society to the European Union and as a constructive and necessary partner in ensuring the stability of this still turbulent European region and by that Europe itself. This journey, during which we will change ourselves, is more important than the final destination.

WESTERN BALKANS AND EU – COMPARISON Judging by all economic criteria, the countries of the region lag behind the EU countries with a GDP per capita almost six times lower than the Union’s average. The EBRD estimates that if the current level of economic growth is maintained, it will take the countries of the region more than 60 years to reach the EU average. High unemployment is present throughout the region — almost 22% on average. True, official data show that unemployment is declining in most countries in the region, but the current job creation rate is insufficient to address the challenges of the regional labour market. The most vulnerable categories of the population in the region are women, poorly educated people and young people (the regional average of youth unemployment is 47%). All of this, combined with high public debt, shows that labour market challenges are structural and that relatively low current economic growth will not be enough to address them.

Deka Inženjering as a Leader on the Real Estate Map As an added value, Deka Inženjering provides its clients with an authentic approach to design, which is best reflected in the A Blok and Novi Dorćol residential and business complexes in Belgrade

CLICK ON ICON  WEB

A BLOK

NOVI DORĆOL

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

DEKA INŽENJERING

n early 2020, the construction sector recorded the highest growth according to all economic indicators. Following the onset of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, which changed the economic picture on a global level, looking at Serbia we can see that the pandemic did not significantly weaken the real estate market. But year-on-year, we can see that the market has been profiled in the direction that buyers have become more demanding and that they primarily buy apartments from renowned real estate developers. Deka Inženjering’s experience so far shows that quality, reliability and responsibility are a winning combination that creates trust among clients.

A BLOK – NEW HOME, FULFILLED LIFE In recent decades, Novi Beograd got a complete makeover - from

being called a residential beehive, it has now become the business centre of the capital. The residential and business complex A Blok has become one of the most important catalysts for this change. Following the construction of this complex, Novi Beograd positioned itself on the domestic and international business map. Created as an architectural and structural complex, every detail of the A Blok project has been carefully chosen - from strikingly beautiful, mild cascades to premi-

first-floor plateau, a two-level underground garage with 30 chargers for electric vehicles, have rounded off the final phase of construction of A Blok, making it the most prestigious place for comfortable urban living. Following the fourth and final phase in the construction of A Blok, Novi Beograd has become richer for the new, contemporarily designed residential and commercial building, which differs in appearance from the previous three phases, while its structur-

ing additional benefits for their tenants such as an independent and energy-efficient heating system with energy savings of over 60% compared to standard split systems. Additionally, the apartments are equipped with a special sprinkler system that is activated in case of fire. Dušica Gaković, project director at Deka Inženjering, tells us more about the financial benefits available to buyers when purchasing business apartments: "One of the most significant advantages of buying a

THE FUSION OF THE BEST CONSTRUCTION TRADITION WITH MODERN TRENDS, BUT ALSO A CONTINUOUS FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER, ARE THE MAIN PILLARS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEKA INŽENJERING um energy-efficient materials of the latest generations and state-ofthe-art housing units. Green areas that are located around the entire residential and business complex, as well as among the buildings, span about 9,000 square metres. Spacious entrance halls with 24/7 security, closed green yard on the

al facade, in addition to a different visual impression, ensures a large amount of daylight in residential units. Business apartments, as one of the forms of residential real estate offered in the A Blok complex, meet the requirements for both comfortable living and business activities, while provid-

business apartment is that legal entities have the right to a onetime VAT refund of 20 per cent," says Ms Gaković and adds: "As an additional benefit for companies or firms that want to get their own business space, we provide purchase through mortgage or leasing with a 20 per cent downpay-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

ment, while the rest of the value of the business apartment can be paid in instalments over the next seven to ten years." As Deka Inženjering is a pioneer in this field of business, buyers are offered the opportunity to get acquainted with the future property from the comfort of their home via a smart device or computer, i.e. through virtual 3D tours of business apartments. Through interactive points, potential customers can obtain additional information about the materials used in construction and their technical characteristics, such as Schueco aluminium profiles of the latest generation, high-performance materials used for glazing, Sto Ventec system with top quality finishing paint, as well as the topnotch Fundermax materials. Carefully selected doors, parquet floor, ceramic tiles and stone, as well as bathroom equipment are just some of the interior elements that are crucial in constructing premium quality housing. NOVI DORĆOL (NEW DORĆOL) – MODERN AUTHENTIC LIFE IN THE HEART OF THE OLD TOWN As an example of a project that has been modelled after the biggest cities in the world, such as New York and London, Novi Dorćol offers a unique architec-

tural concept, which also reflects the inspiration and creativity of the urban part of Belgrade. At the very beginning of the construction of the A Blok residential and business complex, the Deka Inženjering Company recognized the market demand and based on that devised its direction and development. Thus, a new project was created, Novi Dorćol, which is being built on 2 hectares of land, spanning over 100,000 square metres and providing future tenants with real comfort in an urban oasis. While designing the Novi Dorćol project, the focus was on this residential and business complex, with its modernity and functionality, meeting the numerous requirements and challenges faced by people living in Belgrade downtown. The buildings are surrounded by more than 4,000sqm of green space, and the complex will have over 700 parking spaces in a two-storey garage. The buildings of Novi Dorćol follow the modern form and design. They are positioned to provide a comfortable distance from the neighbours and maximum amount of daylight in the apartments, which is more than chal-

lenging for a new building in the city centre that is usually cramped for space. Over 500 modern and comfortable housing units, which are structurally divided into different apartment sizes, are the right space for a modern family or an individual. The ground floor contains a modern swimming pool and spa, while parking is provided on the underground floors. All apartments in Novi Dorćol will have a smart home system that will control all functions in the apartments in a very easy and comfortable way while saving energy. The first phase of construction of the complex includes six residential segments with apartments of different sizes and shops of different purposes on the ground floor of the buildings. The plan is for the first apartments in the Novi Dorćol complex to be ready for moving in during July 2021. "For future buyers to get the desired apartment in the Novi Dorćol complex as easily and quickly as possible, we have created an unusual offer in cooperation with Direct Bank regarding obtaining a mortgage during the

construction phase, which means that buyers can take out a mortgage at a very affordable interest rate, "said Dušica Gaković, project director at Deka Inženjering, adding: "As for the business premises, if customers do not have enough start-up capital to pay in full, they can purchase with a help of a loan or lease. The downpayment is 20 per cent of the value of the business premise while the rest is usually paid within 7 years (if it is a loan) and 10 years (if it is a lease). Novi Dorćol has an abundant cultural and historical heritage. The First Royal Company for Hem and Cotton Processing Aleksa Obradović was built in 1897 in the location of the Novi Dorćol complex, as this part of the town was the centre of the textile industry of the Kingdom of Serbia. After the Second World War, the elevator factory David Pajić Daka was located here. The goal of Deka Inženjering was to preserve the historical elements of the buildings from the late 19th and the early 20th century and integrate them architecturally into a modern complex by building a real urban state-of-the-art compound.

DEKA INŽENJERING’S EXPERIENCE SO FAR SHOWS THAT QUALITY, RELIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE A WINNING COMBINATION THAT CREATES CUSTOMER TRUST

A FUSION OF OLD AND NEW The Deka Inženjering Company was founded to construct new residential and business complex A Blok in Novi Beograd. Since then, the company has been recognized as a real estate developer that offers its clients facilities built with top materials, modern construction and topnotch finishing touches. Today, this company is engaged in construct-

ing Novi Dorćol, a residential and business complex that reflects the inspiration and creativity of the urban part of Belgrade with a unique architectural and structural concept, while presenting a unique blend of historical elements harmoniously incorporated into the modern design of this part of the city.

BALKING AT BALKAN BABIES

The Balkans are Getting Short of People The demography of south-eastern Europe threatens its hopes of prosperity outh Eastern Europe is in a Catch-22. The region’s many problems prompt young, talented people to leave in droves. But it will not catch up with the rest of Europe without young, talented people to generate prosperity. Across the Balkans, populations are shrinking and ageing, and unless that changes even more will leave. Measuring demography in the Balkans is difficult: apart from those for births and deaths, data are hard to come by. A lorrydriver who leaves Belgrade to take a job in Germany does not have to tell the Serbian authorities. Because of the region’s complicated history, millions of its citizens can get passports from neighbouring “mother countries”. These are especially attractive if the mother country belongs to the EU, since EU citizenship includes the right to work anywhere in the union. A fifth of Croatian passport-holders working abroad are probably from Bosnia, and almost all Moldovans working in the West have Romanian documents. All this makes it hard to tell who is where. Yet the data that are available paint a clear picture. The population of every Balkan country is shrinking because of emigration and low fertility. In the past, populations grew back after waves of emigration, since many women had six children. Now few have more than one. Serbia may have more pensioners than working-age people by next year. In the short run governments do not mind emigration because it lowers unemployment and increases remittances from abroad. But in the long run, says Vladimir Nikitovic, a Serbian demographer, it is “catastrophic”. About 50,000 people leave Serbia every year. Of those who return, around 10,000 are pensioners who have spent their working lives in the West. Their children will not follow them back. On current projections Bulgaria will have 39% fewer people

MEETING WESTERN EUROPE’S NEEDS WITHOUT DRAINING THE BALKAN COUNTRIES OF THEIR PEOPLE REQUIRES CONCERTED ACTION BY THE EU AND THE STATES OF THE REGION by 2050 than it did in 1990 (see chart). The region has some of the world’s lowest fertility rates. Bosnian women have an average of 1.3 children and Croatians 1.4. Kosovo, with a median age of 29, has the region’s youngest population, but its fertility rate of 2.0 (just under the replacement rate) has been falling for years too. Elsewhere, rates are similar to those of western European countries. But because the Balkans host hardly any taxpaying immigrants, money for pensioners is scarce. The effects of population shrinkage are stark. At the height of the summer holidays Rasnov, a pretty town in Romania’s Transylvanian hills which once had a bustling marketplace, is eerily empty, with barely a café open. A generation ago its ethnic Saxon population, which traced its roots to the Middle Ages, left for Germany. Its ethnic Romanians seek work elsewhere. They send money home to ageing parents, but few

come back except to retire. Why work in a café in Rasnov when you can do the same for far more money abroad? A few of the region’s cities have grown. Cluj, another town in Transylvania, is booming. Albania’s capital, Tirana, is also drawing people in. Its mayor, Erion Veliaj, says it faces an influx of 25,000 people every year. But those are exceptions. This combination of rapid emigration, low fertility and sparse immigration produces the worst imaginable result, says Kresimir Ivanda, a Croatian demographer. Greece, Italy and Spain have low birth rates, but attract lots of immigrants. In Poland, more than 1m Ukrainians have filled gaps in the labour market left by emigration. Mr Nikitovic worked for a national commission on solving Serbia’s demographic crisis, but the government, he says, did not act on enough of its ideas to make

much difference. As in many Balkan countries, the problems are legion. Women are discouraged from having more children by the lack of protection against being fired when they become pregnant. Cheap air travel makes seeking work abroad easy (or did before covid-19 struck). In normal times, Croatian carers in Britain or Romanians in German slaughterhouses can commute to shortterm jobs. This worsens labour shortages at home, which in turn pushes up wages. Ivan Vejvoda, of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, thinks meeting western Europe’s needs without draining the Balkan countries of their people requires concerted action by the EU and the states of the region. Of course, for citizens of Balkan countries, earning higher wages abroad is a boon. Remus Gabriel Anghel, a Romanian demographer, says the migration experiences of the past 15 years have also been a motor of social change. Before, people just wanted to make ends meet; now those who have lived in western Europe demand better schools, hospitals and services. This, Mr Anghel says, is something the government “does not really understand”.

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

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

DIGITAL IN TRANSFORMATION SERBIA 2020

INTERVIEW

CYBERSPACE IS ESSENTIALLY VERY VULNERABLE Cybersecurity is considered one of the 10 biggest risks in the world and as much as 95% of cyberattacks are caused by human error

READ THIS ON WEB

VLADIMIR RADUNOVIĆ DiploFoundation

lthough Serbia is not one of the countries that leads the trend of using IoT devices, it is certain that we will very quickly catch up to the rest of the world and start building smart cities, smart traffic, smart health system... Along with a smart environment, we must have smart people too - among users, industries and decision-makers.

One thing is for sure: cybersecurity is becoming more and more just security

Which are currently the most common cyber attacks in the world and our country and which business sectors are the most affected? — Cyberspace is essentially very vulnerable. The Internet itself emerged from the academic community and was never planned for mass use in critical domains of society, and therefore no serious abuses or security measures were initially considered. That is why vulnerabilities exist today in the very core of the Internet - i.e. in protocols - but also in almost all digital products such as software, online services, devices and systems. These vulnerabilities are the result of many factors: the lack of uniform and applicable standards, market pressure on producers to sell something new rather than something safer, and the lack of a regulatory framework regarding the responsibility of producers. The vulnerability, however, primarily exists in us, the users. We still open various unreliable attachments and links that arrive in an e-mail, do not back up important data, install problematic applications, and do not update our systems. We don't believe that somebody would cyber-attack us while failing to understand that, apart from being victims, we are increasingly used as a weapon of attack – our infected devices are used to break into the systems to which we are connected, i.e. companies, institutions, organizations. We have to learn to 'drive' in cyberspace because the consequences of attacks are increasingly spilling over into real space, and the gap between cyberspace and

real life is disappearing. Abusing vulnerability is one of the main grounds for cyber-attacks. Everyone is under attack or could be, without exception us, as individuals, through various scams, small companies through blackmail viruses, large companies through industrial espionage, taking control of the critical infrastructure of society and disabling the system for political motives and using state and military institutions in hybrid warfare. The targets are no longer just devices or important data, but also critical infrastructures such as hospitals, energy grids, banks, and even elections and democratic values. We recently saw the first official victim of a cyber-attack: a woman from Germany who could not be admitted to the emergency room due to a cyber-attack and subsequently died en-route to another hospital.

With the development of IoT, cyber-attacks become more frequent. The assumption is that this trend will continue. Does our market understand the benefits of the application of digital technologies? How much do we differ in that from the rest of the world? — The Internet of Things (IoT) or "smart" and connected devices are a combination of different software code and hardware, produced by various manufacturers around the world. As the demand for IoT devices grows, so does the number of manufacturers and the complexity of the global supply chain. As in any chain, the chain is as strong as its weakest link. Without uniform security requirements for this industry and clear regulations, the devices are rife with vulnerabilities that attackers use for attacks. The danger here is multifaceted. By using a vulnerable smart device, it is possible to break into a secure network of which that device is a part, as was the case with hacking a smart filter for an aquarium in a casino. IoT devices are playing an increasingly

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

important role in industrial plants and their sensor and controller networks, making these plants vulnerable as well. Finally, the billions of IoT devices around us that should make up our smart and connected environment in the coming decades are easy to hack and use for coordinated mass attacks to disable key communications systems, as was the case with the famous Mirai network of bots who have significantly slowed down the global Internet for a brief moment.

The current epidemiological situation in the world caused by the COVID-19 virus has changed the priorities of almost all companies and saw us all unprepared. What are the problems we have faced in the past regarding cybersecurity, caused by a pandemic? — This pandemic has led us to "digitalization on steroids", in which we thought the least about security. Overnight, the 'security perimeter' disappeared as employees moved from a (relatively) secure corporate environment to their homes where security was much harder to control. Some basic life functions such as government paperwork, education and even grocery shopping were transferred almost exclusively to digital form, and some peripheral services we didn’t even know existed, like Zoom, have become critical infrastructure. At the same time, cybercriminals did waste a single moment and quickly adapted to the new situation. So-called phishing emails saw people opening infected documents or links, or people giving their usernames and online banking account number after they received false information from a relevant government ministry or the World Health Organization. Blackmail viruses, which lock data and systems and demand ransom to make them functional again have hit hospitals en masse. Attacks on tools such as VPNs that allow secure access to corporate systems from home have intensified. However, in all this, it seems that the users themselves have become more aware of the risks, and there is hope that we will emerge from the crisis more enlightened and ready to protect ourselves.

ing countries, still does not have a strategy for international engagement and cooperation on cyberspace, including security, and this is one of the steps that must be expedited to make digital transformation safe. For example, almost all European countries have cyber ambassadors, and many have serious national centres that deal with cybersecurity issues, with large human and financial resources and influence in shaping national policies in this area. Also, the systemic cooperation between the state and the private and non-governmental sector in the field of design and implementation of digital policies is something that forms the basis in developed countries, and in which Serbia still lags far behind.

In your opinion, what are the new trends and what challenges will we face in the future when it comes to cybersecurity? — On the one hand, new technologies and possibilities are arriving - the Internet of Things and a smart environment consisting of devices that communicate with each other without us, artificial intelligence which will take over data processing and decision-making, virtual reality that will transport us into some non-existent spaces or combined realities, quantum computers that will radically raise the possibility of doing complex calculations and models, and the combination of technology and biology will, perhaps, mentally connect us to the cyber-world. On the other hand, political challenges are also present - splitting of the global supply chain, technological-trade wars, fragmentation of cyberspace, militarization of technology and especially artificial intelligence, tendency of autocracies to suppress freedoms and privacy in cyberspace, and the general loss of confidence in decision-makers, industry, and perhaps technology itself. One thing is for sure: cybersecurity is becoming more and more just security. 

Everyone is under attack or could be, without exception - us, as individuals, through various scams, small and large companies

In today's world of cybersecurity, both individuals and serious organizations, often states, are behind attacks. What strategies should the state implement, and we as individuals too, to properly protect ourselves? How organized is our state in dealing with this problem? — The threats are no longer limited to 'neighbourhoods'. Today, an attacker can act from any part of the world. More importantly, the attackers are no longer just petty criminals - cyber-attacks are also used by organized crime and political groups, which are often hired by states as cyber mercenaries. States are massively arming, storing and abusing vulnerabilities in systems for hybrid warfare, and threatening the security of the entire digital global economy and society. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that it is realistic that the future wars will start with cyber-attacks, and his deputy Fabrizio Hochschild called on the states to make cyber truce during the pandemic. Countries are dealing with this problem at the highest level. The United Nations has two groups for negotiating norms of state behaviour in cyberspace, the possibility of applying the existing war law to cyberspace, and a possible global agreement on cyberspace. Under the auspices of the OSCE and other regional organizations, states are developing confidence-building measures and avoiding cyber-conflicts that could flare up into a traditional war. Serbia, like many other develop-

CORPORATE

WE OFFER A FULL RANGE OF SOLUTIONS TO OUR CLIENTS

CLICK ON ICON 

If you are a company, you must be proactive and make sure that you "cover" everything: infrastructure, IT platforms, and especially employees, with adequate solutions, procedures and training READ THIS ON WEB

e strive to partner with our customers and offer a full range of solutions, including real-time end-to-end antivirus protection and e-mail protection that detects and stops spam and protects against advanced, multi-stage threats that use e-mail to penetrate in the IT environment in organizations.

Online security has always been an important topic and with this pandemic, the general public has become more aware of the problem

The global crisis has forced us into self-isolation which has "pushed" both users and companies to expedite digital transformation. Will the development of IoT lead to an increase in cyber attacks and how can we protect ourselves? — That's right. Many things that would normally have waited to be done in the future, were done now due to the need for social distancing. This has led to the consumption of the Internet via mobile phones to be twice as high as in the same period last year. With the expansion of the digital network and the increase in the intensity of mobile traffic and the amount of data, security risks have also increased. Working from home has resulted in many employees using computers that are protected only by consumer solutions, or not protected at all. Additionally, chats, video conferencing, and online accounts only facilitate potential intrusion into network systems. The more of them you have, the easier target you are. That is why organizations and individuals need to reconsider their level of resilience. If you are a company, you must be proactive and make sure that you "cover" everything: infrastructure, IT platforms, and especially employees, with adequate solutions, procedures and training.

DRAGAN TANASKOVIĆ

Director of ICT Solutions at Vip mobile Cybersecurity is one of the 10 biggest risks in the world. How does Vip mobile take care of this business segment and can you tell us more about cybersecurity network solutions? — As a telecommunications company, we want and must protect our customers and employees, among other things, through cooperating with other members of the A1 Group. For example, in May this year, our experts from A1 Digital Austria successfully defended the company against a major cyberattack, when they worked out a password change on close to 50,000 internal accounts in a very short time. All markets in which the A1 Group operates were covered by this protective measure. We learned a lot from this experience, which also prepared us for future challenges. We strive to partner with our customers and offer a full range of solutions, including real-time endto-end antivirus protection and e-mail protection that detects and stops spam and protects against advanced, multi-stage threats that use e-mail to penetrate in the IT environment in organizations. We have also developed a physical Firewall device that offers a high level of protection for the entire network, users and applications, as well as a Cloud solution that provides users with the highest level of accuracy and reliability. We are also considering expanding our offer to include other solutions such as protection against dis tribute d online attacks, re al-time monitoring of threats from cyberattacks and centralized monitoring and security management

with continuous monitoring of cyberattacks.

What can we all do together to reduce risk in the future and protect ourselves on a personal level and as companies, both large or small? — Online security has always been an important topic and with this pandemic, the general public has become more aware of the problem. I believe we have set a good example of how to adequately set up and prevent a potential problem. At a time when almost 80% of employees were working from home, we put our infrastructure to their disposal as much as we could and employees adhered to the rules and were responsible. Cybersecurity is a twoway street. A large number of employees do not have adequate protection or education. Password reset standards are weaker, data protection is generally not as good as when working from the office, and computers used at home and e-mail have become an easier target for attacks. Training is one way to raise employee awareness of cybersecurity, where partners who offer reliable services and professional support at market-adjusted prices can help companies. The economy of cybercrime is simple - the technology of theft is easier and cheaper than physical intrusions, while the response of the target is much slower. Therefore, it is necessary to establish much stronger walls that will protect the business. Furthermore, I think it is very important that my colleagues who deal with cybersecurity know that their teams are one of the main bearers of the digitalization process. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

CORPORATE

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR EVERYDAY LIFE

CLICK ON ICON 

Customers love Donesi because our brand has always been dedicated to them, and that is the principle we have been consistently implementing for years

SRDJAN STANKOVIĆ

Managing Director of Donesi for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

ur brand was created almost 15 years ago and at that time was noticed for its "fresh" visual identity and innovative service, that is online food ordering. After more than 10 years in business, we have decided to do a rebranding and the reactions have been really great.

The crisis has seen us all unprepared. How did you cope in the first months of the crisis and what was the biggest challenge? — The first months (of the pandemic) were dynamic, primarily because the restaurants were extremely cautious when it came to doing business in new conditions. We quickly reorganized our team, and the experiences of our colleague from abroad were very useful to us. Since Donesi is a member of the Delivery Hero Group, which operates in over 40 countries on four continents, we were guided by the experiences of colleagues from Europe (Greece, Hungary, the Scandinavian countries) and Asia, and we were ready to implemented the measures introduced by the Government. We even participated in devising the measures by transferring the experiences from other countries in which we operate to our collaborators from the Prime Minister's cabinet and the Chamber of Commerce and thus contributed to the amortization of the situation. The biggest challenge was to motivate restaurants to continue working, so we tried to support them with both advice and financial relief. Food and other product delivery services and applications are becoming increasingly popular. The Donesi platform is still the leader in online food ordering. What novelties have you prepared for us? — Customers love Donesi because our brand has always been dedicated to them, and that is the principle we have been consistently implementing for years. In order to personalize the service, we have recently offered billing for delivery in line with the distance between the customer's address from the res-

READ THIS ON WEB

taurant. Our offer is expanding daily, and Donesi has become a comprehensive service which is used by the most popular restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies which products are just a click away from you. We are preparing many more novelties, such as tracking orders, which we launched a few days ago, but also promotions with our strategic partners.

E-commerce recorded a 48% growth in the first half of this year. How does that affect your sector and are you satisfied with your results? — E-commerce was gaining momentum even before the new normal emerged, while the events in the months behind us were only a catalyst for development and change. The market is increasingly becoming more mature and more people are turning to e-shopping. For most, it will be a point-ofno-return in the sense that they will not rely on the traditional way of buying (and selling) to the same extent as before. These changes bring with them more work for software developers, as well as for people involved in the logistics and delivery process, etc. How did the company decide to rebrand after more than 10 years in business? What feedback did you get? — As Donesi developed and introduced new options, a need arose for a more dynamic visual identity, which would best highlight all the benefits of our service. Today, we are no longer a food ordering application, but by using Donesi you can order practically everything you need for everyday life - food, products from supermarkets and pharmacies, wine or the best home-brewed beer. All this arrives at your address quickly, thanks to Donesi delivery, and you can track the order before it is delivered. The new look of our brand reflects that diversity, speed, practicality and constant pushing of boundaries. The feedback we got was positive, and our customers accepted the change quite well. This makes us extremely happy, since

radical changes like this are often met with resistance.

Good and bad news after COVID-19: is there a light at the end of the tunnel in 2020? — The bad news is that the new normal will be a reality for some time to come, which will negatively affect some branches of the economy. Although many hoped that the world would find it easier to stand in the way of the coronavirus, the way everything unfolded shows the opposite and suggests that these are the circumstances in which we will do business until further notice. The good news is that many brands have managed to adapt their business to the new circumstances. This, in most cases, required a change in the way we work or spending resources on information systems, but as it turned out, it was possible to ensure business continuity and do a large number of jobs online and from home. What makes a team successful in circumstances that are different from the ones we are used to? — I believe that the strength of the brand is reflected in the people who work for it, because challenges are much easier to overcome if you have a dedicated and professional team. Team spirit is something we are continuously "practicing", not only in time of crisis. I am glad that I can say that both my colleagues and I believe in what we do, and we believe in that idea 365 days a year. We have a quote displayed in our office in Belgrade which says: “On this team, we fight for that inch.” This is from the movie ‘Any Given Sunday’ with Al Pacino who says that line when he tries to motivate his team. The whole line goes like this: “Life is just a game of inches, so is football. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second! On this team, we fight for that inch.” That proverbial inch is the secret of success. 

CORPORATE

CLICK ON ICON 

WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE THE BETTER ALTERNATIVES Zero-sum game is not possible

TOMMASO DI GIOVANNI

READ THIS ON WEB

Vice president of international communications at the Philip Morris International

Tommaso Di Giovanni, VP of international communications at the Philip Morris International, spoke to us about the benefits of the smoke-free alternatives and IQOS, and the recent FDA authorization that IQOS can be classified as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) with reduced exposure claims, clarifying many less known aspects and the future of tobacco industry.

technology and science can benefit public health if they regulate and frame the market properly.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of IQOS, as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) in July this year. It means IQOS does not burn tobacco, but rather heats it. What does this turning point mean to you? — The authorisation we received is an important milestone for us. The FDA concluded three main things from the evidence we shared and they gathered, which comprises hundreds of thousands of pages: 1) IQOS system heats tobacco but does not burn it, 2) This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals and 3) Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals. Most importantly, the US FDA allowedus to communicate this information to the US consumers because they believe that commercializing this product with this information is going to benefit and promote public health, and it is likely it is going to produce a measurable and substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality in smokers, which may be proven in subsequent studies. This and the previous PMTA decision gives us access to one of the biggest markets in the world – the US market. Furthermore, it is a clear signal for other governments to consult science and make decisions based on the evidence that

It basically means if there is no smoking area, in a restaurant or in a club, you can use IQOS? Even if there is no smoking sign? — That depends on the regulation of the country. And every country has different regulations. You think it will be amended worldwide, so the people can use it indoors. Do you expect that? — The indoor use is somewhat different question. The FDA and other organizations send a clear message: there is no “zero-risk product”, but for those who continue smoking, there are different (and (clearly better) alternatives to cigarettes. Therefore we encourage them to switch by providing them information about risks and benefits of our product. To my knowledge, the FDA did not address indoor use in their MRTP decision.

It is good to offer the smokers a better, smokefree alternative if they don’t quit

Will the regular cigars and cigarettes be completely replaces by Modified Risk Tobacco Products like IQOS in foreseeable future? — That is definitely our vision and ambition. In 2025, we will have approximately the same number of smokers we have today in the world. It is a common sense solution to offer them a better, smoke-free alternative since they will be smoking anyway. We are shifting gears to rapidly replace cigarettes with less harmful alternatives. We started three or four years ago and our heated tobacco product is already commercialized in 57 countries. Now, close to 15 million consumers are using the product. More than 11 million have abandoned cigarettes completely. We’ve already made huge progress. In Japan, approximately a quarter of

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

the smoker population has switched to the smoke-free products. A lot of consumers in UK have switched to e-cigarettes. But we’re not the only ones in the game. NGOs, scientific communities and physicians all have to be very consistent in their messages. Lawmakers should amend outdated laws. If everyone plays his part, some countries may get rid of cigarettes completely in 10-15 years from now, in less than a generation.

Establishing a goal in public health policy is something that makes sense. That would accelerate positive change

Will this replacement be easy? How can we persuade users to smoke IQOS instead of cigarettes, since there is a habit, tradition, ritual, addiction and they are used to the classic tobacco smoke, regardless of "electric nature" of IQOS - it namely requires charging. It is like changing espresso for cappuccino – the caffeine is the same but the taste is not. — Your question nails the core of the problem. When you burn tobacco, you get certain smell and taste. When you lit up a cigarette, you have a certain ritual. No matter how you try to mimic this, other products will not be exactly the same. Even the experience of buying the product is not the same. The change is not easy, and needs to be supported. However, once they make a switch, after first 2 or 3 weeks, consumers generally don’t go back to cigarettes. They almost don’t like cigarettes anymore. But they need encouragement in this first period. Commercializing these products is a different ballgame. Do you think that the government will impose regulations like in the car industry? Some countries like the UK, France, Norway, proposed the phasing of out of carbon-fuelled vehicles by 2025 or 2040. Will cigarettes be completely forbidden? — I don’t think so but establishing a clear goal in public health policy is something that makes sense. That would accelerate positive change. The only country that did something in that direction is the UK, wanting to be smoke-free by 2030, trying to make smokers switch to e-cigarettes if they do not quit altogether. Some other countries did the effort, but not as forcefully yet: Greece, Portugal, New Zealand… Setting clear goals about going smoke-free would send a clear message to customers. In the most countries in the world there is no clear distinction between cigarettes and other tobacco or nicotine products, they are treated equally (and even banned). Philip Morris is of the opinion that adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke traditional cigarettes, should have enough information about less harmful alternatives. What can PMI do to "enlighten" the users to switch to IQOS? — Defining regulation according to science, as the FDA did, can send a clear message to smokers. Some countries, such as the US, Italy, Portugal or the UK, are already head-

ing in that direction. In the countries that have not differentiated between products, it is harder for a smoker to switch. If you don’t communicate the benefits and risks to consumers, you are basically telling them it is the same thing. And encouraging them to stick with the easier choice: cigarettes, to the detriment of their health and public health.

It is important to make decisions based on scientific evidence because the coronavirus pandemic was also a good example - all eyes are on scientific research in this crisis. When it comes to the tobacco industry, there are generally many manufacturers of electronic and other tobacco products on the market who are unreliable, untested, which is why the US FDA has ordered, among other things, that all manufacturers who want to survive in the market must have consent and scientific evidence, in line with public health promotion. How can PMI make clarifications about IQOS, to persuade people it is a good and much less harmful product? — It is very important that the consumers get precise and accurate information in order not to be confused, like in the pandemics. During the pandemic, for instance, we saw contradictory information being shared on smoking and Covid-19, as evidence was emerging. The FDA decision is very important, since it clearly addresses some key questions. This is an approach opposed to the misinformation beingspread by some private interest groups led by the ideology of prohibition, and who do not believe in alternatives. They believe the zero-sum game is possible but we all know it is not . People will continue to smoke, as per the same predictions of the WHO. We need to provide them accurate information about the benefits and risks of alternatives. Vaping was hit by news that using some oils with tobacco is even worse than cigarettes. Many interest groups place their information which is against the e-cigarettes. The public is pretty much confused with it. It is a tough job to derail it to the scientific ground. — A fantastic example. It is a situation in the USA when a lot of news coverage was about e-cigarettes are good or bad. The issue was instead about the oils and vitamin D mixed within the e-liquids. Notice that this cannot happen for instance in the EU, where e-liquids are regulated. The substances that generated deaths in the US were unregulated and should not be used with e-liquids. It is the role of governments to set a framework so that consumers do not make mistakes like putting oils or vitamin E into e-cigarettes. The question is not whether these products are better than cigarettes. That is clear but they need to be regulated and subject to quality standards. 

Changing laws according to science, as the FDA did, can make customers draw certain conclusions by themselves

CORPORATE

CLIENTS BRING NEW VALUE If you give your client a good experience, they stay more loyal, buy more, understand your purpose more easily and most importantly, become ambassadors of your brand and recommend you to other people

CLICK ON ICON 

MAJA VEZMAR RISTIĆ

Customer Experience Manager, OTP Bank Serbia READ THIS ON WEB

he pandemic has reshaped our reality in a relatively short period and put to the test the companies' abilities to adapt to the new challenge. Strategic understanding of the importance of customer experience is a major link on the path to becoming a customer-centric company, so the role of top management is crucial in the early stages of developing this approach.

We are facing what could possibly be the biggest challenges when it comes to the relationship with consumers. How to win their heart in times of crisis? — In a situation where both you and your consumers are self-isolating, it was necessary to activate empathy and understand how to stay relevant to our clients and how to ensure that they remember us as a company that understood their needs. We, at OTP Bank, have based our customer experience strategy during crisis, which applies to both clients and employees, on three pillars: care, support and timely communication. This specifically meant that we were committed to taking care of the health of our clients and employees, to increasing digital maturity and knowledge about the benefits of using digital services as well as to providing support through all available communication channels. In addition to the moratorium (on payment of loans), disbursement of pensions and delivery of payment cards to home addresses, our colleagues from IT support have managed to enable us to work from home in just a few days, so clients were able to fulfil all their banking needs without physically coming to the bank. How to develop a customer experience strategy today and what is the role of dig-

ital in all this? — There is only one right way to develop a customer experience strategy, and that is to develop your business strategy around the customer perspective. Some of the world's most successful companies today have based their entire business model on this principle and call themselves "customer-obsessed" organizations. In addition to being very successful, these market stakeholders also dictate the changes that are happening in the field of digital. Globalization has contributed to our consumers expecting the same level of experience when using application of a bank, health care institutions, courier services or for instance, Amazon. The importance of applying customer experience methodologies such as service design or design thinking in digital is so great that today we do not even consider developing a particular service/product if we have not taken into account the user's perspective and understand what value we will deliver to the user and by that, to our company. Is it harder now than ever to hear a client’s voice and has this crisis perhaps accelerated the development of digital channels? — Anyone who wants to hear what their customers have to say can do so. However, the challenge lies in creating a system that will allow us to analyze the feedback on a particular experience and to learn and change from it. On the other hand, consumers have their needs that they show you even if you don't ask them about it. For example, OTP Bank has increased its digital sales by 84% during the month and a half of the state of emergency. This was a clear signal that customers are ready to buy banking

services online and that it was the right decision to invest in the development of our digital strategy.

How important is it for a company to be customer-centric and what are you developing in OTP in terms of the department that you helm? — If we know that we define a customer experience as a relation between expectations and what we actually get as an experience from a particular organization, then we must be very careful in the way we create and map the expectations of our users. Every day, we all make a lot of decisions on a subconscious level, guided by how we or someone we know (even virtually) felt when we did something with a certain company. Our task is to empower the organization with the client's voice, to create tools and methodologies that help us always keep in mind their needs, to follow metrics that show us how successful we are and together with the management and HR team, build a culture that nurtures and recognizes good experiences. Do you think that our market is ready for, let’s say, the omnichannel strategy, given digital literacy and level of development? — The level of digital literacy, even with baby boomers, is increasing every day and becoming our reality, which is great preparation for the demands that Generation Z will place on organizations. Customer experience strategy, like any other, gives tangible results in an average of 3 to 5 years, so we must start organizing companies as soon as possible in a way that will allow each team member to understand and think of their role in delivering outstanding customer experiences. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

THE SECRET FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION 2020

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

READ THIS ON WEB

COM M E N T

WITH COMMUNICATION AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS

THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION D UŠA N STO JA KOV I Ć President of the Serbian Public Relations Society (DSOJ)

Let communication become our medicine both in treating the coronavirus and human limitations. Let's move on! ommunication! An integral part of our lives at all times. Like the drug, in the right doses, applied in the right way, it can very successfully heal, soothe and have a beneficial effect. On the other hand, in the hands of the ignorant, vain and unskilled people, communication can scare, hurt and poi-

SPECIAL EDITION

son. All in all, we have to communicate, over and over again. Just as our ancestors did from the moment they "discovered" communication, and through all the phases of interaction from the first manifestations of life, through the emergence of the Homo sapiens, to all known epochs of human development.

Communication is used to announce and apply our purpose to life in the world that surrounds us

It is absurd that today, in the age of hypothetical temporary global stagnation, caused mostly by the COVID-19 pandemic, when logical communication should be at its peak, - both stylistically and technologically, we forget what its essence and purpose are. And we are also communicating increasingly less and increasingly worse. Should that be the case? Somehow, we are losing power or just forgetting how to show the world what is bothering us. Communication is used to announce and apply our purpose to life in the world that surrounds us. We love communicating. We are born, grow, develop and become (better) people thanks to it. At least that's how it should be. We are taking our first steps with it. We are taking the right steps with it. We are conquering the world - socializing, learning, researching… At this point, you are probably asking yourself what is the problem then?! The problem lies in us - our fears, doubts, stage freight, fears, weaknesses, wrong goals, ide-

as and aspirations which all make us wrong creators and users of communication, which becomes a kind of sedative for everything that bothers us or a dangerous shortcut for what may not belong to us.

IF IT WEREN'T FOR COMMUNICATION... Let's go back to the beginning of the story. We first heard about COVID-19 late last year thanks to communication, although we didn't really have to find out the meaning of this medical term. We learned about the COVID contagion thanks to communication, mostly digital one. We know everything about the coronavirus victims in China and the strict measures of isolation, or the situation in Italy, or the situation anywhere in the world thanks to communication. Communication was also used when the pandemic escalated in Serbia. Communication locked us in our houses, made us work remotely, told us how to behave, how and where to wear a mask and another million details. Communication also scared and enraged us. And

it made us laugh. And so on. But, again, what is the problem then? Being locked away into our microworlds, we somehow locked communication as well. We have forgotten that communication is medicine for our souls and the only engine that drives the whole world. Bad communication is like a bad heart muscle, which no longer pumps with the same strength, so some thoughts easily escape to the place where they shouldn't - into the depths of our mind, fears, dilemmas – instead of us communicating about everything; especially about those things that worry or scare us. And there are a lot of them today - health, finances, future… Everything is easier when it is shared. Again, thanks to communication. That's why it was invented.

COMMUNICATION THERAPY AGAINST CORONA If we take into account that communication warns us of danger, gives us guidelines on how to reduce risks and how to be safer and preserve health, as well as where to turn if we notice any

Being locked away into our microworlds, we somehow locked communication as well. We have forgotten that communication is medicine for our souls and the only engine that drives the whole world

suspicious symptoms - then communication can be considered a cure. It’s communication therapy against corona. And everyone should apply this therapy regularly and without hesitation. But, here again, we only scratched the surface, because health is not only physical. It is mental, spiritual and social. And for these segments of health, we prescribe therapy and prevention based on the best examples of communication, which are presented by the best PR campaigns and projects submitted for the 2020 Serbian Public Relations Society Award.

BEFORE AND AFTER Communication existed even before COVID-19 and it will exist after. We must not forget that communication must not stop because, in that case, the world would stop too. Let communication become our medicine both in treating the coronavirus and human limitations. Let's move on! Find out what marked communication in Serbia in 2019/20 and learn from the best in practice. The 2020 Award is soon on the air!

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

ADVERTISERS HAVE TO BE GOOD HOSTS

CLICK ON ICON 

Businesses will have to possess a skill of fast adaptation and apply innovation in their business plans C O R P O R AT E

Photo: Andjela Grozdanić

ZO RA N BA RA NAC Business Director of Nova Communications

READ THIS ON WEB

n Nova Communications, the measure of success, both in working with clients and running campaigns, implies a whole spectrum of relationships that are created around marketing.

What has already changed and what is about to change in the world of communications? — New technologies are the new eyes with which we look at the world around us. This is just the beginning of a future that will change with the development of AI, and that will shape both marketing and communications in general. Therefore, marketing will move towards increasingly bigger personalization. A good slogan for everyone will replace combinations of messages intended for a certain area, group, generation, environment… Marketing and the customer will have an increasingly personal relationship - an individual algorithm created from personal data that will progressively change today's advertisers’ understanding of the emotion that "grabs" the consumer. Counting “clicks" will be accompanied by even more serious analysis, interpretation and use of data. Nonetheless, I think that the importance of a human being will not be diminished by technological development. The three "I's" will continue to be key: Idea, Information, Initiative. Crisis leadership is important, as is effective communication with clients, teams, the community ... What is the most important in this and how did you communicate it? — The client is not and must not be treated as just a number, a set of banknotes and an Excel spreadsheet. The client bona fide entrusts part of their capital to you to manage and you must be a good host. A good host must recognize desires, intentions, and goals. There has to be at-

SPECIAL EDITION

tention to detail, simple and logical explanations, good advice or creating a new idea of how an ad can find its way to a consumer or better position a product. You are both an advisor and a consultant. You can't sell nothing for something or view a client through the filter of campaign money and unjustly expect him to understand and know nothing. Although we are living in the era of "numbers", this is also a time of measurable trust, respect and performance. That is why the client has chosen you and if you are a good host, you you’re your guests back. The COVID period brought special sensitivity and uncertainty to business. From the beginning, we have been nurturing a new mutual closeness and care, in order to travel together with the client through crisis and uncertainty. We adjusted the campaigns, content and dynamics, and made projections together. We have strengthened our mutual relationship by shielding business and a successful perspective from fear and losses. Television and TV advertising are expected to weather this storm. What do you think will be the future course of the advertising market? — The conclusion that the Internet will make television history was rash. The exponential growth of digital has not killed television, just as radio has not stopped newspapers from coming out, nor has TV destroyed radio and newspapers. After the first tide of changes in media platforms, the audience has returned to traditional media, which in the meantime, have been transforming and adapting. Radio is like Spotify for cars today, a hardcopy version of a good newspaper article is read while sipping on a coffee, and you don’t have to sit in front of your TV waiting for your favourite series to start but rather the series waits for you to watch it whenever you want. Advertising will therefore follow the future process of personalization of TV content, products and users. Television has begun to take advantage of the Internet. Content is now marketed on all available platforms and therefore cre-

ates greater marketing opportunities in different target groups. Television is successfully following the change of the traditional family gathering around the TV set. That ritual now lives in a new form. You choose your time. Although, I believe that sometimes we will want to remember a good "vibe" of our favourite series that starts at 8 o’clock. In which way will communication develop during the so-called "new normal"? — The new normal led to advertisers focusing on two strong platforms: TV ads and digital marketing. Phone and TV have become stronger players due to the circumstances of weaker consumer movement as a result of COVID. Phones have become an everyday accessory like wristwatches and watching television has increased drastically, as viewers have stayed mostly at home. The very process of marketing adaptation of companies to new technologies was expedited and those companies that were shyer on the web were pushed into digital transformation. Campaigns have become intense, and many industries have boosted their online sales as well. By combining TV and digital advertising, brands continued to live with the users, and thus kept businesses, that were at risk during COVID, afloat. Bad and good news after COVID-19 - is there a light at the end of the tunnel in 2020? — There is no good or bad news. COVID is persisting. Acceptance and adjustment is the most important task for human beings, as individuals, as well as for community, society and business. I have never been a fan of the phrase "this too shall pass". Now, for the first time, I see the point in that. The virus will deplete itself or the vaccine will deplete the virus. Living and working is a must. The best creative solutions emerge in crises. I would like to see people coming out of this pandemic as better persons.

zoran.baranac@novacomm.rs

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

CLICK ON ICON 

READ THIS ON WEB

C O R P O R AT E

TRANSFORMATION AND ADAPTATION ARE THE KEY

TA M A RA B E KČ I Ć an d M I L E NA AV RA M OV I Ć BJELICA Directors and Co-Founders of Chapter 4

Clients and agencies will continue to find optimal ways to invest in advertising, in order to adapt to business goals and contribute to sales growth

bout what will happen after Covid-19, the future of communication industry, new technologies, new ways of communication and the growth of e-commerce, we spoke with Tamara Bekčić and Milena Avramović-Bjelica, Directors and Co-Founders of Chapter 4, best PR agency in Serbia in 2020 (in the category of small end medium size agencies, according to the professional jury of the Serbian PR Association).

The impact of Covid-19 is likely to vary significantly between different industry subsectors: the event industry is in huge decline, TV is holding, print and online so and so. What will advertising look like in the coming period?

SPECIAL EDITION

MAB: In the pandemic, people's behavior changed, especially during the two months of the pandemic, so all forms of communication changed "overnight". As people mostly sat at home, it did not make sense for advertisers to continue with OOH advertising, but they adapted to consumer behavior and redirected budgets to advertising on digital channels, streaming, social networks, e-commerce… It is certain that digital advertising is going to continue to grow, as does e-commerce, so clients and agencies will continue to find optimal ways to invest in advertising, in order to adapt to business goals and contribute to sales growth. Certainly, the strategic flexibility regarding the choice of media to carry advertising campaigns will be even more pronounced in the future period.

The strategic flexibility regarding the choice of media to carry advertising campaigns will be even more pronounced in the future period

TB: I think that most of the communication sub-sectors is returning to normal flows and continues to implement the plans with certain changes mentioned by Milena. Events are most affected some are canceled, others are converted to different formats, some are more resistant, yet with reduced volume and with all precautionary measures that greatly affect the concept and visibility, and of course, much has been completely transferred to online platforms. In general, a large number of communication activities has been adapted to suit the situation and pandemic-influenced plans have been re-evaluated. However, from our point of view and Chapter 4 clients, there were no major delays. We found ways to adjust our activities in a timely manner. Here, PR people have a great advantage because they have already acquired a crisis way of thinking and acting. The crisis seems to have led to the flourishing of new technologies, new ways of communication, the growth of e-commerce… What else and to what extent will change in communications? MAB: Covid-19 has made a huge impact on our entire lives, professionally and personally, and has caused a huge shift in the way we communicate with each other. If someone did not under-

stand the phrase "digital transformation" that had been used for years, now they certainly do, because we have all lived through it 24/7 in the past few months. Looking beyond this incredibly rapid change of channels we use to communicate, there is also a noticeable shift in the way business leaders talk to their employees, customers, investors and the wider community. Through constant video calls, we have literally entered each others` personal lives and that transparency led us all to be more authentic in communication, with more empathy… We have also become more accessible than usual, which everyone greatly appreciated and I`m inclined to think that this type of communication will be appreciated onwards, too. TB: Technology had been here for a while, but the Covid crisis led to much wider use and activation of even those who had not been inclined to it. Many changes of this kind are very good, but the process of getting used to and fully adapting to new tools and channels is also necessary. Presentation skills for example - online and offline they are very different. There is a need for even greater shortening of textual forms, due to the widespread information overload. This leads to an even more pronounced need for key messages to target the very essence, in an attractive and highly ethical way. Visual and video content (short forms) have an undiminished effect, with the pandemic emphasizing the need to highlight the emotional support that companies and brands can apply and encourage positive change. Solidarity has gained additional visibility and importance.

We still don't know what the new normality is, but until we find out, will there be a change in the creation of strategies, in the development of tools, budgets, forecasts? Medium- and longterm planning is going down in history, because we will all have to react quickly and in a short time. How will it be planned in the future? TB: Strategic planning is getting more complicated. I wouldn’t say it all comes down to short-term planning. Context and the bigger picture are very important, and so are analytics, forecasting and monitoring. It is important that we expect changes and be prepared to reduce or avoid negative impacts. I can also say that we were lucky because our industry certainly is not nearly affected as, for example, tourism and catering. However, it is to be expected that we will feel the real impact next year, when the consequences are likely to affect all market participants and the entire economy. With this in mind, it is important for us to anticipate possible business scenarios and, as before, try to provide strong support to clients and their business through communication.

Companies, institutions, consumers - they have all gone through different phases and changes. How to build trust between the Brand and the Consumer in today's circumstances when fear is the dominant emotion? TB: That is right. Numerous phases and changes… in just one year, more precisely - half a year. Fear of uncertainty has resulted in changes on a personal and professional level - as Mile-

Will this situation also affect the change of design and message with which they will communicate with consumers in the future? MAB: Sure, we have already talked about the fact that people are now more sensitive due to various uncertainties, fears, that the attention of the average consumer is very small with and without Covid-19… and it is necessary to adjust messages through all communica-

AGENCY OF THE YEAR

tion channels, especially depending on where users are located and through which channels they are reached. In the age of digital misinformation, users must be able to trust the sources of their information. Digital communication channels must take advantage of and upgrade the foundations created in real relationships. It is a serious challenge for all of us, from all spheres of communication, that the message sent by a brand or company are created and dispersed so that they reach every consumer. Because, despite the significant increase in the use of digital channels, there are certain groups that for various reasons and beliefs, social economic, religious… are still not yet users of digital channels.

na said, less movement, (even) higher consumption of online content, evaluation and re-evaluation of everything. It is as if a pandemic is teaching us to accept change faster and faster, to be flexible and to adapt. There is also the inevitable issue of innovation and investment. Brands and companies that see and seize opportunities during the crisis can become even better and even more important to consumers, thus having a better chance of survival and value growth.

Our creativity, knowledge and experience are extremely important in communication, and this will be even more prominent

Finally, I would like to add that the recent Serbian PR awards were awarded by the expert jury from various fields of communications, under the support of the only national professional association - the Serbian Public Relations Society. This is to show how many creative and amazing people we have in our profession and how fantastic campaigns they have developed

Digital communication channels must take advantage and upgrade the foundations created in real relationships Bad and good news after Covid-19: is there light at the end of the tunnel in 2020? TB: I think a lot depends on ourselves, whether and how we will continue to plan, monitor the situation, act and react. If someone had told us what we would go through and what we would succeed in this year, we probably wouldn't have believed it ourselves. We have the ideas and the strength to make them come to life. A pandemic, unfortunately, can last. The light at the end of the tunnel for us means showing and proving an essential partnership with the business sector and persevering in strategic planning, creativity with both, innovations and adjustments to seize the moment. MAB: Always. A crisis is always an opportunity and a new beginning. It seems to me that Tamara`s and my most frequently mentioned words are - transformation and adaptation. And they are most important because they reflect readiness of companies, brands and people to change and find new ways and channels of communication with their target groups. Our creativity, knowledge and experience are extremely important in communication, and this will be even more prominent.

and implemented despite the circumstances. We are especially proud of the fact that this year our agency, Chapter 4, has been awarded as the Agency of the Year in the category of small and medium agencies, which represents great honor for the whole agency team and an additional motive for all of us to keep our eyes on that light and the future.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

CLICK ON ICON 

CHANGES IN ALL SEGMENTS

Understanding the client's needs in today's world has become a real strategic necessity of any company that offers a service or product

READ THIS ON WEB

C O R P O R AT E

mployer branding will become increasingly important in the "new reality". It is of the utmost importance to set up good systems. The rules relating to doing business are changing and by having a strategic approach in this segment, we are creating a new and better business culture that represents the real strength of the company which will be recognized tomorrow as a desirable employer.

Digital transformation of business is the number one topic today. To what extent will companies have to turn to digitalization and adapt their business to the digital revolution? — I believe that companies no longer have the luxury of thinking about the extent to which they will be digitally transformed. Rather, the question that should be on their minds is whether they have started to transform their business in line with digital changes or not. And, if not, what are they waiting for? Digital transformation is a process that inevitably takes place all over the world and if we are late to board that train, I am afraid that the same destiny that befell BlackBerry awaits us (remember, BlackBerry was once No.1, but it could not cope with the technological revolution of smartphones and very quickly fell into oblivion). Digital transformation of business should not boil down solely to its application. It is a real change because it is one of the prerequisites for the survival of companies in the global market while radically changing business processes and applying completely new business models, including changing the way employees work.

SPECIAL EDITION

COVID-19 appears to have caused an increase in the importance of empathy. Is it now more than ever necessary to understand client needs? — Understanding the client's needs in today's world has become a real strategic necessity of any company that offers a service or product, which is essential for companies remaining competitive. The situation we found ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic has naturally highlighted the importance of empathy in that segment, but I honestly believe that without an ability to see and understand the real needs of our clients, we cannot provide the right professional service. We, at V + O Communication, as one of the leading communications consultancies in Southeast Europe, uniquely approach each client and accordingly create a strategy, solutions and services that give clients a superior advantage over the competition. By showing empathy in everything we do and by giving honest and professional advice to our clients, we prove that there is a good reason why we are where we are, thus justifying the trust that our clients put in us, year-on-year. Companies are increasingly viewed from the aspect of a desirable employer. Has employer branding become even more important in this new context? — Companies often see employer branding as simplistic; as a way to position themselves well with current and potential employees, and/or as a way to influence what people say about them as employers. However, employer branding today represents a real

J E L E NA S I M I Ć MILOJEVIĆ Client Service Director, V+O Communication Serbia

By showing empathy in everything we do and by giving honest and professional advice to our clients, we prove that there is a good reason why we are where we are

need that enables the company to develop a dialogue with employees and initiate strategic changes. V+O's experience with employer branding strategies tells us that effectively dealing with changes and unexpected conditions has become an almost constant requirement for companies in recent years. Therefore, we have been successfully defining strategic approaches and support our clients with achieving their goals. Many companies have become aware of the real value of employer branding during the COVID-19 pandemic because the importance of strategic communication is especially evident in times of crisis. Some of them benefitted greatly from investing in this segment, because thanks to such an approach, they saved their company from an even bigger crisis. In which direction will the communications market develop? What will change and what novelties are we going to see? — The communications market is one of perhaps the fastest-changing markets out there that quickly adapt to current global trends. Consequently, the global crisis that befell us during the COVID-19 pandemic is creating that kind of new reality. It is futile to give any estimates at this time because the outcome of the pandemic is still not visible. Until then, what we know for sure is that only those companies that know how and can adapt quickly will survive, i.e. those companies which know how to remain true to themselves and maintain the high quality of their services in rapid changes of trends.

THE TRUTH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AT ANY TIME

CLICK ON ICON 

Additionally, the future will and already demands proactivity and responsiveness from the communicators e can say for sure communication with the consumers, media and public in general will never be the same after 2020. Finding the right channel to communicate to your consumer using tailormade messages for the specific target group will still be an imperative of communication in the future.

It is estimated that the advertising industry will return to normal only in the second quarter of 2022. How do you assess the current market situation and what are your forecasts? — Having worked in a corporation and knowing the way corporate communicators think, plan and budget, I think it is more likely that advertising budgets, and therefore communication budgets as well, will fully unfreeze in H2 2021. I believe most of the commercial entities perceive 2020 as a year that has been eaten by locusts in terms of planned novelties, launches and profit. On the other side, we can say this was the year of the people – saving people’s lives, jobs, incomes and helping those less fortunate. We can say this year was the year of employer branding unlike any year before. As it was the year of online communication platforms and delivery services. Will this situation affect the change of design and message with which it will be communicated in the future? — “Stay safe” is the global slogan of 2020 and basically the whole world economy embraced it. Physical distance, protective face masks, hand sanitation – all became a part of everyone’s new mindset. Worldwide communicators, as well. So-

C O R P O R AT E

M O N I KA N OV I Č I Ć

READ THIS ON WEB

Client Service Director, V+O Communication Serbia

called “new reality” is not so new anymore. Taking care of ourselves and others became and will be the main communication course. All other messages will be knitted for at least another 9 months. After that we can expect return of the messages which we encountered before the pandemic. Hopefully.

We can say pandemic and self-isolation contributed to TikTok becoming the dominate social network in Q2 2020 and still is

It has been said that the pandemic contributed to the rapid transformation. Will some communication channels undergo their transformation and will some new ones appear? — We can say for sure communication with the consumers, media and public in general will never be the same after 2020. I think offline events “suffered” the most. Both on a global level and in V+O Communication, event management went 95% online. At the beginning of the pandemic everyone assumed that that industry is dying. However, as the time went by, it transformed as no other communication tool in past decade. It almost became a new shiny tool everyone wanted to try and own. Suddenly, every panel and conference were on Zoom, WebinarJam, GoToWebinar or some other online platform. On the other side, having most or all employees work from home changed internal communication a lot - the way of communication with employees, the way meetings are held, the tone of voice.

One gets the impression that the HR and PR departments worked as one as never before. One more place saw changes. Social networks. We can say pandemic and self-isolation contributed to TikTok becoming the dominate social network in Q2 2020 and still is. People needed fun, humour and different connection with others and this platform gave them exactly that. Now we can see a lot of global companies embracing this communication channel which is quite cruel to non-authenticity and therefore very challenging to communicators. No copy/ paste communication can be used here. You need to be witty and genuine in order for TikTok algorithm to recognize you and their audience to accept your product or service. What will be the key to communication in the future? — We in V+O Communication believe that the key to communication at any time is the truth. Additionally, the future will and already demands proactivity and responsiveness from the communicators. “Packaging” of the messages will be important, as well. Finding the right channel to communicate to your consumer using tailormade messages for the specific target group will still be an imperative of communication in the future.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

TEAMWORK AND STRONG INTERNAL COMMUNICATION COME FIRST

CLICK ON ICON 

In a year in which a large number of companies faced serious challenges, Mlekoprodukt has managed to remain an example of quality and responsible business

READ THIS ON WEB

C O R P O R AT E

large family of employees, from production to distribution, has used the advantages of digital communications to ensure uninterrupted functioning and constant availability of products, even when personal contacts have been reduced, to ensure that products always reach consumers.

What was the biggest challenge for your company after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus? — Our team of employees, business partners and our loyal consumers always come first. We view them as one big family, where everyone knows that they will never be left in the lurch. We have firmly decided to be a point of support and we have succeeded in that. We sent a clear message to everyone in our surroundings that even in difficult times, they can count on our company. We simply did not dare to stop and allow any of the "family members" to feel unsafe, especially our consumers, because everything we do, we do for them. The first challenges during the epidemic related to ensuring the unhindered purchase of milk from dairy farmers, because we cannot leave our subcontractors alone and without support. Our employees are real heroes as they performed all of their work tasks continuously. Together with our team, we have quickly switched to digital communication via social networks and our company platforms, as well as through

SPECIAL EDITION

B O JA NA M O M Č I L OV Communication and CSR Manager at Mlekoprodukt

We support everything that promotes true values and that directly contributes to local wellbeing and development

announcements and bulletin boards. It was imperative to reduce live contacts, as well as to keep employees informed of the latest decisions and protocols. Were you involved in helping the community during the pandemic and in what way? — At Mlekoprodukt, we believe that success is not only measured by good business results, but also by the level of responsibility towards the society in which we operate and of which we are a part. Our environment deserves to be taken care of. We support everything that promotes true values and that directly contributes to local well-being and development. In this regard, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with our health workers and the city of Zrenjanin in mind, and we donated a device that boosts sampling process, as well as expedites the processing time for corona tests to the Institute of Public Health from Zrenjanin, guided by the idea that we are all stronger together in the fight against this very dangerous virus.

The Biser Nutri Academy is one of your ongoing projects. What is the main motive behind this project and how did the coronavirus pandemic affect its implementation? — The Biser Nutri Academy is just one segment in which we apply the principle of socially responsible business, and on which the entire business philosophy of Mlekoprodukt and the Savencia Fromage & Dairy is based. We started this project aware of the fact that, according to the latest research, every fifth adult and every twentieth child in Serbia are overweight, which leads to the conclusion that improper nutrition of children has become a serious social problem. Our global strategic social responsibility initiative called Oxygene is currently being implemented in more than 120 countries, and one part of it is raising awareness and educating children, parents and school staff about the importance of proper nutrition in a child's development. Mlekoprodukt contributes to the resolution of this problem. At the first online conference of the Biser Nutri Academy, parents and other conference participants had the opportunity to get better acquainted with the principles of healthy nutrition of children and how to choose, organize and prepare healthy meals for their little ones. We talked about this topic both from expert and layman's point of view, intending to send the right message in an interesting way. The reactions of the participants were great which shows us that we are on the right path. Therefore, Mlekoprodukt will continue with the Biser Nutri Academy which activities are mainly aimed at children who are our future.

NEW AGE BRINGS GREATER SOLIDARITY

CLICK ON ICON 

The community seeks security, solidarity and campaigns aimed at improving the world, and thus our lives. New and useful information and education are also part of the new communication C O R P O R AT E

espite the crisis that has befallen us, our approach has not changed - development, creativity, new technologies and personalization are what will continue to decide who is competitive in the market. The global trend shows that trust and openness remain the most important values, but that the new age also brings greater solidarity.

The crisis has greatly changed the approach and the way clients communicate. How much has it influenced your strategic approach to each client? — Almost immediately, our industry found itself experiencing a "new reality". After the introduction of the state of emergency in Serbia, as well as in the region, the consumption of TV content increased to 20%, and visits to websites to as much as 60%. At the same time, advertising dropped and planned marketing campaigns were stopped or postponed. Also, the importance of crisis communication and socially responsible business came to the fore, which became mandatory for every serious company. As such, we immediately joined numerous campaigns, started working from home, and to educate the general public, we published recommendations on our website on how to behave during the state of emergency and make good use of that period. What will change in the relationship with clients, as well as in the relationship between clients and their customers and the community? — The implementation of measures, such as keeping physical distance and limiting the number of people per square metre, has already changed com-

READ THIS ON WEB

A L E K SA N D RA KOŽ U L Communication Director External, Internal and Digital, Novaston Marketing Consultancy Novaston platform

Communication and marketing are adapting to the new reality not only in terms of content but also in the form in which that content will be packaged

munication, not only in private lives but also in doing business. Online sales have erupted, employees spend less time in offices, distance learning is increasingly used... Digital content is already an indispensable part of our reality and adequate communication channels must be found while marketing campaigns have to be adjusted. In addition to fast and timely communication, messages of empathy, togetherness and responsibility are still important to send. Any promotion of selfish interests or abuse for profit leads to loss of reputation and failure of both brands and companies. The community seeks security, solidarity and campaigns aimed at improving the world, and thus our lives. This is, of course, difficult without having passion, vision and development, so new and useful information and education are also part of the new communication. Is our market ready for the changes that are happening all around us and how can we achieve synergy between marketing activities and sales, on the one hand, and new customer needs, on the other? — Severe economic consequences are already being felt globally, but there are also examples that some brands have even profited during this period. The only difference is how much they understood the importance of direct communication with consumers, were flexible and changed plans and business models according to the new circumstances. Successful brands have continued to

launch new products and services, tailored to customer needs, while still guaranteeing their safety and quality. Communication and marketing are adapting to the new reality not only in terms of content but also in the form in which that content will be packaged. Numerous analyses have shown that in times of crisis, marketing budgets should not be reduced, but rather used well. Classic advertising campaigns and promotions with discounts contribute to sales growth in the short term. On the other hand, brands that provide consumers with a good experience and a sense of connection through shopping and fast and two-way communication will have a satisfied and loyal consumer even in difficult times. Fortunately, there are such examples in Serbia too. How will the projects be implemented now that the pandemic seems to have calmed down and what are your plans for the next period in terms of business expansion? — We were not idle and we used this time to assess our market position, as well as to launch new projects and establish new collaborations. Our platform works precisely so that it can respond to challenges and be equally successful in various segments, from real estate management, project management and technical maintenance to marketing. Also, we are continuing to develop these services in the segments of business space and logistics sector, both in the domestic market and the region.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

THERE ARE NO LIMITS TO QUALITY COMMUNICATION

CLICK ON ICON 

Investing in the bakery business, the Lesaffre Company through its products has been present in the Serbian market for more than two decades C O R P O R AT E READ THIS ON WEB

esaffre company as a primarily B2B oriented company invest a great effort in customer relationship. Communication, trust and respect are the three main axes that we are following through our business model. Having in mind current circumstances due to COVID, it is definitely a challenge to keep this orientation toward our partners and key clients. This means that we hade to look for the right and new models to stay in constant contact with industrial bakery segment, craft bakeries and key stakeholders we make business with. Although digital is not a primary and preferred communication channel for our target group, we put a strong effort to support clients and to stay in contact this way.

To what extent has Lesaffre in Serbia adapted to the new circumstances when it comes to B2B communication with customers? — In B2B business, keeping constant contact with customers and continue providing support is the key to success. Given that our company adheres the protection measures prescribed by law and the recommendations of our Group, we had to change our market approach in terms of communication. We did not hold events and seminars or have gatherings with customers at which we usually share experiences and knowledge and, of course, build relationships. That is why we used the new

SPECIAL EDITION

situation to maintain our contact with partners at any cost, primarily through digital communication channels. The event we organized in mid-September is the best proof that even in the current conditions, you can organize a quality event, exchange experiences and have a good time. We are especially glad that the guests were delighted with the idea to meet, at least in this way, which is unusual for all of us. Now that we have mastered this as well, we realize that there are no limits to quality communication as anything is possible. What was the reason for the event you held recently at the Crowne Plaza Hotel? — We wanted to assemble the winners of the last Pekarijada competition and the members of the jury, to exchange opinions and prepare for the next event. We put together a unique hybrid online event. Since the event was supposed to take place in early March, we have already prepared and adapted everything we had planned to the new situation, because the guests watched the event from their homes, via the Zoom application. Of course, while adhering all prevention measures at the gathering in the outdoor area of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, we hired professional hosts who moderated the programme, had very professional technical support staff in terms of lighting and we had cameras to film the event from the air and make the whole programme look like

M I L E NA O B RA D OV I Ć Marketing Manager at Lesaffre RS for Serbia Oriental & Central Europe Zone

The event we organized in mid-September is the best proof that even in the current conditions, you can organize a quality event, exchange experiences and have a good time

an outdoor TV show. Our three colleagues from the company were the host’s event, while the other colleagues watched the event remotely, together with other guests. On the same day, the guests were treated to a home delivery service so they didn’t have to leave the comfort of their homes and got personalized gifts that were their framed photos and a plaque with their names. We exchanged experiences and on that occasion received useful suggestions for the next competitions. The event’s participants had the opportunity to test the new Lesaffre products that were home-delivered to them in a package and got to assess the quality of the products in an online survey during the event. An artist who performed on the electric violin during the break was a special treat. What impressions do you take from the event? Did you get any useful tips that you can use for the next Pekarijada? — The Lesaffre Company is immensely proud of Pekarijada, its longevity and all the participants who made it possible for our modest project to grow into a prestigious event. For years, we have been choosing the best bakeries in Serbia while trying to improve the professional standards in baking. The observations of the participants, who relay to use their experiences first-hand and give valuable advice, are of great importance to us. We value other people's opinions, and we are professionals who pay equal attention to praise and criticism. We want to do everything in our power to raise this lovely event to an even higher level.

SECRETS TO SURVIVE THE RECESSION: THE CHANEL CASE Shift your focus. Crises can be great opportunities for the prepared minds C O R P O R AT E

READ THIS ON WEB

e spoke with Tony Lux who is the CEO and founder of the company of the same name, inventor of Marketing Luxury Goods the French Way. After a decade of studying the French luxury brands, he does teach and consult on how to grow businesses using French Way secrets. As a Diplomacy & Commerce reader, Tony is offering you a complimentary resource to make your next big idea successful. Visit www.tonylux.com/gift to claim it now.

What is the biggest business communication mistake you noticed during the pandemics? — In any market, having a strong brand is more important than the short-term sales. Unfortunately, many brands have decided to reduce their prices to boost sales. Sure, you could make more money short-term with a promotion. But long-term, it weakens the brand. You will never see a 50% discount on a Rolex simply because Rolex is a powerful brand. And powerful brands do not need discounts... During emergency times, we often make similar emotional decisions instead of data driven decisions. We sacrifice long-term gratification (a strong brand) for short-term benefits (immediate sales). Yet, data shows how powerful it is to stick to one long-term core message no matter what. That is how Montblanc became so strong and famous, by focusing their communication on their “writing instruments” concept. Only decades later on did they expand

their brand. The best things always need time, including brand building. Many economists are predicting a massive economic crisis. Which marketing philosophy do you recommend to stay profitable during uncertain times? — Shift your focus. Crises can be great opportunities for the prepared minds. At the beginning of the Great Depression, the legendary Coco Chanel saw her industry dangerously exposed. Paul Poiret, her biggest competitor, was forced to close his fashion house hit by the stock market crash and depression. What would have you done? Instead of slowing down, Chanel created perhaps her boldest exposition her first and only high jewellery collection. To reduce the costs, she made a deal with the Universal Alliance of Diamond Workers. The stones would be provided by the Alliance, reducing her risk to (almost) zero. Her genius was to understand the long-term consequences of such an event on her brand. Being featured in famous magazines, newspapers and interviews all around the world would be much more valuable than just selling more items that day. Her plan worked. She got free massive publicity. The international press, eager for news in a time of rare product launches, talked about it. It built even more what would become the Chanel legacy. Do you think that digitization, which has accelerated during the crisis, is going to change consumer habits as well as brand communication? — Yes and no. Of course, we recent-

TO N Y LU X CEO of Tony Lux, Marketing Luxury Goods the French Way

Words can lose their exact meaning when translated, but powerful symbols are universal

ly saw how practical and valuable it is to be able to order groceries, essential items or even books and clothes online - especially during lockdowns. However, when it comes to brand communication, buyers are humans, online or offline. Therefore, all psychologically based laws of marketing are universal. Well… as long as we are selling to humans and not robots! A brand is a brand. Take any powerful brand today: Coca-Cola, Apple, Tesla… What do they have in common? Their brand has the same identity online and offline. The biggest issue is not digitalization. It allowed brands to become global, international brands. Borders do not exist online. Because of that, the challenge for this century is the language issue. To make sure your brand identity can be understood in many languages, all around the world. One sure way to do it is to use visual symbols instead of words. Words can lose their exact meaning when translated, but powerful symbols are universal. How do you see the future of business and marketing post-pandemic? Will the offline business world be replaced? — When the TV appeared people said the radio is going to die. When the digital books appeared people said the book industry is going to die. However both industries are still standing. Moreover, digitalization can`t replace the closeness of personal meetings. I believe the future of marketing belongs to those able to simplify the buying process using technology (online) and increase the quality of the relationship (offline) because the best bounds are made in person. If you do that, you have the best of both worlds. Technology should not replace humanity, but support it.

SPECIAL EDITION

CLICK ON ICON 

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

I FOUNDED RAZOR ON A TIDE OF ENTHUSIASM

CLICK ON ICON 

Enthusiasm is contagious and when it’s wellfounded it is easily accepted among associates and clients. It often multiplies the real strengths of business processes, which enables faster scaling and progress. It was on such a tide and with such an emotion that I founded Razor - and I still enjoy that ride to this day

C O R P O R AT E

READ THIS ON WEB

V U K M I R KOV I Ć

e spoke with Vuk Mirković about founding Razor Communications eighteen years ago, when he was only 21 years old. Through years of work, he gained international experience and reputation, improving his skills and knowledge while constantly running ahead of time. It is worth mentioning that he participated in the Obama-Biden presidential campaign in 2008, has worked for Philip Zepter, and was a project manager at the World Bank, MasterCard, Eircom and many other Fortune 500 companies. Over the past decade, he started or invested in more than ten businesses from his Irish HQ including Razor, TailorFin, Delicent, Parkeyz, BlockChain Reactor, Luedu, DCI… All of these businesses have a digital component and significantly influence the digitalization of various industries. He is also the co-founder of the Serbian-Irish Chamber of Commerce and its Secretary-General.

SPECIAL EDITION

At a time when Razor is celebrating its first 18 years, we would like to ask you what was the beginning like? How did a 21-year-old come up with the idea to start his own business? — Every beginning is difficult, so they say. The launch of Razor, on the contrary, evokes enthusiasm and beautiful emotions in my memory, a ‘song and dance’ emotion, so to speak. That certainly has to do with age, youth, as well as with being ignorant of business reality. Somehow, my business started growing and it swiftly started occupying my attention, time and energy. I believe that starting a business, especially in a nascent niche, is easier when you have no idea what you are dealing with. Realistically speaking, I had no idea what doing business and running a company required and implied. I did not make particularly thoughtful or calculated decisions but was guided by sporting ideals and childish insolence. The aforementioned enthusiasm

Executive Director, Razor Communications

Growing up, these eighteen years until we reached ‘adulthood’, Razor witnessed major changes in the business and social order, often in a crisis environment

is contagious and when it’s well-founded it is easily accepted among associates and clients. It often multiplies the real strengths of business processes, which enables faster scaling and progress. It was on such a tide and with such an emotion that I founded Razor - and I still enjoy that ride to this day. Business growth is what every business owner wants and is committed to achieving. How did Razor develop? — Growth and development are a challenge for every organization or organism; prior to that, there should be a quality mix of knowledge, experience, ideas and happiness in place. Managing changes inevitably requires changes in oneself: improvements on a personal level for the benefit of the collective. The winners are the ones who adjust the fastest to long-term projections while being flexible enough to iterate those adjustments. The input parameters of long-term projections thus do not have to be perfect or completely correct. They will often be wrong, but they must be sufficient to create a momentum that will lead the organization in the desired direction. There are often situations that require a change of direction, and the quality of the response

to that change is definitely measured by the speed of reaction – more quick changes are better than fewer delayed, forced changes. What was the turning point in the development of the company and you personally? — The company’s incorporation in the EU, i.e. in the Republic of Ireland, more than a decade ago, was an important moment in my career and the company’s history which was a result of curiosity and desire to improve, but most of all, of the re-examination of one's own values. This incorporation is some-

thing that changes the perspective and opens up various possibilities, namely the possibility of working with the best and competing with the most innovative companies. It puts you on a map and draws a path you can take. How much does your sports (water polo) career help you run a business? — Working in a team is close to playing a team sport - you just have to insist

ABOUT VUK

on everyone (the game participants) to contribute in the part where they are the best. Balance in the team guarantees the team’s satisfaction, while good results come from the quality of the engagement of the weakest link. I have always tried to surround myself with such a team where I will be the weakest link because being aware of my own qualities/shortcomings can compensate for the team’s. How did your company cope during this crisis and do global changes affect your business? If they do, in what way? — Growing up, these eighteen years

There are often situations that require a change of direction, and the quality of the response to that change is definitely measured by the speed of reaction

until we reached ‘adulthood’, Razor witnessed major changes in the business and social order, often in a crisis environment. A crisis is certainly the best catalyst for change, and such situations always create new opportunities and release new solutions to existing or caused challenges. The speed of adapting to changes will be decisive in business in the coming period; it will be the definition of success. Large-scale cri-

Vuk Mirković is the founder and director of Razor Communications. He was born in Belgrade in 1981, where he attended elementary and high school. He studied industrial design at the Polytechnic Academy. In his youth, he played water polo in the senior team of VK Crvena Zvezda. Today, he plays for the

ses will recur in the future, and when they do, they and the assumption of rapid change should be embraced and implanted in the mentality, in the system setting, if you will. What can we learn from the Irish and what can they learn from us? — At the start of the internationalization of business and incorporation outside Serbia, I analyzed several options with my consultants: Switzerland, Cyprus and Ireland. In short, the choice fell on Ireland because of the English language, the euro as the official currency, the fact that it is the first destination for US capital on its way to Europe and the existence of a business ecosystem surrounding IT / technology. Later, I realized how many historical and social similarities the two cultures have. They share close values on which the culture of tradition is based. The good lessons lie in the courage and determination of the Irish to bring about or adapt to change. They persevered in the 1980s in their effort to reform their society and break free of political corruption and institutionalized crime, thus creating the prerequisites for a progressive society which they are today. About ten years ago, as one of the countries hit hardest by the global financial crisis, Ireland silently and peacefully entered the reconfiguration of its own economy and financial system, empowering those sectors that had prospects, while distancing themselves from losers and failed business models. They were dedicated, persistent, devoid of populism and big words. They quickly got back on their feet and regained their earlier position on the world map. It is through my engagement at the ISCC (the Irish-Serbian Chamber of Commerce) that I want to promote positive examples from the Republic of Ireland that should serve our society as a guide, a good example and a lesson on how to improve. Realistically speaking, we have nothing to offer Ireland except sunny weather, rakija and beautiful women. Come to think of it, that’s more than enough which is why business meetings in Serbia are a prerequisite for cooperation and the basis of a business relationship.

first team of the veteran water polo club ‘Belgrade’. Restless in spirit and very enterprising, after graduating high school, he started working as a salesman, and, guided by the vision of having a 360-degree-agency, he founded Razor when he was 21 years old.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

CLICK ON ICON 

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

EMPATHY HAS TAKEN A NEW DIMENSION We can safely say that the changes are visible and here to stay for the foreseeable future READ THIS ON WEB

C O R P O R AT E

ooking at the behavior both worldwide and small, domestic brands, we saw a lot of fast adaptation and change of campaigns. We also saw a lot social conciseness in communication. Keeping on the track of awareness, listening and responding will certainly keep the good relationships of brands/companies and their stakeholders – both internal and external.

What will the development and communication of brands look like in the conditions of the "new normality" and what will change the most? — Big crises often lead to permanent changes, we call them the ‘new normal’ now. Economic, social, political, and cultural spheres are redefined in times of difficulty, In the case of COVID-19, we have already begun to see significant changes—which may or may not become permanent—in diverse sectors such as remote work, e-commerce and delivery, travel, consumerism. It will be interesting to see what will stay and what will return to the ‘old normal’. Communicators are experiencing a pattern shift, with increased levels of engagement, connectivity, activism and, above all, a higher valuation on transparency when building reputations. We have to look at several factor and as communicators – we have to engage and listen to our public.

SPECIAL EDITION

How to respond to the new needs of the market and consumers, which have changed permanently and how to find a balance in communication? — We have witnessed in the development of social media and digital communications that the market and our public can engage in a two way conversation. Listening was always the key factor to communication, so I would say the answer lies in that fact- we have to listen before we can speak. Modeling our messages and communication to what we hear and what the market needs. To find the fine line of not overdoing it, observing the effect of our actions will give us perspective of how much we actually need to communicate without being intrusive, without exaggeration. Empathy and understanding have taken a new dimension in today’s communication and are of key importance to our business. Or any business. What changes in brand communication has the crisis led to and how has it will affected companies to make a turn in their performance? — The presence of brands and companies if taking into considerations all factors and change in the future should be in response to the need of the markets and target groups. However, the values and goals should be clearly communicated and implemented in all brand and corporate activities. The authen-

ticity and truth of a brand is what will be most important. N E V E NA KU RTOV I Ć Director, Fusion communications

In this “Era of Truth,” consistency and genuine engagement must remain a key part of our communication strategy

What has the situation shown, are the brands vulnerable and has the trust been broken? — I would not say that there was a breach in brand trust. Looking at the behavior both worldwide and small, domestic brands, we saw a lot of fast adaptation, change of campaigns, we also saw a lot social conciseness in communication. Keeping on the track of awareness, listening and responding will certainly keep the good relationships of brands/companies and their stakeholders – both internal and external. In today’s age, cancel culture has become wildly spread and happens overnight. You have to be careful what you say, where you say it and to whom you say it. Taking into consideration everything I mentioned above, you can strengthen your relations with your community and continue growing and communicating your brand. You can not fake the truth. What are your forecasts, how the communications market will look like in 2021? — In this “Era of Truth,” consistency and genuine engagement must remain a key part of our communication strategy. Much more than before the communication of both brand and corporate segments will be important and crucial.

THE QUALITY IS IMPORTANT FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE BRAND

CLICK ON ICON 

We are sure that this is one of the reasons why our customers remained faithful to us during this period C O R P O R AT E

uick reaction to new circumstances, willingness to easily adapt and transform due to any market change or customer habit, with the use of technology is the key for success. MOL Serbia has responded well to all challenges, we have worked every day to provide customers with the best possible service and we believe that we will emerge from the crisis even stronger.

How do you see the development of brands in the future in the "new normal"? How do brands survive and adapt to the situation? — Research conducted in the past few months has shown that customers are more cautious, that they value quality and brands that are committed to the same socially responsible goals that are important to them. Despite the crisis and uncertainty, we tried to help the local community in which we operate. In cooperation with the Serbian Philanthropic Forum and UNICEF, we have realized assistance to medical institutions in Serbia in the amount of about 16,000 euros. Also, we continue cooperation with Road Traffic Safety Agency and provide free online education for parent drivers on proper installment of child safety seats as continuation of “Games are for children, children lives are not a game”. The crisis has confirmed that a quality product is important for the success of the brand. At MOL Serbia, we offer our customers MOL EVO fuels of high quality and all the research we have conducted has shown us that they are perceived that way. We are sure that this is one of the reasons why our customers remained faithful to us during this period.

READ THIS ON WEB

J E L E NA Z L ATA N OV I Ć Corporate Marketing and Communication Expert at MOL Serbia

We have followed the trends, but also listened to the comments and suggestions of customers because that is the only right way to respond to the new needs of the market

How to respond to the new needs of the market and consumers, which have changed permanently? — The online store had a full swing in the previous period, but in order to sell fuel, the customer must come to the station. That is why, I emphasize once again, it is important that the customer believes in the quality of the product. On the other hand, we have followed the trends, but also listened to the comments and suggestions of customers because that is the only right way to respond to the new needs of the market. As MOL Serbia service stations are not only places where you can refuel, but also have a coffee or make a basic purchase, we have started cooperation with Donesi platform. Today in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Pancevo and Nis, you can order coffee, some of the products from Fresh Corner or Shop online through Donesi website or application. Which communication channels were particularly in focus during the pandemic and how did you adjust communication with consumers / clients? — Even before the pandemic, our focus was on the communication with customers at the service stations. Our employees have various types of training on this topic. A smile, a nice word, a host approach is something that our customers are used to at service stations. During the previous months, it was important for us that our employees and customers know that MOL care about them, and that was the most im-

portant communication message. "MOL care" is not just another slogan, but we try to show it with our actions - from the attitude towards employees, the attitude of our employees towards customers to all preventive measures we take such as more frequent disinfection of all surfaces, installation of flexi barriers at service stations, etc. We have used digital communication channels much more. Our team at the service stations, Depot and in the HQ is our greatest strength and we have paid special attention to internal communication. What awaits us in the future? Bad and good news after Covid-19: is there a light at the end of the tunnel in 2020? — Covid -19 has changed our view of life, our priorities, allowed us to spend more time with family and do the things we love. I honestly couldn’t say that 2020 brought only bad things into our lives, both privately and professionally. Thanks to Covid, we have accelerated development processes, got a better view of our businesses and set our priorities better. The use of technology and online communication platforms has opened new vistas and will surely change the settings and thinking of companies about processes and ways of working in the future. Also, it is evident that brands have focused more on customers / service users, we listened to each other more, and we all united together in order to help us emerge victorious from the struggle with the whole situation.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

5 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TRENDS FOR 2021

TRENDS

1. INCREASED EMPHASIS ON HEALTH AND SAFETY

Consumers are not only purchasing more health-related products, like hand sanitizer and immunity boosters, but they are also more likely to purchase from a brand that they perceive to be safe and minimize unnecessary risk. A recent Consumer Index Report by Ernst & Young reports that 26% of consumers surveyed prefer brands and products they trust to be safe and minimize unnecessary risks. Fifty-seven percent say they now pay more attention to how healthy the products they buy are for them. PRO TIP: Communicate how you are prioritizing the health and safety of your staff and consumers. Consider less of the soft and cuddly and more of the “this is what we’re doing.”

The novel coronavirus has changed everything for businesses and their customers. Here are some of the trends that have grown out of the pandemic that will be with us into next year he pandemic made two things very clear for PR professionals. First, a strong communications strategy and crisis communication plan are key for not only staying afloat, but also coming out of the pandemic in a stronger position. Second, it is crucial to embrace the power of the pivot. Leaders and PR professionals who are nimble and able to adapt to fast-changing trends in the marketplace are in a better position to overcome adversity and come out stronger post-recession. As communications pros, the power of the pivot hinges on

SPECIAL EDITION

understanding our consumer. PR professionals must take these trends into consideration as they continue to navigate COVID-19 and begin crafting their strategies for 2021. These five consumer trends are not only here to stay, but they completely change how we do business. If you can incorporate these trends into your communications strategies, you will not only earn the trust and loyalty of your target consumer, but you will help the brand or business you work for continue to grow and thrive through—and beyond—COVID-19.

This is not the time to go silent. People are looking to you for leadership and support

2. VALUE BASED SPENDING

COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement have increased value-based spending in the U.S. Consumers not only want to purchase goods and services locally or from Black-owned businesses, but also want to buy from brands that align with their values. The same Ernst & Young survey shows that 59% of surveyed consumers are likely to shop more locally in the long term. In ad-

dition, a recent Consumer Index Report by Suzy Consumer Insights shares that 65% of consumers are more likely to support a brand that cares about the same social issues they do. Nearly half of those surveyed are researching and purchasing from Black-owned businesses, and more than half of consumers are wanting brands to stand up for social issues. PRO TIP: Use your reach to be a leader for change. More than words, consumers want action. They want to see what exactly you are doing to drive change in your industry and community. This humanizes your brand and earns good will and trust from your consumers and stakeholders. This is not the time to go silent. People are looking to you for leadership and support.

3. CREATING A HUMAN CONNECTION, ONLINE

Ninety percent of people in the U.S. are spending more time on their devices. We are exercising, socializing, working, shopping, and more—online. It’s not just Gen Z and Millennials anymore; it is all of us. Though digital fatigue is real, there are certain digital experiences that consumers are getting used to, like BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup in Store). Your website and social channels are now the front door to your brand or business. You should be investing in

FOUR PR TRENDS TO CONSIDER FOR 2021

how you stand out from competitors and improve marketing performance. Technology can help create a personalized shopping experience, like the Fenty example above, as well as better customer service and convenient shopping experiences. Voice-activated ordering and contactless payment options are good examples of this. Make sure you carefully choose how you incorporate technology into your user experience since today’s tech savvy consumer has a lower tolerance for missteps. Make sure you are catering directly to their needs, and provide a high level of service.

e-commerce, virtual events, your online channels and content. This is how consumers are discovering and engaging with brands and businesses today. PRO TIP: The digital experience is now the human experience. Consumers still crave human-to-human connection. How can you create a more personalized, human experience online? Virtual events, authentic content (especially video) and empathy (a lot of empathy).

4. NEW TECH

Shoppers are now open to trying new tech like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to try out their purchase before they commit. Fenty by Rihanna allows consumers to upload a photo of themselves to test out new makeup. Warby Parker has a “virtual try on” option on its app, and IKEA has a new AR app that allows customers to visualize furniture and kitchen designs in their home. The approach is two-fold. It creates a personalized experience for the shopper, and allows them to experience the product outside of a store, where they would normally be able to try the product on. PRO TIP: As communications pros, we need to look for ways to use technology to better connect with our community, and offer the best customer experience possible. Customer service is

5. DRIVEN BY DATA

There is an amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with our customers

1) Short-Form Videos Facebook recently announced its push to try to prioritize videos in their algorithm to promote more “meaningful interactions.” YouTube has also announced its plans for its version of a short-form video platform called Shorts. Taking advantage of these features in their early stages will help you and your organization in the long run. With uncertainty hanging over the future of TikTok, creators are now turning to other short-form video platforms. 2) Podcasts Around 104 million people in the United States listened to at least one podcast in the last month and 54% of those listeners say that they consider buying products or services mentioned in those podcasts. There are a number

Consumers are feeling more comfortable sharing their data if they trust it will be used responsibly. Ernst & Young reports 53% of consumers are happy to make their personal data available if it helps to monitor and track an infection cluster. This trend is lending itself to business opportunities and increased transparency between a brand and consumer. There’s an opportunity for brands and businesses to get to know their customers on a whole new level and personalize offers, promotions, and experiences like never before. PRO TIP: As a marketing and communications leader, you own the consumer/brand relationship within your organization. If customers are more likely to share their personal data, we have a responsibility to make sure we don’t take advantage of their trust, but to also use that information to create a more personal customer experience. This is an amazing opportunity to get up close and personal with our customers. With data and technology, like AI, we can create highly personalized customer experiences with tailored content (like Facebook and Spotify), but also optimize our communications and business strategies to best serve our target customer.

of ways to take advantage of the increasing popularity of podcasts. 3)Social Awareness The influence of the internet can make or break your reputation if you are not careful. Staying informed on what is going on in society and what is trending in your industry can help prevent your business from falling victim to negative press or mentions. 4)Virtual Events & Live Streaming Because of social distancing restrictions and the concern for public health & safety, many industry conferences are being held online now. The future of in-person events is still uncertain, but many PR and communications pros are shifting gears and reallocating their event budgets by hosting virtual events.

SPECIAL EDITION

THE SECRET

FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

NEW WAYS OF COMMUNICATION WILL BE NECESSARY

CLICK ON ICON 

I believe that the strength of a brand is reflected in its behaviour and actions in less than ideal circumstances C O R P O R AT E

K R I ST I NA Č U B R I L O

READ THIS ON WEB

Communication Expert, OTP Bank Serbia

t does not matter whether your brand belongs to the financial or some other industry, you need to treat your client or consumer in the right way at the right time.

How can the trust between a brand and consumers be built given the current circumstances? How did you communicate with your clients? — The first thing we asked each other at the Bank when the state of emergency was declared was "How do the clients feel now and how should we respond to their needs?". Accordingly, we devised a strategy that is still in force with the same guiding principles – transparency and timely provision of relevant information where the client expects them. From the very onset of the pandemic, we referred clients to those services and products that they can carry out from their homes: paying bills via m-banking or e-banking, obtaining cash loan via mCash service, sending money to their loved ones using the P2P option, chatting with online banker, insurance, etc. It is in such situations that the relationship with clients grows strong, while trust is built and boosted. It does not matter whether your brand belongs to the financial or some other industry, you need to treat your client or consumer in the right way at the right time.

SPECIAL EDITION

We still don't know what the so-called new normal is, but it is definitely here. How will the communication develop during the new normal? — Communications have shown all their potential and power in this crisis. They showed us how, where and how much we can communicate. They erased the differences between online and offline environments, ensured that we continue to operate smoothly, nurture our brand and present new successes to the public, as well as products that will make everyday life easier for clients in these circumstances. The phase of adapting to changes has passed, and I believe that we will be introduced to certain new tools, for which it will be important to choose the right content and create it authentically and usefully. Over 170 applicants sent their entries for the Generator competition. What does working on such project look like during the crisis? How did you communicate with the competition participants? — Entrepreneurship and innovation are our two basic pillars of corporate social responsibility and the basis for the Generator project that has been launched almost four years ago. We originally planned for this year's event to be organized a little later and cover a different topic, but the pandemic took us

Our priority is for the client to feel safe and secure in these unpredictable times

in a different direction. We re-focused Generator Gamechanger to support digital projects (be it a ready-made solution or an idea that tends to grow into a website, an application, a platform) that can help small and medium-sized businesses overcome the crisis. After the jury selected ten semi-finalists whom we promoted in the classic media and social networks, we picked two winners won one million dinars each, awards from our partners and the continuation of media promotion. Communication with the participants, delivery of their solutions and ideas, the judging process and announcing the winners, i.e. the implementation of the whole project, took place completely online, which was quite challenging and required effort and constant commitment of our marketing and communications team. However, considering that we function and approach the work as a team, such projects only bring us new experiences and give us satisfaction in everything we do. To what extent will companies have to turn to digitalization and new ways of communication? — Everything we have learned in the new normal needs to be applied and upgraded. Digitalization is our present and the sooner we incorporate it into every segment of our business, the faster we will achieve greater prosperity and development. On the other hand, adaptation, acceptance and good management of new ways of communication will be necessary, but all of that will open new doors for us and allow us to keep pace with the developed countries.

Serbia Gets its First Lobbyists Lobbying is an important segment of democracy, as long as it takes place in a legal, legitimate and ethical manner

COMMENT

SLADJANA ADAMOVIĆ ILIĆ Registered lobbyist on behalf of the Republic of Serbia and the owner of Media Skills

n Serbia, the Law on Lobbying came into force in 2019, and it regulates the conditions and manner of lobbying, as well as the lobbying rules. The law defines that every lobbyist is obliged to prevent the occurrence of harmful consequences for the public interest and that they have to act in accordance with the principle of integrity during lobbying activities in a legal, transparent, responsible and ethical manner. The law also prescribes a rule that lobbyists and those who are lobbied have to report to the Anti-Corruption Agency about meetings and contacts with politicians and other public officials. However, the financial compensation for lobbying activities is not public information and lobbyists are not obliged to reveal their fees to the state authorities, nor to the Anti-Corruption Agency during the lobbying process. According to the Republic of Serbia’s Law on Lobbying, lobbying is defined as an activity that influences state bodies, autonomous provinces and local self-government and public bodies founded by the state of Serbia in the process of passing laws, other regulations and general acts in order to pursue the interests of the beneficiaries of the lobbying process in accordance with the law. An official or appointed person is prohibited from being a lobbyist in the activity in which they were engaged as a public official for at least two years from the termination of office term. Lobbying can be performed by a natural person who is registered with the Register of Lobbyists, as well as a company that is registered with the Register of Legal Entities that perform lobbying. According to the Law on Lobbying, for-

READ THIS ON WEB

eign chambers of commerce are considered unregistered lobbyists and can lobby only for the interests of their members. It remains to be seen how lobbying activities in Serbia will really work. It is important for Serbia that the Law on Lobbying was passed and that the first lobbyists were ap-

compiled by Transparency International EU, published in September 2019, Brussels is the second lobbying capital in the world after Washington, D.C. At least 48,000 lobbyists work at the centre of the EU in organizations that want to influence the institutions and decisions of the European Union,

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR SERBIA THAT THE LAW ON LOBBYING WAS PASSED AND THAT THE FIRST LOBBYISTS WERE APPOINTED pointed. All of that is a result of the long-term efforts of the founders and members of the Serbian Lobbying Association, as well as its President Nenad Vuković during whose mandate the law was passed. As a small country with a developing economy, we should also keep in mind the situation in Europe regarding the lobbying profession. According to the report

and 7,500 of them are accredited to have access to the European Parliament. It is estimated that almost 12,000 organizations in the European Union have a total annual lobbying budget of 1.8 billion euro. These data indicate that Serbia should have professional lobbyists in its ranks too who will be able to act on the international level, which is not prescribed by

the current law. “Lobbying is an important segment of democracy, as long as it takes place legally, legitimately, and at best, ethically. Unfortunately, despite many regulatory and self-regulatory efforts, there have been quite frequent abuses in practice which justify the negative perception that the public has of this phenomenon. It is difficult to recognize positive trends either in Europe or in the United States when it comes to this,” said Professor, Boris Cizelj, PhD, and Professor Fazli Mehmet, PhD, who are engaged in research of the lobbying profession. The organization Corp Watch, which promotes the importance of environmental, social and human rights, while highlighting the responsibility of multinational companies for their actions, says that there is a strong belief that the media have become an instrument of political and corporate interests, that jour-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

DO YOU CONSIDER LOBBYING TO BE YOUR REGULAR ACTIVITY?

HOW SUCCESSFUL HAVE YOUR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES BEEN SO FAR?

50 responses

46 responses Around 10% Around 30% Around 50% Around 70% Around 90%

Yes No I am not sure

nalists are silenced and that media owners are closely associated with politicians, lobbyists and owners of corporations. It is up to the future lobbyists of the Republic of Serbia to respect the Code of Conduct of participants in lobbying, as well as the principle of integrity, that is legality, transparency, responsibility and ethics when representing the interests of their clients. It is also important that, through their legitimate and legal actions, they contribute to curbing corruption and thus boost democracy and improve the conditions for

the acceleration of economic processes. It is up to decision-makers, i.e. government representatives, to protect the public interest and not to subordinate it to the

nomic Lobbying", written by Balša Kašćelan and Duško Krsmanović, explains that the term lobbying itself has a negative connotation because it suggests that it is

LOBBYING IS AN IMPORTANT SEGMENT OF DEMOCRACY, AS LONG AS IT TAKES PLACE LEGALLY, LEGITIMATELY, AND AT BEST, ETHICALLY private one. It is encouraging to see that the number of ethical lobbying activities in the European Union is growing year-onyear. The book "Political and Eco-

WHICH LOBBYING TECHNIQUES DO YOU USUALLY USE TO DEFEND INTERESTS OF YOUR MEMBERS? 47 responses Direct communication with decision makers – with or without professional lobbyists

nothing more than bribing decision-makers or those who can influence them. They believe that lobbying is often seen as a secret coupling of government and

lobbyists, i.e. as a procedure that takes place away from the public eye and everybody is reluctant to talk about. For many years in the United States, lobbyists have been mentioned as participants in numerous scandals. Such an image and reputation have spread throughout Europe together with the lobbying profession. The small number of lobbyists, who use illicit means, have caused an embedded negative opinion of the entire profession, and a large number of professionals find it difficult to correct these long-standing prejudices.

DO YOU SEE LOBBYING AS AN INSTRUMENT OF DEMOCRACY OR A MECHANISM USED BY THE POWERS IN SOCIETY TO IMPOSE THEIR SOLUTIONS TO THE DETRIMENT OF EVERYBODY ELSE? 48 responses

Gathering experts to exert pressure through direct communication Exerting pressure on decision makers via media campaigns Organizing public protests

Lobbying is an instrument of democracy Legitimate lobbying prevents corruption By lobbying, the powers in society additionally solidify their positions and impose their solutions

RESEARCH ON THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN LOBBYING Public relations firm Media Skills has conducted a survey on the role that the media play in contemporary lobbying processes in Serbia by using a qualitative method on a sample of 50 respondents. The firm interviewed representatives of several foreign business associations and clubs, directors and owners of domestic and foreign companies and banks, PR agencies and embassy representatives. 58% of them answered that lobbying is one of their regular activities, while 38% said differently. More than half of the respondents think that they do not pay enough attention to lobbying, while 23% of them think that they have a serious approach to it. Only 13% said that their lobbying actions were successful. Most of the respondents do not have professionals to perform lobbying activities. Nearly 90% of respondents use direct communication with decision-makers to uphold the company's interests while respecting the principles of ethical lobbying. 85% of them think that it is useful to use the media during lobbying activities in order to achieve appropriate results. Almost half of the respondents believe that lobbying is a mechanism by which the most powerful people in society impose their solutions to the detriment of everyone else.

ANALYSIS

Recovery Expected in 2021, But Slower Than Originally Anticipated EBRD revises down economic forecasts amid continuing coronavirus uncertainty

he European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has wound back forecasts for the emerging economies where it invests, after measures to contain the impact of the coronavirus lasted for longer than previously anticipated. The EBRD is now forecasting an overall contraction across its economies of 3.9 per cent this year, and a return to growth next year of 3.6 percent. The previous forecasts published in May had projected a 2020 decline of 3.5 per cent and a stronger recovery of 4.8 per cent in 2021. The EBRD’s Chief Economist Beata Javorcik said: “Output in the EBRD regions contracted sharply in the second quarter of 2020 by around 8.2 per cent year on year. In many economies the contraction was larger than declines seen

during the global financial crisis. The speed of recovery is expected to be similar to the one observed in the aftermath of that crisis, with pre-pandemic levels of GDP returning towards the end of 2021.”

tral Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, primarily promoting the private sector and supporting sustainable and inclusive development.,The Bank’s latest set of forecasts are subject to a high level of uncertainty and are depend-

may face lasting damage in the longer term, but says others, such as online retail, could benefit from increased digitalisation. It says that contractions this year are likely to be largest in economies highly dependent on exter-

THE NEW REPORT WARNS THAT SOME SECTORS, SUCH AS TOURISM, MAY FACE LASTING DAMAGE IN THE LONGER TERM, BUT SAYS OTHERS, SUCH AS ONLINE RETAIL, COULD BENEFIT FROM INCREASED DIGITALISATION EBRD economies have seen pressure on supply and demand because of domestic measures to contain the pandemic, while external shocks have included low commodity prices, shrinking exports, a collapse in tourism and drops in remittances. The EBRD invests in emerging economies from central and eastern Europe through to Cen-

ent to some extent on the accuracy of early estimates of growth in the first half of 2020. They are also sensitive to whether governments impose further lockdowns or to how people may react to a continuation of the virus, possibly by self-imposed social distancing. The new report warns that some sectors, such as tourism,

nal sources of income, such as Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece and Montenegro which lost most of their tourist season this year. Exports from EBRD regions were down by over 14 per cent in the first half of 2020, compared with the same period of 2019. International as well as domestic tourism fell sharply, with international tourist arrivals to the EBRD

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

regions down by some 65 per cent in the first six months, compared with the same period a year earlier. Other highly affected economies include countries that saw large drops in remittances such as the Kyrgyz Republic, or which are strongly integrated within global value chains, such as the Slovak Republic. Remittances from Russia to Central Asia, eastern Europe and the Caucasus fell by 29 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2020, relative to the same period of 2019, similar to the decline seen during the global financial crisis. Payments back to Serbia fell by 30 per cent in January to May 2020, compared with a year earlier. The report said that, while some remittances may have been only postponed, many migrants returned to their home countries, suggesting that remittances may fall further in the future. It said Lebanon’s output is likely to contract sharply, reflecting rising uncertainty after an explosion in Beirut in August that caused extensive damage and loss of life and compounded existing economic and political challenges in the country. The new report includes findings from a survey conducted in August 2020 by the EBRD and the Munich-based ifo Institute showing that the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis on people’s lives was more pronounced in the EBRD regions than in advanced Europe. According to the survey (*), job losses, and in particular business closures, appear to be more widespread than during the global financial crisis and the burden of the crisis is disproportionately borne by those with lower levels of education and income. The survey reveals that 73 per cent of respondents in the EBRD regions say they were personally affected by the Covid-19 crisis, compared with only 41 per cent in advanced Europe, where stimulus packages were typically larger. Workers in the region have so far relied more on supplementary employment than during the global financial crisis. About a fifth of respondents in the EBRD

regions say they increased their hours in their existing job. A similar share is saying they started a second job. A separate EBRD survey (**) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) suggests that SMEs are more optimistic about recoveries in economies where stimulus packages were larger. The survey shows that the crisis had the strongest impact on SMEs in hospitality and recreation services, non-food retail, light industry and construction. Over 40 per cent of SMEs in hospitality and recreation services saw sales fall by more than half in the first quarter of 2020.

on the tourist seasons weighed on growth in the southern European Union in 2020. GDP in the region is forecast to fall by 6.5 per cent in 2020, with a partial rebound of 3.3 per cent in 2021. Output in the Western Balkans is projected to fall by 5.1 per cent in 2020 due to a collapse in tourism, in Albania and Montenegro, disruptions in global supply chains and lower industrial output, declines in foreign direct investment inflows and remittances. GDP growth could recover to 3.4 per cent in 2021. GDP in Russia is expected to shrink by 4.5 per cent in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and

Economies in Central Asia are likely to contract by 3.3 per cent on average in 2020, with the Kyrgyz Republic and Mongolia most severely affected. Assuming a partial recovery in tourism and some improvements in the external environment, the region could see growth of around 3.2 per cent in 2021. Turkey’s economy is expected to contract by 3.5 per cent in 2020, following a fall in external demand which led to a collapse in exports. Domestic lockdowns and supply chain restrictions hurt the services and manufacturing sectors. GDP growth could pick up to 5.0 per cent in 2021.

THE SURVEY SHOWS THAT THE CRISIS HAD THE STRONGEST IMPACT ON SMES IN HOSPITALITY AND RECREATION SERVICES, NON-FOOD RETAIL, LIGHT INDUSTRY AND CONSTRUCTION Exporting SMEs in particular were more affected, and were also more pessimistic about recoveries – reflecting widespread travel restrictions and border closures. REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORECASTS Output in central Europe and the Baltic states is expected to drop by 4.4 per cent in 2020, with a recovery of 3.5 per cent seen in 2021. That forecast assumes a gradual normalisation of activity, some recovery in external demand and a boost from European Union funds. Strict lockdowns and travel restrictions that had a major impact

a drop in oil prices. The introduction of the National Plan for Economic Recovery has helped mitigate some of the negative effects. A rebound of 3.0 per cent is expected in 2021, conditional on some recovery in oil prices. The Covid-19 crisis weighed on growth in eastern Europe and the Caucasus through a sharp fall in remittances during the early months of the pandemic, lower commodity prices, which affected Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, and a collapse in tourism that weighed on growth in Georgia. GDP in the region is expected to fall by 4.5 per cent in 2020, recovering somewhat to 2.5 per cent growth in 2021.

Output in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region is expected to contract by 1.3 per cent in 2020 as a result of containment measures, a drop in tourism, falling external demand and a slowdown in foreign direct investment inflows. GDP could rebound to 4.4 per cent in 2021, conditional on the implementation of reforms and reduced political uncertainty. Egypt is the only economy across all of the EBRD regions likely to escape recession in the 2020 calendar year, with projected growth of 2.0 per cent supported partly by large public construction projects and a boom in the telecommunications sector.

* The EBRD and the ifo Institute conducted a survey of almost 40,000 adults in 14 countries in August 2020. The survey covered eight economies in the EBRD regions (Belarus, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) and six advanced European economies (France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden). It is representative by age, gender, income and subnational regions. ** In June and July 2020, the EBRD conducted a survey of 1,652 SMEs in 15 economies in the EBRD regions (Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Romania, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the West Bank and Gaza), aiming to assess the early effects of the Covid-19 crisis on SMEs.

REGION

SoMo Borac Winners are Revealed The winners of the eighth SoMo Borac have been announced, as well as a Special recognition by Google has been awarded

he decisions on who has excelled in different SoMo categories are made by a large jury panel of professionals from the region. This year`s winners are announced and presented onlina via official SoMo Borac Facebook page and SoMo Borac YouTube channel. SoMo Borac is the region’s biggest award for digital work. It has been presented for five consecutive years as part of the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj, which attracts up to 4,000 people each year. Seeing as the award is regional, the competition is big and usually there is a huge number of the leading advertising agencies in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The awards are presented in nine different categories. This year's partner Google also awarded a special recognition to one of the works. „Lito je tamo di si ti“ (The summer is where you are) campaign by Imago Ogilvy agency for Pippi Beverages, won Special Recognition from Google.

The finalists and winners of this year's SoMo Borac are: SOMO APP THE WINNER: PUBLICIS SKOPJE - The Coca-Cola Company (North Macedonia) Human Interaction Company - Čazmatrans (Croatia) 404 - Croatia osiguranje (Croatia)

SOMO TECH THE WINNER: 404 - ZAGREBAČKA PIVOVARA - Ožujsko pivo (Croatia)

Publicis Skopje - The CocaCola Company (North Macedonia) Euroart93, Bruketa&Žinić&Grey - A1 Croatia (Croatia)

CM OF THE YEAR

Euroart93, Bruketa&Žinić&Grey - A1 Croatia (Croatia) Degordian - Degordian (Croatia)

ONE-HIT WONDER

THE WINNER: IMAGO OGILVY - Antea Franjić (Croatia) 404 - Monika Knezić (Croatia) Degordian - Dora Medić (Croatia)

THE WINNER: IMAGO OGILVY - Pipi Beverages (Croatia) Internavti - Ljubljanske mlekarne d.d. (Slovenia) Bruketa&Žinić&Grey Podravka (Croatia)

SOMO WEB

SOMORITANAC

THE WINNER: INFINUM INFINUM (Croatia)

THE WINNER: STUDIO SONDA / IZONE / HUMAN HURA (Croatia)

Saatchi & Saatchi Belgrade Pozorište Puž (Serbia) Imago Ogilvy - Pipi Beverages (Croatia)

Publicis Skopje - The CocaCola Company (North Macedonia)

SOMO SOCIAL

THE WINNER: IMAGO OGILVY - Pipi Beverages (Croatia) Saatchi & Saatchi Belgrade Pozorište Puž (Serbia) A1 Croatia i Podcast Inkubator - A1 Croatia (Croatia)

THE WINNER: FULLHOUSE OGILVY - UPS (Serbia) Drive - Besa TV show, Adrenalin Production (Serbia) 404 - Ledo (Croatia)

DIGITAL MIX THE WINNER: IMAGO OGILVY - Pipi Beverages (Croatia) iZone - Podravka (Croatia)

SOMO CONTENT

All THE WINNERs and finalists you may find on the SoMo Borac YouTube or SoMo Borac web.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

PEOPLE & EVENTS

11 SEP

HE US EMBASSY T MARKED SEPTEMBER 11 WITH A VOLUNTARY BLOOD DONATION CAMPAIGN

The Embassy of the United States of America announced that it marked the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11 on Friday by donating blood voluntarily with Ambassador Anthony Godfrey and members of the embassy with their partners and friends. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Americans wanted to help their communi-

ty in the best possible way, and a huge number did so by donating blood, the embassy said in a statement. “As the blood supplies in Serbia are usually insufficient during the summer months, following the example of our compatriots, we will donate blood to the community that provided us with cordial hospitality here in Belgrade,” the embassy points out.

H.E. Anthony Godfrey

14 SEP

RECEPTION IN HONOR OF THE NEW AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL

The Association of Jewish Municipalities of Serbia organized a reception for the new ambassador of Israel to Serbia, Yahel Vilan. H.E. Yahel Vilan addressed and greeted the present guests, among whom were numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps and the public scene of Serbia, and

who in return wished him a successful mandate. The mandate of the new ambassador comes at a very challenging moment for the relations between Serbia and Israel, when the Israeli recognition of Kosovo and the promise of Serbia to move the embassy to Jerusalem came simultaneously.

H.E. Yahel Vilan

16 SEP

MALAYSIA DAY 2020 CELEBRATION

To commemorate the Malaysia Day celebration this year, the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade hosted a small and symbolic reception at the Oasis Garden of the Hilton Belgrade on 16 September 2020. In view of the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the outdoor celebration was limited to a small circle of the Embassy’s partners and friends from various sectors: business, education,

sports, local community leaders and media representatives. The Malaysia Day marks the formation of the country on 16 September 1963 that included the Malay Peninsula, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and at that time Singapore (which left the Malaysian federation two years later), that led to what Malaysia is today; a peaceful and prosperous country.

Nik Ady Arman Bin Nik Mohd Kamil, Chargé d'Affaires (CDA) at the Embassy of Malaysia

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

SEP

INNOVATION WEEK

The third Innovation Week has started in Belgrade, RTS reports, emphasizing that in the next five days, world and domestic experts will discuss the way in which technologies affect the change of the economy, society and the way we work and live. The host of the conference, Finnish Ambassador H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta, said that the country strives for the development of artificial intelligence to be applied in business

and public services. The Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, emphasized that by 2025, the Government will allocate 90 million euros for investments in the development of artificial intelligence in Serbia. He added that the IT sector, without equal, is the fastest growing sector in Serbia. Brnabić emphasized that since 2016, the growth of the IT sector has been higher than 20% annually, which is a fantastic percentage.

H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta

22 SEP

COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS OF JOVANKA BROZ

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister

The Gallery of Matica Srpska and the Museum of Yugoslavia signed a protocol about cooperation to realize the exhibition “Collection of Paintings of Jovanka Broz”, which will be presented to the public for the first time in May 2022, in the Gallery of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad. The work on this project is a continuation of almost a decade of cooperation between these two museum institutions, which jointly real-

ized the exhibition and publication Poussin and a five-pointed star – A collection of paintings by comrade president in 2012, as well as the Art and the Power, Landscapes from the collection of Josip Broz Tito in 2014. The protocol on cooperation was signed by the manager of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, PhD, and the director of the Museum of Yugoslavia, Neda Knezević, MA.

Photos: Nikola Isaković

Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski and Nada Knežević

23 SEP

BETA'S PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR

Dorćol Platz was the home of the exhibition of the Beta's Photography of the Year competition. The exhibition will be open until September 29. The audience award was given to the photo reporter of "Mladina", Željko Stevanić, for the photo "Protest against the Government of Janez Janša". According to the jury, the first prize went to photo reporter Sanja Knežević for the photo "Size". The second prize for the photo "Trapped in Greece" was

won by the photo reporter of the French agency AFP Angelos Tzortzinis. The third prize went to "Cropix" photo reporter Boris Kovačev for the "Philharmonic" photo. The editor-in-chief of the Beta agency, Dragan Janjić, stated that he is proud that this competition has been realized for 17 years in a turbulent region and that it shows that people who do their job responsibly and well can cooperate.

Award winners and Dragan Janjić

PEOPLE & EVENTS

22 SEP

BUSINESSPEOPLE JOIN FORCES TO SUPPORT PROJECTS

In a joint statement, the presidents of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) and the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (PKK), Marko Čadež and Berat Rukiqi respectively, announced the establishment of a joint team to help implement projects more efficiently, as a contribution of business communities to the normalization of economic relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The Econom-

ic Cooperation Team, established by the two chambers, will have offices in Belgrade and Priština and is made up of business leaders and economic normalization experts who will assist governments, the business community, DFC, EXIM Bank, the US and EU institutions, and all participants in the process of economic normalization.

Photo by Tanjug / Dragan Kujundzic

Marko Čadež, president CCIS Adam Boehler.CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC),Richard Grenell and Berat Rukiqi, president Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (PKK),

22 SEP

MEETING WITH THE HIGH-LEVEL US DELEGATION

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Serbian PM Ana Brnabić met with the U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Belgrade–Priština dialogue, Richard Grenell, and the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Adam Boehler. President Vučić said that we had not had such important agreements with the United States since 1881. "The office will become permanent. The leaders of the countries

Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) RichardGrenell, Adam Boehler and Aleksandar Vučić and Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister

24 SEP

THE CONQUERING FREEDOM AWARD

The Conquering Freedom Award was given out for the jubilee 20th time by the Maja Maršićević Tasić Foundation to Vesna Rakić Vodinelić. “We have often heard and read that freedom is just an illusion, that it is only extremely accessible. Maybe. If there is anything that makes me deserve this high recognition for freedom, it is my boring persistence. Annoying persistence, which will not calm down in the future, “said Vesna Rakić Vodinelić on the oc-

The winner of this year's award, Vesna Rakić Vodinelić with the members of the jury

chose the people, not political divisions. They chose jobs and economic strength, not what divided them in the past," said Boehler. Richard Grenell said that the USA aspires to fulfil the promise they made earlier: "I want to tell the people of Serbia to hold us accountable, not only regarding the Washington agreement but also for the three previous agreements. We want to turn these promises into real jobs”.

Meeting in the presidency of Serbia

casion of winning the award. The Conquering Freedom Award, which is given to women deserving of the affirmation of democracy, human rights and tolerance in political communication, gathers the winners of the award every year, including Olja Bećković, Goranka Matić, Biljana Srbljanović, Ružica Đinđić, Borka Pavićević, Mirjana Karanović, Verica Baracć, Aida Ćorović, Brankica Stanković and Danica Vučenić.

Aleksandra Dedić, Manager of "Maja Maršićević Tasić Vesna Rakić Vodinelić Foundation"

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

25 SEP

THIRD AFA ALL FOR ALL INNOVATION WEEK

The Third Innovation Week, organized by AFA – AFA all for all, from 21 to 25 September 2020, was officially closed at the Swedish Embassy in Belgrade, a country that is one of the most innovative in the world. In his introductory speech, the Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Ambassador Jan Lundin spoke about the importance of innovation and the importance of inclusive develop-

ment, which is based on innovation and the development of innovation for the common good. Innovation Week was officially closed with the award ceremony for innovations that celebrate excellence, the winners of which were decided by an expert jury composed of Aleksandar Čabrilo, HTech; Adam Kovač, TriLateral and Anja Ivana Milić, Arhipro.

H.E. Jan Lundin and Žaklina Kušić

26 SEP

MOROCCAN ORDER TO THE FORMER SERBIAN AMBASSADOR

In a speech delivered on this occasion, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Serbia, Mr. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, highlighted that this highest Royal decoration represents a recognition of the significant contribution of the Serbian diplomat in the promotion of closer relations between Morocco and Serbia and also a strong symbol of the excellent relations and the exemplary partnership that the two countries are striving to build together.

During the reception at the Moroccan residence, the awarding of the Order (awarded by the King of Morocco) to the former Ambassador of Serbia in Rabat, H.E. Slađana Prica Tavčiovska took place. Several ministers, senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, directors of publishing houses, members of the National Assembly, etc. were invited to the reception organised by Moroccan Embassy.

H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj and H.E. Slađana Prica Tavčiovska, former Ambassador of Serbia in Rabat

26 SEP

THE 76th ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION HALYARD MARKED

H.E. Slađana Prica Tavčiovska, Boško Vučurević, president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina and H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj

The ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of Operation Halyard was held in Pranjani. President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić attended the ceremony and said that the citizens of that part of the country upheld the honour of Serbia in 1944 and that our future is in building friendly relations with Western allies, emphasizing that the Serbs became "brothers in arms" with the Americans, the English and the Canadians. The US

Ambassador Anthony Godfrey thanked President Vučić and the Government of Serbia for the construction of the Memorial Complex, as well as the runway to honour the Halyard Mission. The ceremony was attended by Serbian PM Ana Brnabić, Serbian Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Minister Zorana Mihajlović, founder of the Halyard Mission Foundation John Capello, and local officials.

H.E. Anthony Godfrey, Aleksandar Vučić, Zorana Mihajlović, Brnabić and Maja Gojković

PEOPLE & EVENTS

27 SEP

EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS - BAČ

In cooperation with the Municipality of Bač, the Bač Tourism Board and “The Bač in the Heart of Bačka Association”, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Color Media Communications hosted an online conference called “Days of European Heritage Bač - How to put the historical heritage of the Bač municipality in the function of modern tourism”. Mateja Norčić Štamcar, EU Dele-

Steva Panić, President of the Municipality of Bač and Marina Balaban

28 SEP

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW

gation to Serbia, Sneška Quaedvlieg Mihailović, Europa Nostra, Dr Slavica Vujović, Vojvodina Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, Marina Balaban, Municipality of Bač, Marija Labović, Serbian Tourism Board, Dr Nataša Pavlović, Vojvodinian Tourism Board, Robert Čoban, Color Press Group and Tanja Mitić, all spoke at the conference.

Representatives of Municipality of Bač

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, held a conference on marking the International Day of the Right of the Public to Know. This day has been marked in Serbia since 2006 with the aim of inspiring all authorities to improve the transparency of their work and cooperation with

citizens, and encouraging citizens to exercise their right to free access to information of public importance and to recognize the authorities as their partners. On marking this day, awards are traditionally presented to representatives of public authorities who have stood out in the past year in affirming the public's right to free access to information.

Milan Marinović, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

28 SEP

FRIENDLY FAREWELL LUNCH FOR MILOŠ PERIŠIĆ

African Diplomatic Group in Serbia, chaired by ambassador of Algeria, His Excellency Mr. Abdelhamid Chebchoub, held a friendly Lunch, on last Monday, to bid farewell to Mr. Miloš Perišić, Director of Africa and Middle East in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has been appointed Ambassador of Serbia to Angola. Ambassador of Algeria, Dean of African

Ambassadors of African Diplomatic Group in Serbia

H.E. Sem Fabrizi, Head of the European Union Delegation to Serbia

Group, underlined Perisic's constant availability and his attachment to strengthening Serbia's relations with Africa. “We are sad to see you leaving but are happy to know that you will continue to serve the objective of promoting relations with our continent through your action in Angola” said ambassador of Algeria to Mr. Miloš Perišić in his Farwell speech.

Mr. Miloš Perišić and H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

30 SEP

THE NEW HEAD OF THE TRADE DEPARTMENT OF THE SPANISH EMBASSY

H.E. Raúl Bartolomé, the Ambassador of Spain to the Republic of Serbia, hosted a cocktail reception in his residence for friends and associates of the Embassy as well as the representa-

Mr. José López Thomás de Carranza

30 OCT

H.E. Raúl Bartolomé

FAREWELL RECEPTION OF THE CANADIAN AMBASSADOR

On the occasion of the end of her three-year diplomatic mission in Serbia, H.E. Kati Csaba, Canadian Ambassador to Serbia, and her husband Nećko Krupalija hosted a farewell reception at their residence on Saturday, October 3. Many of the couple’s friends and colleagues from the diplomatic corps, companies, the business world, international institutions and many other guests gathered in the beautiful garden at the

H.E. Gilles Beschoor Plug, Dutch Ambassador with his wife and H.E. Kati Csaba with her husbend Nećko Krupalija

04 OCT

65th STERIJA THEATRE FESTIVAL

tives of Spanish companies. The new Head of the Trade Department of the Embassy of Spain, Mr. José López Thomás de Carranza was officially introduced to the guests at the reception.

The flags of Novi Sad, Vojvodina and Serbia, along with the flags of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, fluttered high in the air the morning after the closing of the 65th Sterija Pozorje (The Sterija Theatre Festival). This year, in the words of Haris Pašović, “the actors watched the audience with masks, not the other way around”. The wonderful theatre director, Bora Drašković (age 85), received the Hugo Klein Award for life's work, which was established by the representatives of the theatre festivals from four countries in our

Ambassador’s residence at 33, Užička Street. In a relaxed and informal atmosphere, the guests had the opportunity to spend a wonderful afternoon chatting and enjoying delicious food. This wonderful gathering also had a few very emotional moments that brought tears to guests’ eyes. The guests wished the hosts a lot of happiness and success in life, and on a new mission wherever it may take them.

Ambassador Kati with her husband and the Ambassador of Italy H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio with his wife

region: Sterijino Pozorje from Novi Sad, The International Theatre Festival MES from Sarajevo, Borštnikovo Srečanje from Maribor, City Theatre from Budva and Sarajevofest - Art and Politics from Sarajevo. Unlike Sterijino Pozorje in the 1990s, with foreign performers coming only from Montenegro and the Republic of Srpska, this year’s edition of the festival, which took place amidst the pandemic, seemed to bring theatre people from all over the former Yugoslavia. Nobody felt like a foreigner.

Branka Petrić,Theater, film and television actress

BUSINESS NEWS

EW KNOWLEDGE MORE IMPORTANT N THAN EVER BEFORE

The first online regional conference within the Coca-Cola Youth Empowered program organised. Constant acquisition of new skills on popular digital platforms, expansion of knowledge, investment and work on oneself, alongside constant monitoring of trends and developments in the labour market are prerequisites for a successful career in the so-called new reality today, as concluded on the first regional online regional conference within the Coca-Cola Youth Empowered program, which attracted huge interest and 2000+ participants. Inspiring speakers from Coca-Cola HBC Serbia, reputable entrepreneurs and influencers - Ena Čubrilo, a.k.a. Ena Luna, Lea Davogić, a DJ, model and pianist, a.k.a. Blairlea, Nikola Radojčić, the founder of the Dechkotzar brand, Andrijana Vešović, a.k.a. ZombijanaBones, and Vladimir Vulić, a consultant in the area of digital transformation, innovation and social media and a co-founder of Digitalizuj.me, presented at the webinar their career paths, as well as provided advice or practical knowledge on how to be original and believe in success and in what they do.

UPER KARTICA IS S THE BEST LOYALTY PROGRAMME IN SERBIA

This year, the Super Kartica Company is the recipient of the QUDAL 2020/2021 Award in the category of loyalty programs, after it was voted by consumers as a loyalty programme that offers absolute-

BC'S WORKING S BREAKFAST - „WHAT DID THE CORONAVIRUS BRING US?“

On Friday, September 25, 2020, after a long recess caused by the coronavirus, the Slovenian Business Club (SBC) hosted a working breakfast live, on the topic "What did the coronavirus bring us?" on the Amphora Gastro Bar raft in Zemun. The event was opened by the President of the SBC, Danijela Fišakov. On the occasion, she pointed out that she was glad that the SBC had managed to organize a live event, which is still the most advantageous when it comes to connecting people and transmitting information. She added that since the beginning of the epidemic, the SBC has been making effort to support its members in their business activities and that with the joint effort they managed to overcome the obstacles brought on by the epidemic. Bearing in mind that the economy is still being assist-

WORLD TOURISM DAY - TOV

The Tourism Organization of Vojvodina presented the tourist offer of Vojvodina marking 27, 2020 at Ada Ciganlija. Within the stand of the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina, in addition to the tourist offer, authentic Vojvodina gastronomy was presented (Krancla – Čurug, Deliblato Sands Cluster), as well as quality wines and brandies from this area (Kalpak Distillery from Vrbas, Tatalović Winery from Vršac). Visitors also had the opportunity to enjoy the sounds of the tamburitza orchestra From Bach to Sevdah. The main organizer of the event is the public company Ada Ciganlija, City of Belgrade, IMPEV, with the participation of the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina and the Tourism Organization of Belgrade, the Tourism Organization of Western Serbia, the Danube Competence Center, Djerdap Travel, PUC Green Markets, the City Municipality of Cukarica, all hosted by the public company Ada Ciganlija. The message of the World Tourism Organization this year is #RestartTourism, emphasising the need to work on the gradual easing of restrictive measures in order to revive tourism.

ly the highest level of quality in the Serbian market. Super Kartica gathers more than a million families and is the largest coalition loyalty programme in our area, which rewards customers every day for their purchases or use of services at over 1,000 partner points of sale. This award is another validation of the quality and philosophy of Super Kartica of providing the user with relevant offers tailored to their needs just when they need them. About the award: The QUDAL - QUality meDAL Serbia survey is conducted by the Swiss organization ICERTIAS (www.icertias.com). The QUDAL mark can only be used by those companies, products and services that consumers themselves choose in independent market research, as well as those that, according to their personal experience and the experience of their loved ones, offer them the highest level of quality.

HE FUTURE LIES IN PUBLICT PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

Innovations in the field of infrastructure, energy and successfully completed PPP projects were presented. At the third consecutive conference on public - private partnerships, The participants highlighted the fact that many potential projects have the perspective to be implemented through the PPP model, which has

ed by the state, no-one could give a clear overview of the current economic situation. As not all sectors of the economy were affected in the same way and with the same intensity by the crisis caused by the pandemic, it was concluded that large companies had a much better chance of coming out of the crisis without serious consequences than small companies. Representatives of the SME sector, who attended the event, called on large companies to help them overcome the situation in which they found themselves. become one of the leading partnership formats in the world which connects investors and state institutions. By implementing the PPP model it is possible to achieve a better ratio of costs and quality of public service. It was also pointed out at the conference that the realization of projects based on this model can save a lot of money and subsequently invest the surplus in the construction of schools, kindergartens, gyms, but also the construction of sewers or other public utility facilities. All projects implemented so far have received a positive public assessment, but also trust that the private sector can provide quality and provide services in accordance with European standards. The conference participants spoke about key challenges in investment planning through a public-private partnership model and highlighted the best PPP models in various segments, including municipalities and cities where several projects have been implemented in the past.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

ONATION TO SOCIALLY VULNERABLE D FAMILIES – EKO PATH TO THE HEART

EKO Serbia, a member of the Hellenic Petroleum group has provided a donation of 580.000 RSD as a help to the SOS Children’s Villages Serbia Foundation. Most of the donation is intended for the purchase of food and hygiene packages for 126 families with 364 children, and it is part of the Family Strengthening Programme. The other part of the donation will be spent on house renovation for the family with six children from Niš. Within this program, the SOS Children’s Villages Serbia Foundation has helped almost 1800 children over the past six years to continue living with their biological parents, and more than 700 families have gained this support through different individual programs. EKO PATH TO THE HEART is our company’s initiative which supported 126 families in order to overcome the difficulties of the hard times upon us and give support to the children so that they can keep building their future in their families, filled with love. EKO Serbia continues to provide support to initiatives that contribute to the entire community and to the protection of the most vulnerable social groups“, said Danijela Vasić, CSR Coordinator from EKO Serbia.

LOBAL CREATIVE ELITE AT G FESTIVAL # KAKTUS2020!

The world's best and most awarded creatives and communication experts from agencies Energy BBDO Chicago, McCann New York, AKQA Brazil, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, Leavingstone Georgia,

HE FIRST SHIPMENT OF T APPLES FOR INDIA READY

MK Group and its member company, Agrounija, are about to start exporting Serbian apples to India worth million dollars annually. At the event marking the beginning of the export of apples to the Indian market, Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Branislav Nedimović, and H.E. Mr Subrata Bhattacharjee, Indian Ambassador to Serbia, addressed the guests. Speaking of fruit exports to India, H.E. Subrata Bhattacharjee expressed his satisfaction with the development of the ex-

ASTER TESTS THANKS TO A DONATION F FROM MLEKOPRODUKT COMPANY

In order contribute to the city of Zrenjanin in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the company Mlekoprodukt, which operates within the Savencia Fromage & Dairy group, in cooperation with Promedia company, donated a test processing machine to the Public Health Institute in Zrenjanin. Simo Salapura, Mayor of Zrenjanin; Andrej Beslać, General Manager of Mlekoprodukt; Doctor Zdravko Ždrale, Acting director of the Public Health Institute in Zrenjanin; Saša Santovac Mayor of Zrenjanin; Miloš Kovačević, Pulmonologist. Thanks to the donation of this device, the waiting time for confirmation of test results will be significantly shortened, which will increase the number of sampling. Let us remind you, so far in the Institute of Public Health in Zrenjanin, only manual preparation of sampled material has been available, which includes only 20 tests per day, and with the help of a machine that number will go up to 96 samples / 30 minutes.

STREET ART COMPETITION

UN in Serbia and the O3one Gallery launch a competition for muralists and street artists on UN75 anniversary. The theme of the competition coincides with the official theme of the UN 75th anni-

Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore, Publicis Italy, as well as Google and Spotify, are only some of the lecturers at the sixth festival of integrated communications - KAKTUS 2020. The festival will be held on November 3rd and 4th online, under the slogan "Unique in being different". Like last year, KAKTUS 2020 will offer participants a quality and diverse program from various areas of integrated communications. Among the keynote speakers this year are Ioana Philip, SVP Global Executive Creative Director, Energy BBDO, Chicago; Renato Zandoná, Executive Creative Director, AKQA, São Paulo; Joao Flores, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore; Sandra Bold, Global Creative Director, Publicis, Italy and Elav Horwitz, SVP Global Innovation Director at McCann Worldgroup New York. Biographies of lecturers are available on the website https://kaktus.rs/ .

port of Serbian apples to India. He also wished good luck to Agrounija and MK Group, as well as other Serbian companies, and invited them to further explore the Indian market, because it has great potential for many other products. Apples will be exported to India in the period from October to June, 4 to 5 containers per month, and the plan for the first year is to export about a thousand tonnes of apples, grown on MK Group's plantations. Exporting apples to the Indian market is just a continuation of the successful cooperation that the company MK Group and the Embassy of India have been cultivating for years. versary "Shaping our Future Together". For the people in Serbia, according to the UN75 survey, environmental protection and climate change are the most important issues that should be addressed through international cooperation; increasing solidarity and improving universal access to health care are some of the main priorities. The theme of the competition is Planet Earth is Our Home. The topic should be localized to Serbia, with references to the natural, cultural and richness of communities in Serbia.An expert jury consisting of representatives of UN agencies and the O3ONE Gallery Council will evaluate all works in the context of the artistic impression and interpretation of the theme. The winner of the competition will receive a valuable prize in the amount of 2,500.00 euros. The competition is open from October 9 to October 21, 2020.

HOW WE LIVE NOW

Visors and violence: We are Returning to the Middle Age Even before the new plague arrived, modernity seemed to be in retreat on Quixote sees phantoms of the Middle Ages wherever he goes. Roadside inns are castles, vagabonds are knights in shining armour and windmills are giants to be jousted with. I often feel the same way myself these days. Shop assistants wear visors shaped like seethrough helmets and shelter behind Perspex sheets that look like transparent shields. This is perhaps as it should be: the Middle Ages was a time of plagues. The Roman Empire was felled as much by viruses as barbarians. The Black Death of the 1340s killed more than 40% of Europe’s population (which puts our little problem into perspective). The rich fled the cities to hunker down in the countryside (“The Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio is a collection of tales narrated by people sheltering outside Florence from the plague). A new artistic genre, the Danse Macabre, told the story of the universality of death. Flagellant religious orders whipped themselves in the hope that the pain would ward off the Last Judgment. Now we are witnessing the return of many medieval pathologies. Millenarianism is on the march again. Extinction Rebellion activists close down cities and daub town squares with fake blood in protests that usually involve wild dancing and drumming along with predictions of the end of the world. The new high-tech Middle Ages is even seeing the return of medieval political nomenclature. Kings were once called the Bald (Charles) or the Cruel (Peter of Castile). Donald Trump now dubs his opponents Sleepy Joe or Crooked Hillary. There are structural similarities too – similarities that began long before covid-19 took hold and raise worrying questions about our post-covid future. The middle class that was the bulwark of the post-war world is on the retreat across the West. The new tech oligarchy resembles the medieval ar-

RATHER THAN CONTAIN A MULTITUDE OF THOUGHT, THESE LATTER-DAY CLERICS ARE OBSESSED WITH SIN IN THE FORM OF RACISM AND SEXISM AND DOLE OUT FEARSOME PUNISHMENTS TO SINNERS istocracy, “the chivalrous class without the chivalry”, as Joel Kotkin wrote in a recent book, “The Coming of Neo-Feudalism”. Its members live in gated communities or isolated enclaves protected from the rest of society. They socialise with each other at global festivals but seldom have any contact with those who inhabit unfashionable areas such as flyover country in America (the parts of the country most Americans only ever see from the air), or the north of England. Large armies of “retainers” wear their livery, in the form of T-shirts or baseball hats emblazoned with logos, and do their bidding. The academic elite looks more like the medieval clergy by the day. Universities and university towns are latter-day monasteries that protect their members from contamination by hoi polloi. Academics engage in the modern equivalent of scholastic debates: rather than discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin they discuss whether sex is a social construct (the answer: of

course). Rather than contain a multitude of thought, these latter-day clerics are obsessed with sin in the form of racism and sexism and dole out fearsome punishments to sinners. Those who venture outside a narrow range of permissible opinion are excommunicated from society, publicly flayed on Twitter and forced to live in the intellectual equivalent of medieval forests. These gated communities and medieval monasteries are surrounded by an expanding class of serfs and beggars. The serfs exist at the beck and call of the tech and clerical elites – they drive their cars, deliver their food and clean their houses. But rather than being tied to particular people or plots of land they are just-in-time workers on zero-hours contracts who are tethered to an algorithm. The serfs pick their way through the crowds of beggars, living in tent cities and subsisting on the cast-offs of the wider society. Police officers look increasingly like Don Quixote’s knights.

This is particularly so in America, the country that is leading the charge back to the Middle Ages despite having never experienced the Middle Ages itself. People there wear helmets to protect themselves from rocks, special vests to ward off bullets, and pads on their elbows and knees. They are weighed down by all sorts of heavy equipment – radios, flashlights and, of course, guns. They sometimes ride on horses, like knights of old, but are more likely to choose armoured Humvees, or even tanks. Despite all this heavy armour, the police are losing control of the streets. One of the signature achievements of modernity was the creation of the nation state which could claim a monopoly of violence within its borders. The state is once again losing the battle against feudal gangs of various sorts. In London, knife-crime is becoming so common that it can’t be long before people wear swords and scabbards. In many of America’s great cities the police have left inner-city areas to look after themselves. Downtown Portland is ruled by gangs of activists who wear medieval armour of their own and engage in regular – and highly ritualised – jousts with police. The most striking similarity, though, is the distance between image and reality. The people of the Middle Ages talked about chivalry and the Glory of God but lived in a brutal world in which gangs mugged each other and monks engaged enthusiastically in all the sins of the flesh. Today’s elite talk constantly about “inclusion” and “win-win” situations but have created a world in which the spoils go to a tiny minority, and more and more people are cast into the wilderness. The inferno beckons. From The Economist, published under licence. The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

by Žikica Milošević

In the Rhythm 'n' Blues Hell The Buddha is watching you!

Why did you call your album „The Buddha from the Roof“? — A lot of people have asked me that. We named it that because it sounds good and because everybody thinks there is a deeper meaning to it. Maybe there is, but for now, let it be a mystery. One day I will tell you the real story about the Buddha. For now... Let him sit on the roof and observe all of us.

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

INSTANT KARMA

nstant Karma is one of the most consistent and oldest bands in Serbia. Being very independent, the band remained faithful to the blues and different from the others even during the Great Vojvodina Pop Invasion of the 1990s. Today, following the release of their album "The Buddha from the Roof", after 30+ years, the boys from Zrenjanin are well into their mature age, but have never sounded better. We are talking with Aleksandar Janković, the band's frontman, about today's music scene, the lack of rebellion and desire for freedom in young people, and how to navigate through the materialistic world.

You emerged during the Great Pop Invasion in Vojvodina in the 1990s, along with other similar bands like Veliki Prezir, Eva Braun, Oružjem Protiv Otmičara and Obojeni Program. Yet somehow you always had that fiercer, rhythm and blues charm. Where does the love for the blues come from, considering that you often describe your performances as “the rhythm and blues hell”? — Blues appeared very early in my life when I first heard of the music of the Rolling Stones. I was

KIDS ARE NOT REBELLIOUS AND EVERYTHING BOILS DOWN TO MONEY. STILL, I BELIEVE IN REVOLUTION interested in where that dishevelled sound came from and why they took their name from a Muddy Waters song. After that, I started researching the origin of the blues. The Yardbirds and Dr. Feelgood had a huge influence on me. Later, I became a big fan of John Lee Hooker. I still collect old blues records. As for the pop wave in Vojvodina, I think it emerged mainly because of the breakup of Yugoslavia. The music scene, as we knew it, had disappeared and a parallel had to be created on the Belgrade rock scene. Vojvodina always had something to offer. Instant Karma was founded in 1987 and our first single was „Dim nad Gradom“ („Smoke over the City“). Our first performance was on the Stereovizija music show. We were still high school kids back then. You’re big fans of the British music scene of the 1960s and 70s, and you have stuck with that

look from the very beginning. What do 30 years of navigating through the restless Serbian music scene while being uncompromising look like? — Well, I am a big fan of John Lennon and the Beatles. His music has influenced me a lot but not only the music, but his personality too and his whole story is quite magical to me. Secondly, Lennon exerts a strange influence. It makes you grow up and maybe all of this does sound like a utopia, but I believe in it. I was so glad that people of my generation, like Stone Roses and Oasis, who lived in England at the same time, share my opinion. As far as the image goes, it dates back to the 1960s. A lot has happened on the Serbian music scene in the last 30 years. Many good things and many good bands have emerged. The 1990s were absolutely crazy. We had no money, but we had plenty of crazy energy. And there was hope...

How different is the music scene today compared to your beginning? And what about the atmosphere in society? — When we started, we lived in a country called Yugoslavia. We gained a reputation in Serbia but we also left a small mark in the former country. We were children when we started and back then it seemed to me that the whole world was mine. Then came the damn war! We were the first to do anti-war concerts back in 1991. Surprisingly, a strong rock scene was formed during those years. We had gigs all the time, playing clubs. We were the “other Serbia” and we had the strongest rock scene. There were fast bands of Serbia, good bands of Vojvodina and there was cooperation between artists and rebels. Then the year 2000 came. Maybe we expected a lot from it. I don't know. My beliefs remained the same. In fact, I can proudly say that Instant Karma recorded its best albums right after 2000. I am referring to the album “Metamorphosis” from 2001 which is our Sgt. Pepper. Is there enough of rock rebellion among young people today? — I'm sorry to have to say this, but no, there isn’t. Kids are not interested in rebellion and freedom. We live in a material world. However, the world is changing and I believe in revolution.

AFTER What will happen after “The Buddha on the Roof”? — Buddha continues to live. This album has 14 songs and we have released two singles from it so far. There are at least five more to release. The album got fantastic reviews all over the region and Instant Karma is on a mission. The next video single will be released by the year-end and all we want to do is to play live. After all, Instant Karma live is the pure rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm ‘n’ blues hell. And that’s the life I have chosen to live.

by Ruža Veljović &Tanja Banković

What Happened to me in Belgrade is Unique and Belongs Only to me People and its spirit are what make Belgrade so unique. They are Belgrade’s advantage because this city is entwined with people, kindness and warmth

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

NEĆKO KRUPALIJA Husband of the Canadian ambassador to Serbia

friend of our magazine and the husband of the Canadian ambassador to Serbia, Nećko Krupalija, told us honestly and emotionally about the end of the ambassador’s term in Belgrade, places that he and his wife lived in and what they were taking with them from Belgrade. There were tears and laughter, and most of all, the wonderful and warm words of this great man, who will be missed by the entire staff of D&C magazine, including Robert Čoban, as well as the social scene in Belgrade. "I have to be

honest with you. When we came to Belgrade, it took me a couple of months to get used to living a socalled emotional life. It was as if I came back home but with a new view of everything. I returned to the Balkans, although I fought not

bia apart? — That’s a very layered question. Growing up in Sarajevo was quite idiosyncratic. Sarajevo is my kind of town. It has a special spirit and much more than that, of course. Leaving Sarajevo gave me anoth-

undoubtedly. I travelled with two suitcases and arrived in Ottawa on November 22, 1999. The weather was -27 degrees Celsius. I looked around and said to myself – “Where on earth did I come to?” From that day and from that

IT TOOK ME LITERALLY 12 SECONDS TO DECIDE THAT WE SHOULD GO TO BELGRADE. I TOLD HER WE ARE GOING BACK HOME. AND THAT’S HOW IT WAS. THESE LAST THREE YEARS WE SPENT IN BELGRADE FELT LIKE HOME to return. But I did and that really affected my life in Belgrade - that feeling and the people, " Nećko talks about his arrival in Belgrade. You grew up in Sarajevo, lived on several continents, in Canada, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Africa... What sets Belgrade and Ser-

er dimension. I found myself in a situation where I started thinking with a completely different mentality and new vistas opened up for me. You can leave the Balkans, but Sarajevo will never leave you. It stays with you forever. Coming to Canada meant starting a new life. It was a new life,

moment, it was a new beginning, with my Kati. After that, we lived in many different cities and countries and we never knew how long we were going to stay in them. I have an anecdote to tell you about Moscow. In 2005, I sold all the restaurants I owned and when I was told that we were going to

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

live in Moscow, I said to myself “excellent, but we are going to stay there for two years exactly; not a day longer”. And I was adamant about that. However, our stay automatically extended into the third year and then into the fourth for which we had to get special approval. I asked if we could stay for another year after that, but was told “no”. After all, we stayed for two years longer than anticipated. You never know what you will take a fancy to. And then we went to Kyiv, from Kyiv we went back to Canada again and then came to Africa which I fell in love with. Why am I saying all this? All those cities and all those continents had something special. I remember one April when Kati came a little earlier from the embassy and just said: “I have good news – Belgrade!” I thought of what Belgrade was at that moment and said to myself “I hope they didn't start bombing it again”, but that can't be the good news… Kati then said: “They offered me the position of the Canadian ambassador to Serbia”. It took me literally 12 seconds to decide that we should go to Belgrade. I told her we are going back home. And that’s how it was. These last three years we spent in Belgrade felt like home. I was crying a few moments ago. I cry for my Sarajevo as well but believe me, Kati and I have been hiding and crying for the last ten days because we are leaving. Belgrade has its own unique soul. It has people who are made of emotions. Belgrade’s essence lies in emotions. That’s the fabric that Belgrade is made of – the uniqueness of people here. Buildings and streets are the same everywhere in the world, believe me. Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, London…. I've travelled to almost 60 countries around the world, I've visited all the big cities, seen everything and everyone, met with high officials and great presidents, Putin and the like. Buildings are the same everywhere you go, but it’s the people that make up the city and that is a huge advantage for Belgrade. These people, the fabric of their soul, their warmth, kindness and spontaneity – that’s Belgrade. The spontaneity of living… You go to a café you’ve never been before and everyone knows you there, everyone greets you with “Hey, how you’re doing? What’s up?” Belgrade moments like these free you from shackles of the protocol.

It is not easy to be in diplomatic missions around the world. There are also many sacrifices to be made. How easy or difficult this is considering that the general notion is that it is a terribly easy job? — I am going to answer your question with a statement. I have been hearing lately that when husbands of government ministers were asked what they would like to be, their response was “Nećko”. I am telling you the truth. However, they do not know the background of my life and

tion to that because I have been travelling across the world, meeting people, getting to know how other nations live… I have overcome that and can laugh it off. But the sacrifices are huge because at the same time you are building a family and raising your children. We had to talk to our children a lot because we were frequently moving and changing environments. Children get used to having one set of friends and then they have to leave. That was terribly difficult to explain to them. As we change countries and some-

WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE A MAN NEEDS TO OVERCOME HIMSELF what it is like to be the husband of an ambassador. A lot is involved and there are too many sacrifices to be made. First, a Balkan man needs to overcome his ego to be this. When a man succeeds in overcoming his ego, he’ll do good no matter where in the world he is. We had a plan as a family, we had a common goal. We knew that it was not going to be easy to achieve all that Kati has achieved in diplomacy and what we have achieved together, i.e. to be an ambassador of a country. We had that plan but we didn’t expect that everything will just happen for us. A lot of sacrifices were made during that period. We must understand that there are situations where a man needs to overcome himself. First, when you come to the Balkans, people will tease you with "oh, you married well” and the like. I learned a long time ago not to pay any atten-

times continents, they have to leave their friends behind. That’s not easy. You have to give up all those things that are an integral part of you, your emotions and personality. You are dealing all of that just to see a result in the end. That result always comes and I can never understand people who cannot move forward because of their outdated understanding of life. Basically, all my struggles were about overcoming myself. What can Canada learn from the Balkans and vice versa? What can we give to each other and what can we take from each other? — That has to be a two-way street. We can learn a lot from each other. I will first start with what the Canadians should and could learn from our mentality. These are openness, readiness to socialize, showing emotions when socializing, seeing and understand that

not everything boils down to hard capitalism, that there is enjoyment in life… What could we learn from Canada? The list is much longer. We could learn about how to understand things in life. Everything revolves around life. That's not a very profound philosophy. We can learn from the Canadians that work habits and obligations must be priority if a person wants to raise a family, and the family is the essence and main element of life. Work allows you to generate prosperity and have perspec-

tive. I don’t meet a lot of our people in Canada because that creates a problem for me and gives me a headache. Nostalgia is weird. I can understand being nostalgic about certain cultural events, but being nostalgic for rakija and ćevapi…. I tell people that I am nostalgic about cultural events, tradition, my mum and dad, my childhood, a corner of a room where I used to read books... That kind of nostalgia is normal. That’s something you can learn from the Canadians, i.e. how to exorcise the nostalgia from yourself. They are very hard-working people. They are not that interested in politics, and some of them don’t even know who Trudeau is. Simply put, most of their brain space is taken by the business. We can learn from them how to work, how to plan, how to combat corruption. Their state officials are moral and have an obligation towards the Canadian people. The state guarantees a better life for every citizen. Canada also has its shortcomings like their health system, but

we could learn about all the rest from them. Another thing that we need to learn from them, and I stand firmly behind this, is gender equality and the LGBT population. No-one there is judgemental. We simply have to eliminate that kind of primitivism from our lives. We have such a good history, such good artists, singers, writers and actors and everything else, and we simply need to throw that kind of primitivism out of the Balkans. Did the coronavirus bring something good in terms of returning to certain values that we had forgotten? — I was quarantined for 38 days until the measures were lifted, so I experienced firsthand what isolation means. I think that one day, and I hope that comes soon, when all this is over, we will want to experience the coronavirus again, just for two days, in order to slow down and to start looking at God and everything else from the right point of view. It will take us some time to understand that this country exists for us and not vice versa and that we do not have to constantly rush everywhere. I have a feeling that the coronavirus has changed our mental attitude even when socializing. Friendships have become closer and more sincere

than they were a year ago. Family has become a real symbol. Now, mum and dad have time for children and themselves. Family comes first in my life. When they ask me what you like the most, I say that my answer is a complex one but that my family always comes first and that I consider it sacred and untouchable; followed

by wine and everything else. Then they ask what I mean when I say wine and I usually reply that everything is better after having two bottles of wine. If there is anything positive about this pandemic, it is that it brought people closer together and made the family a family again in the true sense of the word.

IT WILL TAKE US SOME TIME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS COUNTRY EXISTS FOR US AND NOT VICE VERSA

What kind of impressions are you taking with you from Belgrade? When are we going to see you again? Are you going to visit us? — Oh, come on, you are going to make me cry again. I would love to come again here. But my wishes need to be attuned to my reality. We are leaving for a place that is far away, on another continent. I would like nothing more than to live here permanently but the reality is completely different. What I am taking with me from Belgrade? First and foremost, myself. I gave myself entirely to Belgrade and truth be told, counting all the wonderful times I had and all the friends I made, including Robert Čoban who became my really good pal, then my friend Boki from Vino Bar, Željko, Raka Marić, Boba Živojinović and all the others – I am going to take all of them and you with me and that's a huge wealth for me. I am also going to take Knez Mihajlova Street with me and Tikas and all the rest. I am going to take all of you with me in my heart and soul and I will never forget you. I think it would be a terrible sin to forget friendships because what happened to me in Belgrade will probably never happen to me anywhere I go. It can't happen anywhere else because it is only mine and unique.

“MAYOR OF ADDIS ABABA” What memories do you have of Africa? — Africa is Africa! We spent almost two and a half years in Ethiopia. Coming to Belgrade interrupted our adventure as we were supposed to spend our third and fourth year in Ethiopia. You either love or hate Africa. OK, “hate” is maybe too strong of a word which I don’t like using as I don’t hate anyone. I cannot stand something or someone rather than hate. You fall in love with Africa because the people who live there

are pure geniuses – they either dance, sing or laugh. I have never seen anyone angry there. Another thing… We were lucky to be stationed in Ethiopia which is in the heart of Africa. Ethiopia is home to the United Nations offices, the African Union, the European Union and over a hundred embassies, so it is the diplomatic centre of the whole of Africa. We felt so lucky living there. Again, Nećko was true to himself there too and earned himself the nickname “Mayor of Addis Ababa".

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

by Žikica Milošević

CULTURE

12 Seasons are Coming!

Photo: Pauline Fourcade

Almazian All-Stars Gesamtkunstwerk

READ THIS ON WEB

SEASONS is a new project of Armenian violinist and producer, Khachatur Almazian, already established as a soloist and the founder of all-female Symphonic Orchestra Almazian Symphony. You thought there were only four seasons? Think again! The programme consists of ‘Four Seasons’ by ANTONIO VIVALDI, ‘Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’ by ASTOR PIAZZOLLA and ‘Four New Seasons’, composed specially for this project by the Armenian composer VACHE SHARAFYAN. Each of ‘The New Seasons’ by Vache Sharafyan Almazian will present one guest star: SLOBODA MIĆALOVIĆ - Serbian movie star (narrator), KSENIYA SIMONOVA - winner of Ukraine's Got Talent TV contest (sand animation artist), SVETLANA AKSEN-

OVA – the Russian opera star (soprano), TATJANA TATIĆ - Serbian principal ballet dancer (choreography & dance), MARKO MANOJLOVIĆ - stage director, ALMAZIAN SYMPHONY - an all-female orchestra led by KHACHATUR ALMAZIAN - artistic director, solo violin and main producer, who is the mastermind behind the 12 Seasons project. The project will have its world premiere on October 25, 2020, in KOMBANK Concert Hall (Belgrade, Serbia). The event will be repeated on October 26, at NOMUS Festival (Novi Sad).

All of the aforementioned artists were asked the same questions: "How much will such a Gesamtkunstwerk, i.e. the entire work of art, which consists of music, stage spectacle, acting, dance and new compositions, be a challenge for you? How excited are you and what is your role in this project?” Here are their answers. SLOBODA MIĆALOVIĆ Actress I think that this stage spectacle, that will take place in Belgrade

and Novi Sad, is greatly needed at this moment. It is spiritual food and something that will briefly transport us to the carefree time we lived in just a few months ago. Every new job I get is always a challenge for me, as well as excitement and inspiration for me, and since I have never participated in something like this, a classical music concert that is also a combination of dance and narration, I think this will be a big shift and refreshment for all of us. In particular, I would like to mention my friend Khachatur Alma-

THE PROGRAMME CONSISTS OF ‘FOUR SEASONS’ BY ANTONIO VIVALDI, ‘FOUR SEASONS OF BUENOS AIRES’ BY ASTOR PIAZZOLLA AND ‘FOUR NEW SEASONS’, COMPOSED SPECIALLY FOR THIS PROJECT BY THE ARMENIAN COMPOSER VACHE SHARAFYAN

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

Photo: Daniil Rabovsky

Khachatur Almazian

zian, a great violinist, a great artist and above all a wonderful man. It will be my pleasure to share this experience with him. We shared a scene in Emir Kusturica's film "On the Milky Road“. He was in my world back then and now I will be in his. I will do my best to enrich that evening, which will be primarily dedicated to his performance of classical music, as much as possible and to make that evening as special as possible, as we all expect it to be. I want to invite people to come and travel with us for a moment together far, far away to the world of illusions and imagination, within ourselves, so that we can all fly together. KSENIYA SIMONOVA Sand animation performer It is, of course, very worrying as always, but at the same time, it is so exciting that I don't feel it is a challenge. I guess I can call it a wonderful artistic adventure! I feel that if such kinds of art representing different feelings as music, sand art, dance and others come together, we can call it a new universe. It's an explosion. It is not a challenge. It is a crazy inspiration. Speaking practically, this will not be my first experience of this kind. I have already performed with live orchestras/

Tatjana Tatić

Svetlana Aksenova

singers and even choreographers. Still, this is a big responsibility and even if you prepared and practised a lot, it is still an improvisation. I am desperately looking forward to it! SVETLANA AKSENOVA Soprano It is a really big challenge for me as an opera singer trying a

Photo: Igor Paskar

Kseniya Simonova

difficult period, especially due to quarantine, ballet artists could not maintain their form and only now are we slowly starting to practice and perform gradually, following the rules in place. Artists live to perform on stage, in front of the audience, and each performance is like a holiday to us. On October 25, I will perform in Kombank Hall with my contemporary ballet choreography which is also a

KHACHATUR ALMAZIAN Violinist and producer, 12 Seasons project creator I always wanted to combine music with different genres. In this project, we will present narration, sand animation, modern choreography and singing. For me, there are a few challenges in this story. This is going to be the first performance of a pure classi-

IT WILL BE MY PLEASURE TO SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE WITH KHACHATUR ALMAZIAN. WE SHARED A SCENE IN EMIR KUSTURICA'S FILM "ON THE MILKY ROAD“ completely new thing, getting out of my comfort zone and sharing the stage with such extraordinary people. I will be representing ‘Spring’, that always symbolizes hope and new life, so it will be a very meaningful message from me to everybody at this weird time. TATJANA TATIĆ Sance/choreography First of all, it is a great honour to share the stage with such artists, and a huge challenge. A performer should be up to the task to do this. I will perform for the first time in Kombank Hall which brings me more delight. After this

Vache Sharafyan

great challenge because I do classical ballet while mostly other choreographers do the work for us dancers. I am very much looking forward to this performance and meeting the world stars who will perform with me. VACHE SHARAFYAN Composer As the composer who wrote "Four New Seasons" as the special world premiere part of Almazian Symphony's project "12 Seasons" I felt great excitement and inspiration while working on this music piece that will be performed together with Vivaldi and Piazzolla’s Seasons.

cal chamber orchestra. Almazian Symphony has always presented only the classical crossover genre. Another challenge is having only stars as my special guests. I am very thankful to all of them for their participation. I also have a big responsibility because I am given a rare opportunity to have a world premiere of music, especially written for me, considering that the world-renowned Vache Sharafyan has composed it and whose music is regularly performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Yuri Bashmet and many other great musicians and top orchestras. I believe that a project such as 12 Seasons has a special cultural and artistic importance in our days.

Sloboda Micalović

Only Cranes Know Where Arača is Cycling through Vojvodina: Novi Bečej, Arača and Novo Miloševo (Part 1) REPORTAGE

By ROBERT ČOBAN

inally, we are in the flatlands of Banat,” I tell my colleague who agreed to cycle with me from Novi Bečej to Novo Miloševo and back. A couple of weeks earlier, we fought with the “bumpy” Srem at plus 35 degrees Celsius, and after that, we travelled through the Banat plain at a temperature of a pleasant 25 degrees and a subtle tailwind which seemed like pure enjoyment. However, a couple of hours later, when we were returning from Novo Miloševo, the headwind in the plains slowed us down so much that we felt as if we were climbing Fruška Gora. This time around, we start our cycling adventure on the quay near the Tisa River in Novi Bečej which is so beautifully done that it resembles a perfectly maintained Second World War monument in a Soviet republic, which unfortunately is a rare sight in this part of the world. They say that the quay is exceptionally beautiful during the period known as “The Tisa blooming” which happens in June and on Our Lady Day in late August. At the bus stop in front of the school, I notice a motif from a painting by Piet Mondrian. The town is beautiful, but when you start wandering around smaller streets, you see a lot of abandoned houses, which has become so typical of Vojvodina. A sign at the entrance to Novi Bečej cites 1901, the year when the town was founded. I am afraid that, if the current situation persists, very few inhabitants here will be alive for the millennium jubilee. The Hungarians call Novi Bečej Törökbecse (or Turkish Bečej, because Banat was a whole century longer under the Turkish rule compared to the neighbouring Bačka). Since 1946, Novi Bečej has been called Vološinovo, after a USSR marshal who died during the liberation of the town, and in 1952, it regained its old name – Novi Bečej. Orthodox and Catholic churches here are nicely decorated and are packed with church-

“F

READ THIS ON WEB Arača, a basilica from the 13th century in the heart of the Banat plains

goers even though it is a working day. The ornaments on the facade of the impressive Art Nouveau building that houses the Town Hall are deteriorating due to dampness. On our way to Novo Miloševo, we pass a cemetery which entrance is dominated by a chapel, the endowment of Milanko Stanković, also suffering from dampness-related damage. The chapel reminded me of 16th-century Portuguese churches, grey from tropical moisture, that I saw in Old Goa in India.

plastic peeling off the facade and installed PVC windows with shutters. A couple of houses down the road, there is a mill from the same period which is being demolished, certainly a valuable example of industrial architectural heritage that is disappearing in front of excavators and due to the negligence of the people who were supposed to protect it. We are continuing to head north, in the direction of Novo Miloševo, and we come across Slano Kopovo, one of the last preserved salt marshes in Serbia. Slano Kop-

I AM AFRAID THAT, IF THE CURRENT SITUATION PERSISTS, VERY FEW INHABITANTS HERE WILL BE ALIVE FOR THE MILLENNIUM JUBILEE Near the town exit, we come across two more sad examples of neglected cultural and architectural heritage. Less than 30 metres away, there is a house, dating back from the turn of the century, which left facade is intact but neglected, while the right segment, which is occupied by tenants, has

ovo is a unique Pannonian habitat that is characterized by salty muddy ponds and occasionally becomes a lake that dries up during the summer season. When we arrived, it was completely dry, cows were grazing in the distance and we were accompanied by a stray white shepherd dog.

The well-marked info-board on the main road says that up 20,000 cranes land in Slano Kopovo in the autumn during the bird migration season. A well-made motorway segment runs along a rail track, which is being overhauled along its entire length. What confuses us are the old rails and sills, which are just thrown down on the side next to the new rail track. I believe that they will be removed at certain point, but it all looks pretty ugly and easy prey to people collecting used metals. At a certain point, our GPS shows that we should turn right to a dirt road, in the direction of Arača, a 13th-century basilica that lies forgotten at the heart of the Banat plains. However, there is no sign on the main road, not even the smallest one, that would direct a casual traveller who does not have the Internet or GPS, to one of the biggest cultural, historical and tourist attractions of Banat and the whole of Vojvodina. People say that in winter, Arača can be seen in the distance

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

from the main road, but when maize grows very high, it swallows the site of the church in the background. After riding on a bumpy road for 15 minutes, we arrive at what is left of Arača. Arača was built around 1230 on the foundations of an older church from the 11th century. It was looted and destroyed during the Cuman invasion in 1280, and rebuilt in 1370 by order of Queen Jelisaveta Kotromanjić of Anjou. During the renovation, a Gothic tower was added, the remains of which still exist today. The sign next to the church, which is covered by video surveillance powered by solar batteries, says that the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Secretariat for Culture of Vojvodina, the Municipality of Novi Bečej and the National Council of the Hungarian minority are in charge of its conservation. I believe that at least some of them will come up with an idea to put up a sign on the main road so that tourists know in which direction to turn to get to Arača. We soon come across the sign that we are entering Novo Miloševo/Beodra, one of the biggest villages in Vojvodina which, back in the day, had the population of over 10,000 while today it is less than a half of that. To the left of the sign, a shepherd is tending to sheep and to the right, a man is directing a herd of cows. A large factory hall with

The Karácsonyi Brothers Endowment: The Milanko Stanković's endowment eroded by the interior of the Catholic church in Novo Miloševo ravages of time and dampness

THE CHURCH OF ST. MAGDALENE IN BEODRA IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE AREA AND THE ONLY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THIS PART OF BANAT WITH TWO TOWERS silos around it stands out. They bear the letters “JSO” (an acronym for a notorious special police unit). By the way, the company, despite what the local conspiracy theorists drinking beer in front of the village kiosk say, the letters “JSO” have nothing to do with the former Special Operations Unit. They mark a production plant in which various pumpkin-seed products are made. An impressive yellow-paint-

The beautifully done quay near the Tisa River in Novi Bečej

ed church with two towers dominates the site at the entrance to the village on the right. The Catholic Church of St. Magdalene in Beodra, the former name of Novo Miloševo, was built in 1841. Brothers Laszlo and Lajos Karácsonyi, big local landowners, financed the construction of the church. Later, they were both buried in the family tomb, in the church’s crypt. This church is one of the largest in the area and the

only Catholic church in this part of Banat with two towers. Locals say that the brothers wanted to have each their own tower. In addition to church relics, the church is adorned in Hungarian national flags, which is common in most Catholic and Protestant churches in Vojvodina, where the majority of churchgoers are Hungarians. The pastor comes out and greets us in Hungarian and then immediately switches to Serbian. He tells us how there used to be another castle at the entrance to the village, which was even bigger and more beautiful and was allegedly connected by underground lagoons. We are interrupted by two locals who come to speak with the pastor about the baptism of a child. They speak a nice variant of Vojvodina's Hungarian, which includes some Serbian words whose Hungarian versions the two locals cannot immediately remember, such as “ID card”. We are now pretty hungry and in search of burek. It’s noon and the only bakery in the main street has already sold out their entire serving of burek for that day so the lady working there tells us of another bakery, near the outdoor market. Finally, we found burek there and have a few pieces with customary yoghurt in a cup. Now, we are ready for the main adventure that is jumping over the fence and entering the deserted Karácsonyi castle. (To be continued…)

Discarded old sills and rail tracks along the Novi Bečej-Novo Miloševo railway

CULTURE NEWS

CHAMBER CONCERT – TROMBONE QUARTETT Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

CHAMBER CONCERT – OPERA ARRANGEMENTS FOR WIND ENSEMBLE AND DOUBLE BASS Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

OCT

KOLARAC

Programme

Sunday, 11th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE'S PROM CONCERTS

Piano duo Görög Sisters Noémi and Enikö Görög Programme: Beethoven, C. Franck Production: Music Centre

Friday, 16th at 20.00 Concert Hall CHOPIN FEST

15 OCT

GABRIEL FELTZ (CONDUCTOR) Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Neven Šobajić, Miloš Pavlović, pianists Production: Belgrade Chopin Fest 300

Saturday, 17th at 20.00 Concert Hall CYCLE: KOLARAC – YOUR MUSIC WORLD Yeol Eum Son, piano, Korea Programme: Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Il Hoon Son, N. Kapustin, C.V. Alkan Production: Music Centre

22 OCT

CHAMBER CONCERT – BASSOON QUARTETT Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Sunday, 18th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE`S PROM CONCERTS Production: Music Centre

Sunday, 18th at 20.00 Concert Hall A DANCE-THEATER PERFORMANCE

Kopaonik/Leposavić Cultural and artistic society

Sunday, 25th at 11.00, Concert Hall SISTERS MILOVANOVIĆ DUO SOPRANOS Nevena Živković, piano In cooperation with UMUS Production: Music Centre

Monday, 26th at 20.00, Concert Hall 19TH INTERNATIONAL HARP FESTIVAL

Do you have a string Production: The Harp Association of Serbia

Wednesday, 28th at 20.00, Concert Hall ENSEMBLE TANGUANGO Production: DAH THEATER

In the Backyards of Skadarlija Saturday, October 17th 2020

29 OCT

DANIEL RAISKIN AND MIROSLAV PAVLOVIĆ (VIOLIN) Conductor: Daniel Raiskin, Soloist: Miroslav Pavlović, violin Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Tourist organization of Belgrade invites citizens and guests to an open air event “In the backyards of Skadarlija” which will mark the end of the summer season. The main program features famous Serbian actors Vjera Mujovic, Rada Djuricin and many other renowned artists, while visitors can enjoy handmade products, wine, souvenirs and artwork at the Bazaar. More info on www.tob.rs

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs